No one saw this coming. Noah Cates has already been heralded as potentially the Philadelphia Flyers’ best center but he has become a steady and dangerous option to impact the game in every area of the ice. And the coaching staff knows it.
Whether it has been out of necessity or riding the hot hand, the 25-year-old has been getting more and more opportunity with the Flyers as his season progressed. Famously, Cates was the healthy scratch when Jett Luchanko shockingly made the NHL roster as an 18-year-old. He was the immediate option as the odd man out. Once he came back into the fold, it was purely in a depth role. In the 31 games before the holiday break, Cates averaged 13:09 time-on-ice in that third- or fourth-line spot. Since the break, in the eight games he has played, he averaged 17:09 time-on-ice. A whole four more minutes as his role in every aspect of the game has increased.
And with two goals against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, in a game where they had to come back from a 2-0 deficit to earn the two points in regulation, Cates was the focal point and the do-it-all man for the Flyers.
“I’m relying on Catesy for a lot of things,” Tortorella said after Monday night’s win.
But this has come natural for Cates. A player that is extremely aware of what he is good at and where can hide some of his weaknesses as a hockey player.
“I think situational hockey and situational awareness is something I have done my whole career. It’s a strength of mine with kind of my brain and not being the best skater,” Cates said. “I just have to use my brain and defend hard in those situations. Those situations in the past have kind of hurt us and I’m just trying to do my best there.”
When it comes to playing so often in so many different scenarios throughout 60 minutes, Cates welcomes it with open arms. A Swiss army knife of a center just embracing the situation and pulling out whatever tool can do the job. While other centers could get stuck in a rut and are unable to change processes so fluidly, Cates thrives in it.
“It makes you feel good, to stay in a groove and playing a lot. Like I said, the situational awareness is when it’s a power play shift, and then penalty kill shift, 4-on-4, whatever it is. You have to be ready and you have to be dialed in. It keeps my engaged in the game and it’s how I like to play.”
The major talk throughout this season has been the Flyers’ lack of centers. They don’t really have anyone that can take a top-six role and run with it. But currently, Cates and teammate Morgan Frost are leading the team down the middle throughout these situations. The door has been wide open for them to make an impression on the front office and coaching staff before they spend every asset they have to get some players who can play down the middle — and simply put, they have been doing just that in recent performances.
“Definitely,” Cates said when asked about Frost and him taking the opportunity. “I think he’s stepped up a lot and this past little run has been good. It’s just consistency every night. You see these top centers we’re playing against; just how good they are, how long they’ve done it, how consistent they’ve done it. You want to get to that level.”
If Cates can do what he has done recently on a consistent basis, then there might just not be a need for the Flyers to do a full-court press in search for a guy who can do the same but is a flashier name. He is certainly earning the opportunity and his role will definitely not shrink in the coming weeks.
Tortorella himself knows that he has thrown his centers into a pit with a great opportunity. The Flyers coach has essentially stood aside and let them show him what exactly they got, to try and create some stable force at center for this team.
“Every player wants responsibility,” Tortorella said. “We’re certainly giving it to him. He sees that the door is open in terms of the minutes he is getting. Remember the beginning of the year? He wasn’t playing, I had him scratched. … You can’t help but pull for the guy. He doesn’t say much. Doesn’t talk. But he keeps on working on his game. There’s been a little pressure put on him by some people, even from the outside, if he is going to score some goals. We want him to take a chance offensively and I think he’s growing with confidence as he gets more and more chances with that style of play.”
