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Meltzer's Musings: Bellemare Selected by Vegas |
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FLYERS LOSE BELLEMARE IN EXPANSION DRAFT
In a somewhat surprising move, the Vegas Golden Knights selected 32-year-old checking center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare from the Flyers in the NHL Expansion Draft, bypassing both left winger Michael Raffl and goaltender Michal Neuvirth in favor of the French veteran. Bellemare is no darling of the analytics crowd nor has he posted most in the way of scoring at the NHL level. Nevertheless, many NHL organizations and virtually all of his teammates and opponents alike hold him in high esteem.
Bellemare is all about the intangibles. A scorer in European hockey leagues and international play, he is strictly a old-fashioned fourth-line player in the NHL (at least as a center). He takes pride in doing unglamorous grunt work, sacrificing his body and not caring a whit about whether he produces points. While there are scores of players like that, what sets Bellemare apart in the eyes of hockey people is his sheer passion and infectious personality.
Teammates love Bellemare, for good reason. He would do anything on their behalf, on or off the ice. That is why he was named an alternate captain after the departure of Mark Streit.
On the ice, he put his body on the line every shift of every game whether it was to block a shot, sprawl out to swat a defensive zone puck over the blue line or absorb a hit. Although hardly a fearsome fighter, he even dropped the gloves a few times in defense of teammates. If the team was trailing, he'd remain vocally upbeat. If he made a mistake, he knew it and owned up. If the team was lacking energy, he'd give his all to inject some.
Off the ice, Bellemare is an absolute delight. He made teammates, even short-term callup players, feel like they belonged as part of the group. Every day, he came to the Flyers' rink with a smile on his face, a can-do attitude and a heartfelt faith in his teammates. Those are areas where a phony can be spotted instantly. Bellemare is genuine, and that's why his manner resonates.
Bellemare's two head coaches with the Flyers, Craig Berube and Dave Hakstol, both took a shine to him. Why? Because he understood systems, did exactly what was asked in his role rather than taking an attitude of being a miscast player who was accustomed to more offensive-oriented tasks and there was never a doubt whether he would come to the rink the next day ready to work. Most pro-level coaches love low maintenance, set-and-forget veterans who adhere to structure. Many fans see things through a different prism than coaches, but to those who constantly asked why Bellemare (and regular linemate Chris VandeVelde) were virtually set in stone in Hakstol's lineup, this was the rationale.
As a side benefit, Bellemare was a good team spokesman. Officials like him, because he speaks to them respectfully on the ice (something very desirable in a captain or alternate captain). He is also a reporter's dream. He doesn't speak in cliches. He answers questions with insight, humility and humor. He cheerfully greets media members, often by name, on the average morning rather than simply walking by without any acknowledgement. It is simply human nature for others to like such people and maybe even to cut them a little more slack if there's a benefit of a doubt.
For those wondering why the Flyers (apparently) had trade offers for Bellemare at the trade deadline this past season and why they opted instead to extend his contract and name him an alternate captain, it is total package of aforementioned traits that made him valuable both in the eyes of the Flyers and other organizations.
Is Bellemare replaceable for the Flyers from a hockey standpoint? Yes, and that's the bottom line. There are other energy players out there, other penalty killers and certainly a lot of players who post better stats (whether offensive stats, faceoff percentage and/or analytics numbers with the right group around them). It is doubtful the average Flyers fan will notice a negative difference from their standpoint.
In the immediate future, Bellemare's departure as well as that of the traded Nick Cousins opens a pathway for at least one of Scott Laughton or Mike Vecchione -- and possibly both -- to be on the Flyers' NHL roster on opening night. That is especially true if VandeVelde departs via unrestricted free agency.
However, among Bellemare's now ex-teammates, coaches and those around the team, he'll be missed next season. A former teammate in Sweden, NHL goaltender Eddie Läck, paid personal tribute to Bellemare yesterday when news broke of his selection by Vegas.
That says it all.
My personal favorite memory of Bellemare is from the end of training camp in 2014-15 after general manager Ron Hextall announced the final roster cuts. The Flyers now had their opening night roster set but "Belly" refused to believe it -- politely thanking us for our congratulations for him making the roster but telling us it was premature -- until he was directly told by Craig Berube that he was on the team. The smile on Bellemare's face afterward was one of a man realizing that a lifelong dream that once seemed unreachable had finally come true.
Bellemare was the Philadelphia chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association's Flyers nominee for the Masterton Trophy this past season and was also chosen by the Flyers' Fan Club as the Gene Hart Award winner for his "heart" and devotion. Both honors were very well deserved.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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