2022-23 Player Review: Wade Allison is another very good redhead

This might be a controversial opinion, but before the Wade Allison haters start screaming, just hear me out.

There is absolutely no denying that Wade Allison’s year was by-and-large disappointing. The 25-year-old winger definitely wishes that he could take a mulligan on the season, which (like so many members of this team) was his first opportunity to play consistent minutes in the NHL. The Flyers roster was a revolving door Lehigh Valley; however, “Wade Allison” is a more familiar name than many others.

Allison made his NHL debut in the 2020-21 season after recovering from an injury that sidelined him for most of the year. He appeared in 14 games and garnered 7 points (4 goals and 3 assists). Yet, the injury struggles were not over. In fact, injuries have been the consistent them of Allison’s hockey career, before and during his time as a professional. While at Western Michigan, Allison tore his ACL, and though he made a full recovery, he would go on to suffer two ankle injuries and an MCL sprain over the next few years.

The 2022-23 campaign was no different. Shortly before Thanksgiving, Allison took a hard fall into the boards, leaving him with an oblique strain and a hip pointer. Frankly, it could have been much worse from the looks of it. Allison was then placed on IR where he donated several weeks of his playing time to Kieffer Bellows.

Basic Stats

It’s no secret that Allison’s injuries are a major liability. As the old cliché says, “Once is an accident. Twice is coincidence. Thrice is a pattern.” The going opinion is that Allison has embraced a somewhat reckless playing style that disposes him to getting hurt. However, there comes a time when you need to just accept that he will get injured and plan around it. Thus, the question with Allison is not so much, “Can he stay healthy?” The question is, “Can he remain productive even when not fully healthy?”

Looking at this year alone, most people will answer the question in the negative. However, I tend to disagree.

Was Allison’s 2022-23 season bad? Yes, by most metrics. He scored only 3 more points than NHL Boxing Champion Nic Deslauriers and 5 fewer points than his redheaded colleague Cam York (who played 6 fewer games). Even the advanced stats weren’t all that impressive.

However, I believe that a player should be given a bit of a break when they’ve previously showed that they are capable of high quality hockey. For example, in the case of Tanner Laczysnki who we reviewed last week, injuries simply weren’t an excuse. Why? Because Laczynski has never exhibited any profound level of skill when healthy.

Wade Allison is different. Allison has not only showed that he can put up good numbers in the NHL, but he’s done so while injured. As stated above, Allison played 14 games in the 2020-21 season on an ankle that likely wasn’t 100%. No one would have batted an eye if Allison had showed signs of weakness. Yet these were his numbers:

Sure, it’s a small sample size, but in my opinion, there’s promise. If he gains the trust of his head coach, and if he gets a few chances to play with productive linemates, Allison could really start to turn heads. He’s done so in the past.

Three Questions

Did they live up to expectations?

Here’s where I agree with the haters. The season wasn’t good. If you’re fortunate enough to play in two-thirds of a season, you simply need to do more. Injured or not, if Wade Allison will be a part of this team’s future (and I think he will be) he needs to prove that he can be a reliable piece. He didn’t do that this year.

What can we expect from next season?

Some people might get down on Allison and expect very little next year – Tortorella is likely in this camp – but I actually have pretty high hopes. The team is officially rebuilding; management is changing; and Allison has the offseason to train and get healthier. Will he get injured again next season? Probably. But I think he has an ENORMOUS opportunity to make a name for himself. My prediction is that he takes full advantage and brings back the Wade Allison of old.

How do we grade their 2022-23 season?

Yes, most of this article has been devoted to the Wade Allison of the past and the Wade Allison of the future. And yes, the purpose of this article is to assess the Wade Allison of 2022-23. Thus, it’s only fair to dock him substantial points on account of his weak numbers.

With that said, I refuse to make this grade a stat-based analysis alone. I’m higher on Wade Allison than most, and I generally don’t like to reduce a player’s performance down to a math equation. It wasn’t a good year, but it could have been worse.

Grade: C-