Have the Philadelphia Flyers found the perfect fourth line?

The Philadelphia Flyers are currently in a rebuild, but that doesn’t mean they can’t find players who can become mainstays on this roster moving forward. One of the biggest issues plaguing the Flyers over the years has been their lack of depth. Could they have found the perfect pieces to add next to Nic Deslauriers?

It has been quite some time since the Flyers had a fun fourth line who could produce. Maybe 2019-2020 when Tyler Pitlick, Nicolas Aubé-Kubel and Scott Laughton were put together. It was a strong trio that could grind, had skill, and possessed scoring ability. You could also throw that line out with the best of them. Over the next few years, Chuck Fletcher tried to develop talent to put on the fourth line and we know exactly how that went. New GM Danny Briere has recognized the weakness of this team being able to go deep into their bench.

Adding Ryan Poehling and Garnet Hathaway to play with Nic Deslauriers was definitely a move to bring in some bodies to add more challenges in camp, but as of right now, this line looks like it is going to be an extremely fun one to watch.

While the fanbase knows how perfect Deslauriers fits into this Flyers team, it was time to add some talent around him. Hathaway has been a proven fourth line commodity and perfect piece to add to this young team. Meanwhile Ryan Poehling is a low risk, high reward signing. The 24-year-old will have plenty of chances to prove he belongs in the NHL this season.

While all three players aren’t known for their goal scoring abilities, sometimes having the ability to wear down the opposing team, grind out shifts and create utter chaos will lead to goal scoring opportunities. Just look at the New York Islanders as a team that uses their fourth line to do just that. We’ve seen a good number of chances from this line throughout the preseason. If it is something that could carry over into the regular season, then it could mean one of two things for the Flyers. Having a young player like Poehling develop more moving forward adds more depth and Hathaway could be used as a trade asset depending on the direction of this team by the deadline.

A good 4th line needs a couple things to be successful. Your enforcer, grinder and young skilled player that’s looking for an opportunity to show they belong. We already know where Deslauriers stands on this point but how do Hathaway and Poehling fit into the mix?

Ryan Poehling absolutely is that young player looking for the opportunity to prove that he is an NHL talent. From what we have seen in the preseason, he can absolutely fly. Speed and IQ play a big part in Poehling’s game. Watching him on the powerplay and tallying a goal against the Bruins was a good sign for fans. If Poehling pans out, it makes Danny Briere look all the smarter for it. While he had some chances in Montreal and Pittsburgh, it seemed like it wasn’t enough. There’s a strong chance that John Tortorella gives Poehling as close to 82 games as possible.

As for Hathaway, he is just the perfect fourth liner. He is someone who plays the game similarly to Derrick Brassard. He’s the true model for what a grinder looks like and the perfect player that can help teach the young players about how to play the right way. Going from juniors and college can be huge leap and having as many veterans on your roster is also huge. Especially when these veterans are guys who are not afraid to defend the young talent of this team. While Hathaway isn’t a center, he will line up next to Deslauriers on the opposite wing with Poehling centering them.

While I and most of the Flyers fan understand this is still the pre-season, this could still be an exciting line that plays hockey not only the right way (Torts’ way) but also the Philadelphia way. Time will tell, but for now I, like many, look forward to seeing this line in action during the regular season.