VOORHEES, N.J. – If there’s a wild card in the Flyers’ deck, it’s probably Noah Cates.
Cates’ career got off to such a promising start a few years ago that he appeared ticketed for upper-line duty.
But after missing a couple months due to a broken foot suffered at Long Island last November (costing him 23 games), things were up in the air.
Now with his health back in order, the 25-year-old Cates (a fifth-round draft pick in 2017) looks ready to pick up where he left off at the end of the 2022-23 season, one in which he registered 13 goals, 38 points and managed to play in all 82 games.
After returning from the injury, Cates looked a lot more comfortable on the ice and gave the coaching staff a good feeling heading into the offseason.
“I think just kind of finishing the year the way I did gave me some confidence at the end of the year,” the Stillwater, Minnesota native said after Wednesday’s practice at the Flyers Training Center. “Kind of playing and feeling the way I wanted to feel.
“Just feeding off that and going into this camp, I just want to get back there, making plays, playing free and the way I want to.”
Cates spent much of the 2022-23 season transitioning from wing to center. Then it was back to wing for much of last season. Any chance he could return to the pivot this year?
“I feel comfortable with both,” he said. “The thing I’ve been trying to do, when I play wing, is be a little more offensive and on the forecheck. At center, I can sit back a little more and be defensive. I really just want to play the same way, whether at wing or center, I would like to be consistent for all 200 feet.”
That’s what coach John Tortorella is hoping for.
“With Cates, I want him to take a chance,” the coach said. “We need to try to unlock him a little bit to try to create some offense. I think sometimes when you’re as reliable as he is, it’s easy to fall back on that play that way. . .play to your strengths.
“We want to try to get him out of his comfort area there where we know he’s so good. We need to get some offense out of him. That’s the challenge for me and him together, to try to unlock that somehow, to bring some of that offense and take a chance.”
Tortorella left the door open for a start of the year at center for Cates.
“That first year I was using him all over the place,” Tortorella said. “But he played a lot of center. And maybe that helps him. I just talked to him on the ice. I’m not sure where it’s all going to land but if we can get some offense, he can be a really big part of it because he’s utility. You can move him into other spots. I just want him to gain some confidence with the puck.”
Here’s something to keep in mind when talking about Cates’ full-rink style of play. For his career, he’s a minus-1, which isn’t bad considering the Flyers have been basically a triple-digit minus over that span.
“It’s an interesting stat,” Cates said. “It’s definitely important to have your five-on-five be more responsible and keeping the puck out of your net. It’s a stat that’s important. You see the top players on the top teams, they’re a plus-50. It’s something to look at and take pride in, for sure.”
Wherever Cates plays, his future looks bright.
“You know how much I feel about him,” Tortorella said late in the 2022-23 season. “He’s just had a really, really good year and is such an intelligent young player.
“I think if we slot him right, if we get to where we want to be eventually here maybe in a couple years and we slot him right – I think he’s going to have a really big role with this club.”
