Philadelphia Flyers Final Player Grades: Ivan Provorov

Since we can pretty much stick a fork in the 2019-20 NHL regular season, we can fully evaluate the Philadelphia Flyers. This time, we look at Ivan Provorov.

Earlier this season, well before the Philadelphia Flyers got hot and started to become a sexy pick to come out of the Eastern Conference once the playoffs arrived, the steady hand of Ivan Provorov was steering the ship.

His return to form this year was key, both from the perspective of team success and Provorov’s long-term prospects. Doubt crept in last year as he looked to have regressed during his third NHL season. And many were extremely skeptical after the Flyers gave him a long-term contract last summer. But he elevated his game to a new level this year when the Flyers absolutely had to have it from him.

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Just as he has since he was a rookie, Provorov led the Flyers in ice time, with his 24:51 per game this year just a tick down from his career-high of 25:07 during the trying 2018-19 season. But thanks to an improved team around him, especially with Matt Niskanen as his frequent D-mate, Provorov’s workhorse effort didn’t largely go to waste like it did last year.

His 36 points were a huge improvement, and he would have probably topped his career high of 41 if he were given a full 82 games to work with. He also made strides quarterbacking the power play, contributing 16 points (7 goals) with the man advantage. In his previous three seasons combined, he had chipped in just 12 points (2 goals) on the power play, so it was nice to see a new wrinkle in his game. Of course, it was largely a necessity because of yet another disappointing season from Shayne Gostisbehere, but it was still encouraging that the 23-year old Provorov took advantage of the opportunity rather than wilt under pressure.

Going forward, you have to think that the Flyers would prefer Travis Sanheim to run the point on the top power play unit, because Provorov already has enough on his plate. He plays every game (literally, 315 consecutive games to start his career) and faces the opposition’s top players night in and night out.

It looks like he’s now established a baseline of what we can expect, and I’d put him solidly within the top 20 defensemen in the league as a whole. He doesn’t figure to get any Norris Trophy love because he’s not likely to ever post a huge points season (think 60+ for a defenseman), but those with a deeper understanding of the game can see how valuable he is.

He gave the Flyers what they desperately needed this year, because the team absolutely falls off a cliff when he’s underperforming. At this point, it certainly looks like 2018-19 was a fluke rather than the start of a new trend, and you can pencil in Provorov’s name as this team’s #1 blueliner for at least the length of the contract he signed last year. Actually, put it in ink. You have to feel good about his career trajectory after this season.

<strong>Whether you’re just trusting what you saw from Ivan Provorov this year, looking at his raw statistics or digging deeper into advanced numbers, there’s no doubt that he was excellent. Erase any concerns you might have had and lock him in as a franchise building block for years to come. If 2019-20 is indicative of what we can expect going forward, everyone involved should be ecstatic.</strong>. D. Philadelphia Flyers. IVAN PROVOROV. A-

Next. Flyers Grades: Scott Laughton. dark

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