Photo Credit: Barrie Colts

Currently, the Flyers are battling it out with the Nashville Predators for the right to draft James Hagens number one overall this summer, seeing as they both are currently tied for the worst record in the league, totaling only nine points in 13 games played. And this is sad because if you think about it, the Flyers have been “in the middle of a rebuild” since they made their initial move of trading Jakub Voracek back to the Blue Jackets in 2021.

But it hasn’t been all bad. The Flyers were able to get what looks to be like a future superstar in making with their selection of Matvei Michkov. Not to mention, them trying to kick start this rebuild off right by building a team from the back out when they decided to select multiple goaltenders over the years like Aleksei Kolosov (who we have seen make the jump recently with the injury to Ersson), Carson Bjarnason who is still playing in the WHL, and Yegor Zavragin who is currently taking the KHL by storm and might prove to be the best of them all. But we all know that goalies usually take some time to develop.

Working under that same train of thought, the Flyers have put a renewed focus on acquiring some offensively talented youth on the back end. And, with management adding players in recent years like 23-year-old defender Cam York, whom they took in the first round of the 2019 Draft, 22-year-old Jamie Drysdale, who they acquired in a trade for the now despised Cutter Gauthier, and them taking 22-year-old Emil Andrae back in the second round of the 2020 Draft one would say that they have managed to do just that.

However, with all these defenders now becoming regulars in the lineup, one thing that has become abundantly clear when I watch the Orange and Black play is the lack of anybody on the blueline playing with physicality. In numerous games this year, I’ve noticed that the Flyers’ defensive core is not finishing their checks. They choose to retreat rather than challenge their opponents at the blue line and are getting bodied by the opposition’s power forward in front of the net, thus letting them get behind them which is a big no-no. This makes our defenders widely ineffective in their effort to clear the screen from in front of their goalie. So, noticing this, what do they then do? Well, I can tell you that they aren’t even bothering to try and lift their opponents’ stick when a shot is coming in like they should be doing . Instead, they chose to abandon their man to try and chase the player with the puck along the boards.

But I’m not blaming these young, offensively-minded, skilled defenders for this. For that is not part of their game. However, it does not negate the fact that the Flyers lack an actual physical presence on the back end. You know, a player with the kind of grit that bullies’ guys like Chris Pronger and Radko Gudas did while playing for the Flyers.

Now, I’m a realist; in no way am I expecting the team to produce a generational talent like Chris Pronger out of thin air. But I do think it is possible to find a junkyard dog like Dustin Byfuglien or a Brooks Orpik. This type of player could not only provide adequate help in all the problem areas listed above, but they would also be able to deliver the kind of jaw-rattling hits that wear down the competition in a seven-game playoff series. Much like Byfuglien and Orpik did for multiple post-season runs for their respected clubs, which saw them both become Stanley Cup Champions.

And, while we are on the topic, Nicolas Deslauriers can not be expected to be the only protector out there, especially when he is only playing five to seven minutes a night. We need a player on the back end with a little backbone who’s not afraid to drop the gloves so that the team’s highest-paid player Sean Couturier (who makes $7.75 million a year), doesn’t feel the need to have to step up and come to the aid of the teams’ young star Matvei Michkov whenever the opposing team takes a cheap shot on him. I mean, I respect Coots for it. But it would be nice not to have to lose him for five minutes at a time when that happens.

To their credit, though, the Flyers thought they were going to get that when they stepped up and gave Buffalo a first and a second-round pick for the 6’4 208-pound defender Rasmus Ristolainen, but since joining the Flyers, this once feared physical presence has become nothing more than a $5.1 million unnoticeable body to throw out there so that other more talented players take a rest.

Once again, I think that this has not gone unnoticed by the team because, throughout the past two drafts, the team’s general manager, Danny Briere, has tried to rectify this issue by drafting the 6’6, 230-pound blueliner Matteo Mann back in the 7th round of the 2023 draft and the 6’4 186-pound Spencer Gill in the second round of the 2024 draft.

But to be honest, if I were an NHL player, neither of these QMJHL defenders would intimidate me. Mann is slow and skates very awkwardly, and if he doesn’t do something about that, he will never reach the ranks of the NHL. And as far as Gill goes, while he is more physical, he chases hits and is so uncomfortable with the puck on his stick that it is concerning. What I mean by that is while Gill is still young, I feel the team reached when selecting him, for in my mind, a second-round pick should not be so uncomfortable handling a puck that he blindly rushes passes to teammates skates while their backs are still turned to him, or giving up puck possession by dumping the puck down the ice causing an icing just because a player from the opposition starts to skate towards him.

Therefore, I think the team needs to utilize a couple of their potential six selections in the first two rounds on prospects that can fill this void sooner rather than later.

Kashawn Aitcheson

The first of which I would suggest be used on the 6’1, 198-pound OHL’s Barrie Colts defender Kashawn Aitcheson, who plays with that snarl that we need while also being able to offer something offensively as well.

Aitcheson is expected to go somewhere in the mid-teens of the first round, and for good reason. Kashawn is an absolute shutdown defender! Commonly being tasked by his coaching staff to cover guys like the OHL’s Porter Martone and Michael Misa (who will both be Top 5 picks this summer), Aitcheson just smiles and says that he loves a challenge. For he knows the only way they are going to get their name on the score sheet that night is if he gets under their skin enough that they act out and take a penalty against him. An antagonist, if you will.

Now, you may be wondering how Kashawn is able to do all this. Well, that’s because while he does play a physical game, excelling at all those things that I stated that the Flyers’ defensive core currently lacks, he also has excellent mobility, which allows him to be able to turn on a dime and skate stride for stride with either the oppositions top players when they are on a fast break towards his goalie, or with his teammates when he has the opportunity to join them on a rush.

If the Flyers drafted Aitcheson, they would be getting an almost instantaneous upgrade to their starting six, for he is a player who not only could make the team’s opening night roster as early as next year but a player who would be able to complement one of their current offensive defensemen while —providing that stay-at-home type of security they need to allow them to do their jobs.

Carter Amico

The second is the 6’5 205 pound American-born right-hand shooting defender Carter Amico. In my opinion, Amico could be a good backup plan for Aitcheson, or better yet, in addition to.

And that’s because Carter is just a solid old-school stay-at-home defenseman who plays the game the right way. Whether he is winning board battles by annihilating his opponent or making the opposition regret their decision to stand in front of the net, Carter does it with style and grit. For he is an absolute punishing presence, who proves to be a menace any time the opposing team comes across his blue line.

Amico is currently being given a second-round grade and can be found playing for the USA’s National Development Team. But he will most likely take a little longer to develop given his size, even though he moves well for a big man, so expect him to honor his previous commitment to play for Boston University, where Carter will hone his craft until he can join the ranks of the NHL.

Folks, Philadelphia needs to channel their Broad Street Bullies mentality and draft these young men because right now, there is no balance to the Flyers’ defensive core to the point they look as though they are just running with four wingers and one center out there. Wide-open hockey with little to no thought in playing actual defense that is leaving our young and inexperienced NHL goalies like Aleksei Kolosov and Ivan Fedotov hung out to dry. And if they don’t, this franchise is going to be in an endless state of rebuilding.

Let’s be honest: the term “Defense Wins Championships” applies in this sport, too. And, honestly, I’m tired of this city blaming the goaltending year in and year out. Too many times, we trade away or get rid of a goaltender for their poor play. But we forget that in order for our goalie to even have had to face a shot from the opposition, five other players on his team had to make a mistake.

So, the Flyers have to decide whether they want to be flashy and continue to employ only offensive-minded defensemen who, when you compare their plus-minus ratings on a nightly basis to a round of golf they, would set course records. Or do they want to win games and thus bring in some defensemen who, gee, I don’t know, “actually play some defense”?

Just a thought: let me know what you think.