Garnet Hathaway, a rough and tough 6’3″, 200-pound-plus gritty fourth liner, has joined the Philadelphia Flyers. He hits like a freight train and spits like a mule.
Players like Hathaway are tough to play against. Players like Hathaway are hard to find…ah sh*t I sound like Chuck Fletcher. I’ll get my coat.
But, do you remember when the Flyers bought out cancer survivor Oskar Lindblom to sign Nic Deslauriers? Everyone hated the move! But hey, Deslauriers punched and kicked his way into every Flyers fan’s heart. So sometimes a little bit of fight is what this team needs. Certainly when I think back over the last three horror-show seasons the few bright sparks have been MacEwen, Seeler and Deslauriers.
But seriously, did we really want Danny Briere to make a move that screams “Chuck Fletcher” all over it? A move so Fletcher-esque that we even predicted it would happen!?!?
It’s as if the whole front office has developed Stockholm Syndrome and can’t escape the clutches of our evil and abusive ex-GM. Maybe they fear that if they don’t sign one goon per year, the Broad Street Bullies will invade the front office and unleash their fury upon them.
Now, let’s address the elephant on the ice—right wingers. This team is so stacked with right wingers that we might have to convert Cam Atkinson into a right defenseman and pair him with Cam York. The Cams… a dynamic duo that might not be such a terrible idea if you’re aiming for the first overall pick in 2024. Just saying.
But what does Hathaway’s signing really mean for the team? Well, we can expect a pretty gnarly fourth line featuring Deslauriers, Poehling, and Hathaway. I guess the hope is that it becomes harder for opponents to throw a punch at Foerster, Brink, Attard, or any other prospects if they have Deslauriers and Hathaway to answer to.
Unfortunately, this signing likely spells the end for Wade Allison. The player whom Torts lamented as “always hurt” will probably spend his final contract year in Lehigh Valley. It also raises questions about whether Brink or Foerster will get their shot on the third line behind Konecny and Tippett, with Atkinson presumably on the left wing or on Injury Reserve.
Bringing in another 30-plus enforcer type with more penalty minutes than NHL games (457 GP, 490 PIM) does have one silver lining. Maybe this move will give Briere and Torts the confidence to let the kids play. If player development is truly their focus, perhaps Hathaway’s presence will encourage Torts to give the young guns significant ice time in the NHL instead of leaving them to languish in the abyss of development hell, or the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to you and me.
And if all else fails? At least it seems Caps, Bruins and even P*nguin fans hate this move! And it’s always fun to see rival fans throw fits on Twitter and have the Flyers comfortably reside in their heads, rent-free.
Let’s hope Hathaway’s grit and spit can add to the Flyers 4th line and provide a solid platform allowing others to shine brightly and lead the Flyers to glory…that is the first overall pick in 2024.
By: Ewan Stuart (@EwanFlyers)
Photo credit: nhl.com
brotherlypuck.com 