He spoke highly of the veteran defender in his post-practice presser.
He spoke highly of the veteran defender in his post-practice presser.
The Flyers have had their hands full trying to figure out which defensive pairings work best for the team.
With the arrival of Jamie Drysdale in January, but no roster players making room in the wake of his arrival, it's been a tricky task to make use of a fairly clogged list of defensemen.
That's why some of the blue liners are the popular candidates for who the Flyers might want to trade out before the deadline. Sean Walker and Nick Seeler's names have been thrown around the most, popping up on their fair share of "trade bait" lists as people try to predict what trade moves the front office is drawing up.
Speaking after the Flyers' practice on Monday, John Tortorella had plenty of praise for Seeler, making it abundantly clear how much the team values him as a person and a player.
When asked about Seeler's goal against the Devils during the Stadium Series, Tortorells said, "He's one of our better players [from the] blue line in. Everyone thinks he's a banger and blocks shots and he's not going to have a lot of great offensive numbers, but he's been one of our most effective players getting pucks to the net from the blue line in.
"He's got that mentality of just getting that shot through. He's just an easy guy to pull for. He is so important to our building of a standard and how you are as a pro. Anything that happens for him that's maybe a little bit out of the ordinary, you're happy for him."
Seeler came to the Flyers after mutually parting ways with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2021, taking a year off to focus on his mental health and spend time with his family.
Speaking of Seeler's time off and ultimate return to the league as a Flyer, Tortorella said, "It's a will. I think I've said it to you guys many times, when I first got here, nobody mentioned a word about Nick Seeler—I didn't know who the hell he was. No one had him on that depth chart. He was gonna be a guy who will fight, he's a hard-nosed guy. But he wasn't penciled in by any means.
"He's a nut job. He is as intense of a player as I've seen. I just—I love him. I just have so much respect for how he's gone about it. He leaves the league and comes back, and that's will. To come back into the top league and still find your way, that's a mental toughness, and that's why we love him."
As for those trade rumors surrounding Seeler and Walker, who have been paired up for a good part of the season so far? Tortorella, naturally, didn't give much away as to what their futures in the organization hold, but he did say this: "[Seeler-Walker] has been our best [defensive] pair. That's why we've kept them together."
There's no surefire way to tell whether or not Seeler will finish out this season in Flyers colors, but he undoubtedly has the utmost respect from his head coach and teammates.
Related: 3 Flyers Placed on Trade Bait List