Ex-Penguins defenseman Matt Niskanen finds success with Flyers

It was a considerable adjustment for Matt Niskanen this offseason when he was traded from the Washington Capitals to the Philadelphia Flyers.

A new team, a new city, a new everything.

Even parking for practice was different.

With the Capitals, he could not use the garage adjacent to the practice facility in Arlington, Va., because his truck could not clear the maximum height of the entrance.

What’s different about parking at the Flyers’ facility in neighboring Voorhees Township, N.J.?

“It’s outside,” the former Penguins defenseman said. “So we’re good.”

Good is a fair way to describe Niskanen’s first season with the Flyers. Primarily playing on the top pairing with Ivan Provorov, Niskanen has appeared in 49 games with a respectable 19 points (five goals, 14 assists). He’s also second on the Flyers with an average of 21 minutes, 49 seconds of ice time per game prior to Friday.

Niskanen and — more importantly — his $5.75 million salary cap hit were jettisoned by the Capitals this offseason due to salary cap concerns.

Having helped that franchise win its first Stanley Cup title in 2018, Niskanen realizes his departure was rooted in the business of the sport.

“I didn’t expect it, but I wasn’t surprised at the same time,” said Niskanen, who has one year on his contract beyond 2019-20. “I knew they were in a (salary) cap situation. Somebody’s probably got to go. I was 32. They had a pretty good group of defensemen there. So it was pretty easy to do the math so I knew there was a chance. I was disappointed but I get it.”

“His teammates calls him ‘Steady Eddie,’ ” Flyers coach Alain Vigneault joked. “He’s steady, consistent, understands the game at both ends and has been a real good leader for us. He’s one of the best pros I’ve ever coached.”

The Flyers pursued Niskanen, in part, to team him with Provorov, a 23-year-old in defenseman in his fourth season.

A first-round pick in 2015, Provorov’s production regressed last season as he produced only 26 points (seven goals, 19 assists) in 82 games. This season, he already has 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in only 50 games.

“For Ivan, for his development as a player, as a pro, understanding what you need to do on a daily basis, I don’t think (general manager Chuck Fletcher) could have gone out and found a better guy for him,” Vigneault said. “For the Flyers, in the short term, in the medium term, and the long term, this is going to be real beneficial for our organization.”

“High-end talent,” Niskanen said of Provorov. “Way better than I am. So that’s always good.”

Once upon a time, Niskanen was a former first-round pick struggling to find his game. Drafted No 28 overall by the Dallas Stars in 2005, he nearly “washed out” of the NHL, by his own description, before being traded to the Penguins during the 2010-11 season and repairing his game under the tutelage of assistant coach Todd Reirden, now the Capitals head coach.

Niskanen described his move to the Penguins nearly a decade ago as “winning the lottery” as it saved his career.

Now with the Flyers, he has a unique perspective on what is arguably the NHL’s best “three-way” rivalry — if such a thing exists — between the Penguins, Capitals and Flyers.

“Really strange,” Niskanen said. “If I get traded to New York next … wow. It’s weird to see how the guys interpret it from every side now. I just try to keep it to myself, but it’s been fun to see.

“The first year is probably the toughest when you face your most recent team, especially having a good connection with everybody in Washington with what we’ve accomplished there. That’s really weird. I’m sure it is for everybody. Just like it was weird coming back here. That first year after you leave, it’s hard to describe really.”

Of the trio of teams, which ones have the best rivalry?

“I think just because of the success that ‘Pitt’ has had, Wash-Pitt and Philly-Pitt,” Niskanen said, utilizing shortened nicknames for cities like many NHLers do. “We had one playoff series, Washington against Philly, first round in (2016). But that one didn’t really evolve into anything. It didn’t seem like it.

“It’s a rivalry, for sure, but it’s not at the same level as ‘Wash-Pitt’ or ‘Philly-Pitt’ where those series are ultra competitive. Some of Pitt-Philly ones are nasty. The Wash-Pitt ones got a little nasty. A little different level.”

Follow the Penguins all season long.