Happy Festivus, Flyers fans! Before we can get to the Airing of Grievances, we must take part in perhaps the best part of Festivus: The Feats of Strength.
Looking at the Flyers active roster heading into the break, who would — and perhaps, more importantly, wouldn’t — fare well in the Feats of Strength?
Let’s just get right into it.
Lovers Not Fighters
While the Flyers certainly have a handful of Broad Street Bullies types on the current roster, there are also a bunch of players with little to no fighting experience to speak of.
Of course, goaltenders Carter Hart, Samuel Ersson, and Cal Petersen are among those players with no fights to their name. Then there are the youngsters like Morgan Frost, Ryan Poehling, Cam York, and human scarecrow Egor Zamula who have yet to drop the gloves. Would any of them stand a chance in a fight, let alone the Feats of Strength? I’d say no.
The Flyers have a surprisingly large group of players with just one fight to their name, whether that be in the NHL, AHL, or OHL.
Speaking of human scarecrows — as someone with a similar Slenderman-like build, I feel like I can get away with calling them human scarecrows –, Travis Sanheim has only fought once in his NHL career. He stood up for Sean Couturier after a hit during the COVID season and was worse for wear after going toe-to-toe with Michael McLeod.
Sanheim also fought former Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov when they were both in the WHL, although that tussle is not listed on Hockey Fights.
Short kings Cam Atkinson and Bobby Brink each have fought once, both coming in the AHL. There is no video of Atkinson’s bout back in 2012, but Brink was more or less jumped by a Penguins player during his time with the Phantoms last year. I mean, come on, can you imagine his smile throwing a punch?
Joining Atkinson as a veteran with just one fight is Sean Walker. The 29-year-old defenseman dropped the gloves back in the AHL in 2018.
Owen Tippett can get a bit aggressive but he also only has one fight in his career, although this one was against Corey Perry. The former Duck got the best of the former Panther in that one.
Finally, Tyson Foerster is known for his strong shot and he showed off some of that strength in his junior days. He stood up for a teammate and got some good shots in during the fight.
If these players were forced into a Feats of Strength battle, I may have to go with Foerster. He’s shown his willingness to battle for the puck along the boards and he’d likely do the same for his pride in the Feats of Strength.
But of course, this group of players would likely be watching from the sidelines by the Festivus Pole.
Intimidation Tactics
Rasmus Ristolainen is in a group of his own here. He’s known for his big hits and physical play, but the 6-foot-4 blueliner has had three fights that he’d probably like to forget in his career.
I get it. People don’t want to fight someone of Rasmus’s stature, which may end up being a good thing for Risto in the long run. Perhaps the Flyers can use Ristolainen as a makeshift Festivus Pole instead.
Rhett Gardner also gets an honorable mention. He stands 6-foot-3 and among his six AHL fights only three have video on his Hockey Fights page — and he didn’t fare well in any of the three.
Feisty Feats
OK, now we’re getting into the good stuff.
Travis Konecny and Joel Farabee both have nine fights in their career, according to Hockey Fights. Standing at 5-foot-10 and 6-foot respectively, Konecny vs. Farabee would be a great Feats of Strength matchup. We all know how feisty Konecny can get, and Farabee has shown that he’s willing to mix it up if needed.
These two are definitely the favorites in the 6-foot-and-under category.
Sean Couturier has 10 fights to his name and also isn’t afraid to do the dirty work. He’s been a shutdown center for over a decade, which might be able to translate to the Feats of Strength.
The 37-year-old Marc Staal may have already retired — not officially, though — from the Feats of Strength. He has 13 fights in his career but apparently only one since 2009? Brady Tkachuk took his frustrations out and used Staal as a punching bag back in April.
Last, but certainly not least, in this category is Scott Laughton. Laughton has 29 fights to match his age at this 2023 Festivus Party. He’d be a good third man in with Konecny and Farabee in the Lightweight Feats of Strength standing at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds.
The Heavyweights
Alright, the moment you’ve been waiting for. The Flyers’ Broad Street Bully legacy is being carried on by a trio of players on the current roster.
Nick Seeler’s antics on Friday night in Detroit definitely brought his stock up a bit for the Flyers Feats of Strength. His fight against Christian Fischer was the 35th in his career, according to Hockey Fights.
Seeler has become a heart-and-soul guy on this team after being not much more than a seventh defenseman throughout his career. He puts his body on the line to block shots and isn’t afraid to mix it up with anyone — we’ll get to that in a bit.
The 30-year-old defenseman stands at 6’2″ and 201 pounds but punches well above his weight class.
Up next is veteran grinder Garnet Hathaway. He had two of his 44 career fights back on Black Friday against the Rangers, and honestly probably would’ve fought a third time if it wasn’t an automatic ejection.
Hathaway also isn’t one to shy down from anyone throughout his career. He’s been in four different locker rooms and the boys in there must love to have him given his hard-nosed style of play.
While Seeler and Hathaway would be worthy combatants, there is really only one clear favorite in the Flyers Feats of Strength.
Nicolas Deslauriers has fought more fights than Hathaway, Seeler, Laughton, and Staal combined. He’s dropped the gloves 114 times and has gone over 100 penalty minutes in two seasons, including a career-high 136 PIM last year.
Deslauriers is one of the players that makes the Flyers physically hard to play against. He can lay a big hit along the boards or in open ice, and for as much as enforcers may not play a huge part in today’s game, the opposing bench has to know he’s out there. It doesn’t hurt that he’s been effective during his icetime this season as well.
There has been one career fight involving two of the Flyers’ top three contenders in the Feats of Strength
One of the best fights in Seeler’s career came against Deslauriers on March 29th, 2022. Deslauriers got quite a few good shots in but Seeler landed one on Nic’s mask that bloodied the enforcer before ending the bout.
Flyers Feats of Strength Power Rankings
In conclusion, here are the 100% accurate and undisputable Flyers Feats of Strength Power Rankings based on fighting experience, feistiness, size, and, most importantly, vibes.
- Nicolas Deslauriers
- Nick Seeler
- Garnet Hathaway
- Scott Laughton
- Marc Staal
- Sean Couturier
- Travis Konecny
- Joel Farabee
- Rhett Gardner
- Tyson Foerster
- Owen Tippett
- Rasmus Ristolainen
- Travis Sanheim
- Samuel Ersson
- Ryan Poehling
- Cam York
- Carter Hart
- Cal Petersen
- Sean Walker
- Egor Zamula
- Morgan Frost
- Cam Atkinson
- Bobby Brink
