The Kevin Karius Show - Apr. 1st, 2026 - Siobhan Nolan

0:00to talk a little Philadelphia flyers hockey with Shavon Nolan at a filly from the hockey news. Good morning, Shavon. You're with Kevin Carey. Thanks for jumping on sports 1440 this morning. Really appreciate it. Good morning. Thanks so much for having me. Hey, how was that game last night? A six four loss to Washington and also the NHL debut of Porter Marton. Yeah, the game itself obviously was not their best showing, which is kind of disappointing after they've had such a good run recently, which I don't think anyone is really expecting them to have as productive of a stretch as they did. But it was great to see Marton, you know, make his NHL debut. It's really great that he had such a fast turnaround after signing his contract. You know, when he was participating in practice the day before and he was, you know, just making it very clear that he was ready to go. You know, he felt good. He felt strong. He felt prepared to take on, you know, an NHL workload as he joins the playoff club.

1:03So it's going to be really exciting to see him in this last stretch of games in the season. And, you know, who knows, maybe he'll have some playoff experience by the end of it. Yeah, what do you think expectations are for, you know, a young guy still, you know, 19 years old, you know, came from Michigan State and had a lot of time in the OHL, but he's such a big body. He can, I'm sure you think that he can handle, you know, the physical pace of play that he's going to see here down the stretch in the NHL. Yeah, for sure. When he was at Michigan State, he said he went from 198 pounds to I think like 210 pounds. So he gained a lot of muscle there. He lost some body fat as well. He was really focusing on that strength training and building up that muscle, which was really promising it. And you can see it too, like just seeing him at the draft versus recently, like you can tell that he's put on a lot of muscle. And,

2:04you know, he's got that six, three frames. So he's he's filled out pretty well, which is good to see. I think it's we're going to get a good sample of him. I know people are very excited and they have a lot of expectations, but I think it's important to know that he's got, you know, like less than 10 games. Now I think so, you know, he's hoping to be adjusting and getting used to it. So I think it's going to be a good showing for him, but definitely need to temper the expectations a little bit because it's not, you know, that many games as versus if he, you know, was over earlier in the season. Um, were you surprised, Shavon, that he saw a fair bit of time on the power play last night? Um, you know, I'm scared for surprise. Maybe in his first game, I wasn't, you know, thinking that he would get as much time, but Rick's talk had said that he was going to be on the first power play unit. And that's one of the reasons that they they really like him so much is because he can fill out that like power play time. So I wasn't expecting him to get that much

3:06time, but it's promising to see that they trust him so much with that kind of responsibility in literally his first NHL game. Yeah. Was the power play dangerous? Did it, I know it went over three last night, but did they have some, has some looks last night, Shavon? Yeah, they did have some good chances. And lately in general, they've just been having a lot more production on the power play, which is nice to see. It's still not exactly where they want it to be. I think it's still last or close to last in the league. Um, so obviously not what you want to see, but they're, they're getting in front of the net more. They're being a lot more aggressive with their chances. They're moving the puck around a lot more. So it's not perfect. And I think it is going to take some time to really get it to where they want to be, but um, it's, it's getting there. It's definitely getting there. And did he see most of his five on five play with connect me in Dvorak last night? Yeah. Yeah. He was mostly on that line, which I think is great. You know, he's got two very good veterans there. You know, Dvorak's been great at the center and connect me, you know,

4:11he's effective, no matter what wing you put him on. So I think that was a good line to start him out on. Um, you know, as time goes on, you can try him out with maybe some of the younger guys like Barkey or even Zegris, but I think to start him out to have him with those, those more veteran players is definitely the way to go. Shavon Nolan from the Hockey News covers the Philadelphia Flyers, our guest on the Kevin Kerr issue here on sports 1440. Don't have to tell you how good Daniel Dan Villedars been. We saw him here for so many years when he was in Calgary. Shavon, was it just maybe an off night for him last night? Or what did you think? Yeah. That was a pretty uncharacteristic performance for Villedars from what we've seen from him. You know, he's been rock solid for the Flyers in that. And he's such a professional on and off the ice. I think it's just, you know, the workload might have gotten to him a little bit. Um, you know, this is, I think the season is the most games he's ever played in one season. And he's shouldered a lot of, uh,

5:11you know, multiple games in a row. So I think it was just an off night. Um, you know, if you look at what he's done over the course of the season, he's been huge. He's kept the Flyers in a lot of games. So it sucks to see, but I do think that this is just kind of like a one-off for him. Yeah. And when you look at the top guys, you know, and scoring with Kineckney and Zegress up top, uh, have they been showing the way all year? Or do you see them coming on in the last little stretch of 10 games where the Flyers were really good and got themselves back into the race here? Yeah, I mean, Kineckney's always a sure thing for the Flyers over the past, you know, several seasons. He's been the points leader. He's been the reliable guy for offense. And it's great to see Trevor Zegress already feeling so comfortable that he's up there as well. Um, so yeah, a lot of the offense does go through them. We've been seeing a lot more depths offense from the Flyers though, which is really promising to see. Um, but yeah, it's one of those things where I think guys just, you know, might have been fatigue or, you know, might have

6:13just been an off night, but for the most part, those who are definitely like the, the big drivers for the offense. Well, you've seen Sean Couturier there a long, long time, uh, Shavon in the sense that this is one of the veteran players on this team. He's not a, uh, a young guy anymore into his early 30s. Um, have you seen his game taper off here this year? Or where do you see what he's been contributing to this Flyers club down the stretch? Yeah, lately he's been scoring a little more, which is, is cool to see. Um, but I think there's an understanding that, you know, he's still very much to captain. He's still a very respected voice in that room. Um, but I think he understands and the team understands that they're moving in a younger direction. And guys like Couturier are very important for guiding those young players and showing them what it means to be a Flyer and what it means to kind of play the way that they want to play. So he's very important still in that regard. But I think there is an understanding there that his role has shrunk in a little bit.

7:15Um, it's not what it used to be. And Couturier will be the first to tell you that his game is not what it used to be just because of age. And he had that really nasty back injury a little while back. So that changed a lot of things for him. So he's still a very important figure in the room. But in terms of actual game impact, I think there's kind of a mutual understanding that he's kind of passing the torch a little bit is like I mean, I'm just his contract goes till 2030 at seven seven five no movement for another three more years after this season. Um, what's the future hold for this guy and Philly? Yeah, you know, that people love to talk about that contract and they love to criticize that contract, which I think is is a fair assessment, um, considering the move that Daniel Breyer has made to kind of really help this rebuild along. Um, I think unfortunately we're going to kind of see a more gradual tapering off of his role. He's kind of been taking on like a

8:18bottom six role right now. And I think that's going to kind of be where he stays in the future. Um, you know, he's a guy experienced enough where he can slot in wherever you need him in the lineup. But I do think that, you know, he understands that he's getting older and they have a lot of young guys ready to go. So it's going to be kind of a gradual, you know, just just passing off the detergent responsibilities to, you know, other, other players on the team. Well, Siobhan Nolan from the hockey news covers the Philadelphia Flyers are guests on the Kevin Kerri show here on sports 1440. So what does Daniel Breyer do with Trevor Zegers who we mentioned and you said between connecting and Zegers, they've always kind of been the guys with the flyers for the last few years. But, um, you know, in that sense that he's an RFA for two more years because before he comes a UFA, is there something long term in the works between Breyer and and the Zegers camp here? Yeah, I heard that. Um, it's something that they're definitely getting started on. Um, I don't think anything's too set and stone yet for them, but it's what when you talk to Trevor Zegers and

9:23he makes no bones about how much he loves it and Philly. You know, he loves being on this team, he loves the fans. And you can tell just by, you know, his, his personality and the way that he's playing that he's very comfortable here. Um, you know, he's really found a home here, which is really great to see after, you know, he was kind of struggling a little bit in Anaheim. So I think they're taking their time with him. I don't think they're going to try to rush any sort of extension with him because, you know, it's clear that he wants to be here and, and, you know, he wants to, you know, have his future being Philly. So I wouldn't be surprised if, you know, something gets done soon, but I don't think that they're going to try to rush that too much. Does Jamie Dryasdale fall in that same category a little bit too, Shavon? Absolutely. Um, it's really been great to see Dryasdale flourish as much as he has this year, because before people were a little, um, not convinced on him quite yet. And, you know, just to see him really blossom into this very mature defenseman, you know, he still has that great

10:29offensive defenseman mentality and tendencies, but he's just really grown and become a lot more well-rounded in his game. So I think he's finally finding his footing there. And, you know, he is a very respected voice in that room, too, for being such a young guy, Rick Taket has said that he's gotten up on the bench and he's kind of fired guys up. So I think it's maybe taken a little longer for for Jamie Dryasdale, but this season, I think you, you really see him grow into his potential. And he's really becoming the player that day in your career. So I'll only first trade it for him. What's it been like for you? And I guess other members of the media in Philly to deal with Rick Taket here, Shivane, it's just a straight-over shooter as you get. Yeah, um, it's definitely a change after torts. Um, I'll say that much. And I think that would have been true no matter who the new coach ended up being, but, you know, Taket's been great, you know, he, he's, he gives very thoughtful analytical answers, you know, you can tell that he's very much a

11:31former player. Um, so that's really cool to get that detail and analysis about what he, he's about the game and he sees in his players. And it's really cool to see just how he interacts with the media and the fans because he's a former flyer. Um, he understands what it means to play in the city. So he brings that, that different perspective. And he's just like the nicest guy you could ever ask for, you know, he's like super chill. You know, when, when you, when you ask him questions and a press conference, you just kind of feel like you're having a conversation with him, which is nice. So very approachable, very cool down to earth. So it's, it's been great to, to talk with him. Uh, hey, what do you make of this flyer schedule? I mean, so many games against teams that are in the playoffs are just on the outside looking and starting with Detroit, uh, in Philly tomorrow. Yeah, you know, they've, they've got a gauntlet for sure. Um, but they are treating every game like a playoff game already. You know, that's the mentality that they have.

12:34And they're, they're very serious about like we can play with any team, we can beat any team. Doesn't matter who it is, doesn't matter how good they are. Um, so it's definitely going to be tiring and it's going to be interesting to see since a lot of these players haven't experienced playoff hockey before. So this is their first kind of, you know, experience of going through a push like this, but, you know, they want it. They're hungry. So, um, we're definitely going to see some, some good fights in there. What do you, like, when you look at last night's game with Washington, Detroit's right in here, Ottawa, uh, you know, stumbled last night. It's so it's almost like if some team can win three and a four, you know, that would solidify a spot here, maybe just a thought on the rest of the, uh, the teams that are gunning for, you know, limited playoff positions. Yeah, it's definitely interesting to see because the flyers, you have to do some scoreboard watching. They do kind of have to depend on other teams to, to slip a little, but, you know, it really feels

13:39like anybody's race right now. It really feels like, you know, you're, you're not guaranteed a spot because someone could slip up or someone could pull off some sort of upset. So it's definitely a little anxiety inducing just to watch the, the teams and how the standings move around, but it's, it's an entertaining race for sure. What's the general feeling just in, in the city of Philadelphia here, Chavon with the flyers and sort of a retooling, not a, a, a total rebuild, but something kind of in the middle with again, with more tone and some mother, you know, really good young players coming in here. What's, what's the feeling just within the fan base where the organization is headed? You know, people definitely are getting a little impatient, you know, the fans want playoff hockey. And, and you can tell, you know, when, when fans get impatient like that and especially in a place like Philly, it definitely gets a little hostile and people get a little

14:39reactive, but I think in general, they see Zegris, they see Martone even, you know, Mechkov and Barkey and Alex Bump, like they see that young talent and they recognize what the flyers have at their disposal. So I think generally it's excitement and because they know how good of a roster they've really put together, they have higher expectations and maybe that's kind of like, you know, viewing the view a little bit because they know how much talent they have, but I think in general, the, the fans are more optimistic about the team than they've been in a long time, which is really nice to say. You mentioned Matt V. Mechkov here, Shivan, and we hear the outside noise here in Edmonton and you hear things, you know, across the league, the players unhappy, happy, whatever. What do you think he's going through right now, even like a guy like Porter, Martone comes here into the top six and maybe moves Mechkov down the rung a little bit here. Yeah, Mechkov, he's, it's a very interesting thing because he has had a little bit

15:44of a slump this season. He's gone through that sophomore slump and, you know, he's had the, the drama with Rick talk it and the out of shape stuff and, you know, all that. And I think with Mechkov, you just kind of have to, you know, he has to find his game again. He has to find good line mates to play with. You know, he just kind of got to find himself again because last season, he had a really good breakout season and you could see that personality and you could see that drive that made him so appealing to the flyers. But, you know, as they're going through this retool and the new coach and everything, he's still in a little bit of an adjustment period. So, you know, once he finds that good fit for him, I think we'll really see the Matt V. Mechkov that we know and love. Hey, this has been great. Thanks very much for coming on, Shavon. Really appreciate it. Enjoy tomorrow's game against Detroit. And I guess it's three and four nights for the flyers here. We might know a little bit more where they are headed in the playoff direction by the end of the weekend. Thanks for coming on. Really appreciate it.

16:48Yeah, no problem. Thanks for having me.