A veteran of five seasons and 348 regular season games with the Flyers, defenseman Nick Seeler has emerged over the course of his Philadelphia career as one of the team's "glue guys" on and off the ice. His effectiveness lies in his understanding and acceptance of his role on the team. Regardless of his partner or slotting in the depth chart, he brings the same elements game-in and game-out: fearless shot-blocking, positional reliability and willingness to stand up for any teammate.
Seeler is one of those "set-and-forget" defensemen that every team needs. There have been players in the same mold in every generation of franchise history: Joe Watson and Barry Ashbee in the early years, Brad Marsh in the 1980s, Luke RIchardson in the 1990s to early 2000s or, in more recent times, the likes of Nicklas Grossmann, Nick Schultz or Justin Braun. These players are easy to take for granted but are inevitably missed when not in the lineup.
"I'm a big puzzle guy," Flyers head coach Rick Toccket said on Thursday.
"You've got to have guys who fit the puzzle. Nick fits the puzzle. He's that guy who maybe doesn't have that light shining on him all the time. But the way he comes to practice, his demeanor. He's a leader. He says the right things in the room and he'll do anything for his teammates. Those are puzzle guys. You've got to have them if you want to win the Stanley Cup or create a winning culture. This year, he's really supplied that. He's been a glue guy. Just a real pleasure to coach."
Off the ice, Seeler brings a calm demeanor, a cerebral knowledge of the game and a patient affability that makes him one of the go-to players on the team in tough times as well as in victory.
Jamie Drysdale, who played frequently with Seeler in the first half of this season and part of last season, is one of many teammates who need little prompting to sing Seeler's praises.
"Seels? He is awesome. Easy to play with. Good communicator. Like you said, he plays the same game every night. Knows where you are and gets you the puck. He's a guy who helps out new players when they come here. Just a great teammate," Drysdale said between Games Three and Four of the playoff series against Pittsburgh.
Seller has never been known for his offensive prowess and does not try to be an offensive defenseman. However, he possesses an underrated ability to put shot attempts on net: nearly 42 percent for his regular season career and 52.6 percent for his playoff career. Simply getting a shot on net with traffic in front enabled Seeler to score the game-winning goal in Game Three of the Pittsburgh series.Any goal from Seeler is strictly a bonus but he has 15 career regular season tallies plus the goal in the Penguins series to his credit at the NHL level. He even has one highlight reel goal (vs. Vegas) in his career: a reminder than even NHL role players who score infrequently have the ability to surprise an off-guard opponent.
