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Eklund on the Flyers> The Current Flyers Doppelgänger Game: Play Along… |
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OK, so let’s have a little fun today. There are those out there who hate comparing one player to another. Especially prospects. They like to say at a draft, “He reminds you of this player” but that player comparison seems to be kind of taboo among draft people. I understand that it sets the expectations of a player perhaps too high.
I like to wait a while and see what they become as NHL players before comparing them to others. I always play this game in my head, and I thought it’d be fun to play with you guys.
The Flyers Doppelgänger Game.
It’s of course completely subjective, but being a Flyers fan since 1976, when I was eight, I have seen a lot of players coming to the organization , and I can’t help but be reminded of certain players from the past.
So I fully expect you guys to come up with better ones, but I will start this off with 10 today and next blog I will do more….
Flyers Player Doppelgänger
Bobby Brink;
OK, I’m going to start here with Lindsey Carson. I don’t know if you remember him or not, but he was one of these guys who had some skill worked really hard, but really, but was kind of snake bit… but had some very memorable moments. Like when he stole old Tomas Sandstrom‘s stick in the playoffs against the Rangers, returned to the bench, broke it in half and threw it back into the crowd.
Noah Cates:
Becoming more of a scorer in the league lately. A smooth skater who almost never takes penalties, but has good size…. I’m going to go with Murray Craven. Craven would have these bursts where he would score a bunch of goals in a short period of time and was never really that much of a liability defensively.
Sean Couturier:
Great two-way player in the NHL. Drafted as a scorer in the first round. Never makes mistakes and will occasionally get on hot streaks for scoring. So let’s say Ron Sutter… People forget how good a player Ron Sutter was for the Flyers.
Joel Farabee:
Inconsistent but generally working hard. There was a time when I thought Farabee was as strong as Konecny. However, I still believe in Joel. I really do. He can be annoying to opponents, which I like, and he will score the occasional goal that surprises you. I’m going way back on this one. To Bob “The Hound” Kelly.
Tyson Foerster:
Tyson is close to being an actual sniper in this league. He’s got a killer release. And he can skate really well. He’s not there yet, but I would say that he’s heading towards a spot that reminds me of Keith Primeau. That would be his ultimate upside. Right now :Josef Beranek. Burst of Greatness.
Morgan Frost:
Morgan is a very skilled player, and I love his ability to deal with Tortorella constantly hounding him on his defensive play while you just know Torts is quietly admitting to himself that he needs to play skilled players like Frost . You honestly don’t play Morgan Frost for his defense. This is a really hard one. So the player I’m thinking of here didn’t have a great career after he left Philadelphia, but for a brief period of time during the playoff run in 2010, he was vital and surprised everyone…and didn’t play defense…. Ville Leino
Scott Laughton:
Capable of playing on all four lines. Solid penalty killer. A bit of a nasty streak. Good defensively, but sometimes shows a surprising degree of skill, especially when he has breakaways…how about Keith Acton? I thought about Craig MacTavish as well….I bet you guys can come up with a better one.
Olle Lyksell:
OK, I’m probably this kid‘s biggest fan, because honestly, I think he does a lot well in his game. And I think if the flyers could make a serious commitment to playing him with Michkov, the results could be fantastic down the line. He is definitely a skilled player and also able to play up and down the lineup but should be on the top six eventually. I’m going to go with one of my favorites from the past. Illka Sinisalo
Matvei Michkov:
OK, this is really hard. The Flyers haven’t had a lot of players like him in the past. He plays the game incredibly fast, has an amazing instinct, and a real great ability to anticipate. He has a lot of the OG Pelle Eklund in him, but with more upside and more feistiness…so I’m going big here: Mark Recchi.
Ryan Poehling: Very fast. Almost too fast for himself sometimes. A huge player in the World Juniors in Canada a few years ago. Had an unbelievable, first game in Montreal, getting a hat trick. Looks like he’s going to score 5 times more often than he actually scores. I’m going back to another one of the fastest players the flyers ever had. A player who would get himself in position, but just not finish 80% of the time. But was so much fun to watch: Tommy TJ Gorrence.
So let me hear your better ones.
I know you’ll come up with some and tomorrow in my blog I’ll do more of the current team…..
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