Flyers’ Travis Sanheim ranks among NHL’s “worst” best defensemen

Bleacher Report dropped their latest ranking of each NHL team’s “best defenseman,” and Flyers’ top blueliner Travis Sanheim came in at… 29th. Out of 32.

That’s not exactly flattering.

The only guys ranked behind Sanheim were Dmitry Orlov (Sharks), Alex Vlasic (Blackhawks), and Adam Pelech (Islanders). Ahead of him, you’ll find names like Erik Karlsson, Morgan Rielly, Vince Dunn, and even Cam Fowler, who, let’s be honest, might not even be the best defenseman on his own team.

Travis Sanheim’s case isn’t helped by the the Flyers miserable season

Offensively, he wasn’t lighting up the scoreboard. He notched eight goals, 22 assists, and 30 points with a -6 rating.

At the same time, he averaged a career-high 24:30 of ice time while playing brutal defensive minutes and carrying more responsibility than he ever has. That’s not nothing.

The reality is Sanheim has always profiled as a really good No. 2 or elite No. 3 defenseman on a contending team. He’s not Cale Makar, and he’s not pretending to be. But putting guys like Karlsson, who hasn’t looked like that Erik Karlsson in years, above him feels like a slap in the face.

And it’s not the first time the Flyers have been disrespected this offseason. Just last week, Bleacher Report left top prospect Porter Martone off their list of the 10 most exciting NCAA players. Combine that with Sanheim’s low placement here, and it’s clear: the Flyers aren’t getting much love from the national media.

Maybe that’s a good thing. Between Matvei Michkov, Porter Martone, and a healthy Sanheim playing under Rick Tocchet, the Flyers have enough bulletin board material to walk into next season pissed off and ready to prove everyone wrong.

But for now, Travis Sanheim, the Flyers “best defenseman” is ranked as one of the worst best defensemen in the NHL.

Classic Flyers luck.

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