On the day of the NHL’s trade deadline last week, the Philadelphia Flyers made a couple of moves that would not mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things but raised a couple of eyebrows. Not out of ultimate questioning, but instead just peaking some curiosity and wondering exactly why these moves were made.
Of course, we know that they spent a mid-round draft pick to get elderly veteran Erik Johnson on their blue line for the rest of the season, and we know that he could provide at least some sort of stabilizing force back there. But the other move is one where we saw the Flyers potentially pull off something good for now and for the future.
Swapping out Wade Allison — a player wallowing in the minors and was never really going to play another game for the Flyers again — for Denis Gurianov from the Nashville Predators might be seen as inconsequential (and it very well could be) but what the incoming player might do in Philadelphia could be really interesting.
First, he has actually played 294 NHL games before coming to the Flyers, and that in itself is an asset more than what Allison could bring. Plus, he has actually tasted success while playing the Dallas Stars on that deep playoff run in the COVID bubble when he scored 17 points in 27 playoff games on their way to the Stanley Cup Final. But since then, he has found himself lost and taking trips to Montreal and Nashville before finding himself in Philly.
But what can the 26-year-old forward do for the Flyers? He’s about to be an unrestricted free agent and will have the remaining 17 games to convince this front office and coaching staff that he is worth keeping around. So, what should we catch a glimpse of the rest of the way?
One of the speediest players in the NHL
Gurianov is simply, one of the fastest straight-ahead skaters in the NHL. We won’t call him the best skater because he doesn’t necessarily have the agility and ability to carve the ice through just about any defensive gap like a Connor McDavid, but if it is a straight path, drag-race-style skating competition, Gurianov might beat anyone out.
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