The Philadelphia Flyers benefitted from some strong coaching from Brad Shaw in the past, but now, predictably, his departure is working directly against them.
Shaw, 61, deservedly earned a lot of credit for the development of multiple Flyers defensemen during his tenure in Philadelphia, headlined by the likes of Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nick Seeler, and even Travis Sanheim.
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All of those players, at different points in their careers, either turned things completely around or took steps forward as NHLers.
Shaw, of course, was not retained by the Flyers after the firing of previous head coach John Tortorella, as Rick Tocchet was given the reins and Shaw opted for another opportunity instead of having to go through the interview process again for the same position he already had.
That opportunity, as we now know, came with the Metropolitan Division rival New Jersey Devils, who already have a high-powered defensive unit led by the likes of Luke Hughes and Dougie Hamilton.
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Injuries have plagued the Devils, though, and Hughes has not been all that after a lengthy contract holdout and season-ending surgery impacted his offseason.
That meant that 2022 No. 2 overall pick Simon Nemec, who many Flyers fans were hoping would fall to them in the draft, had to step up with Hamilton, Brett Pesce, and Johnathan Kovacevic – all right-shots – on the shelf.
Well, with the added responsibilities, Nemec and Shaw have been cooking up something special in Newark.
Nemec, 21, has not been on the ice for a 5-on-5 goal against in six consecutive games, and the Slovakian defender has had a banner week overall.
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After scoring a crucial game-tying goal against the New York Islanders on Nov. 10, Nemec scored a hat trick and overtime winner against the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 12, then added a shootout winner against the Washington Capitals on Nov. 15 for good measure.
For a player whose peaks and valleys were maddeningly extreme at times, Nemec, with the inadvertent help of the Flyers, now sits at four goals, eight assists, and 12 points in 20 games with a +5 rating.
Those 12 points rank 24th in the NHL in scoring amongst all defensemen, putting Nemec three behind rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer and five behind dynamos Evan Bouchard and Lane Hutson.
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Now, the Flyers do have a winning record sitting at 10-6-3, but the Flyers again rank towards the bottom of the league in scoring by defensemen; they sit 29th in the NHL with just 33 points coming from blueliners.
With a fresh opportunity and more talent than he ever had with the Flyers, Shaw has taken a 21-year-old Nemec and seemingly got the youngster to finally achieve liftoff in his nascent NHL career.
As for the Flyers? Well, more young players have regressed this season than those who have improved.
