Five Forwards Who Would’ve Made Great Flyers

There are times you watch a hockey game and think, “Man, I wish he was on our team.” Looking around the league, if money was not a problem, what forwards would look great the Flyers orange and black? I chose these five players as some who would quickly become fan favorites here.

Now, obviously, you would automatically go for all-star caliber players. “I think Johnny Gaudreau would’ve been a great Flyer.” Yeah…way to reach with that one. You think he’d be good?

While some of these guys may be all-stars, others are not. But I chose them for their gritty style of play, their hustle, and their overall abilities. Some of these may shock you. But follow my logic and you may agree with me.

Patric Hornqvist

It is natural to have an apathy for any player who was on the Pittsburgh Penguins. I get it. No matter how talented players like Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin are, we love to hate them and talk down about their actual abilities. As an Eagles fans, I pretty much do this to anyone donning a Cowboys and Giants jersey as well.

Hornqvist was different. He came to the Penguins after playing six years in Nashville in a trade for James Neal. At the time, the deal was surprising as Neal was a major cog of the Penguins teams in the late 2000s.  And Neal would score 71 goals in the next three years with the Preds. Hornqvist would score 68; so pretty comparable numbers.

The thing about Hornqvist was that he always seemed to be involved in the play. Much like Scott Hartnell or Rod Brind’Amour of previous Flyers years, Hornqvist was never the best player on the ice or an all-star. But man could he hustle. He could put out a hit if he needed to. He would battle in the corners. On the power play, he was a menace that you had to watch out for.

I think because of his grit and determination, he would have been very popular here. After winning two cups in Pittsburgh, he was dealt to Florida where he was one of the players who guided them to the top spot in the Eastern Conference this year. He’s 35 and his skills are diminishing, but there is a spark in him that would’ve made him a great Flyer.

Jonathan Huberdeau

In 2011, the Panthers selected Huberdeau with the third overall pick. Five picks later, the Flyers selected Sean Couturier. Both picks have worked out well for both teams. Huberdeau is a two time all-star who has scored 198 goals and tallied 415 assists since making his debut for the Panthers in 2012. He is their all-time assists and points leaders and second all-time in goals.

Huberdeau is a very talented player. He is fast and speedy, but can deliver hits if the situation requires it. He scored 115 points this season, becoming the first Panther to do so. He is one of the most dynamic forwards in the NHL today.

This past offseason, he was traded to the Calgary Flames as Florida desperately needed to shed some salary. He was traded to the Flames with MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt, and 2015’s first round pick for Matthew Tkachuk and a conditional fourth-round draft pick. While Tkachuk is one of the top young forwards in the game as well, there are many hockey experts who think that Florida overpaid for him. Time will tell.

Either way, it’s hard to deny that Huberdeau is talented. He is only 29 and should be entering the prime of his career. He has an amazing ability to find the  back of the net and will go a long way in helping the Flames fans in forgetting about Tkachuk. Still, he is one of those guys that I would love to see in a Flyers uniform.

Vincent Trocheck

Having moved to North Carolina 10 years ago, the only NHL games I get to see with any regularity are the Carolina Hurricanes. I’ve gone from seeing them be a travesty of a hockey team to one of the Stanley Cup contenders in that time span. One of the reasons that the Canes improved was because of their second-line center, Vincent Trocheck.

Trocheck was a third round pick by the Panthers in 2011; the same draft that they selected Huberdeau. And like Huberdeau, he became part of a young core of players that were expected to help the Panthers improve. However, Trocheck was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for Erik Haula, Lucas Wallmark, Eetu Luostarinen and Chase Priskie.

In the COVID shortened season of 2020-21, he scored 17 goals in 47 games; his most since he totaled 31 goals in 2017-18.  He put up even better numbers this past season as he helmed Carolina’s second line. Likewise, he is a master of the faceoff circle. Since his first full season in the league, he always averages over 50% in faceoffs. This is an area where the Flyers have really struggled with in the last few seasons.

Trocheck was a free agent this season and he left the Canes to sign with the Rangers. His abilities will help the Rangers stay near the top of the division. It would have been great had the Flyers been able to sign him, but salary cap issues prevented that. Still, it would have been great to see him in orange and black.

Cal Clutterbuck

So far, the guys I’ve mentioned here have been all-star level performers; even if they have never been named to an all-star game. Cal Clutterbuck is not an all-star nor will he ever be accused of being one. He has scored less goals in 15 years than Trocheck in nine. His best year was in 2010-11, when he scored 19 goals with 15 assists. In short, Clutterbuck is not a scoring machine.

But he doesn’t need to be. He is one of the best bottom line forwards in the league. He is a pesky, chirpy punk of a player who is great at drawing penalties. Since 2008, there have been only three seasons where he has dealt out less than 200 hits; one was a lockout shortened season and the other two were affected by COVID.

The amazing thing is, despite giving so many hits, he takes few penalties. The last two seasons, he has taken only 20 penalty minutes combined! Since being traded to Islanders, he has been extremely discipline in giving out punishment, but not putting the team down a man. For a team that struggles on the penalty kill, that is impressive.

Clutterbuck isn’t great, but he is a wonderful guy to have manning the third or fourth lines. I think he would make a great addition to the Flyers and would be an instant fan favorite.