Coming into the 2018-19 season, Ivan Provorov was regarded as without a shadow of a doubt the Philadelphia Flyers’ number one defenseman. The previous season Provorov totaled 41 points in 82 games, and was tied for the league lead among blueliners in goals. Although his play-driving metrics weren’t elite or even good for that matter, they improved drastically when he was paired with Shayne Gostisbehere late in the season.
So when the next season came around, Provorov and Gostisbehere were the sure-fire first defense pairing for the Flyers. Both players were expected to have huge seasons with a full season together, and to put it lightly, we were a tad off on those expectations.