For any team to have success, it needs contributions from players up and down the lineup. While the Flyers have overhauled their defense corps during the offseason, signed a new goaltender to pair with Carter Hart, and made a change in the forward top-six group, the team has mostly retained the same role players.
Offseason Inventory: Veteran Role Players
In this installment of the Offseason Inventory series, we will look at three holdover veteran role players: Scott Laughton, Justin Braun and Samuel Morin. The re-acquisition of veteran penalty-killing center Nate Thompson will be covered as part of an upcoming segment on the team's new additions. Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Oskar Lindblom were covered in the "Comeback Trail" portion.
Scott Laughton - LW/C
Age: 27
Contract Status: Signed through 2025-26 ($3 million AAV)
The Flyers pre-empted Laughton's pending unrestricted free agency when the team signed the veteran center/left winger to a five-year contract extension on April 12, 2021. The decision took Laughton off the trade market before the NHL Trade deadline. Although Laughton experienced a lengthy goal drought from late March to late April, which limited his overall point production in 2020-21 to nine goals and 20 points in 53 games played, he was nevertheless one of the Flyers most consistent 200-foot players in a disappointing season for the club.
Despite starting 61.1 percent of his even strength shifts in the defensive zone last season, Laughton finished the season solidly in the black in terms of even strength goals scored for and against per 60 minutes (2.3 GF/60 to 1.3 GA/60), had a traditional plus-minus rating of +13 (by far the best on the team) and broke even in puck possession metrics. His combination of hustle, speed and tenacity and his versatility in being able to move as needed between wing and center made him an in-demand trade target for other teams at the trade deadline neared. Ultimately, the Flyers and Laughton decided to
"Scott is a Flyer. He was drafted by the Flyers and developed in the organization. He's a pro and a team-first player. Every team needs players like Scott to win. We could have traded him. We got a lot of calls. But if you trade that sort of player, then have to look to replace him with someone who brings similar qualities. We are very happy that he's signed for the next five seasons," Flyers president of hockey operations and general manager Chuck Fletcher said on April 12.
Laughton's new contract represented a trade-off of sorts. He received a relatively moderate raise in terms of average-annual value compared to his previous contract but, in return, he got the added job security of a longer-term deal.
Said Laughton, "I love it here in Philly. I love the staff here. I love the guys here. I'm focused on coming to work everyday and trying to get better and push the pace a little bit."
Justin Braun - D
Age: 34
Contract Status: Signed through 2021-22 ($1.8 million AAV)
After returning from a bout with COVID-19 in February, Braun quietly put together a solid relatively consistent season despite the team's struggles from March until the end of the 2020-21 campaign.
Now-former teammate Brian Elliott said of Braun on Feb. 27, "He's awesome to see when they're coming down on you, he's angling and you know he's going to do his job every time, you know what you're going to get from him, He's great to have back in the lineup, especially from a goaltender's perspective. His personality and his energy in the locker room, that's a big part of our team."
By necessity, the veteran defensive defenseman's role was expanded in the latter part of the season, including an average 19:32 of ice time in his 15 games played during April.
For the season, Braun started 59.8 percent of his five-on-five shifts in the defensive zone and 69.4 percent across all game situations. Overall, he blocked 73 shots and was credited with 78 hits. He also managed to finish at a 51.1 percent five-on-five Corsi
"Brauner does a good job at getting his stick on the puck and killing plays in the D-zone," head coach Alain Vigneault said after Braun skated a season-high 23:35 in a 3-2 shootout loss against the Islanders on April 8. "It's no secret that we've had problems in our end of the ice. But Brauner always finds a way to put something in front of the opponent. It's his body, his arm. He will pay the price to kill the play."
Braun saw ice time with a variety of different defense partners last season, including stints with Travis Sanheim and Ivan Provorov. Come next season, he might open the campaign alongside Keith Yandle. If so, it'd be one of the most experienced pairings in the league, They'd bring a combined 1,754 games of NHL regular season experience (1,032 for Yandle, 722 for Braun) as well as 158 Stanley Cup playoff games (100 for Braun, 58 for Yandle).
Samuel Morin - D
Age: 26
Contract Status: Signed through 2021-22 ($750,000 AAV)
A prospective Group 6 unrestricted free agent this summer, Morin opted instead to re-sign with Philadelphia on a one-way contract on July 26.
After being sidelined for most of the previous two and three-quarters seasons due to a series of injuries including a pair of ACL tears, Morin stayed healthy in 2020-21, dressing in 20 NHL games for the Flyers and seven American Hockey League games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
An early-season attempt to convert Morin from a defenseman to a checking left winger did not succeed. Restored to his more comfortable and familiar left defense position, Morin saw semi-regular duty over the latter part of the campaign. He was often paired with Shayne Gostisbehere (now with the Arizona Coyotes).
On March 27, 2021, Morin scored the first goal of his NHL career; the late third-period game winner in a 2-1 home victory against the New York Rangers. Knowing all that he'd gone through simply to be able to play hockey again, teammates jubilantly mobbed their beaming teammate.
Less is more with Morin. When he simplifies his game with and without the puck and uses his size and strength to his advantage, he is effective.
"The stuff I bring, I don't think a lot of guys bring it in this organization; it's kind of pretty rare now. I think I'm probably one of the toughest guys in the league, to be honest. Next year, we're going to play those big boys in the West and I'm kind of ready to prove it," Morin said on Exit Day.
