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Flyers' Simon Benoit Not Going Quietly in Defense Competition
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- Flyers' Simon Benoit Not Going Quietly in Defense Competition
Much has been made of the roster battle the Philadelphia Flyers were expected to have on defense, with esteemed prospects like David Jiricek , Oliver Bonk, and Ty Murchison all vying for a place in the NHL.
The forgotten name in all of this has been veteran newcomer Simon Benoit , who arrived earlier this summer as an auxiliary piece in the Joseph Woll trade.
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Benoit, 28, is expected to be the Flyers' seventh defenseman this year as the team's latest flavor of reliable veteran, following in the footsteps of Marc Staal , Erik Johnson , and Noah Juulsen from the recent past.
Although the 6-foot-4 defender is still expected to have a minor role in the grand scheme of things this year, Benoit is still making his presence known.
In Thursday's preseason tune-up that featured much of the Flyers' NHL regulars, Benoit played 17:16, including 2:14 shorthanded, as the Flyers were forced to play with five defenders for the majority of the 2-0 win after Helge Grans went down with an injury .
Benoit probably would have played more, too, if he hadn't fought the Bruins ' Brian Halonen , which kept him in the box for five minutes.
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In the minutes he did play, though, Benoit supplied a team-leading four shots on goal and was the only Flyer to have a +2 rating on the night.
"It's awesome, and I like that. I think it shows you guys what he's capable of doing," longtime teammate Woll said of Benoit's fight with Halonen on Thursday night. "He can throw 'em with the best in the league, and, yeah, I'm pumped for him."
Something about Flyers players wearing No. 44 and getting into fights...
In any case, it's an element the Flyers have lost this year, with Nick Deslauriers being traded to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes ahead of the NHL trade deadline, and Garnet Hathaway getting dealt to the Florida Panthers early in the offseason.
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That leaves Benoit's fellow defenseman, Nick Seeler , as the last remaining rough-and-tumble customer on the roster,
Seeler's physicality is on the decline, though at age 33. Seeler had 78 penalty minutes and four fights in 2023-24, but just 74 penalty minutes and four fights in the two seasons since then.
Adding Benoit, even while not an every-night regular, is an important safety valve for the Flyers to have, especially following the departures of Deslauriers and Hathaway over the last few months.
