Built for penalties, built to lose
Nic Deslauriers is leading the league in fights, hits, and penalty minutes. The Philadelphia Flyers average 11.6 penalty mins per game. They have the second-worst penalty kill percentage in the NHL. Their rough and rowdy playing style is increasing penalty time for their players. They also reduce playing time of their most intimidating players like Ryan Ellis. It's not a general aspersion on hits and fights. But it's undeniable that physicality leads to penalties and penalties take players off the ice. There's no player that's more intimidating than a player on the bench.
