Just about any coach will tell you the ideal defense pairing is one with an offensive-minded player and defensive-minded one.
Perhaps that’s what makes the Nick Seeler-Jamie Drysdale tandem so effective for the Flyers.
Drysdale loves to use his speed to get up the ice and join the rush while Seeler is more a stay-at-home guy.
Now that Drysdale has recovered from offseason sports hernia surgery, the two backliners might be a pretty effective unit this season.
Seeler has noticed a more mobile Drysdale in preseason action.
“He has this different confidence this year, you can tell, it’s nice, he’s feeling healthy,” Seeler said. “Just his quickness to the puck, his ability to move across the blue line. You could see it in the game (at Washington on Sunday). He was very confident.
“That’s exciting. That’s something I can feed off of, too. Hopefully we can continue to build that chemistry from last year.”
For this pairing, the roles are clearly defined.
“He’s more offensive-minded,” Seeler said, “where I’m more on the defensive side. I know where I’m going to be and he has that freedom to go up the ice and play his game. In that game (at Washington) he had that extra step, that extra jump in his game.”
Seeler signed a contract which will pay him $2.7 million per year through 2027-28. He earned it. He blocks shots, takes hits and delivers them. What’s not to like?
This is the first time Seeler has some stability in his career. He actually took a year off from the game (2020-21) to make sure his priorities were hockey and nothing else.
That new-found stability has helped him improve his game.
“It’s something that I haven’t had before,” he said. “It (the new contract) meant the world to me. To be in a place where I feel so comfortable in. To be in a city with such great fans and the organization, it’s top tier with great management and leadership. I’m just excited to be a part of it, I love where this group is going. Can’t wait to get started.”
In this training camp, several new faces have arrived, including 18-year-old defenseman Spencer Gill, who made his unofficial NHL debut the other night.
“I think there’s some really good talent coming up in our system and it’s fun to see these young guys like Gill,” Seeler said. “I looked down the bench yesterday and he looks like he’s in high school.
“But good on him, where he’s at. His skill set, to even play in a preseason game, is cool. He asked me yesterday about blocking shots, the angle because he thought he was stuggling. He was in the lane. He was asking me about that, which is great. If he can learn from it, that’s great.”
Other rookies have also been impressing Seeler.
“Guys like (forward Jett) Luchanko, you can see his speed. He’s super-quick,” Seeler said. “(Matvei) Michkov, his ability to move the puck, his passing has been fun to watch. I’m sure fans love that, too.”
