Which Young Flyers Player Could be the New Mikael Renberg?
In 1993-94, the Flyers were graced with a wonderful surprise on ice. Despite leading all NHL rookies in scoring, Mikael Renberg finished third in the Calder Trophy voting behind the winner, New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur, and Edmonton forward (and future Devil) Jason Arnott. His stats are still something to behold as he holds the Flyers record for points by a rookie (82) and is second only to Eric Lindros (41) in goals scored (38).
All of this begs us to ask the question: Are any of our young phenoms the next Renberg? And if so, which Renberg are we getting?
First of all, let’s put this in context. Renberg was blessed with being paired up with a great set of linemates: Lindros and John LeClair. But to be fair, that pairing didn’t always work out. Just ask Dainius Zubrus how well he performed in Philly with those two guys on the line (answer: he didn’t…19 goals in parts of three seasons).
Something on that line clicked. The speed of Renberg, the power of Lindros, and the pinpoint accuracy of LeClair. They were dubbed the “Legion of Doom” and they ushered in the next era of Flyers hockey following the Bullies Era and the 80s Era. However, it would not be sustained and this group only brought the Flyers to one Stanley Cup Championship; falling to the mighty Detroit Red Wings in four games.
Renberg was a part of that. After his rookie year, he put up good numbers, but nothing like his rookie season. In the strike shortened season of 1994-95, Renberg had posted 26 goals and 31 assists in just 47 games. That’s really good. The following season, his numbers dipped to 23 goals and 20 assists. After that, 22 goals and 27 assists. During the Stanley Cup run in 1997, he had five goals and six assists in the playoffs.
This is when Bobby Clarke stepped in and made one of the worst trades in Flyers’ history. Clarke, seething at the Stanley Cup loss, wanted to improve the team by targeting Tampa Bay’s restricted free agent Chris Gratton. Tampa didn’t re-sign him and the Flyers won him; although it would cost the team four first round picks. Instead of doing that, Clarke traded Renberg and Karl Dykhuis to the Lightning for Gratton.
The Gratton trade turned into an epic disaster. Unrealistic expectations for Gratton, placed on him by Clarke, led to a disappointing year wherein he scored just 22 goals; down from 30 the year before. Clarke got mad and “undid the trade” the next season after Gratton scored one goal and seven assists in 26 games. Gratton was sent back to Tampa with Mike Sillinger for Renberg and Daymond Langkow. Langkow would go on to be a solid forward for Philly and would end up being involved in one of the best trades this team would ever make.
But for Renberg, he was different. He had been dealing with some nagging injuries. He wasn’t as fast as he once was. His scoring touch was gone. Despite being just 26 years old, he could barely scrape together 10 goals and was gone from the first line to serve on second and third line roles. At the 2000 trade deadline, he was shipped to Phoenix so the Flyers could reacquire Rick Tocchet. He played until the NHL lockout in 2004 and then played in the Swedish leagues before hanging it up.
Renberg’s career is a tale of two careers. The first one, spanning from 1993-94 to 1996-97, showcased a dynamic forward who perfectly complimented two All-Stars; one of which is in the Hockey Hall of Fame and the other is a borderline entry. He added something that Lindros and LeClair didn’t have. But he was also tough, playing through nagging leg and groin injuries.
And that’s where the tale turns south. Renberg scored 128 goals in parts of six seasons with Philadelphia, but 87 of those goals were from 1993 to 1997. In his efforts to please Clarke and other Flyers’ management, he pushed himself when maybe he needed a rest. Battered and injury prone, he never recovered. Also, following his epic rookie season, he never achieved the greatness he had as a first year player. Such expectations on a young guy can be devastating. “You were good last year! Why can’t you score now?”
In a similar vein, we saw something similar to when the Flyers had Matt Read about 20 years later. Read had a breakout rookie campaign only to falter in the years following.
The Flyers have a lot of young, dynamic players with a lot of talent. If they can harness that energy and build off of that, we will be lucky and fortunate as Flyers fans. If the Flyers’ youngsters can play like Renberg during the Legion of Doom years, they will put up monster stats and be a lot of fun to watch. Likewise, if they are weighed down by unrealistic expectations and ire from management and fans alike, we could see a lot of potential wasted.
Are we going to have some young stars who show their talent for a season or two before they start to stagnate? Are we going to see some young stars who break out with a big season and build on it as they become veterans? Time will tell.
Mikael Renberg was briefly great, then good, and then a broken shell of what he was. Perhaps there is a lesson there somewhere.