Joel Farabee sure seems OK with a challenge.
In a few, noticeable ways, the Flyers have challenged Farabee to give them more even after the 24-year-old winger put up a career-high 50 points last season and played all 82 games for a second straight year.
At his end-of-the-season press conference in April, Danny Briere mentioned Farabee and Noah Cates as two players that “maybe didn’t develop quite as much” as the general manger would have hoped. Farabee’s production dropped off after the All-Star break and head coach John Tortorella had him on the fourth line in April.
But Farabee doesn’t mind being pushed.
“I think just as a hockey player, you always want your peers, this coaching staff and management to want more from you,” he said Tuesday in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I don’t think anyone’s ever come out of a year saying, ‘I wish you would do less.’ I think for me, it’s just motivation. Obviously I hope that the staff and the management believe in me as a player. I believe in winning here and being someone that can help the team win.”
There has been an overall positive track record of Farabee responding well to challenges. After in-game benching last season at the end of November, he was a point-per-game player over his next 25 games (nine goals, 16 assists). In 2022-23, he played all 82 games and didn’t make excuses despite coming off sudden disc replacement surgery on his neck. And as a 19-year-old rookie, he dealt with a rough game and short leash like a pro.
As he takes on this challenge, he’ll fall back on what has helped him play in 174 consecutive games, an ironman streak that is tied with Sidney Crosby’s heading into this season.
“I think my ability to play up and down the lineup helps me a lot,” Farabee said. “So just being able to continue to do that and be more consistent, I know down the stretch, it gets a lot tougher with the games and things like that. But for me, just trying to be a guy that’s reliable and someone that can be out there, play both sides of the puck and try to help this team win.”
He knows what will elicit faith from the coach.
“I feel like Torts and I have a really good relationship,” Farabee said. “Just like with everybody else, he’s honest and he’s upfront with what he expects from you. And if you’re not doing that, he’s going to let you know and your ice time’s going to be limited because of it. I feel like we have a pretty good understanding of both our roles.
“I just try to be a guy that’s reliable and trustworthy as possible. Especially in Torts’ system, you have to be trustworthy and responsible on the defensive side of the puck if you’re going to get minutes. So just keep trying to focus on that part of my game and not try to think too much about the offense because I feel like if I’m not thinking, that’s when I play my best offensively.”
After playing for Team USA at the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in May, Farabee went back home to the Syracuse, New York area to see his parents for a few weeks. He has been in Philadelphia since early June.
He’s hoping to eventually play postseason hockey in Philadelphia. He has been to the NHL playoffs one time and it was 2020 up in the Toronto bubble with no fans.
“I think where we are as a team, you can’t really focus on the personal stats,” Farabee said. “It’s more about the team goal and what can I do to help this team get into the playoffs and even further than that, make a run in the playoffs. I think at this point in my career, I just want to win. I’m going into my sixth season and I’ve only been to the playoffs once. I’m at the point now where I’m willing to give up the offensive numbers if it means the team’s going to win.”
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