The Philadelphia Flyers defense is going to get a lift on Saturday night when Michael Del Zotto makes his season debut when the team takes on the Montreal Canadiens.
Del Zotto was sidelined for the first month of the season due to a knee injury and is expected to skate on a pairing with second-year standout Shayne Gostisbehere.
His career has completely turned around since arriving in Philadelphia two years ago. After a disappointing finish to his once promising career in New York, and a very brief and very forgettable experience in Nashville, he has since turned into a very solid top-four defenseman that is now one of the Flyers’ best players on the blue line. Even though his offensive production (which has been his strength as a player) was down a bit, the 2015-16 season was probably the best hockey he has played in the NHL in all phases of the game, logging more than 23 minutes of ice-time and finishing as a positive possession player.
Any additional help the Flyers can get on the blue line right now has to be welcomed.
While they are one of the top offensive teams in the league, scoring 41 goals in their first 12 games, they have also been one of the worst in the league when it comes to goal prevention, surrendering 3.58 per game.
That is a number that puts them ahead of only the Arizona Coyotes.
Even though he is probably not the type of player that immediately comes to mind when you think of shut down defense, he is still one of the Flyers’ best defensemen and should be a welcome addition back in their lineup.