The Thanksgiving season is here and while we’re all getting ready to stuff our faces with turkey and talk to family members we don’t like, why not take a minute to talk about the things we’re thankful for when it comes to the Philadelphia Flyers? After all, there are so many things going right for the Flyers these days, it’s so hard to narrow it down to just five!
Number 5: Long-term Contracts
When your team is as successful as the Flyers, it’s very important to lock every last player up to multi-year extensions. Who needs free agent signing and freedom to make trades when you could have six players under contract until at least 2028? The man behind the genius should be given some kind of credit, and that brings us to…
Number 4: Danny Briere
Danny “Big Balls Masterclass” Briere is closing in on his second anniversary at the helm of the Flyers and just look how things have noticeable change from his predecessor. They still haven’t made the playoffs, they still haven’t made a notable trade, they added a bunch of dead money on the books and they’re still barely managing to keep themselves around .500 hockey. Such a new era of orange!
Number 3: Morgan Frost
Morgan Frost is what every team dreams of drafting in the first round, a random center who completes one pass every six games! He’s barely an NHLer but it’s ok, he’s only been in the NHL for six seasons, we all know generational stars take at least a decade to develop into top six forwards. Every team’s top star struggles to hit 50 points. We can’t judge him until he turns 30, though, so he’s still got plenty of time to develop. I’m sure Claude Giroux jr. will come around any day now!
Number 2: Ivan Fedotov
On a more serious note, I don’t think we as a fanbase have truly recognized how incredible it is that Ivan Fedotov is actually playing for the Flyers right now. Abducted by the Russian military, shipped to the Arctic circle, forced to sign a KHL contract when he returned before finally being allowed to leave and travel to North America. Maybe he hasn’t been the force we all hoped for, but the fact that he’s finally living his dream is an under-the-radar cool moment of the season.
Number 1: Matvei Michkov
The 19-year-old rookie sensation represents the only beacon of hope for the Philadelphia Flyers in what has been an otherwise trying time. After a decade of hyping prospects only for them to fall flat, the fact that Michkov seems to be as good as advertised is a welcome change of pace. The best part? He’s only going to get better from here.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
brotherlypuck.com 