RECORD: 9 – 9 – 2
No one can seem to figure out who the 2017-2018 Philadelphia Flyers are and it seems like they can’t either. A high-powered offense that’s weighed down by stretches of poor execution that cannot be masked by an average defensive core and always injured goaltending carousel. Whether it’s slow starts, poor execution, or bad luck there is always a new narrative that seems to force the team to take a step back. The Flyers historically have been a second half of the season team and this season it appears to be another bubble playoff performance unless something is changes.
OFFENSE:
Goals For / Game
3.10 RANKED 15th
A high-powered offense held back by the team’s inability to play consistent team defense. The Flyers forwards have scored goals. However, they have not favored well in tight scoring games and have had issues putting up goals when a team figures them out early. The Flyers have a very talented core of forwards, but they are not a group that commits to defense and clearly lacks a 3rd line penalty killing forward. Hextall and co knew what they were missing when they went after Paul Stastny this summer and offered to pay him above market value. There is still a chance a young player will step up and into that role, but that still might be several weeks away.
Injuries: Michael Raffl, Corban Knight
My Recommendation: Keep the core the way it is right now and wait to see if they can figure it out. Otherwise, I’d begin to separate some players paired together. I would consider going with the options below.
Giroux – Patrick – Voracek
JVR – Couturier – Konecny
Lindblom – Weal – Simmonds
Weise – Laughton – NAK/Raffl
Or if things get really bad…
JVR – Giroux – Voracek
Laughton – Couturier – Simmonds
Lindblom – Patrick – Konecny
Weise – Weal – Raffl
DEFENSE:
Goals Against / Game
3.55 RANKED 29th
Throughout the early portions of the season the Flyers defense has had an endless series of issues. While on paper they have a relatively talented group on the back-end, ultimately they lack the balanced skill set to consistently execute at a high level on when it comes to getting the puck up ice and allowing the offense to skate into the opposition’s zone with speed. Players like Radko Gudas, Robert Hagg, Christian Folin, Andrew MacDonald all have their NHL level skill sets, but none of them are capable of playing the 200 foot game on a regular basis and that seems to severely hamper the Flyers exiting their own zone and making plays from the point. It leaves lots of pressure on Ivan Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere to be the backbone of the defense on a nightly basis.
I think it is underestimated how much pressure comes with that responsibility for young defenseman and how they do not have the luxury that the young forwards have. Nolan Patrick, Travis Konecny, and Oskar Lindblom can lean on players Claude Giroux, Jake Voracek, Sean Couturier, Wayne SImmonds, James Van Riemsdyk, Scott Laughton in tougher moments of the game. Last season Andrew MacDonald was able to step in atake some of that burden, but it seems like that well has dried up quickly. Sure, Travis Sanheim shows the potential to hit a next level and elevate the defense core and truly fill that role, but he has always been a less confident player than Ghost and Porovov and requires more patience until he hits his stride. Hopefully Sanheim can hit the next level after the all-star break. Young players tend to take a step back and use the second half of the season as an opportunity to recover and reload.
Injuries: Samuel Morin
My Recommendation: Ron Hextall knows what he needs and it’s not a goaltender. He needs a true veteran top four defenseman in the vein of Mark Streit or Kimmo TImonen. A player who can carry some of the emotional and mental weight that comes with being the leading man, but also can contribute at both ends of the Ice. Improving that should improve the power play and penalty kill. While the Flyers have two future all-class players, it’s a lot to ask of them so early in their careers.
If I was Hextall, I would be doing a heavy amount of shopping for a defenseman I could get without moving any serous current roster player. Current Options: Jake Muzzin, Alex Martinez, Mike Green, Anton Stralman, Tyler Myers
GOALIES:
What can we say about all 6 Flyers NHL goalies?…stay healthy please? So far this season it’s not as much of a question of who will start?, but who can start? Currently, both starting goalies are injured and have been rarely healthy for any reasonable stretch of Time. While Michal Neuvirth didn’t play well in his only game this season, Brian Elliot has had some very solid starts that gave the Flyers the ability to stay in games. Elliot showed he still has some heroics left in him, but is showing his age as his body begins to fail him on a regular basis.
With Cal Pickard and Alex Lyon being the next two on the depth chart, the Flyers are in a better position than most teams would be with these kind of injuries. While Pickard has shown some serious weakness as a starter, Lyon has a history of being mentally tough and has a high level of mental focus. Lyon reminds me a bit of a young Brian Elliott in a lot of ways and I have little doubt he will be an NHL goalie. Hopefully he can come in and solidify his spot as backup when Elliot returns from his two-week injury.
Injuries: Brian Elliott, Michal Neuvirth
My Recommendation: Play Alex Lyon and don’t be afraid to go with youth. I would argue the players play better when they have to protect a kid, rather than a vet who just isn’t that good. Lets hope I’m not full of it…Ultimately, the Flyers will have to find a new starting goalie for the 2019-2020 season.
POWER PLAY:
Power Play %
16.2 RANKED 24th
The power play hasn’t been as bad as its record suggests. Lots of chances that just seem to slip by and you can see the pressure weighing on the players. The core of Giroux, Gostisbehere, Voracek, Simmonds, JVR, Patrick, Konecny are capable of being a top 5 unit in the league. I believe the Flyers power play will balance out and will end up around the top 10 mark when compared to the league. There are just too many high-caliber players for the units to not bury their opportunities, there are no holes for the powerplay. Fans saw glimpses of what is coming in the game against Tampa Bay and it should be a sign of the things to come.
My Recommendation: I would go with a slightly different approach to each unit. Sliding Couturier down to the 2nd unit would give it the stability that the coaching staff is looking for. Nolan Patrick is more than capable of playing on the top unit the slot and in front of the net.
PP1
Simmonds
Giroux- Patrick- Voracek
Ghost –
PP2
JVR
Konecny – Couturier – Weal
Provorov
PENALTY KILL:
Penalty Kill %
68.6 RANKED 30th
What can I say about them? They’ve been bad and sometimes even worse than I imagined. I believe Laperriere is a positive value to the organization and I don’t believe the Flyers lack of success on the penalty kill lies solely on Lappy. However, with the steady decline in performance over the past 4 years, it’s becoming clear that he does not have the answers. I would personally like to keep him in the organization and in charge of player development. It’s hard to argue with anyone who says that a fresh approach to the penalty kill doesn’t need to happen.
My Recommendation: The coaching staff should try Nolan Patrick (and possibly Oskar Lindblom) on the Penalty Kill. He’s been vastly improving on face-offs, back checking, and taking away passing lanes. Combine him with someone like Couturier or Giroux and the pairing could make for a lethal short-handed unit. At this point the only reason to not try him is worrying about injuries and wear and tear. Probably why they haven’t done it yet.
COACHING STAFF:
The coaching staff has been taking lots of heat over the early portions of the season. Some warranted, some not. Either way it is clear that they are under the gun and that Hakstol final year of his contract is under review. With other more experienced NHL head coaches sitting on the open market, Hextall would have to make some phone calls and gauge interest if he has to pull the trigger on a change fast. There is no reason to believe the Flyers couldn’t handle a coaching change in its current state and it could help fix the penalty kill which has been slowly on the decline over the years. It’s important to note that this team was not very good defensively before Hakstol showed up and were one of the most undisciplined teams in the league on a nightly basis. There will always NEW issues.
My Recommendation: Bring in someone from the outside to fix the penalty kill. They don’t have to fire anyone, but they need help from outside of the organization. The Flyers do not have the best penalty killers in the league, that much is clear. However, there is absolutely no reason they should be this ineffective on the penalty kill. It is unacceptable for any team challenging for a playoff spot to play this way short-handed. Whether it will be firing assistant coach Ian Laperriere or bringing in a consultant, the Flyers must find a way to solve their poor penalty killing problem. Patience is running out and the league is highly competitive now. Fix it, or the Flyers will find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture with all fingers pointed at the entire coaching staff.
Possible Call Up Options: David Kase, Misha Vorobyev, Phil Myers, Mark Friedman, German Rubtsov, Tyrell Goulbourne, Carsen Twarynski
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
