Flyers Mid-Terms: Grading the Defense

In the first installment of the Flyers Mid-Terms, Philly Sports Network takes a look at the defense, and gives out grades for each player.

As the Philadelphia Flyers reached their bye week and All-Star break, it’s time to reflect on their season so far. As a team, the Flyers sit in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division, but only trail the third-place Islanders by three points. After a 2018-2019 season of turmoil and turnover, the Flyers now look to continue their success from their first 50 games.

A big reason for their success so far this season? Their defense.

Going into the break last season, Philly surrendered 169 goals in 48 games. As for this season, they have allowed a mere 145 goals in 50 games. The overall team defense and backchecking contribute to this, but most credit deserves to go to the guys stabilizing the blue line.

First Pairing:

Ivan Provorov

Grade: A

Wow, there’s no way to truly measure how good Ivan Provorov has been this season. Coming off a major disappointment of a season, Provy is back to being his normal self. Offensively, he is on pace for 50 points, nine more than his previous career-high set his Sophomore season. No matter how many men are on the ice for Philly, Provy shines. The Russian machine averages slightly under 25 minutes a game (1st on team) and no Flyers defenseman has a stronger impact on expected goal differential than Provorov. He has never missed a game in his career and is edging in on 300 straight career games.

Matt Niskanen

Grade: B+

Matt Niskanen was coming off a career-worst year in Washington and was acquired for Radko Gudas in the offseason. He was brought in to be the veteran, right-handed shot to be paired with Provy, and has done just that. His 51.2% Corsi-For percentage is more than the Flyers were looking for, and his 19 points only trail Provorov among Flyers’ D-men. And let’s also not forget to mention his impact on Provorov as well.

Second Pairing:

Travis Sanheim

Grade: B

Travis Sanheim is having a stellar season. He may not seem as if he is producing as much as fans might like to see, but he has made strides in regards to his defense. He’s scoring about as much as he did last season, as he is on pace for about 12 goals and 16 assists. His defensive play has given him more confidence in when and when not to join an offensive play, as he sneakily makes his way to the back post when the opportunity arises. As the Flyers are outshooting, out-chancing and outscoring the opposition with him at even strength, he has kept his role in the top-four.

Phillipe Myers

Grade: C+

Phillipe Myers is an interesting guy to grade up until this point. For his first official rookie season, he is scoring at a good rate. He has more points than Shayne Gostisbehere with eight fewer games played. Myers has had some moments where he struggled if using the eye test. However, his +16 plus/minus begs to differ, as he leads the Flyers in that category. If he could wipe the mental lapses every so often as he continues to grow as a player, he will be elite before we know it.

Third Pairing:

Robert Hagg

Grade: D+, maybe C-

Look, Robert Hagg probably gets way more slack than he deserves. He is very poor offensively, only producing six points through 31 games played. He was in and out of the lineup when Gostisbehere was healthy, but has done a good enough job as a depth player for the Flyers. After a disastrous year last season, Hagg has owned that “good-enough” role for the Flyers, and always finishes his checks. His 91 hits lead the Flyers.

Justin Braun

Grade: B-

Justin Braun has been much better than fans, and probably even some writers, give him credit for. Honestly, not many fans realized how solid of an acquisition Braun was in the offseason, as he isn’t flashy on the stat sheet. Both at even strength and the penalty kill, Braun has gotten the job done. His 52.3 Corsi-for percentage at even strength only trails Provorov (and Ghost, if you wish to include him), and he has allowed Robert Hagg to develop at his own pace this season.

Odd Man Out:

Shayne Gostisbehere

Grade: D

Ghost has been injured for the past three weeks and is set to make his return soon after the all-star break ends. Through the 40 games Ghost has played so far this season, he continues to be on a downward trend. He is a puck-moving defenseman who looks for the stat sheet before playing defense, and that is now starting to hurt his play. However, he’s now only on pace for 24 points, drastically lower than his previous seasons. Once he’s back, the Flyers will probably alternate him and Hagg into the lineup, rolling with the hot hand.

The Next 32:

With 32 games remaining on the Flyers’ regular-season schedule, they will look to continue their success. The orange and black sit right outside the top-ten in goals-against per game, and sit middle-of-the-pack in goals for. Good defense leads to offense, and Philadelphia’s defensive play has done a great job keeping pucks away from Carter Hart and Brian Elliott. It’s time to roll into the home stretch and make the playoffs.