The Philadelphia Flyers mostly have their headlines occupied by star rookie Matvei Michkov, which has distracted from the others excelling on the roster. The Flyers possess three young defensemen who inspire that, someday, the defense could be a top-of-the-line unit. Who are those players?
Cam York
In a contract year, it’s not too surprising that Cam York got off to a good start in 2024-25. Before the 23-year-old was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 26, he was playing at a high level, showing he has the upside to be an essential piece to the defense for a long time. His possession metrics (albeit in a small seven-game sample size) have been terrific.
Related: 3 Reasons the Flyers Have Floundered in 2024-25
As outlined in the related piece above, the Flyers have not been good at even strength. They’re not generating shot attempts, shots on goal, or scoring chances. While this is partially because they aren’t doing much with the puck when they have it, the Orange and Black have also not had the puck enough. York is the exception.
At even strength, the Flyers have spent just 39.5 percent of their ice time in the offensive zone to 41.7 percent in the defensive zone per NHL Edge. Since they lack offensive firepower, the Flyers aren’t doing much with the below-average offensive zone time they do get. On the other hand, the more talented clubs take advantage. The result, unsurprisingly, is a hockey team with a losing record (6-8-2).
Then, there’s York. With 42.2 percent of his even-strength ice time spent in the offensive zone and 39.0 percent of it spent in the defensive zone, he has been able to out-chance his opponents (team-leading 58.3 expected goals percentage) unlike most of his teammates. A defenseman who plays against top competition being able to tilt the ice in a completely different direction is indicative of a pretty special player. He’s showing more offensive upside, too, which is a huge step in the right direction.
Considering his very low on-ice shooting and save percentages, he should have better basic statistics like points and plus/minus when he returns to health. For the past three seasons, he has proven he can be a top-pairing player. If he can continue his 2024-25 excellence, which has been quite a step ahead of where he was in 2023-24 where he was also on the first pair, that could firmly put him in star defensemen talks.
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