Joel Farabee Is Rapidly Becoming A Superstar
Things are not going well for the Flyers. Philadelphia got smacked 9-0 by the awful New York Rangers not long ago. Carter Hart has taken years off my life by single handily tanking my fantasy hockey team. To make matters worse, the “one seed” in the 2020 Eastern Conference playoffs wouldn’t make the postseason today.
But hey, it’s always sunny in Philadelphia, right? Is there anything positive to look at with the Flyers today? Hockey guy Trey is feeling optimistic today. Carter Hart can’t hurt me anymore after I benched his ass in fantasy. One Flyers player has brought me a lot of joy this year to the fantasy team.
It’s time to recognize Joel Farabee as an emerging superstar. Not only on the Flyers but in the entire National Hockey League. It’s fair to wonder where the Flyers would be without their young budding star. Not only that but it might be safe to call Farabee the Flyers best player?
Farabee, 21, was the 14th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. No player from that 2018 draft class has more points (24) on the 2021 season than the former Boston University product. It’s a draft that also included Andrei Svechnikov, Brady Tkachuk, and Quinn Hughes. There’s no question the kid the Flyers picked is looking like the steal of the class.
A year ago, Farabee made a strong impression as a rookie but a lot remained unclear. Farabee had 8 goals and 13 assists in 50 games last year. He’s essentially exploded into a demi god with 12 goals and 12 assists in 27 outings this year. We knew Farabee had a chance to burst onto the scene when he had a four point night on the first game of the season.
A reminder… the kid is just 21 years old. Farabee is already near the upper echelon of goal scorers in the league on the stat sheet. Farabee is tied for 4th in even strength goals (11) trailing just Tyler Toffoli, Austin Matthews, and Connor McDavid. It’s a hell of a list to be on.
Farabee has thrived playing on the first line with James van Riemsdyk and Sean Couturier. JVR especially, Farabee has built a tremendous connection with him. JVR leads the Flyers with 13 goals and a number of them have come from Farabee shots where he deflects them in. JVR is sick with the stick around the net. Those two have really carried the Flyers to this point.
What makes Farabee so special? One of the things that needs to be said is Farabee’s ability to hit the keyhole. In the NFL, quarterbacks sort of fall into three categories for me.
1: They can throw it through the door.
2: They can hit the door knob.
3: They can throw it through the keyhole.
Farabee has shown an ability to target spots on net and hits them with amazing accuracy. Farabee isn’t just in the right spot at the right time. When he shoots the puck, that puppy goes in the exact spot he wants it to go. That’s what makes an elite goal scorer which is why it’s no accident he’s finding the back of the net.
There’s a swagger to Farabee’s game. He knows he doesn’t just belong but expects to find the back of the net every shift on the ice. Other players on the team have already spoke glowingly of the young winger.
There’s something to be said for the way Farabee scores. Whether it be weird angles getting off a shot or finding the smallest crease, the man not only puts pucks on net but those pucks go in deep.
The Flyers might not be able to stop a nose bleed but Farabee has played a ton of penalty kill minutes. Farabee glides on the ice and may not be the biggest guy in the world. However, he’s very much a two way player. He competes his ass off on the defensive end. He’s very aggressive on the forecheck.
The Flyers found themselves a star. He’s also kept my fantasy team afloat as a hero pick up on the waiver wire. There may have been some unhappy Flyer fans when they traded Brayden Schenn in 2017. Those same people are smiling today. Philadelphia got a good one. Who the hell knows where this team would be without young budding star Joel Farabee.
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