Philadelphia Flyers
James: The Flyers are a Playoff Team; There, I Said It.
Just solely based on the headline “The Flyers are a Playoff Team”, one could assume I am painfully optimistic.
Well to answer that, I am, but I absolutely believe it. Now, I am here to share why.
The Philadelphia Flyers have not given fans any reason to be hopeful in recent years, at all. My reason for optimism has grown as the offseason has gone on.
I have watched the Flyers my entire life. There have been highs and lows all throughout my childhood and college experience involving Flyers.
While I can tell you with downright certainty that this team is not anywhere close to a cup competitor, I can confidently tell you that I believe this Flyers team is a playoff team.
Here is why:
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Matvei Ready to Shine
Every real playoff contender has at least one true star. The Flyers have one just waiting to break out.
Matvei Michkov is coming off a rookie season that was nothing shy of fantastic. It’s not even worth discussing his rookie numbers because his expectations for year two are already beyond that. His stellar first year in the show has set the floor for what he can truly do. Now, it is his time to shine.
With year one under his belt, I fully expect Michkov to become a league-wide star this season. Having that sort of star power is what can give teams like the Flyers a chance at making the playoffs.
Flyers’ Top-Six
My belief that this team is a playoff contender extends beyond Michkov, but rather to the top six. The Flyers have depth at the wing to have four legitimate top-six wingers. Michkov is undoubtedly a top-line talent. Travis Konecny is also a top-line talent who could be put on the second line solely for positioning reasons.
Tyson Foerster and Owen Tippett round out the top-six winger core, and are not pushover players. In fact, each of the Flyers’ top-six wingers could all be 30-goal scorers. In my mind, that’s pretty good.
One of the biggest questions about the Flyers’ top-six is their center depth. While they are talented on the wing, the Flyers ran with Noah Cates and Sean Couturier as their top-two centermen last season. This year, that changes.
The acquisition of Trevor Zegras gives new head coach Rick Tocchet another high-scoring potential forward to bolster the top six. He’ll even likely get a good chance at top-line minutes. The Flyers have lacked a dynamic top-line player, and Zegras has every tool in the box to be so. He could very well be what pushes this team over the edge.
Plus, with Zegras joining the team, it allows Couturier that chance to be the team’s 2C/3C, which is a much better spot compared to 1C.
You could even throw the potential third line of Alex Bump, Noah Cates, and Bobby Brink into the conversation. The Flyers have the chance to have three legitimate lines this year. To me, that makes them a legit playoff contender.
Flyers’ New “Veteran” Presence
With how young the Flyers are, it’s easy for immature tendencies to slip through for many members of the team. There are two players now entering the “veteran” stage on this Flyers team. Both Travis Konecny and Sanheim have shown growth in each season of their NHL careers. That is because they continue to mature as players.
Having this presence, this experience, on a young team like the Flyers will only help them.
Konecny still has the opportunity to be a point-per-game player. If this can be the year that his scoring becomes more consistent, I think the Flyers are easily a playoff team. Sanheim has also shown steady improvement and will get the chance to be a workhorse defender for Tocchet.
I expect both players to take steps forward again this season, which is another big reason why I believe in this team.
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Vladar Takes Weight off Ersson
One of the Flyers’ best offseason moves, quietly, was the acquisition of Dan Vladar. A backup goalie is a crucial part of a successful season, especially for the Flyers. The Flyers had two last year, but neither of which could be trusted enough to give Sam Ersson the rest he needed.
I am a believer in Ersson, but I know he can’t be a workhorse netminder. He is at his best when he is splitting time with another. Last year, Ersson started about 57% of the Flyers’ games, or 47 out of 82 games played. Now, it’s vital to remember he was hurt a few times, so it was really closer to 63-68% of the games that he was available for.
Ersson needed a backup that was competent enough to give a 60/40, 55/45 split. If he is getting the rest he needs, Ersson can play like a top goalie. When he is being overused, you can see the wheels start to fall off.
Vladar is a good enough goalie that the Flyers can trust him with a 40-45% share of the starts, and still be contending.
Vladar takes a huge weight off Ersson’s shoulders.
The East is still the Mushy Middle
Lastly, and arguably the biggest reason why I feel that the Flyers are a playoff contender, is that the Eastern Conference is still the home to the mushy middle.
The Eastern Conference is simply not that good. Yes, the Flyers may end up on the bottom half, but I just don’t see it.
They will be competing with teams like the Islanders, Red Wings, Blue Jackets, Bruins, Canadiens, Senators, and Rangers for multiple playoff spots. Of this group, you can make the argument that the Flyers could be one of two/three teams from this group to take one of the spots.
It is easier to make the playoffs when the division you’re competing in is not that strong. Between an upgraded top-six, veteran presence, bolstered goaltending, and being a part of the mushy middle, the only thing that makes me wonder about the postseason chances is the defense. Despite that, I really do believe the Flyers are a playoff contender.
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Put your money it James.
I agree that they’re a playoff team, and that should be our expectation. A few reasons why I feel that way:
New coach: the Flyers should get a boost from having Tocchet as their coach. That should add a spark to a team that seemed to lack enthusiasm at times last year.
Not too far off last year: Despite ending up near the bottom of the League, the Flyers were only 15 points away from the final playoff spot. While that sounds like a lot of points, it’s only slightly more than 2 points per month improvement over last year. That’s not to say that 91 points would get a team into the playoffs again this year, but it does confirm the “mush” in the conference that William talks about.
Blending those two points together, do I think that Tocchet can get 2-3 points more points a month out of the Flyers? I do. The Flyers won some games against the best teams in the league last year, only to squander those points on losses to teams they should have/could have beaten. I think Tocchet gets them to play a more consistent game, with no nights off.
The one lingering concern that could derail it all:
Goaltending. I am not as optimistic that Ersson is a legitimate primary goaltender. He’s likely a good backup goalie being backed up by a mediocre backup goalie. Hopefully I’m wrong about that, but I feel like the young goalie prospects in our pipeline have to get to the big club sooner rather than later.
Flyers will end up 7th in the division ahead of only the Penguins, who will be tanking once they trade Rust and Rakell and attempt to trade Eriksson. They’ll end up with the 10th pick in the draft.
The only way that the team will be in playoff contention is if the power play vastly improves, the goaltending vastly improves and they remain relatively healthy.
Offence – Don’t seem to have it.
Defense – Terrible.
Goaltending – Worse.
Offense= almost okay.
Rest is accurate af.
Sure and the 76ers are the best team in the NBA. This is clickbait, the Flyers were awful last year. And bringing in a 2-3 centerman to be your 1 centerman doesn’t mean you get better. Zegras is a one way player, he doesn’t forecheck and he doesn’t play defense. This team has a defense problem and goalie problem that the media doesn’t want to talk about. So hopefully Vladar is Dominick Hasek and Zegras is Mario Lemieux. But I strongly doubt it, they stink
Worst goaltending, Defense core, PowerPlay, and arguably one of the worst Center cores in the NHL. People are delusional. McKenna or a #1C in the top5 of the draft.