When the Flyers drafted Cam York in 2019, there was an expectation of what he could become. He was touted as a great two-way defender with great puck-handling skills and someone who could quarterback a power play. In fact, it was this offensive potential that had Flyers fans salivating for years.
When you consider how anemic the power play has been over the last several seasons, someone who could helm the man-advantage would be nice to have—fun fact, during the 2024-25 season. York and I had almost the same amount of power-play ice time (9.6 minutes compared to 0). Jett Luchanko, who appeared in all of four games last season, spent more time on the power play (10.6 minutes) than York did all season.
Why bring these fun factoids up? This season, York has spent 21 minutes in 11 games on the power play unit. During that time, he has racked up one goal and four assists. Only Trevor Zegras (2G, 6A) has more points on the power play than York so far this season.
The numbers are even more important than that. Earlier this season, York got injured and missed three games. In those three games, the Flyers went 1-1-1. With York in the lineup, the team is 8-5-1.
York is Growing
Last year, York was one of John Tortorella's targets. Tortorella would bench him without much of a reason. It got so bad that there was an "incident" that led to Tortorella's dismissal and a benching of York. Their relationship was fractured; it hindered the growth of the team, and it limited the growth of York as a player. Amazingly, it didn't cause a break with the organization.
This year, you are seeing a different York. After signing a long-term extension, you are seeing a player who seems to be driven to show he deserves the faith the team put in him. It's coming out in a variety of ways.
Besides his offensive output, his defensive metrics are rising. Despite missing three games, he is third on the team with 24 blocks (Travis Sanheim 30 and Nick Seeler 25). He's slowed down in turning the puck over, with just 14 giveaways. He has an average of 24:55 minutes of ice time a game; only Sanheim is playing more.
York is becoming a vital cog in this team's machinery. He is coming around to what we were hoping he'd become. Maybe all he needed was Rick Tocchet believing in him. Hopefully this is just the beginning. York playing strong will go a long way in turning this team around.