BroadStHockey reported this afternoon that David Jiricek is running out of opportunities to prove himself with the Flyers.
The timing matters. Philadelphia sits 28th in the NHL at 5-10-6 after Wednesday's 3-2 overtime loss in Edmonton, and with pressure building on Danny Briere and Rick Tocchet, nobody on this roster is untouchable.
That's the whole report, a single line with no details attached. Nothing in it says who is ahead of Jiricek on the blue line or how much he is playing, so the real question is what his next chance looks like.
The next chance comes Saturday at Columbus, which makes for an awkward bit of history. The Blue Jackets drafted Jiricek sixth overall in 2022, and now a 22-year-old with a 6-foot-4 frame is fighting to stay relevant against his old club.
The numbers he brings aren't helping his case. Through 10 games this season he has no goals, one assist and a -3 rating.
Over his career he has 2 goals and 12 assists in 95 games. He is five games away from 100, a small milestone that means little if the opportunities dry up first.
Tocchet already made his feelings clear, too. We covered how the coach put David Jiricek on notice publicly, and a defenseman who has been told he needs to give more doesn't usually get unlimited rope.
Does Jiricek have a real path back into the Flyers' plans?
There is a path, but it isn't a wide one. The competition isn't exactly lighting it up either.
Oliver Bonk has seven points in 15 games, but he is a -10. Cam York is also a -10 with one point in 13 games. Jamie Drysdale is the only one of that group in the plus column at +2, and Simon Benoit is a -4 with one goal.
That's the strongest argument for patience, and we think the Flyers should use it. A team allowing 69 goals through 21 games has bigger problems than a young defenseman with 10 games played, and burying a former sixth overall pick for a blue line that is struggling just as badly doesn't solve anything.
Still, patience runs out in a hurry when a club is 28th and the front office needs answers. Our look at the Flyers' blue line reckoning already pointed to the back end as the place where the fix has to start.
Whether Jiricek is in the lineup in Columbus on Saturday, and what Tocchet does with the pairs, will say a lot about where this goes next.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
What should the Flyers do with David Jiricek?
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