Noah Cates working hard to find more offense to complement his defensive excellence

Noah Cates is ready for whatever comes next. He’s had to since the start of his NHL career when, after a short debut with the Flyers two seasons ago, he was switched from wing to center last season and has been moved throughout the lineup in 2023-24.

And what comes next should be more ice time.

John Tortorella acknowledged that his young centerman’s ice time has diminished as of late and he spoke to him at practice on Tuesday to let him know he’ll get some minutes back.

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Across the first 12 games of the season, the 24-year-old has seen his time dip from 16 minutes, 15 seconds — fifth among forwards — to just a smidge over 12 minutes over the last six. It is the third-lowest average among forwards who have played in every game.

And, although he has been dropped from centering the top line, with Owen Tippett and Cam Atkinson, to the fourth line, he still leads the team in takeaways per 60 minutes (2.90). Among the forwards who have skated the full slate, Cates is fifth in Corsi For Percentage at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick (50.25%), and sees the ice in all situations.

“You don’t realize how young he is in his career and how he’s relied on in so many situations,” Atkinson said. “He’s not the fanciest type of player, but in my opinion, he has one of the best sticks I’ve ever seen as a forward, always in the right position. He’s going to be a huge player for us for many years.”

Bigger things are expected for the youngster. Switched last season to the middle, Cates excelled defensively and finished with 38 points (13 goals, 15 assists) in 82 games — along with a number of Selke Trophy votes. This season, he has struggled offensively, with just four points (one goal, three assists) but continues to impress with his defensive game.

“It gives me a lot of confidence if you’re playing and shutting down some top guys, it kind of really helps make you feel like you belong in this league and that you’re contributing and helping the team,” Cates said. “So, definitely, something that I want to take another step at this year, get my stick going and disrupting plays and turning them the other way.”

He knows his numbers weren’t great in the faceoff circle at 39.5% last season, but he has watched the veterans — having Sean Couturier back has been key for him — and has gotten stronger and worked on getting over the puck.

A left-hand shot, Cates has also added to his repertoire by not only pulling the puck back on his backhand on an angle on faceoffs but also using his forehand. He has won 44.1% of his draws this season.

“You could tell he could pick it up,” Tortorella said about the reasoning behind picking Cates as the one to move to center. “He’s cerebral, a little bit of no-nonsense to him. He’ll just find a way to get it done. He’s lost some ice time here. I think it’s been a little bit of a struggle for him as we’ve gone through the start of this year. ... I think his next step is, I want to try to get him in more offensive situations. I’d like to see him bring more offense.”

And Cates also knows he needs to step up his offensive game.

“Good defense leads to offense,” he said. “And I think that was a key to my game last year and what I need to get back to.”

Although neither Marc Staal nor Tortorella would confirm, it looks like the veteran defenseman will return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Islanders. Staal was paired with Egor Zamula at practice in Voorhees. ... Rasmus Ristolainen was also back in black. The defenseman hasn’t played this season after suffering a lower-body injury but appears to have been cleared for contact. He was paired with Louie Belpedio in what looks to be the extra pair.