Right now, if you look at stats, Noah Cates is kind of in a slump. Over his last five games, he has just one assist and only three total points (all assists) in his last ten. However, Cates is the glue holding this team together. And once everyone else gets healthy and rested after the Olympic break, the Flyers will be much better for it.
Cates is the unsung hero of this team. He isn't the older, grizzled captain like Sean Couturier. Couturier is having a nice rebound year after combating years of surgeries and injuries. He's doing what he can to mentor this team forward, much like Eric Staal with the Hurricanes.
Cates isn't a superstar. He's not flashy like Travis Konencny, who can put the team on his shoulders and score. He's not fast like Matvei Michov. He's not coming on strong this year, like Trevor Zegras or Christian Dvorak. However, he's more like Zegras and Dvorak in a major way.
Zegras and Dvorak have developed great chemistry while skating together on the same line. There have been calls recently to split them up, due to injuries that have been decimating the team, but Zegras and Dvorak are the hottest scoring combo since Claude Grioux lined up with Jakub Voracek.
Cates, dating back to last season, was on the most consistent line the Flyers had. Not the best; the most consistent. He centered a line with Bobby Brink on the right and Tyson Foerster on the left. Together, the three of them became a decent scoring line and probably the best third line in the NHL.
However, Foerster had been sidelined with one injury before another, with the most severe one shutting him down for the rest of the year. Brink has just recently come back from spending some time on the IR.
Cates has been having to deal with a multitude of changing and shifting linemates. Some of them are young prospects trying to get their feet wet, while others are veterans coming off the bench. Every night, it seems as if Cates is with someone new. It's hard to build chemistry with guys like that and build a foundation to move forward.
And yet, Cates has been successful with it. During the Flyers' recent six-game slide, Cates was only a -2, averaged 15:42 of ice time, and won almost 45% of his faceoffs (33 of 74 taken). That's not bad. All of this while committing just four turnovers with new linemates on an almost nightly basis.
Others may be getting the headlines and the glory, but Cates is one of those guys who quietly steadies the team. He's been great at helping some of the younger players learn the ropes of the game and become more comfortable. You've seen this in the rise of Brink's play over the last few seasons when he's been assigned to Cates's line.
Cates is one of those players that every team needs. Most of what he accomplishes to help this team doesn't stand out on the stat sheet, but you see it in the little things that happen during the course of a season-long term. The Flyers are lucky to have him. Team USA would've been lucky to add them to their roster.