It’s about that time, with training camps getting underway and even trades being made, the Flyers are back in season, and game one is getting ever closer. That means it’s time for some classic BSH season previews!
And our first group consists of some wily vets, guys who play a certain way, and aren’t about to stop now. The new guy Christian Dvorak, the pesky Garnet Hathaway, and the rough and tumble Nicolas Deslauriers.
Christian Dvorak
What did we see from Dvorak last season?
As a member of the Canadiens, Dvorak played a full 82 game season in 2024-25, a welcome sight after he missed 52 contests with injury the year prior, scoring 12 goals to go along with 21 assists for a total of 33 points. He played the fifth most minutes of any Habs forward, usually playing about 15 minutes a night, and was relied upon in a defensive context due to his one elite trait: winning faceoffs.
Dvorak has been great on draws for basically his entire career, outside of his rookie season, and last year was no exception as he won 55.8% of his faceoffs. That percentage slots him in just behind his new teammate Sean Couturier, and is one of the better percentages in the league as a whole, especially for the amount of high pressure draws Dvorak took for a Montreal team that loved close games.
Dvorak started over 20% of his shifts in his own zone, meaning that whenever head coach Martin St. Louis had the chance to throw out a centerman that could be trusted in their own end, it was usually Dvorak. He was a trusted member of the Canadiens and while his 33 points aren’t exactly eye-popping, it was definitely suppressed by his deployment at least a little bit.
What type of role do we expect Dvorak to play this season?
In Philly, the aforementioned Couturier will definitely take some of those defensive zone starts that Dvorak was hoarding in Montreal, as will Noah Cates, so there is definitely a chance that his role shifts back to something more akin to his first stop in Arizona. Under Rick Tocchet in Arizona for four seasons from 2017-2021, Dvorak did have his best offensive numbers, albeit, they still weren’t anything amazing. There’s a chance that a reunion with Tocchet on a one year prove deal, surrounded by some pretty intriguing and talented wingers, that Dvorak can’t take a small jump up to something more around a half a point per game pace.
But primarily Dvorak will serve as a sort of Coots-lite, giving the Flyers the ability to have a trio of defensively responsible centermen who are interchangeable for the most part. He probably won’t be in the top five scoring leaders, but at the very least he’ll allow Coots to save some gas in the tank for later on in the season, and let Noah Cates continue to maybe develop a bit more of an offensive edge after a breakout campaign last year.
Worst case scenario, maybe he’s a deadline piece for a playoff team, he is a useful player when healthy, and while it isn’t the high ceiling sexy offseason move some fans wanted, he is a pretty solid NHL centerman.
Garnet Hathaway
What did we see from Hathaway last season?
Garnet Hathaway brought his signature brand of bang and crash hockey to Philadelphia for the second straight season, but this time, with a little bit more… offense?
Despite missing 15 games, Hathaway was still able to muster 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points in his 67 contests. That was the second best point total of his NHL career, and instead of just being a guy who just forechecked well and arrived in ill humor, he was actually able to generate some offense when he eventually did wrangle the puck.
Since arriving in Philly, Hathaway has just made things happen, he generates shots for himself and teammates at a level higher than most typical fourth liners, and he doesn’t have to sacrifice anything on the other end to do it.
His dogged work ethic was rewarded time and time again, and extended into the defensive zone as well. Hathaway received the highest defensive (19.1%) and neutral zone (18.6%) shift start percentages of any Flyer last season, and he quickly (and unsurprisingly), found himself as one of Torts’ darlings. But it wasn’t undeserved, Hathaway set himself apart from the other rotational members of the Flyers’ fourth line, and he seems to be a vital piece of the team’s locker room and culture of accountability as well. He’s a teammate and a coach’s dream player.
What type of role do we expect Hathaway to play this season?
Heading into what will be his age 34 season with no signs of slowing down, Hathaway should once again fill his role on the fourth line and penalty kill, doing the dirty work and antagonizing whatever player is opposite him. What he brings as a player extends beyond what he simply does on the score sheet, and there were multiple occasions where it seemed like Hathaway led the charge and brought the Flyers into the fight with a big hit or stifling fourth line shift.
His point total is almost moot, his penalty killing prowess and intangibles are what really matter, and it seems like whatever pairing you decide to throw alongside him, Hathaway can turn it into a decent unit that annoys the opposition. Tocchet will love him the same way every other NHL coach would.
Nicolas Deslauriers
What did we see from Deslauriers last season?
He hit people in the face with his fists… But quietly, not as often as usual? Deslauriers only played 31 games last season, scoring two goals and three points, while only accumulating 15 penalty minutes from just three fighting majors. He had 11 the year prior, and while he played nearly double the games that year, he was still fighting at a much lower pace last season.
He continued his streak of scoring a goal every season since he left Buffalo in 2016-17. So good for Nico.
What type of role do we expect Deslauriers to play this season?
Deslauriers should continue to be slowly phased out of the Flyers lineup, and this year he should really only be making cameo appearances to provide some muscle if needed. He will be in the press box sharpening his fists waiting for someone to try one of his teammates, and being a positive locker room presence. The life of the modern enforcer. Here’s Nic D fighting a tree.
