Buy Tyson Foerster Stock Now

Tyson Foerster has been unleashed.

The 23-year-old pending RFA was known as a prospect with high offensive upside. He has a huge shot, he is creative, but his skating ability has always hindered his game.

Foerster is 6’2″, 215 pounds, and plays like his size. He gets physical around the boards, he gets into and wins puck battles, and gets himself to the right spots on the ice in all three zones. While defense is not a standout part of his game, he plays well on all 200 feet of the ice.

The young forward also has a sense for setting up his teammates. Tyson Foerster has everything he needs to be a legitimate MONSTER for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Despite his skating being one of the biggest things holding him back, the biggest obstacle might be out of the way.

Read More: Foerster’s Hat Trick Lifts Flyers to 8-5 Victory Over Rangers

Did John Tortorella Hold Foerster Back?

John Tortorella loves two-way, defensive-minded players. Even more so, he loves those grinding, aggressive-checking forwards, which he got from Tyson Foerster.

The Flyers found gold with the Forerster–Cates–Brink line, as all three became aggressive forechecking players, creating offense off their defensive ability.

Being a defensive, checking forward did not necessarily make Foerster a worse player. However, he seemingly left behind the very skills that made him a touted prospect.

In his rookie season, Foerster had 20 goals and 13 assists for 33 points in 77 games. He also had a +/- of 0, which, for a Flyer last season, is pretty impressive.

Foerster has played 77 games this season, with four contests remaining. He has 22 goals and 17 assists for 39 points, which are higher than his totals from last season.

He has taken a step forward from last season, though it is a very minuscule one. Foerster’s rookie season made it exciting to see how he would improve. This season, he has not made that year two leap that many were hoping he would. That may have been due to a less offensive mindset.

However, it looks as if he is now freer offensively, and it is showing on the statsheet.

Foerster in the Shaw Era

The Flyers have played five games in the Brad Shaw era, or the post-Tortorella era. Tyson Foerster has taken an enormous step offensively since.

He has scored in four of the Flyers’ last five games. His hat trick Wednesday night gives him six goals in five games. He has seven points in that span.

Foerster, Matvei Michkov, and Owen Tippett were among the players I wanted to watch closely after Tortorella’s dismissal. Each of those players has been known to be an offensive threat. However, Tortorella’s checking-first coaching style may have suffocated that a bit.

Of the three, Foerster may have taken the most significant step forward in his offensive game. He is scoring at a much higher rate, and with consistency too.

In his previous 72 games, Foerster was playing at an 18.2 goals per 82-game pace. While it is in no way sustainable, Foerster has a 1.2 goals per game average in his last five games. Again, that is not sustainable in an 82-game season, but it shows flashes of the potential that he truly has.

Read More: Flyers Practice: Lycksell Waived, Shaw Talks Future, Center Depth “Nicked Up”, & More

What to Expect from Tyson Foerster Moving Forward

Buy into the Tyson Foerster hype now. He has the perfect complementary line, and it will benefit him.

Noah Cates is a well-rounded player whose defensive game allows his linemates to focus and excel offensively. Bobby Brink, who is also more of an elusive scorer, can complement Foerster with his playmaking ability. Each guy can score, but also set up his linemates.

If Foerster continues to return to the offense-first type of player he once was, the points will continue to come.

Staying with that line will only help Foerster excel as he continues to develop. With just four games remaining, there may not be enough time for Foerster to really take that next step in his points. However, he can give a good look at what to expect from his game moving forward.

With what he has shown so far, it looks like the dangerous shot Tyson Foerster is back. If that holds into next season, under the right coach, Foerster can reach new heights in his game. It will undoubtedly be something to be hopeful about next season.

Read More: Five Likely Candidates to be the Next Flyers Head Coach

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