Philadelphia Flyers Defence: Best in the NHL?
An old sports adage says that defence is what wins championships. It seems that the Philadelphia Flyers have taken these words to heart after their surprising run to the Stanley Cup Finals last season. On Thursday, Philadelphia signed free agent defensemen Andrej Meszaros and Sean O'Donnell. They also re-signed Braydon Coburn.
Including these players, Philadelphia now has a top-six that also features Chris Pronger, Matt Carle, and Kimmo Timonen. This might be the best defence in the entire National Hockey League, and it would be rather tough to dispute otherwise.
The Flyers blue-line is now a collection of two Stanley Cup champions, a Norris Trophy winner, a Hart Trophy winner, a Hobey Baker winner, three first-round draft picks, a combined eight All-Star appearances, and 10 Olympics.
The Flyers may have been the underdog during their play-off run last year, but with a back line like that they might easily be top contenders in the Eastern Conference.
After his re-signing, Coburn spoke of the defensive line that teams will rue facing. He said: "Any time you can have Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen anchoring your blue line, that's a good start. I like the group we've got. With the additions, I think that makes our [defence] corps … it's got to be one of the top in the League, I think."
The addition of Meszaros and O’Donnell benefits the Flyers’ other defensemen by allowing them to get more rest. Flyers back line stalwart Chris Pronger played all 82 games at the age of 35, but was on the ice for a gruelling average of 25:55 per game, and in the post-season that number went up over 29 minutes per game.
Given Pronger’s success and love of the game, it is tough to criticize him being on the ice for so long, but even General Manager Paul Holmgren was forced to acknowledge the benefits of resting players. Holmgren stated: "Over the course of the regular season, does Chris need to play 27 minutes a night? Probably not."
With Meszaros, who is also a 20-minute workhorse, the Flyers will lighten the load on Pronger without sacrificing quality. Meszaros is renowned for his grit and should only get better as he ages.
Former Tampa Bay Lightning team-mate Martin St. Louis said of Meszaros: "He's just a guy that will play through any injury. He's tough kid. … He's a really tough kid who can take a lot of pain and play through a lot of pain."
O’Donnell is also an important signing. The 39-year-old brings veteran wisdom to the team, and has meshed well previously with Pronger on the 2007 Stanley Cup winning Anaheim Ducks. He helped develop Drew Doughty while playing for the Los Angeles Kings and should be just as useful of a mentor for players like Meszaros.
Speaking of his role for the Flyers, O’Donnell said: "I think I can really bring a steady presence to that last defensive unit, and I think I can help on the penalty kill. I've been a plus player pretty much my whole career, so I'm responsible in my own end. I think I calm things down. You're not going to see a lot of flashy stuff, and I think it's going to be one of those games where you don't notice me, but that's a good thing -- after 10 or 15 games, you're like, 'You know, we've never really talked about this guy, but he's been there every game.'"
The Flyers defence also helps take pressure off Michael Leighton, whom they recently re-signed after a solid play-off performance. While last season, Philadelphia’s Stanley Cup appearance was a pleasant surprise, this season anything less will be a gross disappointment.
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