It’s hard not to be impressed with what Nick Seeler has accomplished since joining the Flyers in 2021. Just a couple years removed from taking the entire 2020-21 season off for a “mental and physical break,” Seeler has established himself not only as a bona fide NHL defenseman, but also as a vocal leader and a fan favorite.
For the majority of the 2023-24 campaign, Seeler was one-half of the Flyers’ best defensive pairing. He and Sean Walker were dynamic on the back end, logging impressive play-driving metrics at 5-on-5 and successfully limiting opposing teams’ scoring chances on a nightly basis.
As fate would have it, though, the Flyers opted to move Walker at the trade deadline, gaining them a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Given Walker’s history as a strong play-driver, there were concerns Seeler’s play would suffer without a steady defensive partner to lean on — and for good reason. There were clues throughout the season that the Minnesota native’s play-driving productivity may have partially been a consequence of playing alongside Walker, who thrived at tilting the ice in the Flyers’ favor.
Seeler and Walker spent exactly 642:19 of 5-on-5 ice time together before Walker was shipped to Colorado. In those 642-plus minutes, the duo logged a rock-solid 53.46 Corsi For percentage (CF%) and a stellar 56.45 Expected Goals For percentage (xGF%). In other words, the Flyers generated more 5-on-5 shot attempts than opposing teams when Seeler and Walker were on the ice, suggesting more time spent in the offensive zone. And when the Flyers weren’t in the offensive zone with Seeler and Walker on the ice, the Flyers generally allowed fewer high-danger scoring chances than the average defensive pairing.
However, Seeler also played 261:15 without Walker at 5-on-5. In those minutes, Seeler’s CF% dipped to 46.73, while his xGF% plummeted to 45.86. Walker, meanwhile, saw a small increase in 5-on-5 play-driving productivity without Seeler next to him. His CF% rose to 55.59, though his xGF% actually decreased slightly to 54.49.
Somewhat surprisingly, Seeler didn’t experience that much of a regression following Walker’s departure (for the most part). Due to a lower-body injury, he only appeared in eight games after the Walker trade, but in those outings, he logged a strong 53.22 CF% along with a 59.89 xGF% at 5-on-5 — impressive marks given the Flyers’ struggles to generate offense in the season’s homestretch.
It wasn’t all pretty, though. The Flyers were outscored 8-1 (!) at 5-on-5 over that eight-game span. However, those lopsided numbers are largely skewed by one brutal performance against the Montreal Canadiens on April 9. He was on the ice for a whopping five goals against at even strength, while his new defensive partner, Jamie Drysdale, was a minus-6 on the night.
It was a catastrophic performance for Seeler and Drysdale in just about every describable way, but to their credit, the duo did manage to develop some chemistry after that 9-3 drubbing in Quebec.
“We had that tough one in Montreal, but I thought we played well together the three games after that and just kind of started trusting each other a little bit more,” Seeler said during his exit interview. “As we play together more and more, I think the reads and staying connected is gonna be better and better.
“Obviously, I was with Walks for most of the year, and you really didn’t have to say much. We just kind of knew where each other was gonna be. That’s what I’m hoping me and Jamie can get to is we just know where we’re gonna be at on the ice. Obviously, he’s a heck of a player and he has the ability to skate up the ice and move the puck really well, and I think we’ll mesh well here.”
Three Questions
Did they live up to expectations?
Few expected Seeler to play as well as he did throughout the 2023-24 campaign. This is not to say that he was expected to be a defensive liability, but given his history, no one would’ve been shocked if he had taken on the role of a sheltered bottom-pair blueliner.
Instead, he turned out to be one of the Flyers’ more responsible defenders. Deservedly, he was rewarded for it. On March 6, he inked a four-year, $10.8 million contract extension that runs through the 2027-28 campaign.
“I’ve been fighting for that contract my whole career. It’s life-changing,” said Seeler.
“It means the world to me to be in a place where I feel respected. And the direction this group’s going, it’s so exciting to be a part of it.”
What can we expect from him next season?
Not much is expected to change in Seeler’s game. He’ll continue blocking an absurd amount of shots while setting the tone physically. There may be an adjustment period as he and Drysdale (or another player?) build chemistry on the back end. Overall, though, the soon-to-be 31-year-old is what he is — a serviceable bottom-four defenseman.
How do we grade his 2023-24 season?
Given his expectations at the start of the season, it’s hard not to give Seeler an above-average grade. He didn’t set the world on fire, but he proved there’s a place for him in the Flyers’ nightly lineup.
