Flyers' History: Top 10s in Flyers history and other recollections

[BiggE]

Will be posting: Top 10 rookie seasons in Flyers history later today.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

I wouldn't mind seeing that top 10 list, a few that come to mind:
andy delmore
matt read? (based on his rookie year)
ville leino
jiri dopita
yves racine (52 pts in 67 games his one year in Philly)
mark pederson
ron flockhart

I was a huge fan of Yves Racine.

 

[YEM]

I was a huge fan of Yves Racine.

yes!
he'd probably make the top 10 names in Flyers history list also...

 

[BiggE]

And here we go, the TOP 10 ROOKIE SEASONS IN FLYERS HISTORY!!

Please note, I'm not separating goalies and skaters and, unlike the NHL, I damn well take playoffs into consideration

HONORABLE MENTIONS
67-68 Doug Favell G - fantastic numbers and kept a low scoring team in every game
69-70 Bobby Clarke C - you could see the beginnings of what was to come
72-73 Tom Bladon D - 42 points and QB on the top pp unit
79-80 Pete Peeters G- 29-5-5 record and top notch in the playoffs too
85-86 Pelle Eklund C/LW- was on the top pp unit from day one
99-00 Brian Boucher G - excellent numbers as a 1A in the reg season and a great playoff run. Thanks MSE!
00-01 Roman Cechmanek G - absolutely stellar numbers, but not so much in the playoffs

10. Peter Zezel C 84-85 65 15 45 60
Zezel was more than just a heartthrob for the ladies, he was a near point per game player and a mainstay on the Flyers powerplay at the tender age of 19. Of all the rookie forwards who broke into the Flyers lineup that season, he was the most vital to the team and key player from day one. R.I.P. Peter, we miss you.

9. Behn Wilson D 78-79 80 13 36 49
WIlson played every game his rookie season and was the team's top offensive defenseman and a physical force. Sadly, he never developed his game the way the Flyers had hoped he would when they drafted him, but in his rookie season, he was fantastic.

8. Ron Flockhart C 81-82 72 33 39 72
Flockhart was dynamic scorer back in the days of long pants and sad playoff endings. His unique brand of "Flocky Hockey" electrified fans when he broke into the scene in 1981. Flockhart never learned to play without the puck on his stick and today he is remembered more as a flash in the pan type of guy. However, in his rookie season, he was a breath of fresh air, and the Flyers thought they might have a future #1 pivot on their hands.

7. Brian Propp LW 79-80 34 41 75
Not only did the quiet kid from Saskatchewan put up 34 goals and 75 points as a 20 year old, he also was playing on the top pp unit and was regularly killing penalties by the stretch drive. Propp would explode down the wing and rip off a nasty wrist shot and he was also defensively responsible from day one. He also showed up when it mattered most that year as he put up 5 goals and 15 points in 19 playoff games as the Flyers came oh so close to a 3rd Cup that Spring. Oh, and f*** you Leon Stickle!

6. Mikael Renberg RW 93-94 83 38 44 82
Renberg was fantastic in 93-94 and still holds the Flyers record for points by a rookie. Incredibly strong on his skates, it was extremely difficult to get the puck from the stocky Swede. Sadly a severe abdominal injury in 1996 robbed him of a step and he was never the same player after that, but from 93 to 96 he was one of the top RWs in the game.

5. Shayne Gostisbehere D 15-16 64 17 29 46
If Mark Streit doesn't get injured, Ghost probably doesn't even come up that year. What a debut! A Calder trophy finalist, Ghost electrified the entire NHL with his slick moves, uncanny ability to keep the puck in the zone at the point and his dominance in OT. Ghost didn't just contribute on the Flyers pp that year, he, along with Claude Giroux, ran the show. Sadly, Michel Therrien has yet to realize that. Ghost is flat out dynamic with the puck on his stick and his rookie season was one of the few bright spots of the dismal Hakstol years.

4. Dave Poulin C/LW 83-84 73 31 45 76
Poulin carried himself like a veteran NHL captain from day one. One of the classiest players to ever wear the orange and black, Poulin was the best thing Ted Sator ever did for the Flyers organization. Not only did he put up excellent offensive numbers, but Poulin was a mainstay on the PK his rookie season and chipped in 3 shorthanded goals. He ranks behind only Bobby Clarke on the list of greatest Flyers captains.

3. Bill Barber LW 72-73 69 30 34 64
For some inexplicable reason, the Flyers thought Barber needed AHL time at the start of his rookie season (sound familiar?) Thankfully they quickly realized their mistake and brought "Arnie" up. All Barber did as a rookie was score nearly a point per game, work the point on the top pp unit and become a mainstay on the penalty kill. He was runner up to NY's Steve Vickers for the Calder that year, mainly due to Vickers having the NY media machine behind him and Barber missing the first 9 games of the season while in the minors. Barber, a much better all around player than Vickers that season, should have won the award. Either way, it was a great start to a hall of fame career.

2. Eric Lindros C 92-93 61 41 34 75
1.23 points per game folks, that is just unf***ingreal! If not for a knee injury, the big guy was on his way to scoring 50+ goals and right around 100 points. And don't forget that he was doing this with Brent Fedyk as one of his wings and on a team with very little else to worry about. Lindros was a dominant superstar from day one and a brought a frightening combination of skill, size and pure ferocity the likes of which had never been seen before in the NHL. While the team still had gaping holes, especially on D and in the net, Lindros singlehandedly gave us all hope for the future that season and at the time, no one, absolutely no one, was questioning the Flyers decision to acquire him.

1. Ron Hextall G 86-87 66gp 37-21-6 3.01 .902
As I said at the start, playoffs matter and that is why Ron Hextall gets the top spot on this list. But lets look at the regular season first. Coming off the tragic loss of Pelle Lindbergh in 1985. the Flyers were at a crossroads when it came to the net. They knew that Bob Froese was good, but he had come up small in the playoffs and coach Mike Keenan (correctly) felt he wasn't a guy who could take a team to a Cup. Hextall started camp #3 on the depth chart behind Froese and Darren Jensen, but he basically stole the show from day one and by the opening game, he was Mike Keenan's go-to guy. Hextall's numbers were fantastic for his era. Back in those high scoring days a gaa under 3.5 and a save pctg over .880 were considered good while a gaa under 3.25 and a sv% over .890 were considered excellent. He also won an impressive 37 games and added 6 assists with his (at that time) unheard of ability to play and pass the puck. Hexy was also a fiery S.O.B. as his 104 penalty minutes can attest and he cared about nothing except winning games and stopping pucks. In the 1987 playoffs, he took it to the next level and gave the Flyers goaltending reminiscent of the great Bernie Parent. Putting an outgunned and injury depleted team squarely on his back, Hextall carried the Flyers to game 7 in the Cup final against the powerful Edmonton Oilers. He was deservedly awarded the Conn Smythe trophy (though the utterly devastated Hextall wanted no part of it) and he should have won the Calder that year too. All in all, Hextall's rookie season was one of the best in NHL history and clearly deserves to be at the top of this list.

And there ya have it. As always, please let me know what you think!

 

[Kermit the Prog]

And here we go, the TOP 10 ROOKIE SEASONS IN FLYERS HISTORY!!

Please note, I'm not separating goalies and skaters and, unlike the NHL, I damn well take playoffs into consideration

HONORABLE MENTIONS
67-68 Doug Favell G - fantastic numbers and kept a low scoring team in every game
69-70 Bobby Clarke C - you could see the beginnings of what was to come
72-73 Tom Bladon D - 42 points and QB on the top pp unit
79-80 Pete Peeters G- 29-5-5 record and top notch in the playoffs too
85-86 Pelle Eklund C/LW- was on the top pp unit from day one
00-01 Roman Cechmanek G - absolutely stellar numbers, but not so much in the playoffs

10. Peter Zezel C 84-85 65 15 45 60
Zezel was more than just a heartthrob for the ladies, he was a near point per game player and a mainstay on the Flyers powerplay at the tender age of 19. Of all the rookie forwards who broke into the Flyers lineup that season, he was the most vital to the team and key player from day one. R.I.P. Peter, we miss you.

9. Behn Wilson D 78-79 80 13 36 49
WIlson played every game his rookie season and was the team's top offensive defenseman and a physical force. Sadly, he never developed his game the way the Flyers had hoped he would when they drafted him, but in his rookie season, he was fantastic.

8. Ron Flockhart C 81-82 72 33 39 72
Flockhart was dynamic scorer back in the days of long pants and sad playoff endings. His unique brand of "Flocky Hockey" electrified fans when he broke into the scene in 1981. Flockhart never learned to play without the puck on his stick and today he is remembered more as a flash in the pan type of guy. However, in his rookie season, he was a breath of fresh air, and the Flyers thought they might have a future #1 pivot on their hands.

7. Brian Propp LW 79-80 34 41 75
Not only did the quiet kid from Saskatchewan put up 34 goals and 75 points as a 20 year old, he also was playing on the top pp unit and was regularly killing penalties by the stretch drive. Propp would explode down the wing and rip off a nasty wrist shot and he was also defensively responsible from day one. He also showed up when it mattered most that year as he put up 5 goals and 15 points in 19 playoff games as the Flyers came oh so close to a 3rd Cup that Spring. Oh, and **** you Leon Stickle!

6. Mikael Renberg RW 93-94 83 38 44 82
Renberg was fantastic in 93-94 and still holds the Flyers record for points by a rookie. Incredibly strong on his skates, it was extremely difficult to get the puck from the stocky Swede. Sadly a severe abdominal injury in 1996 robbed him of a step and he was never the same player after that, but from 93 to 96 he was one of the top RWs in the game.

5. Shayne Gostisbehere D 15-16 64 17 29 46
If Mark Streit doesn't get injured, Ghost probably doesn't even come up that year. What a debut! A Calder trophy finalist, Ghost electrified the entire NHL with his slick moves, uncanny ability to keep the puck in the zone at the point and his dominance in OT. Ghost didn't just contribute on the Flyers pp that year, he, along with Claude Giroux, ran the show. Sadly, Michel Therrien has yet to realize that. Ghost is flat out dynamic with the puck on his stick and his rookie season was one of the few bright spots of the dismal Hakstol years.

4. Dave Poulin C/LW 83-84 73 31 45 76
Poulin carried himself like a veteran NHL captain from day one. One of the classiest players to ever wear the orange and black, Poulin was the best thing Ted Sator ever did for the Flyers organization. Not only did he put up excellent offensive numbers, but Poulin was a mainstay on the PK his rookie season and chipped in 3 shorthanded goals. He ranks behind only Bobby Clarke on the list of greatest Flyers captains.

3. Bill Barber LW 72-73 69 30 34 64
For some inexplicable reason, the Flyers thought Barber needed AHL time at the start of his rookie season (sound familiar?) Thankfully they quickly realized their mistake and brought "Arnie" up. All Barber did as a rookie was score nearly a point per game, work the point on the top pp unit and become a mainstay on the penalty kill. He was runner up to NY's Steve Vickers for the Calder that year, mainly due to Vickers having the NY media machine behind him and Barber missing the first 9 games of the season while in the minors. Barber, a much better all around player than Vickers that season, should have won the award. Either way, it was a great start to a hall of fame career.

2. Eric Lindros C 92-93 61 41 34 75
1.23 points per game folks, that is just un****ingreal! If not for a knee injury, the big guy was on his way to scoring 50+ goals and right around 100 points. And don't forget that he was doing this with Brent Fedyk as one of his wings and on a team with very little else to worry about. Lindros was a dominant superstar from day one and a brought a frightening combination of skill, size and pure ferocity the likes of which had never been seen before in the NHL. While the team still had gaping holes, especially on D and in the net, Lindros singlehandedly gave us all hope for the future that season and at the time, no one, absolutely no one, was questioning the Flyers decision to acquire him.

1. Ron Hextall G 86-87 66gp 37-21-6 3.01 .902
As I said at the start, playoffs matter and that is why Ron Hextall gets the top spot on this list. But lets look at the regular season first. Coming off the tragic loss of Pelle Lindbergh in 1985. the Flyers were at a crossroads when it came to the net. They knew that Bob Froese was good, but he had come up small in the playoffs and coach Mike Keenan (correctly) felt he wasn't a guy who could take a team to a Cup. Hextall started camp #3 on the depth chart behind Froese and Darren Jensen, but he basically stole the show from day one and by the opening game, he was Mike Keenan's go-to guy. Hextall's numbers were fantastic for his era. Back in those high scoring days a gaa under 3.5 and a save pctg over .880 were considered good while a gaa under 3.25 and a sv% over .890 were considered excellent. He also won an impressive 37 games and added 6 assists with his (at that time) unheard of ability to play and pass the puck. Hexy was also a fiery S.O.B. as his 104 penalty minutes can attest and he cared about nothing except winning games and stopping pucks. In the 1987 playoffs, he took it to the next level and gave the Flyers goaltending reminiscent of the great Bernie Parent. Putting an outgunned and injury depleted team squarely on his back, Hextall carried the Flyers to game 7 in the Cup final against the powerful Edmonton Oilers. He was deservedly awarded the Conn Smythe trophy (though the utterly devastated Hextall wanted no part of it) and he should have won the Calder that year too. All in all, Hextall's rookie season was one of the best in NHL history and clearly deserves to be at the top of this list.

And there ya have it. As always, please let me know what you think!

Outstanding list and commentary! Well done and it would be hard to argue with your rankings and reasonings.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

And here we go, the TOP 10 ROOKIE SEASONS IN FLYERS HISTORY!!

Please note, I'm not separating goalies and skaters and, unlike the NHL, I damn well take playoffs into consideration

HONORABLE MENTIONS
67-68 Doug Favell G - fantastic numbers and kept a low scoring team in every game
69-70 Bobby Clarke C - you could see the beginnings of what was to come
72-73 Tom Bladon D - 42 points and QB on the top pp unit
79-80 Pete Peeters G- 29-5-5 record and top notch in the playoffs too
85-86 Pelle Eklund C/LW- was on the top pp unit from day one
00-01 Roman Cechmanek G - absolutely stellar numbers, but not so much in the playoffs

10. Peter Zezel C 84-85 65 15 45 60
Zezel was more than just a heartthrob for the ladies, he was a near point per game player and a mainstay on the Flyers powerplay at the tender age of 19. Of all the rookie forwards who broke into the Flyers lineup that season, he was the most vital to the team and key player from day one. R.I.P. Peter, we miss you.

9. Behn Wilson D 78-79 80 13 36 49
WIlson played every game his rookie season and was the team's top offensive defenseman and a physical force. Sadly, he never developed his game the way the Flyers had hoped he would when they drafted him, but in his rookie season, he was fantastic.

8. Ron Flockhart C 81-82 72 33 39 72
Flockhart was dynamic scorer back in the days of long pants and sad playoff endings. His unique brand of "Flocky Hockey" electrified fans when he broke into the scene in 1981. Flockhart never learned to play without the puck on his stick and today he is remembered more as a flash in the pan type of guy. However, in his rookie season, he was a breath of fresh air, and the Flyers thought they might have a future #1 pivot on their hands.

7. Brian Propp LW 79-80 34 41 75
Not only did the quiet kid from Saskatchewan put up 34 goals and 75 points as a 20 year old, he also was playing on the top pp unit and was regularly killing penalties by the stretch drive. Propp would explode down the wing and rip off a nasty wrist shot and he was also defensively responsible from day one. He also showed up when it mattered most that year as he put up 5 goals and 15 points in 19 playoff games as the Flyers came oh so close to a 3rd Cup that Spring. Oh, and **** you Leon Stickle!

6. Mikael Renberg RW 93-94 83 38 44 82
Renberg was fantastic in 93-94 and still holds the Flyers record for points by a rookie. Incredibly strong on his skates, it was extremely difficult to get the puck from the stocky Swede. Sadly a severe abdominal injury in 1996 robbed him of a step and he was never the same player after that, but from 93 to 96 he was one of the top RWs in the game.

5. Shayne Gostisbehere D 15-16 64 17 29 46
If Mark Streit doesn't get injured, Ghost probably doesn't even come up that year. What a debut! A Calder trophy finalist, Ghost electrified the entire NHL with his slick moves, uncanny ability to keep the puck in the zone at the point and his dominance in OT. Ghost didn't just contribute on the Flyers pp that year, he, along with Claude Giroux, ran the show. Sadly, Michel Therrien has yet to realize that. Ghost is flat out dynamic with the puck on his stick and his rookie season was one of the few bright spots of the dismal Hakstol years.

4. Dave Poulin C/LW 83-84 73 31 45 76
Poulin carried himself like a veteran NHL captain from day one. One of the classiest players to ever wear the orange and black, Poulin was the best thing Ted Sator ever did for the Flyers organization. Not only did he put up excellent offensive numbers, but Poulin was a mainstay on the PK his rookie season and chipped in 3 shorthanded goals. He ranks behind only Bobby Clarke on the list of greatest Flyers captains.

3. Bill Barber LW 72-73 69 30 34 64
For some inexplicable reason, the Flyers thought Barber needed AHL time at the start of his rookie season (sound familiar?) Thankfully they quickly realized their mistake and brought "Arnie" up. All Barber did as a rookie was score nearly a point per game, work the point on the top pp unit and become a mainstay on the penalty kill. He was runner up to NY's Steve Vickers for the Calder that year, mainly due to Vickers having the NY media machine behind him and Barber missing the first 9 games of the season while in the minors. Barber, a much better all around player than Vickers that season, should have won the award. Either way, it was a great start to a hall of fame career.

2. Eric Lindros C 92-93 61 41 34 75
1.23 points per game folks, that is just un****ingreal! If not for a knee injury, the big guy was on his way to scoring 50+ goals and right around 100 points. And don't forget that he was doing this with Brent Fedyk as one of his wings and on a team with very little else to worry about. Lindros was a dominant superstar from day one and a brought a frightening combination of skill, size and pure ferocity the likes of which had never been seen before in the NHL. While the team still had gaping holes, especially on D and in the net, Lindros singlehandedly gave us all hope for the future that season and at the time, no one, absolutely no one, was questioning the Flyers decision to acquire him.

1. Ron Hextall G 86-87 66gp 37-21-6 3.01 .902
As I said at the start, playoffs matter and that is why Ron Hextall gets the top spot on this list. But lets look at the regular season first. Coming off the tragic loss of Pelle Lindbergh in 1985. the Flyers were at a crossroads when it came to the net. They knew that Bob Froese was good, but he had come up small in the playoffs and coach Mike Keenan (correctly) felt he wasn't a guy who could take a team to a Cup. Hextall started camp #3 on the depth chart behind Froese and Darren Jensen, but he basically stole the show from day one and by the opening game, he was Mike Keenan's go-to guy. Hextall's numbers were fantastic for his era. Back in those high scoring days a gaa under 3.5 and a save pctg over .880 were considered good while a gaa under 3.25 and a sv% over .890 were considered excellent. He also won an impressive 37 games and added 6 assists with his (at that time) unheard of ability to play and pass the puck. Hexy was also a fiery S.O.B. as his 104 penalty minutes can attest and he cared about nothing except winning games and stopping pucks. In the 1987 playoffs, he took it to the next level and gave the Flyers goaltending reminiscent of the great Bernie Parent. Putting an outgunned and injury depleted team squarely on his back, Hextall carried the Flyers to game 7 in the Cup final against the powerful Edmonton Oilers. He was deservedly awarded the Conn Smythe trophy (though the utterly devastated Hextall wanted no part of it) and he should have won the Calder that year too. All in all, Hextall's rookie season was one of the best in NHL history and clearly deserves to be at the top of this list.

And there ya have it. As always, please let me know what you think!

Awesome summary and I will read in full later but was Boucher not considered?

 

[BiggE]

Outstanding list and commentary! Well done and it would be hard to argue with your rankings and reasonings.

Thank you!

 

[BiggE]

Awesome summary and I will read in full later but was Boucher not considered?

I knew I’d miss someone. Looking at the entire body of work, his regular season was good, not great but the 2000 playoff run should probably earn him an honorable mention

Also, here are a few others that just missed the HM list

Mel Bridgman
Simon Gagne
Ivan Provorov

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

I knew I’d miss someone. Looking at the entire body of work, his regular season was good, not great but the 2000 playoff run should probably earn him an honorable mention

Also, here are a few others that just missed the HM list

Mel Bridgman
Simon Gagne
Ivan Provorov

I think Boucher led the league in GAA but of course behind a solid team

 

[BiggE]

I think Boucher led the league in GAA but of course behind a solid team

You are correct but he only played in 35 of 82 games that season so I don’t think it’s enough. Favell put up similar numbers in 67-68 while starting half the games. Boosh’s playoff run probably earns him a slight edge over Favell, and he should be added to the HM list (he will be), but I still don’t think he belongs in the top 10

 

[Kermit the Prog]

I'm wondering if it is even possible to do a Top-10 Underrated Flyers list, especially when living under the withering eye of local media and frenzied fandom for almost their entire existence. Lonsberry, Kindrachuk, Bladon, Bergen, Wilson, Craven, Galley, Duchesne would certainly all be under consideration on my list pending a (meta) reminder that I overlooked more deserving players. I imagine such a list would be more "early days" heavy prior to the WWW hypodermically injecting up-to-the-second information to our TVs, phone, computers and robot overlords.

 

[BiggE]

I'm wondering if it is even possible to do a Top-10 Underrated Flyers list, especially when living under the withering eye of local media and frenzied fandom for almost their entire existence. Lonsberry, Kindrachuk, Bladon, Bergen, Wilson, Craven, Galley, Duchesne would certainly all be under consideration on my list pending a (meta) reminder that I overlooked more deserving players. I imagine such a list would be more "early days" heavy prior to the WWW hypodermically injecting up-to-the-second information to our TVs, phone, computers and robot overlords.

Bergen and Duchesne would be nowhere near my top underrated list. Some guys that jump out right away are:

Ross Lonsberry
Orest Kindrachuk
Ilkka Sinisalo
Murray Craven
Petr Svoboda
Michal Handzus
Marcus Ragnarsson
Steve Mason
Sean Couturier (until very recently)

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

Bergen and Duchesne would be nowhere near my top underrated list. Some guys that jump out right away are:

Ross Lonsberry
Orest Kindrachuk
Ilkka Sinisalo
Murray Craven
Petr Svoboda
Michal Handzus
Marcus Ragnarsson
Steve Mason
Sean Couturier (until very recently)

I would have one name and one name only on the list, out of respect and deep man love:

Derrick Smith.

But Ilkka was exactly the other name I thought of. Murray Craven is another one. Doug Crossman was wildly misrated and underrated. Steve Mason can **** off.

 

[BiggE]

I would have one name and one name only on the list, out of respect and deep man love:

Derrick Smith.

But Ilkka was exactly the other name I thought of. Murray Craven is another one. Doug Crossman was wildly misrated and underrated. Steve Mason can **** off.

Derrick Smith for sure, loved his hustle

 

[baudib1]

I'm wondering if it is even possible to do a Top-10 Underrated Flyers list, especially when living under the withering eye of local media and frenzied fandom for almost their entire existence. Lonsberry, Kindrachuk, Bladon, Bergen, Wilson, Craven, Galley, Duchesne would certainly all be under consideration on my list pending a (meta) reminder that I overlooked more deserving players. I imagine such a list would be more "early days" heavy prior to the WWW hypodermically injecting up-to-the-second information to our TVs, phone, computers and robot overlords.

I would argue that in judging skill as a combination of skating, passing, puckhandling, shooting, Pelle Eklund is easily top 10 and arguably top 5 in Flyers history, so I think he should be on the list. Otherwise I think the guys you mentioned are pretty good.

 

[baudib1]

I would have one name and one name only on the list, out of respect and deep man love:

Derrick Smith.

But Ilkka was exactly the other name I thought of. Murray Craven is another one. Doug Crossman was wildly misrated and underrated. Steve Mason can **** off.

LOLMason fans.

 

[BiggE]

I would argue that in judging skill as a combination of skating, passing, puckhandling, shooting, Pelle Eklund is easily top 10 and arguably top 5 in Flyers history, so I think he should be on the list. Otherwise I think the guys you mentioned are pretty good.

Top 10 in puckhandling and top 5 in passing for sure. Not sure he’s among the top 10 in skating though he’s very close if not. He was only an average shooter though and nowhere near the top 10 in that category

 

[baudib1]

Top 10 in puckhandling and top 5 in passing for sure. Not sure he’s among the top 10 in skating though he’s very close if not. He was only an average shooter though and nowhere near the top 10 in that category

I'm talking more about judging players as a combination of skills. Pelle was much more physically skilled than someone such as, say, Sean Couturier. He had a terrific shot, too, he just chose not to use it much.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Derrick Smith was one of two I was going to add. The other is Jimmy Watson. It took too long to have him selected to the team's Hall of Fame. He was a steadying presence.

 

[Normand Lacombe]

If we are talking underrated by the national media, I would put Propp on the list. Propp easily could have complied numerous 50 goal, 100 point seasons if he was selfish and only cared about padding his stats. Forwards playing a two way game were overlooked in the high scoring 80’s.

 

[Normand Lacombe]

Some top 10’s I thought of::
Best trades
Overachievers
Opposing players that you would have liked to have been Flyers.

 

[Kermit the Prog]

Some top 10’s I thought of::
Best trades
Overachievers
Opposing players that you would have liked to have been Flyers.

I'll give one answer to each just to prime the pump:

Best trade - Flyers get Reggie Leach from the California Golden Seals for Larry Wright, Al MacAdam and 1974 first rounder (Ron Chipperfield)

Overachievers - Paul Holmgren, particularly his 1979-80 season when he potted 30 goals with over 250 PIMs and the following year when he collected 59 points (22-37-59) while exceeding 300 PIMs.

Avoiding the obvious (Gretzky, Orr, Lemieux, et al), I'll go with Borje Salming. Always liked his game, surprisingly tough for a trailblazing Swede, and he perfected the art of the "eophus" clear, which was lofting lazy hang time clearing passes that gave his team's forecheckers the chance to pressure the opposing defense.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Best trades (no specific order 'cept mostly chronological)

Acquiring Rick MacLeish from Boston
ADD: Andre Dupont from St. Louis
ADD: Acquiring Bill Flett/Ross Lonsberry from Los Angeles
Acquiring Bernie Parent from Toronto
Acquiring Reggie Leach from California
Acquiring Brad McCrimmon from Boston
Acquiring Mark Howe from Hartford
Acquiring Murray Craven from Detroit (one of controversy at the time)
ADD: Acquiring Rod Brind'Amou from St,. Louis
Acquiring Eric Desjardins and John LeClair from Montreal
Acquiring Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell from Nashville​

Overachievers [depending on how overachiever is defined unless it is more subjective]:

Barry Ashbee
Bobby Clarke
Gary Dornhoefer
Brad Marsh​

Opponents:

As far as an opponent any of the Hall of Fame goalies from the 1995-2010 era -- even a certain rival -- not only to boost the Flyers' chances but also to eliminate memories such as 2000.​

 

[Normand Lacombe]

Best trades (no specific order 'cept mostly chronological)

Acquiring Rick MacLeish from Boston
Acquiring Bernie Parent from Toronto
Acquiring Reggie Leach from California
Acquiring Brad McCrimmon from Boston
Acquiring Mark Howe from Hartford
Acquiring Murray Craven from Detroit (one of controversy at the time)
Acquiring Eric Desjardins and John LeClair from Montreal
Acquiring Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell from Nashville​

Overachievers:

Barry Ashbee
Brad Marsh​

Opponents:

As far as an opponent any of the Hall of Fame goalies from the 1995-2010 era -- even a certain rival -- not only to boost the Flyers' chances but also to eliminate memories such as 2000.​

Honorable mentions for trades:
Ashbee in a minor league deal from Hershey
Moose Dupont from St. Louis
Rod Brind'Amour from St.Louis in Russ Farwell's best trade

For an overachiever, it would be easy for me to say Tocchet, Poulin, Kerr or even Clarke. But Kevin Dineen deserves a mention. Perhaps not the Flyers best overachiever, he belongs on the top 10 list. In his 4 seasons as a Flyer, Dineen never took a shift off despite battling Crohn's disease. Dineen played a physical game, knew how to handle himself in fights and scored goals. By the time the Flyers returned to prominence in the mid-90's, Dineen's goal scoring production drastically declined, probably due to wear and tear on his body.

I am compiling a list of players I wished were Flyers and will post later. None of them are named Gretzky, Mario, or Orr since every team would take them.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

^ Absolutely, Brind'Amour!

The Bill Flett/Ross Lonsberry trade with the Kings (in exchange for Jimmy Johnson/Serge Bernier, others) could be added to the list as depth for the Cup teams. Lonsberry being second line winger.