Flyers’ Ryan Poehling hoping to make Philadelphia his long-term home: ‘100 percent, I love it here

By Kevin Kurz, The Athletic

PHILADELPHIA — Ryan Poehling would prefer to settle down. Not on the ice, that is — it’s Poehling’s ability to scamper all around the 200-foot surface that’s helped him to reach the NHL as an energetic depth forward.

No, what Poehling longs for is a permanent NHL address. It’s just in his nature. The self-described “homebody” stayed close to his hometown of Lakeville, Minn., when he went to college, attending St. Cloud State just 90 minutes away, but is on his third NHL team in just four-plus seasons, still seeking a long-term dwelling as a pro.

He’d like it to be Philadelphia.

“One hundred percent, I love it here,” the 24-year-old said last week. “I’ve always wanted a place to call home in the NHL. … I just love playing for one certain team. I’ve found a group that I love being around, and we have something special here, where we’re all so young and developing together.

“I’ve always wanted to be a part of something like that, where you kind of start from the ground and work your way up. So far, it’s been so much fun.”

Poehling broke into the league with Montreal, playing 85 games over three seasons in which he was up and down between the Canadiens and their AHL squad Laval. He was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 16, 2022, along with defenseman Jeff Petry as part of a deal for defenseman Mike Matheson.

It was a decent first-and-only season for him with the Penguins, too, as he posted 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 53 games, despite missing more than a month in the second half with an undisclosed injury. He was a solid bottom-six player on a team that had weak depth otherwise.

The Penguins recognized that, too — or, at least their previous regime did, as they originally had plans to extend him. But after their season ended without a playoff berth and a housecleaning was made from general manager Ron Hextall to Kyle Dubas, Poehling wasn’t qualified as a restricted free agent — a move that underachieving Pittsburgh could regret now, considering its bottom six remains generally ineffective and without any sort of identity, which the Flyers exposed recently in a home-and-home sweep.

Poehling landed in Philadelphia on the first day of free agency on July 1, and seemed to make an instant fan of coach John Tortorella in his first Flyers training camp. That he signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract is part of the reason why.

“The greatest point for me about him is he signs a one-year deal. I like that. He’s betting on himself,” Tortorella said last month. “As we move people around, and he just goes about his business.”

Tortorella uttered those words in the middle of November, when Poehling was getting a look higher in the lineup rather than as the fourth-line center, where he’s been for most of the season. It was a reward for him to get a chance with more offensively gifted linemates (and also a demotion at the time for Noah Cates, who wasn’t doing much of anything offensively before he broke his foot in a game on Nov. 25).

Poehling started six games as the third-line center that month, and even one game on Nov. 24 against the Rangers as the second-line center, when Morgan Frost was scratched.

On Thursday against the Capitals in the Flyers’ 4-3 shootout win — giving them a 5-0-2 mark in their last seven games — Poehling replaced a struggling Scott Laughton on the third line with Joel Farabee and Cam Atkinson in the second period, and assisted on Farabee’s goal at 5:25 of the third period that tied the game at 2-2. Poehling battled along the end wall and poked the puck to Farabee, who quickly curled it inside the far post.

Then in overtime, Poehling nearly generated the game-winner, springing Atkinson with a saucer pass from the neutral zone for a breakaway during the extra session that the veteran forward couldn’t finish off.

Tortorella commented after the game that after moving Poehling to the third line, “I thought it was much better.” The stats confirm that, as the line outshot the Capitals 6-0 at five-on-five in nearly six minutes of ice time together.

While it’s surely encouraging for the Flyers that Poehling can contribute up in the lineup when called upon, if he is to make Philadelphia a long-term home, it’s probably going to be as the pivot on the fourth line.

Poehling has spent the majority of his time with Garnet Hathaway and Nic Deslauriers. Although they don’t produce much offense — Poehling now has two goals and seven points in 24 games, while Hathaway and Deslauriers have three points apiece — they’ve at least been responsible defensively. The trio entered Thursday’s game with a 56.8 expected-goals percentage, per MoneyPuck.

While a few more goals would be nice, that’s not their primary responsibility. They are the prototypical energy line, attempting to create havoc all over the ice, while trying to turn momentum to the Flyers’ side when necessary. Most games, they do it well. It was notable that the line took the opening faceoff on Thursday in a game that Tortorella figured would be a difficult one for the team to get up for, having just returned from an eight-day Western Conference road trip, and as evidenced by his canceling of Thursday’s morning skate. It was the sixth game this season they took the first shift.

Hathaway noted what makes Poehling a pleasure to skate with.

“You can see how quick his transition is. He’s smart, he has a really good stick, closes in the D zone well, and that creates chances the other way,” he said. “Chasing the puck, he gets on it — controls it well and helps us get out of our zone and into the other zone really fast.”

One NHL scout granted anonymity and who is familiar with Poehling likes what he brings in that fourth-line center spot.

“Good skater and size, decently detailed as checker,” said the scout. “Not a lot of toughness in his game, but been injured (at times). Limited with hands and offense.”

As long as Poehling stays healthy — he also had a wrist injury in 2021 that required surgery — the scout believes “he is a good fourth-line center. Plays with enough pace for (Tortorella), too.”

No doubt Poehling, a pending restricted free agent, would welcome the opportunity to keep playing for Tortorella, too — perhaps as an important young depth piece that can grow with the many others on the roster in his age range.

Already, the Flyers dressing room feels like home for him.

“Our team has been so much fun to play with,” Poehling said. “You’re excited for guys when they’re doing well, and I think the guys feel the same way about me.”

(Photo: Eric Hartline / USA Today)