The Philadelphia Flyers are having a bit of an identity crisis. The organization both behind the scenes and on the ice is struggling to re-establish themselves as a top tier team, but it’s not going to be an easy climb back to relevancy.
Under the new regime the Philadelphia Flyers have leaned hard into two different ideals- pandering to the lapsed fans and importance of leadership. And they’re willing to do what it takes to accomplish both goals even if the overall vision isn’t quite clear yet.
There’s a familiar face out there that would tick those boxes perfectly, and that’s Wayne Simmonds. He was a fan favorite during his time with the Flyers between 2011 and 2019. He wore an “A” during a majority of that time and has taken mentorship roles with the Devils, Sabres and Maple Leafs since he left Philly.
He remains a free agent as the 2023-24 season is breaking on the horizon, and it may be time for a reunion to happen between old friends.
Wayne Simmonds, now 35 years old, has played in 1,037 NHL games racking up 526 points and 1,313 penalty minutes. The glory days of his career came with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2013 to 2017 when he was hovering around the 30-goal, 60-point mark regularly.
The fresh rebuilding efforts undertaken by the Flyers have led to quite the motley crew of a roster, as rookie GM Danny Briere has filled the depth charts with random plug-ins in the name of building a better team culture, something that became a talking point issue shortly after Simmonds’ departure from the team at the 2019 trade deadline.
While Simmonds is nowhere close to the player he was during his days with the Flyers, he may be perfect for the roster construction heading into 2023-24, which is set up for players to be cycled in and out of the lineup on a nightly basis with practically nobody, especially in the bottom six, having guaranteed spots. Even if he only suits up for a dozen games, his presence off the ice is far more valuable to the Flyers than it is on it.
With young players throughout that could use some direction, having a player like Simmonds to deliver some pointers could be the key for future success. Players like Owen Tippett and Wade Allison would benefit from the tutelage of Simmonds as skaters like-minded styles.
It’s not like the Flyers are trying to be competitive. It’s not like Simmonds is boxing anybody out of a roster spot that other depth guys like Nic Deslauriers or Garnet Hathaway aren’t already doing. Simmonds would better be served as 13th forward than one of the prospects anyway.
The Flyers with their nucleus of the future in its infancy, need guidance from the right figures and the fans would absolutely love a Simmonds’ return. It seems like a perfect match, especially since the NHL opportunities seem to be thin for Simmonds at this point of his career. If he’s not taking this role in Philly, he’s be taking a very similar mentorship role with a different team.
Briere has proven he’s not above pandering. The flurry of former Flyer hires throughout the front office indicate management knows exactly what they’re doing when it comes to tugging at the heart strings with fan favorite hires. There aren’t many players out there past or present that had the connection to the city like Simmonds did, and even if his signing made little sense in the grand scheme of things, nobody would reject the idea of Wayne Train returning to the station for one more season.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
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