An Open Letter to Brayden Schenn from the Desk of a Philadelphia Flyers Fan

Dear Brayden Schenn:

Welcome to the Philadelphia Flyers. The team is fortunate to have you, management is ecstatic to have acquired you and the fans–

Well, let me try to prepare you for the fans.

Most NHL fans would be enthusiastic to get to watch you, the fifth overall pick in the 2009 entry draft. 

But let’s be honest here: Flyers fans aren’t like most NHL fans.

We Philly Phaitful (get used to that kind of spelling) are still recovering from the shocking events of 6/23/11, the infamous date that took our team from potential playoff contenders led by Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Sergei Bobrovsky to a mysterious grab-bag that now features the likes of Ilya Bryzgalov, Jakub Voracek and Jaromir Jagr.

Offensively, you are apparently the key piece to the new puzzle, but in a city like Philadelphia, you will have to work hard to earn fans.

Philadelphia is not a city that necessarily puts a lot of stock in prospects. Every year since 1975, we have not merely wanted to win; we have wanted to win NOW.

2006-07 was a perfect example of management responding to this rabid fan mentality; in a season that saw the team finish in dead last, new GM Paul Holmgren acquired Martin Biron, Scottie Upshall and Ryan Parent during the season, then acquired and signed Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen before free agency even started, finally culminating in the addition of Danny Briere to the roster.

The following season, the Flyers found themselves out of the basement and into the Eastern Conference Finals. We lost to Pittsburgh. We don’t like to talk about it.

Now Paul Holmgren has taken a team that, just over a year ago, was two wins away from lifting the cup and traded away the core of the offense for a whole new look.

At the moment, Mr. Schenn, you are a key part of the our team’s future. But in Philadelphia, the word future is more blasphemous than any other “f-word.”

We know it makes sense to acquire a player who has the potential to be the next Mike Richards, a comparison that many scouts have made. What doesn't make sense to us is giving up Mike Richards to get that player.

We know it makes sense to load up the offense with four players drafted No. 8 or higher, all of whom are under the age of 23 (James van Riemsdyk, No. 2; You, No. 5; Jakub Voracek, No. 7 and Sean Couturier, No. 8). What doesn't make sense to us is waiting years for these players to develop and risk losing the cup-worthy defensive corps we have right now.

And we know it makes sense to invest in the future by keeping yourself flexible under the salary cap and cultivating quality young stars. What doesn't make sense to us is putting in jeopardy our chance to win this year.

Rebuilding is a difficult concept for Flyers fans, particularly when the team has had so many weapons. Deep down inside, we know that Paul Holmgren is doing what is best for the team, what the 29 other GMs in the league would do.

And deep down inside, we know that in two years we will all be sporting our Schenn jerseys and trying to argue that you’re more talented than Ovechkin and Crosby put together. That’s the honor we will bestow upon you once you become a star.

But for now, when preseason rolls around, the vast majority of us will look at the new No. 10 on the ice and wonder why we gave up so much for someone who is yet to prove himself.

So welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, Brayden Schenn. I have no doubt we will come to love you someday.

But until that day comes, understand that most of us are going to want to see Mike Richards every time you lace up the skates. And the rest of us would likely trade you (along with Bob and our next 10 first-round picks) for Steven Stamkos in a heartbeat.

Once you get past all that, we will worship the ice you skate on.

All the best,

A Phan.