The Philadelphia Flyers are still building their roster to make it fit to be a Stanley Cup contender for years to come. While they certainly still lack talent throughout, they also lack another key piece: an elite two-way center.
Both in the history of the Flyers and around the NHL, Selke Trophy-caliber centermen have been present on the best teams. Philadelphia will want to get themselves one if a Stanley Cup is what they desire.
Flyers Lack Top-Six Selke Trophy Potential
Just in general, the Flyers lack Selke Trophy upside in their prospect pool and on their roster—this is especially true for their top-six forwards. Tyson Foerster was the only top-six regular who got consideration for the award—he got a fifth-place vote. Even then, his defensive numbers should be taken with a grain of salt.
Foerster probably deserved to be a lot higher than he was in terms of voting, as his defensive numbers were terrific for the first-line role he took on. However, there’s a good reason as to why the numbers were so good—it’s not something he’s going to want to sustain.
Foerster played a low-event role for the Flyers, not getting high-danger looks but also not giving any of them up—he couldn’t score goals because of it. This style worked early in the season for the Flyers as they won more games than expected, but he eventually took on a scoring role as time moved on. When that happened, his defensive numbers plummeted.
Since Foerster is such a talented scorer, he will have to sacrifice this defense in the future. It’s pretty difficult for a winger to showcase their high-end shot yet also put up elite defensive analytics. He could potentially be a Selke Trophy-caliber player, but it seems very unlikely if he shifts to a goal-scoring role. On this front, the Flyers will want some help—centers are usually the best at providing it.
Looking Back to Successful Flyers Teams
While the Flyers had almost all of their best teams in eras that are hard to compare to today, one thing remains true: they’ve always had an elite two-way centerman. This is a universal theme even today, as Aleksander Barkov won the Selke Trophy in 2023-24 and his Florida Panthers look poised to win the Stanley Cup. Specifically, let’s look at the Flyers’ history.
Going all the way back to the Broad Street Bullies days, the Flyers had Bobby Clarke. Not only was he an elite two-way center for the Orange and Black when they won the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975, but he was one of the best to ever do it. Had the Selke Trophy been created sooner than the 1977-78 season, he’d likely have more than one of them under his belt—he won his first and only in 1982-83.
Clarke was a key player for half of the Flyers’ historical Stanley Cup Final appearances, coming in 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1980. Philadelphia was a well-rounded club anyway, but he really put the cherry on top. His defensive prowess and ability to rack up points made the Flyers a respectable team very early in their history.
With Clarke retiring after the 1983-84 season, the Flyers needed a replacement. Their postseason success took a hit after they went to the Final in 1980, winning one playoff series over their next four campaigns. Then, Dave Poulin came along.
Poulin didn’t have the same offensive upside as Clarke did, but he was incredible defensively. The undrafted centerman finished seventh place in Selke Trophy voting in 1984-85, which is when the Orange and Black returned to the Stanley Cup Final. He won the award in 1986-87, which is when Philadelphia went to the Final once again. For all of his prime, the Flyers were one of the best teams in the NHL.
After Poulin was gone and the Flyers entered a rebuild in the early 1990s, they acquired superstar center Eric Lindros and some two-way upside on top of that. Joel Otto, while not having a significant role, finished fifth in Selke Trophy voting when the Flyers went to the Final in 1997—the veteran center was added solely for that purpose. Rod Brind’Amour, who went on to win the Selke Trophy twice in his career, was a Flyer from 1991-00. He only finished with votes for the award in three campaigns, but his defensive excellence was much more recognizable after he left.
Related: Flyers’ 1990s Rebuild: Decisions, Winning, & Collapse
The Flyers traded Brind’Amour for their next elite defensive center, Keith Primeau. His tenure with Philadelphia was unfortunately rather short due to injury, but he finished sixth in Selke Trophy voting at his peak. He never made it to a Stanley Cup Final, but he did help the Orange and Black make the Eastern Conference Final in 2000 and 2004.
After Primeau, Mike Richards came to town. In his prime, he was a truly special Flyer. He only played six seasons with Philadelphia but made the Eastern Conference Final twice (2008, 2010) and the Stanley Cup Final in 2010. During those two aforementioned seasons, he finished fifth and seventh in Selke Trophy voting respectively, and had a peak of second place in 2008-09.
The Flyers moved on to Sean Couturier after Richards, but he hasn’t gotten the luxury of playing on elite teams. He hasn’t reached even a Conference Final yet, and he will only be less effective as he continues to age. He did win the Selke Trophy in 2019-20 as the Flyers finished with the sixth-best record in the NHL, but they lost in the second round.
Konsta Helenius to the Rescue?
The Flyers can address their need for an elite two-way center in the 2024 NHL Draft. Center Konsta Helenius could be off the board before Philadelphia makes their selection at 12th overall, but there is so much talent in the class that he could easily be in their lap. If he is, they can kill two birds with one stone.
Not only do the Flyers need a legitimate top-six center for their rebuild, but they could also use a defensive one. Helenius is strong in all three zones and could complement the way that the Flyers play the game extraordinarily well—he could be a perfect fit. He has an elite hockey IQ and had one of the best offensive seasons for an age-17 player in Liiga—the top men’s league in Finland. He could be a high-level playmaker for Russian phenom Matvei Michkov whilst simultaneously being responsible defensively. Adding this type of prospect is something the Flyers should explore.
There are certainly some outliers to the Selke Trophy rule, but the best teams generally have elite two-way play. The Flyers will likely want to comply with this standard if rising to the top is what they fancy.