Philadelphia Flyers 2024-25 Player Preview: Ryan Poehling

Ryan Poehling is one of those signings that a general manager drools over. A cash-strapped Flyers team signed Poehling to a one-year deal before the 2023-24 season. He was a former first-rounder who hadn't found his true role. Today he seems to be a key figure in the Flyers' future.

Poehling was drafted as the 25th overall pick in 2017 by the Montreal Canadiens. He couldn't stay healthy. Then COVID hit. He couldn't seem to find a role on the Habs, even when healthy. They flipped him to the Penguins where he played a depth forward role. He appeared in 53 games for Pittsburgh, but again, never etched out a place, playing just shy of 12 minutes a game. When he became a free agent, the Penguins let him walk.

Then he inked that one-year deal with Philly. He was assigned a fourth-line role with Nic Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway. Instantly, they clicked in preseason and you could tell that this was a special group in the making. It was a low-risk, high-reward signing. It was only for one year. It was also going to cost the Flyers just $1.4 million. But if it worked...

Ryan Poehling bet on himself with the Flyers and it paid off

Well, Poehling showed everyone just what he could do if given a chance. On a fourth-line role with 15 minutes of ice time, he had a career-high 77 games played, 11 goals, 17 assists, 28 points, 101 blocked shots, and 62 hits. Not bad. At the same time, he was penalized for just six minutes the entire season. Three of his goals were shorthanded as he became a key player on the penalty kill. Several times, he was promoted from the fourth line to the third line.

His efforts were rewarded very quickly as he was signed to a two-year extension in January. The Flyers didn't even want to allow him the opportunity to hit free agency.

Poehling has resurrected his career here in Philly. He could easily post 15+ goals with the right partners. He seems to enjoy his time here and he is meshing well with his teammates. He is also showing that sometimes you need to be patient with a player who has a lot of talent but has had a few roadblocks to start their career off with.

Going forward, Poehling will probably not be here long-term. He's not the kind of guy that the Flyers would lock up for seven years. However, if he keeps improving, he could be extended again when it is time, especially if he is working well with some of the young players the Flyers hope to bring up soon. He is also an example that when you play hard, you will be rewarded. That's a lesson we can all learn. After all, he is only 25...his best could be yet to come.