Bright: Finding Space For Schenn Is A Gift Not A Curse For Flyers
The news of Brayden Schenn’s recall from the AHL’s Adirondack Phantoms on Wednesday, sent a shockwave of excitement and confusion through the Flyers’ faithful, who have become smitten with the current make of their squad, fourth-liners and all.
Coming off a dominating 7-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday and running their overall record to 4-0-1, the fun-to-watch Flyers have abruptly shuffled their lineup, sending the impressive Zac Rinaldo and Harry Zolnierczyk down to the Phantoms and inserting Schenn, a high-profile center, into the pivot-heavy fray.
But regardless of where Schenn plays, the minutes he receives, the line combinations it causes or whether the decision to tinker with the roster was the correct one, there is something to note here that shouldn’t get lost in the roster shuffle.
What a nice problem to have.
It was one year ago that the Flyers were handcuffed into using Dan Carcillo and Andreas Nodl on the wing in their top-nine forward sets because of salary cap issues and lack of skill in their prospect pool. Quite a difference a season makes for a team that now has too many capable players and not enough minutes to spread between them.
Quite a difference indeed, when one of the most highly sought after and hyped up prospects in the NHL might have to man the fourth line simply because the youngsters ahead of him have been so utterly impressive.
With rookie Matt Read making an early Calder Trophy push and Sean Couturier handling himself as third-line pivot, registering nearly 15 minutes per game at 18-years-old, the Flyers have hit the youth jackpot. Where to put Schenn in a roster overflowing with young talent isn’t a problem — it’s a gift.
Because of this plethora of options, unfortunately, Schenn’s entrance could alter the shockingly usable fourth line. Rinaldo has proven himself a capable fourth-line winger and fighter, and the speedy Zolnierczyk dazzled in his NHL debut on Tuesday, scoring his first career goal. Both have been sent down because of financial issues with Schenn’s contract.
And messing with chemistry is not ideal, if that’s the Flyers’ biggest problem in order to enter one of the top young prospects in the game, it’s certainly worth a shot and shouldn’t be viewed as a negative. In a long 82-game season, the roster will play itself out and the best and most productive players will survive, making the current Flyers’ problem not one at all.
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