Flyers Tyson Foerster Gets Huge Endorsement From Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby
That's quite the stamp of approval...
Philadelphia Flyers forward Tyson Foerster had anything but a sophomore slump last season, boosting his production by 10 points in just four more games compared to his rookie campaign.
Now, the 2020 first-round pick who will be a big piece of the puzzle for the Orange and Black this season scored a big endorsement from, of all people, the captain of the Flyers' archnemesis, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby.
Foerster's 45 points last season were good enough for him to get an invite to play for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships in Denmark and Sweden alongside his Flyers' teammates Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim.
Of course, that tournament went unbelievably poorly for the Canadians as they were upset by Denmark in the quarterfinals. However, it still went well for Foerster in that Crosby took notice of his game.
Sid even took time to call the new Flyers head coach and former Penguins assistant Rick Tocchet to say how impressed he was by Foerster on and off the ice.
"Over the world championships, Sidney Crosby called me and said he loved (Foerster)," Tocchet told the media on Tuesday, adding that Crosby noted how the 23-year-old is a "sponge."
(Penguins captain Sideny Crosby was hugely complimentary of Flyers young gun Tyson Foerster after playing with him at the IIHF World Championships this spring. (Getty Images))
Tocchett also noted that Crosby had something good to say about another young, burgeoning Flyer in Noah Cates (I'm starting to think Sid wants to get dealt to Philly… kidding… kind of…).
The Flyers are still, without question, in a rebuild, but with pieces like Foerster and Cates in the fold, things are trending in the right direction.
Obviously, we already got a taste of what Matvei Michkov can do, but there are plenty of prospects coming along who have yet to see meaningful NHL action, like Denver Barkey, Alex Bump, and Jersey Mile's superman Oliver Bonk.
Is this a playoff team?
Even I'm not that delusional to say "Hell yeah it is," but anything but a pretty sizeable step forward with this kind of young talent and a new voice leading the locker room in Tocchet would be a disappointment.