Ladies and gentlemen, the Valtteri Filppula experience has now lasted 101 games. The Finn was acquired from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline two years ago to slot in as the Flyers’ third-line center, but the results have been less than stellar to say the least. Ron Hextall knew he was getting a declining player at age 32, but Hextall probably didn’t see such a swift fall coming this season after a solid if unspectacular 20-game cup of coffee with the Orange and Black late in 2016-17.
By The Numbers
That 20-game cup of coffee I mentioned earlier produced five goals and three assists for Filppula, which averages out to a pace of roughly 33 points over a full 82 game season.