Philadelphia Flyers Summer 2021 Top 25 Under 25, No. 2: Joel Farabee

News flash: he is good at hockey.

Drew Meyer

• 3 min read Front Page

No. 2: Joel Farabee

2020-21 League/Team(s): Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
2020-21 Statistics: 55 GP, 20 G, 18 A, 38 PTS
Age: 21
Acquired In:  2018 (Draft, Round 1, #14 overall)
Ranking in Spring 2020 25 Under 25: 6

This quote from our season review of Farabee is quite telling of his 2020-21 season:

If one considers Farabee’s rookie season a success, comparatively in a year devoid of standout performances, his sophomore season is a highlight. At just twenty years old, playing in the top six, it appears that only the sky is the limit for the Syracuse native.

He led the Flyers, and the league for players aged 22 and younger, in goals. After such a huge step forward, it is safe to say that the sky is the limit for Farabee. He’s trending up in a big way.

2020-21 Player Review: Joel Farabee took a huge step forward

What are we expecting from Farabee this season? What should we be looking for from him?

In a top six role, expect Farabee to once again score twenty goals on the year (he likely isn’t going to break goal records, but for a two-way winger to be able to score as much as he has at such a young age is very impressive), and possibly hover around 50 points. With the level of line-mates he’ll be playing with, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Farabee up his game even more in 2021-22.

How does Farabee fit into the Flyers’ long-term plans? Where does he stand in the Flyers’ organizational depth?

The Flyers signalled their long-term faith in Farabee this summer, signing him to a six year contract extension with a $5 million AAV. Yes, they gave him the MacDonald contract.

However, they are hoping that by the end of it, this type of deal will be known as the Farabee contract. Yes, the move is a risk but it has an obvious upside for a young player who is already cemented himself in the Flyers’ top six.

What do we think Farabee’s ultimate NHL upside is, and how likely is it that he gets to something approaching that?

Farabee has legitimate top line potential. He may never be a superstar, but he could easily become a top line, two-way winger. Especially on playoff runs, players like this are incredibly important, and therein, it is a no brainer that the Flyers view Farabee with such high regard. Personally, I see Farabee’s top ceiling being that of a player like Mark Stone, a  top line, two-way winger with 55-65 point expectations (though I think Farabee has the potential to score more than this) and leadership qualities. While Stone may not be the most skilled player on the Golden Knights, he is an integral part of why the Golden Knights are a great hockey team, and I think Farabee could have a similar impact for the Flyers playing behind snipers such as Tyson Foerster and playmakers like Morgan Frost.

Anything else?

I had said the following last June when the Flyers were still in the hunt for Seth Jones:

There are so many things that Joel Farabee does right, and the Flyers owe it to Farabee to let him succeed here, and not in Columbus or any other city for that matter. If, no, when Farabee hits his ceiling and begins to score at a first line clip, we’ll thank ourselves that the Flyers didn’t trade him for a boom or bust defenseman who isn’t really that great defensively anyway.

I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief that the Flyers did the opposite of trading him and locked him in to a long-term deal.

How We Voted: Joel Farabee

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How We Voted: No. 2

JasonMaddieEamonKurtMikeBradThomasKellyDrewCommunity
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Previously in Flyers Summer 2021 Top 25 Under 25: