Travis Sanheim has been a workhorse this season for the Philadelphia Flyers.
The veteran defenseman played over half of the game in Monday night’s loss to the Colorado Avalanche with a career-high 31:07 time on ice in a regulation game. He’s now averaging 25:35 per game, which ranks third in the entire NHL.
Sanheim has been tasked with playing more than normal recently due to injuries on the Flyers’ blue line. He’s gone over 30 minutes in three games this season — all coming in the past 10 days — but those first two (30:19 in Florida and 30:23 against San Jose) included some overtime action. The former first-round pick is the only player to surpass 30 minutes in multiple games this season.
The 28-year-old blueliner has played at least 27:38 in each of his last six games for a total of 176:10 (29:22 per game). And he’s not just standing around out there.
According to NHL Edge Stats, Sanheim reached the top skating distance of the season on Monday night. He skated over four miles — 4.69 to be exact — in the 3-2 loss to the Avalanche. That’s the most any player has skated in a single game this season. Of the hundreds and hundreds of skaters in the NHL, zero have been able to cover the distance Sanheim just did and has done for a while now. It feels improbable but it’s true.
Sanheim didn’t tire as the game went along either. He skated two miles of that during 12:49 over the course of 12 shifts in the third period, including the final 2:41 of the game.
The long-legged defenseman is using that stride to his advantage. He’s in the 92nd percentile for top skating speed (22.42 mph), 98th for his 41 speed bursts over 20 mph, and 99th with 70.99 miles skated this season.
Sanheim has completely transformed his game over the last few seasons. He’s earned the trust and praise of John Tortorella with the head coach pleading for Sanheim to make Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
The 2014 17th overall pick is one of the longest-tenured Flyers and he’s under contract in Philadelphia through the 2031 season. He’s come a long way from being a trade candidate last summer.
Flyers fans can thank St. Louis Blues defenseman Torey Krug for reportedly using his no-trade clause to block a deal that would’ve sent Sanheim to the Show Me State. Instead, Sanheim is showing all of the states just how good of a player he can be.
