After signing his entry-level contract Sunday afternoon, many believed Porter Martone would make his NHL debut sometime this coming week. But apparently, the Philadelphia Flyers top prospect was desperate to get into a game as soon as possible and even wanted to play just hours after putting pen to paper on Sunday night.
According to 32 Thoughts host Elliotte Friedman during Monday’s podcast, the 19-year-old winger who was fresh off being knocked out of the NCAA tournament less than 24 hours prior, wanted to get the ball rolling almost immediately and be on the ice in what was eventually a monumental 2-1 overtime win over the Dallas Stars.
“I had people texting me and saying you better get on Martone, it’s going to be fast,” Friedman said regarding the situation with the Flyers’ 2025 first-round draft pick. “And obviously it was. Somebody at the rink told me that they heard that Martone wanted to play Sunday night against Dallas. Like he was just like, ‘I’m going back to Michigan State with my teammates, but this sucks and I want to play.’ Obviously, that didn’t work out, it couldn’t work out and we’ll see when Philly drops him in.”
What a rink rat.
Porter Martone was desperate to make his NHL debut as soon as humanly possible
Friedman wasn’t sure exactly whether Philadelphia put Martone into the line Tuesday against Washington or Thursday against Detroit. But he opined the Flyers could’ve done something dramatic to reveal Martone’s signing.
“Part of me was thinking Philly should just ignore the noise, not make the announcement, and just drop Martone out of the rafters in the first commercial break in their game,” Friedman said. “The building would’ve gone bananas. Either in full gear or just in a Flyers jersey.”
It might have made for great television and been a huge surprise for fans in the arena. But it is probably better to simply sign Martone and reveal the news at ground level. Having one of your foreseeable cornerstones to your team’s future success pulling a groin or injuring himself while being suspended 30 feet above ice level isn’t a risk worth taking. Not to mention some freak accident with a cord or cable snapping. But Friedman said the news was well received from the Flyers’ fan base who were “ecstatic about this.”
Martone’s paperwork should not delay things much in terms of him suiting up for game action. But delays have happened before. However, if he’s good to go, chances are he’ll be in the lineup sometime this week. Having Martone in the lineup should be a help to the team overall, or possibly a boost to the team’s offense given his size and play-making ability as the Flyers make this significant playoff push.
As it stands now, Philadelphia is tied with Ottawa and Detroit with 86 points. The Flyers essentially need to end up with more points than their competitors as a tiebreaker regarding regulation wins eliminates Philadelphia.
According to Playoff Status, if the Flyers have a 7-2-0 record the rest of the way, they have a 99 per cent chance of making the playoffs (and most likely being the second seed in the Metropolitan Division). If they go 6-3, that percentage drops to 89 per cent. Meanwhile, if they go 5-4, it’s slimmer than a coin toss (42 per cent). Anything resembling a .500 winning percentage or lower and they’re toast. So, while there will be scoreboard watching the rest of the way, Philadelphia still is in control of their own destiny.
