The defenseman they once considered a foundational building block proved he couldn’t carry a top pair. They allowed more goals than any other NHL team and missed the playoffs for the fifth time in nine seasons. Provorov regressed drastically without his steady veteran partner, and the Flyers defense faltered embarrassingly in 2020-21. Niskanen retired following the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Related: Flyers Need More from Couturier Moving Forward He looked poised to become a player who could stay in the conversation for the Norris Trophy on an annual basis if his development continued. The Flyers hoped Provorov could play a role similar to recent Stanley Cup winners like Duncan Keith, Victor Hedman, or Drew Doughty, the unquestioned top guys on the blue line for their respective teams. Ivan Provorov, Philadelphia Flyers ( Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers) He looked like he would be the staple of the Philadelphia blue line for years to come after his breakout season in 2019-20 when he starred alongside Matt Niskanen on the top pair for the upstart Flyers in Alain Vigneault’s first season behind the bench. He has played in 422 consecutive regular season and playoff games and logged significant minutes as a durable workhorse. Provorov has won the Barry Ashbee Trophy as the Flyers top defenseman in three of his first five seasons.
While the Russian defenseman has made significant contributions during his six seasons in the NHL, his inability to enter the top tier of NHL blueliners has contributed to Philadelphia’s failure to break out of the mediocrity holding them back for the majority of the past decade. They hoped he could become a foundational piece of the core that could lead them back to Stanley Cup contention. The Philadelphia Flyers selected Ivan Provorov seventh overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft during the competitive rebuild under former general manager Ron Hextall from 2014-2018.