The Philadelphia Flyers enter their 56th season in the NHL. For many, this is the least anticipated season in the past 25 years, possibly in franchise history. The team is entering 2022-23 as one of the favorites for next year’s top pick, and a serious contender for potential superstar Connor Bedard. The management has alienated a diehard fanbase and is clearly an afterthought in the city contending with the likes of Eagles Super Bowl hype, a Sixers championship window, and the Phillies ending an 11 year playoff drought.
The fans have revolted against a directionless franchise, trying to hold onto the illusion that the Broad Street Bullies weren’t that long ago, and the team is close to contending. They believe 2021-22 was a fluke. The best/worst thing the Flyers did was capture the first overall seed in the East during the Covid tournament and force a game 7 in the second round against the Isles. On paper, the season looks like a success. In reality it was filled with luck, late heroics, and a tournament that played in their favor. That season diluted the front office.
Let’s recap with the offseason. The Flyers finished last season with the second worst record in franchise history for an 82 game season. Last year they totaled 61 points, second worst only to the 2006-07 team that tallied 56 points. However, in the 2007 offseason, management identified their issues and went out to fix them. The GM at the time, Paul Holmgren, signed Danny Briere from Buffalo to give the team a certified sniper. He traded for the rights of Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell, eventually signing them to six year contracts.
The other big additions were Jason Smith and Joffrey Lupul from Edmonton. Smith only played one season in Philadelphia, but was the team captain during his tenure. The Flyers also had the 2nd overall pick where they took local New Jersey native, James van Riemsdyk. Most of their offseason additions would become focal points to the 2010 Stanley Cup run. The 2007 offseason was the definition of an “aggressive retool.”
The 2022 offseason was the complete opposite. Current GM Chuck Fletcher went into the offseason looking to revamp a young, incomptent roster. The “big” addition for the Flyers was Tony DeAngelo in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes. DeAngelo is a controversial yet productive player, but not someone needed at this point in time. He is a player that a contender adds to spark their powerplay or add offense to their defensive core.
Aside from DeAngelo, the rest of the offseason was very unpleasant. The team released universally loved Oskar Lindbolm to clear cap space. Initially, the move was to be a precursor to a big free agency, which never came to fruition. Instead, the Flyers spent some of the cap space on resigning their restricted free agents such as Morgan Frost and Owen Tippett. Beyond resigning their restricted free agents, and bringing back some retreads such as Justin Braun, it was an uneventful, pathetic offseason for roster turnaround.
Coaching Change
The only other big addition this offseason was coach John Tortorella. He becomes the team’s 23rd coach, but the fourth in 7 years. Tortorella has led successful teams in Tampa Bay, New York, and Columbus. He has collected a record of 673-541-37-132 with 12 playoff appearances and one Stanley Cup win (Tampa Bay 2003-2004) over a 20 year career. Tortorella brings an identity to the Flyers. A display of toughness and ferocity that the team has lacked since Wayne Simmonds was traded in 2019. He will get the most out of his players, and if they do not respond, they will not be around long.
Although that might seem like a clearcut plan, can Tortorella outlast the next few years? He is an old school coach that preaches toughness, transparency, and conditioning, which may not fit long term in today’s game. He has a similar approach to Alain Vigneault, who only lasted 3 seasons as the head coach of the Flyers. Eventually, if the wins do not pile up, the message becomes stagnant and players zone out. The Flyers are at least 3-4 years away from contending which may prove difficult for Tortorella to stick around.
The other fear for the Tortorella hire is that he will improve the Flyers too much. It’s not often that a coach is faulted for winning more, but by doing that, it may be counterproductive for the Flyers franchise.This upcoming draft includes Connor Bedard as the clear first overall selection. He is being compared to other generational talents such as Sidney Crosby (still a crybaby), Auston Matthews, and Connor McDavid. If he turns out to be that good remains to be seen, but Flyers management should be very interested.
The Flyers roster shows signs of a bottom five finish, but Tortorella will get the most out of what he has on his team. This may propel the Flyers into the range of bottom 10-12 teams. Still not a contender, but not bad enough to be a serious lottery team for Connor Bedard. Realistically, it would be better for the Flyers to tank, increase their chances in the draft lottery, and pray for Bedard. Yet, Tortorella will never let that happen.
The big miss this year in free agency was Johnny Gaudreau. There is no way to write about the Flyers 2022-23 season without at least mentioning the absolute mishandling of the situation. For years, the rumors swirled that Johnny Hockey wanted to play for his childhood team, the Flyers. Even with his impending free agency, GM Chuck Fletcher did absolutely nothing to clear space to bring Gaudreau home. Instead, the Flyers danced around the idea that they were never serious contenders for Gaudreau. During the free agent period, there were reports that Gaudreau would not sign until the Flyers made an offer. An offer that apparently never materialized. Gaudreau wouldn’t have made the Flyers contenders this season, but it would re-engage the fanbase, something they desperately need right now. Rather, the Flyers will continue to see diminishing ticket sales and scattered attendance. A problem Gaudreau could have fixed.
Now, onto the 2022-23 Flyers season. Unfortunately, there isn’t much to be excited about going forward. The injuries have already started to accumulate before the opening night faceoff. There are smaller injuries to Joel Farabee and Cam Atkinson, who are both listed as day to day. Then there are the more significant injuries to Bobby Brick and Sean Couturier. Brink will be out until at least the New Year, while Couturier remains a mystery.
Currently, the Flyers have him listed as out until at least October 23rd with a back injury. The initial report was that it was potentially season ending. Couturier hasn’t played since being moved to injured reverse on December 31st, 2021. In February of 2022, he underwent back surgery and missed the remainder of the season. Until the middle of September, Couturier was healthy, but he suffered a herniated disc during off-ice training. It’s too early to tell if Couturier will be back this season at all, but since he has been out, the Flyers have missed his defensive presence and toughness. The other injury is Ryan Ellis and it’s becoming apparent that he may never play for the Flyers again.
The injuries are part of hockey, and the Flyers season will rely on three crucial questions. Where will they find offense? Can the defense improve? Will Carter Hart bounceback?
Offensive Woes
The injuries to the top-6 of the Flyers, and the lack of depth leads to the question of who will provide offense for the Flyers. The Flyers offense was so abysmal that Claude Giroux, who was traded in March, was third on the team in goals. Atkinson missing time is a big loss to an already poor offensive unit after he finished second on the team in 2021-22 with 23 goals. Farabee, although he missed 19 games, finished fourth of the team with 17 goals last season. When healthy both of those players will contribute. Atkinson is a seasoned veteran with a track record of scoring. Farabee can produce as well, as long as he can stay healthy.
Travis Konecny has produced in the past, but he has been streaky. Usually, he plays with an edge, but that has been absent of late. Kevin Hayes is back to full health, but his career high point total is only 55 points. He contributes in more areas than offense. Other than those players, the Flyers will lean heavily this year on the continued development of Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost.
Both were high draft picks in the 2017 draft, but haven’t lived up to expectations. Frost, for example, has had trouble staying up with the big league club. The Flyers have bounced him around between the NHL and their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for two seasons. He has played only 77 games over three seasons in the NHL, totaling only 23 points. Frost has been injured, limiting his opportunities.
On the other hand, when he does play with the Flyers, the results aren’t earth shattering. Even with the injuries to Courtier and Kevin Hayes, Frost failed to excel in an increased role. Frost has proven he can dominate the AHL, but the NHL is a different animal. Frost loses in puck battles, struggles defensively, and has been hesitant to shoot. Last season, Frost generated a Corsi for percentage of under 46% , while his expected goals for percentage (xGF%) was at 45.33 %. In simpler terms, when Frost is on the ice, his line is struggling to drive play and are slightly being outshot. The Flyers signed Frost to a one year $800,000 contract as a restricted free agent this offseason. If Frost intends to be in Philadelphia longer, he has to take a big leap this season.
Tippett is an interesting case study for the Flyers. He has the ability to move the puck, push the play through transition, and offers an array of stick handling skills. He creates a heavy dose of scoring chances and is a solid passer. His main issue is finishing. According to the analytics from Andy-Rono.com, Tippett ranks in the 78th percentile in shot contribution and 81st percentile in chances, but only in the 40th percentile for scoring. Tippett is able to get the puck into the offensive zone, get the puck on net, and create opportunities, but his major downfall in the NHL so far has been getting the puck into the net.
Tippett is only 23 years old. This season will be his first full NHL season with one franchise. Last year he played 63 games split between the Florida Panthers and Philadelphia Flyers. Tippett will always be scrutinized by Flyers fans since he was acquired as the centerpiece around the Claude Giroux trade. Whether that is fair or not, it is never easy to replace a franchise icon. If Tippett can find ways to finish more often this season, he would be a welcomed offensive surprise. He has all the other tools to be a productive top-6 NHL player.
Defense Needs To Improve
In the defense and goaltending areas, the Flyers have been below average. They ended last season as the 6th worst in goals against and 4th worst in shots on goal allowed. They also ranked in the bottom of the league in penalty kill percentage at 75.74% success rate. The defense didn’t improve much from last season. Ivan Provorov hasn’t been as productive since Matt Niskanen retired. At times, Provorov tries to do too much, often getting caught in odd man rushes or blowing assignments. He is still a minute-eating defense that can score, but he has never been able to recapture his career season in 2017-18.
The true number one defenseman on the Flyers is Travis Sanheim. He was the only full season Flyers to be a plus player, finishing as a +9. Sanheim has improved greatly in puck control, physicality, and decision making. Even if he’s not on the top defensive pairing, Sanheim is the team’s number one defenseman.
The defense’s success may also fall on the development of Cam York. This was the season for the young defenseman to make the big league club from day one. Unfortunately, it did not pan out that way. York struggled mightily in the preseason. He finished with a -5 and contributed zero points. The team isn’t flooded with defenseman, and it’s realistic to be angry that Nick Seeler and Justin Braun will play over York. However, York did not take advantage of his opportunity. He had a chance this preseason to take control of the 3rd line pairing and be on the roster opening night. York is still a young player with a bright future. Nonetheless, he must improve.
Tortorella was quoted as saying, “For me, with Yorky, it’s not the physical skills. I think it’s the mental skills. I think it’s him learning to, first of all, wanting to be a guy that’s going to make a difference and then being the player to make a difference.” Although many fans may not agree with the move, Tortorella will not let you slide with name recognition or draft status. In Tortorella’s system, you have to earn it. Something that York did not do in the preseason. Luckily, it won’t be his last chance to prove himself this season.
Carter Hart Needs to Shine
This season also needs to answer the question, is Carter Hart the franchise goalie? For years, the Flyers have prayed for a goalie prospect with as much talent as Carter Hart. The Flyers have a history of offensively talented teams being dragged down by poor goaltending. In 2020, the Flyers had the perfect combination of talented veterans, offensive power, and a strong defensive front. Hart helped them capture the East’s number one seed and advance to the Eastern Conference Divisional round.
Since then, Hart has had two seasons of poor save percentage and goals against. 2020-21 was particularly awful after Hart posted a .877 save percentage and 3.67 GAA. Hart did bounce back slightly in 2021-22, but was still well below the league average in both categories. Tortorella preaches a strong defense, so it should benefit Hart. However, if Hart can’t improve, it may be time to admit he’s not the Flyers franchise goalie.
Preparing for a Long Season
It’s hard not to be pessimistic about this Flyers’ season. The franchise lacks direction, have become disconnected from their fanbase, and there is no face of the franchise. I love Gritty more than anyone, but a mascot shouldn’t be the only recognizable part of a sports franchise.
The Flyers are similair to the 90s Phillies. They fielded awful teams and relied on the Phanatic to steer attention away from the mediocrity on the field. Gritty deals with misdirected anger due to the poor decisions by ownership. Philadelphia fans have shown that they will continue to support their franchises through tough times if there is a clear path for future success. The Sixers and the Process were a clear example that the fans understood the short term losing would lead to long term success. The Flyers do not seem to have any insight on their future.
Hopefully, this season is a correction course for the historic franchise. An evaluation period to discover what the Flyers have in their younger players. Perhaps, a season to unload unwanted contracts to clear cap space for next season. More than anything, they need to win back the fans of Philadelphia.
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