Why Denis Gurianov Could Be Key to Flyers’ Success (+)

The Philadelphia Flyers made one of the most underrated moves of the 2024 NHL trade deadline, swapping out AHL winger Wade Allison for Nashville Predators forward Denis Gurianov. The key is that Gurianov, 26, was the 12th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft and has a 20-goal season under his belt.

Based on what we’ve seen this season, if there’s one coaching staff that can maximize Gurianov’s talents, it’s going to be John Tortorella and the Flyers.

Flyers general manager Danny Briere also cited Gurianov’s 17-point playoff run with the Dallas Stars in 2020 as a reason to be excited about the Russian’s arrival in Philadelphia. Plus, who could forget Gurianov’s one-timer in the overtime of Game 5 against the Vegas Golden Knights to send Dallas to the Stanley Cup Finals?

Here it is — the goal from Denis Gurianov that sends the Dallas #Stars to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in twenty yearspic.twitter.com/QppalucTtj

— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) September 15, 2020

Gurianov went on to post a pair of 30-point seasons in Dallas despite playing in limited minutes, but last season, the bottom fell through as Gurianov managed just seven goals and 17 points across 66 games with the Stars and the Canadiens.

The speedy 6-foot-3 winger latched on with the Nashville Predators this season, but had only a goal and an assist to his name before the trade. Gurianov now gives the Flyers 14 forwards on their NHL roster, but he managed to make his Flyers debut on Saturday at the expense of Bobby Brink, who was a healthy scratch. Gurianov played 11:57, including 1:07 on the man advantage.

For a guy probably still learning all of his new teammates’ names, that’s not a bad start. In fact, that’s a good start, and things will get even better once Gurianov is fully integrated and receives a more hearty allotment of minutes.

Why? Look no further than Gurianov’s best years with the Stars.