Ivan Provorov's play has regressed considerably after once being considered a budding star, and that continued in 2022-23.

Not all that long ago, Ivan Provorov was widely considered one of the top young defensemen in the NHL. After showing flashes of brilliance as a rookie, the No. 7 overall pick from 2015 went on to log 17 goals and 41 points in just his second year in the league. Fast forward to his stellar 2019-20 season, and it appeared Provorov was a near lock to be the Flyers' No. 1 defenseman for a long, long time.

Well, things have changed a bit since the 2019-20 campaign.

Provorov's production has dipped significantly since Matt Niskanen, his defensive partner during the 2019-20 season, announced his retirement. He's struggled to produce offensively, his susceptibility to turnovers has only worsened, and he's even hinted at not wanting to be part of the Flyers' impending rebuild.

And now, in what is expected to be a busy offseason under new general manager Danny Briere, it's possible both Provorov and the Flyers could be headed toward a parting of ways.

Season In Review

Provorov needed a bounce-back year after his lackluster 2021-22 season — even if he didn't think his performance was as bad as the media said it was.

"I mean, no matter what I say, you guys are gonna give me your own grade, so it doesn't matter," Provorov told the media last April when asked how he'd evaluate his play from the 2021-22 campaign. "You're all experts in hockey, so you're gonna give me your super experienced grades, so I don't think my opinion really matters to you guys.

"I don't need anyone to write glory stories on me, but you all have an opinion, and I have my opinion. So, yeah."

Well, there probably won't be too many glory stories written about Provorov this offseason, either. In fact, the criticisms toward him may only intensify.

In 2022-23, Provorov logged the second-worst season of his career in terms of raw point production with 27 points in 82 games. The 26-year-old averaged 0.32 points per game — his lowest point-per-game average since the 2018-19 campaign. And due to his complete ineptitude as a power-play quarterback, his usage on the man advantage slowly deteriorated as Cam York began taking the brunt of the reps on the second PP unit.

But despite his unremarkable offensive production, Provorov still earned a ton of playing time at 5-on-5, leading the team with over 1,508 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time. That was to be expected, though, given his role as the Flyers' de facto No. 1 defenseman over the last several years.

However, Provorov didn't exactly play like a No. 1 defenseman this season. One could argue his game wasn't even on par with an average first-pair blueliner. At 5-on-5, Provorov logged career lows in several key play-driving metrics, including Corsi For percentage (47.14), Goals For percentage (42.42), and Individual Expected Goals per 60 (0.19). He also led the Flyers in giveaways by a country mile with 85 on the season, which directly led to goals against on numerous occasions.

Provorov's defensive inconsistencies and erratic decision-making never landed him in head coach John Tortorella's doghouse, but it's hard to imagine he'll continue earning such massive assignments next season if the fickle play progresses.

That's assuming Provorov is even a member of the Flyers next season, of course.

With the Flyers preparing to embark on a rebuild this summer, Briere has publicly admitted he is in no position to label any player as untouchable. And when asked his thoughts on the coming rebuild, Provorov didn't exactly sound thrilled with the direction the club is going.

"That's definitely not exactly what you want to hear," Provorov told the media during his exit interview. "I came into a rebuild, we had one good year — the bubble year — we were going into the pause on a nine-game winning streak, or it was just snapped, I think. And then after that, things went sideways. We tried to quick fix, that didn't work.

"I won't say it's the most positive news you can hear, but there's a bright future here, and there's a lot of great players that can keep growing. Obviously it depends on how quick everybody gets better and how quickly the team game gets better. That's what determines the length of the rebuild, I guess."

Provorov is still relatively young, and while his play has dipped in recent years, his contract is far from immovable. He has two years remaining on his deal at an annual cap hit of $6.75 million, and on a team with a more experienced group of defensemen, Provorov could theoretically be in better position to turn his career around.

Granted, it's not completely out of the realm of possibility that Provorov could rebound as a member of the Flyers next season. But at this rate, a trade involving No. 9 would hardly be shocking.

Standout Moment

Provorov left much to be desired offensively in 2022-23, but in the Flyers' season finale, he showed signs of life.

In overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks, Provorov pulled off one of the prettiest goals of the season when he executed a gorgeous toe drag to get around Seth Jones and slide the puck past Alex Stalock, leading the Flyers to a 5-4 victory to end their season on a high note.

Provorov may be struggling to live up to his expectations as a No. 1 defenseman, but there's no question he can be a legitimate X-factor when he's on his game.

Bottom Line

Provorov simply isn't the player Flyers fans hoped he'd become when made the jump to the NHL as a teenager. As a youngster, he appeared to have the potential to one day earn votes for the Norris Trophy. Now, he may not even be worthy of earning top-pair minutes on a competing team.

It's unclear what the future holds for Provorov, but it's obvious the Flyers' rebuild isn't something he's excited about. He hinted as much during his exit interview. He's one of the likeliest Flyers to be traded this offseason, and if he is, it may just be best for both himself and the team.

Verdict:

Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and NHL.com.