Should The Flyers Trade Ivan Provorov?
The Flyers are in full rebuild mode and moves are to be made during this upcoming trade deadline. One guy that could find himself being moved is veteran defensemen, Ivan Provorov. John Tortorella is going to rub some people the wrong way. It just is what it is. We already know about the ruffles with Kevin Hayes. Check out what Elliotte Friedman had to say on his 32 thoughts podcast.
To be totally honest with you; the Flyers probably should trade Provorov. Young Andrew here at Vendetta can probably give you more of an expert opinion than I can. The pure data, however, would suggest that Provorov has taken a major step back in his development. I’m not sure he’s the player that everyone thinks he is.
Provorov carries a $6.75 million cap hit. Are you sure that’s even a good contract? Provorov has limited offensive upside. He’s not a great puck mover. It’s the entire reason the Flyers went and got Tony DeAngelo this offseason. Provorov struggles on the powerplay and isn’t number one defensemen material. The shooting percentage is down to 2.5% this year and he’s got 15 points in 42 games. Again, something you would hope for more as your team’s number one D man.
Is some of this Philadelphia’s fault? Absolutely! They are not blameless here. If Provorov had a better compliment maybe the underlying numbers would be better. It’s not like DeAngelo is blameless. He’s awful defensively. Would a change of scenery be the worst thing in the world? What would Provorov look like if he were playing for the Kings instead and Sean Durzi or Drew Doughty was his partner instead? All valid questions.
If you’re going to rebuild, trading a guy like Provorov that still has value only makes sense. Why wait to find out and risk losing a guy who’s unhappy in free agency two years from now? The fact remains that Provorov’s on-ice impact might actually be overstated. Do bad puck movers age gracefully?
