Philadelphia Flyers
James: The Flyers “Patient Approach” is Running Out of Time
The Philadelphia Flyers have not made the playoffs in five years. In fact, if they miss the postseason for the sixth consecutive season, they will set a new franchise record —and not the good kind.
On Wednesday, Flyers President of Hockey Operations, Keith Jones, and Flyers Governor Dan Hilferty both said that the Flyers are still being patient with the rebuild. Both of the Flyers’ higher-ups said that success will not be measured by postseason or not; instead, a successful season will show improvement from last season.
While the current brass did not take over until the 2023 offseason, time is running out on the “patient approach”.
Since Jones and Danny Briere took over, the Flyers have been stuck in a constant cycle of subtraction. While the team has added draft capital and prospects in exchange for NHL assets, they have not done much, if anything at all, to improve the NHL clubs’ immediate standing.
During a rebuild, that’s ok. It’s more or less what you are supposed to do. Things have to get worse before they can get better. It certainly does look better for Philadelphia. In the span of three drafts, the Flyers front office added Matvei Michkov–a franchise-changing talent, along with Porter Martone, Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk, and Jack Nesbitt in the first rounds. They have also acquired prospects Carson Bjarnason, Yegor Zavragin, Jack Berglund, and Spencer Gill beyond the first round.
While they were left with a rather messy prospect pool, Jones and Briere gave the group a significant revamp. It was done quickly, but the Flyers have a good prospect pool once again.
You can start to see the foundation of a future in Philadelphia. The Flyers even began adding talent this offseason by trading for Trevor Zegras. However, it’s still not enough.
Read More: PhHN Daily: Flyers Brass Speaks; Kaprizov Contract & More
Things Look Better for the Flyers, but Time is Still Running Out
Philadelphia is a passionate sports city. The Flyers have quickly fallen far behind teams like the Eagles, Phillies, and even the Sixers. It’s hard to pack stadiums when teams are struggling to be in playoff contention, let alone winning games.
It’s been five years since the Flyers last made the postseason. You can’t blame the current regime for the mess it inherited. Briere, Jones, and Hilferty are not to blame for the five-year drought — but they can’t let it last six.
It’s hard for a fanbase to remain interested in a team if the product on the ice is not there.
I wrote a story about Rick Tocchet’s call for energetic crowds at Xfinity Mobile Arena this season. To close, I left the open-ended question, “What will it take to get crowds back for Flyers games?” The common response: winning.
It has become clear that to re-engage the fan base to its fullest potential, they need to win games again.
That being said, the “patient rebuild” is running out of time. How much longer can the fanbase be expected to be patient?
I, for one, can appreciate a methodical rebuild. What Jones and Briere are doing will help the team in the long haul. I am not here to deny their strategy. All I am suggesting here is that it is time to get this thing moving.
Five years is a long time for a team not to make the postseason. No team ever wants to set its franchise record for the longest postseason drought. So, the Flyers need to pick things up.
I believe that with the current roster, the Flyers can push for the postseason. It’s bold, I get that, but I believe it. It’s time to solidify it.
The “patient rebuild” is running out of time. It’s time to set the new standard for hockey in Philadelphia.
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Rebuild rebuild rebuild rebuild without any foundation leads the Flyers to a team without any direction and nothing more than a team that should just give up and quietly leave the NHL
No future OR current 1C, 1D, or 1G. Only two elite potential wingers in the system as per top talent.
Worst goaltending, powerplay, and arguably one of the worst blue lines and Center cores in the league.
EVEN IF Zegras goes on a tear and scores a ppg qnd plays competent hockey on both sides of the puck this team has GLARING HOLES everywhere.
Flyers need AT LEAST two more seasons of top5 draft picks and prospect development.
Otherwise we will end up with ANOTHER bubble playoff team (AT BEST) that’s too good to get elite talent at the top of the draft and NOWHERE NEAR good enough to ACTUALLY compete for a Cup. AGAIN!!!
This team needs at least another legitimate top6 Center with high end ppg+ potential (assuming Zegras works out) and a high end elite potential Defensemen to run the powerplay.
IF they are going for the playoffs and not a top5 pick in a draft with generational talent they better have a plan to fill those holes.
Martin Necas/Mason McTavish and Simon Nemec/Bowen Byram should be priority targets RIGHT NOW!!!
Upgrade the top6/top4/prospect pool with some elite potential or elite ceiling talent.
Send Bonk, 2026 2nd, 2026 3rd, and a 2027 Leafs 1st to Anaheim or Colorado for Necas or McTavish!
Then send Luchanko, 2026 1st, a prospect, and a 2027 3rd to NJ for Simon Nemec.
Or trim down that package a little and send it to Buffalo for Byram.
The Flyers management overhyped the last (one or two) average (AT Best) prospect pools and it got them NOWHERE!!!
If you can’t bring in elite talent then stand pat, subtract Veterans, and GO AFTER A TOP5 PICK AND A SHOT AT A GENERATIONAL TALENT OR ELITE POTENTIAL PROSPECT!!!
Stop the circus of fake REBUILDING!!!
I’m holding out on the 1G part, have hope for Zavragin and Bjaranson. The rest you are spot on. They’re going to have to go UFA for those.
I see no difference between the current “rebuild” and the previous one we had under Hextall. All we’re doing is drafting marginal players who never seem quite ready to make the big club.
We also continue to stock our fourth line with over-the-hill role players instead of spreading the ice time around giving more of those supposedly excellent prospects a chance to develop. We will never learn their true potential if we’re only bringing up a few each year while the rest languished in the AHL.
Success is judged by how much we win and how far we go in the playoffs. Period. Full stop.
The patient approach is what hockey executives use to keep their jobs. Winning needs to be the standard.
While I understand that some people believe we need more high draft picks, tanking isn’t the answer. Tanking produces losers. It didn’t work for the Sixers, and if it worked in hockey San Jose and Anaheim would be dynasties.
Omg is this actually an article stating the Flyers have no idea what they are doing? Oh but wait it doesn’t place the blame on anyone. I can say one thing bringing in former Flyers who have no track record of winning into the front office has never worked, but they continue to do it. Why not bring in some young front office people from winning programs like Dallas or Carolina? The complete ineptitude of this organization to continue to think they have to do things the “Flyers” way is and has always been a death sentence. Winning is the only cure, and that cure means bringing in winning people who know how today’s hockey landscape works. So until this change takes place I have no faith in anything the Flyers do.
A little late to the party unfortunately. While I agree with most of what was already said in previous posts I have a different take. Most if not all will likely disagree & Im ok with that so Ill keep it brief and down to two names…
Mr Ed Snider
And
Comcast/Xfinity Corporation
Unfortunately when Mr Snider passed away the true Philadelphia Flyers OrganIzation also ceased to exist. Ever since that fateful day the franchise stopped being run by those who were allowed to put the franchise as a whole first and foremost. Instead they started to treat it strictly as a business whose bottom line was not necessarily all that mattered but definitely mattered more than it ever had before. Those at the top stopped doing whatever was needed to put the best team on the ice if they thought it could affect their bottom line in any negative way whatsoever. Before anyone says that’s how business is run, stop & be quiet b/c Im well aware of that. While I understand that a sports franchise is also a business it is obviously not the same as your typical business. A sports franchise has to be run by those willing to take more risk just b/c the “shareholders” you need to answer to and keep happy are now your team’s fan base and instead of having just a few (relatively speaking) people to placate you now have tens of thousands if not considerably more. As much as Id like to keep elaborating on my opinion Ive already said more than I had anticipated I would have to but I hope whoever (if anyone?) reads this that they can at least see where I was attempting to go with it and it’s enough for them (or you) to be able to draw your own conclusion to. That’s my two cents in a nutshell so feel free to agree or disagree until one’s heart is content and thanks for taking the time to read this fan’s thoughts…
Exciting team first. The Berube Torts regimes of staying g position and doing nothing of note must end.
Two, and the biggest one….a superstar. That will be changed 26. Comcast, park the Brinks truck in Makar’s front yard next July.