Philadelphia Flyers must end Michael Del Zotto experiment
Michael Del Zotto has been a liability on the Philadelphia Flyers’ blueline this season.
Shayne Gostisbehere has been the popular recipient of criticism for the Philadelphia Flyers‘ blueline this season. But 26-year-old Michael Del Zotto, Gostisbehere’s defensive partner, hasn’t been much better.
On the contrary, he’s been one of the worst defenders on the team.
Originally signed to a one-year deal prior to the 2014-2015 season, Del Zotto actually managed to resurrect his career after falling out of favor with the New York Rangers and fizzling out completely for the Nashville Predators. In his first season with the Flyers, Del Zotto tallied 32 points in 64 games and began looking like the player that was named to the 2010 NHL All-Rookie Team.
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The following offseason, the Flyers rewarded Del Zotto with a two-year, $7.75 million contract. Unfortunately, Del Zotto’s production has since fallen off a cliff. The Stouffville, Ontario native has been a frequent healthy scratch for the Flyers this season thanks to poor defensive play and negligent turnovers, likely eliminating him from the Flyers’ future plans.
Del Zotto will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. With a large crop of blue-chip defensive prospects readying to enter the NHL, it’s hard to imagine he will return to the Flyers for the 2017-2018 season.
It’s possible he may not even be wearing a Flyers uniform after the trade deadline on February 28. As a soon-to-be free agent, Del Zotto could be a logical candidate to be shipped off to a contending team in need of an offensive-minded defenseman. Moving Del Zotto likely wouldn’t have a major impact on the Flyers’ current blueline and could allow a young AHLer such as Robert Hagg, Travis Sanheim or Samuel Morin to get an early taste of NHL action.
Regardless of what happens, the Del Zotto science project in Philadelphia is probably over. There is still time for him to turn his game around before the season’s end, but the benefits of letting Del Zotto go greatly outweigh the few perks of keeping him in Philadelphia.
