Philadelphia Flyers: Pair Cam Atkinson with Kevin Hayes and Joel Farabee
In 2020-21, Kevin Hayes and Joel Farabee played a ton of minutes together for the Philadelphia Flyers.
Whether playing on the first line, second, or even third line, Hayes and Farabee formed a quality two-man game the likes of which the Flyers haven’t had outside of their top-line pairing of Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier.
But next to Hayes and Farabee? Well, that role was filled by a rotating cast of characters over the course of the abridged regular season.
From Wade Allison, to Jakub Voracek, and even Travis Konecny, if you were a right-side winger with a sure shot, you likely played at least a few minutes next to Hayes and Farabee.
So naturally, with Voracek gone, the Philadelphia Flyers will have to settle on a new wing to fill out their top-six, especially one comfortable playing on the right side. Hmm… if only the team had a quality sniper who fits that bill, maybe even one who owns a Gritty tee shirt.
Cam Atkinson is a perfect second-line right winger for the Philadelphia Flyers.
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Cam Atkinson hasn’t been elite since 2018-19.
His 61 points from 2019-21 are eight fewer than his 2018-19 total of 69, and he’s missed time in each of the last two seasons, most notably an ankle injury that sent him to IR in 2019.
To some, the Philadelphia Flyers’ decision to trade Jakub Voracek, a proven distributor with deep roots in Philly, back to Columbus for a potentially over-the-hill shooter left many a fan scratching their heads, but for a team looking to shake things up, the decision to make a move was apropos.
If Atkinson works out and can recapture his prime points performances, the Flyers are going to be a better offensive team than in seasons prior. If not, well, they’ll surely be in the same boat as last season, which is to say, an average team with borderline playoff potential.
But, you may ask, what can the Flyers do to guarantee Atkinson as much success as possible? Easy, give him a consistent set of linemates to play when the season opens up.
Enter Kevin Hayes and Joel Farabee.
Like Atkinson, Farabee is a speedy skater with an active shot. Paired up with Hayes’ eye for a flashy pass and all-around offensive game, the duo shined last season and set up the latter for a massive extension that will keep him under contract for six additional seasons. Fold Atkinson into that lineup, and Alain Vigneault could deploy a uniquely potent mirrored attack centered around a pair of speedy snipers off the edge and a big-bodied power forward driving up the middle.
As a change of pace attack behind the well-established trio of Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, and Travis Konecny, pairing Atkinson with Hayes and Farabee could fill out one heck of a top-six with a varied enough set of players to attack opposing netminders in a variety of different ways.
After watching the Flyers’ offensive attack grow increasingly stagnant last season, the addition of Atkinson will surely allow the team to present different looks than in seasons past.
Next. Everyone is loving Joel Farabee’s new extension. dark
Will it work? Will Cam Atkinson recapture his former glory in a new uniform, or will he continue to regress with each passing season? Either way, the Philadelphia Flyers will be finding out, as they have him under contract until 2024-25.