As I write this the Flyers have six games remaining in the 2021-22 regular season, and as we all know the season cannot come any faster. When we reach that finish line the question then turns to what next? Back to the drawing board.
A lengthy rebuild or retool whatever term you prefer seemingly is not something we here in Philly neither have the patience or well the patience to endure. And to be honest the Fly guys have been in a “retool” since about the 2015-16 season. The disaster of this season has taught us many lessons about the future of the Flyers. My personal lesson taught to me was that the Flyers have not done enough in the drafting or the developing side of the house. So, what next?
Salary cap, draft positioning (at this moment the Flyers do project to have a top-four pick), and the desirability of free agents to play here are just a few of the issues that face the Flyers this off-season. Oh, and don’t forget the GM factor of whether or not Chuck Fletcher has a clue of what to do are some of the issues facing the Flyers heading into the offseason. So, what next?
Trade, Trade, and trade again
Trading in the NHL summer is a fun thing. After the playoffs are complete and teams peel back the layers of unrealistic expectations versus the reality of the team construction. NHL GMs get very loose and open when it comes to trades in the summer.
The Flyers should be very active in this aspect of the NHL Offseason. Oscar Lindblom, Ivan Provorov, JVR, Travis Konecny, Morgan Frost, and Travis Sanheim are six of the players that I want to be traded. Thereof course could be more depending on the flow, but these six could and should produce a combination of cap relief, prospects, and proven NHL talent.
Send away, send far away
This group of players although their contribution was admirable their services are no longer required. Patrick Brown, Nate Thompson, Kevin Counanton, Nick Seeler, Keith Yandle, and Martin Jones. There seems to be no trade value whatsoever for any of these players, and more importantly, they don’t fit the scheme of the future Flyers. Back to the drawing board.
Back to the Valley
These players have a bright, bright future but their future is not now. They would be better served with another year back in Allentown. Max Willman, Linus Sandin, Ronnie Attard, Egor Zamula, Bobby Brink. Some of these players will play a huge role for the Flyers in the future but that future is not now.
What is left?
The projected 1st line as it stands right now is this. Line one Left-wing Farabee, Center Coots, Right-wing Atkinson. Then, Line two Left-Wing UNK, Center Hayes, Right-wing UNK. Line three Left-Wing Scotty L, Center UNK, Right Wing Tippet. Line four Left-Wing N. Cates, Center J Cates or MacEwen, Right Wing Allison.
Their Defensive pairing project right now is to be. D1- Ellis D1- UNK, D2– UNK, D2-UNK, D3-Risto D3- York
Coach or not to Coach
Of course, all of this is in material unless we get a coach who has a plan. This will be key in solving the problems of the Flyers moving forward. This will also provide the rudder in which direction the Flyers ship will sail into the future.
Stats that keep me up at night
- All season long I maintained the following stat, and, in my opinion, this sums up the disaster that was this year’s Flyers. Flyers have gone 25 for 213 on the power play so far this season. That works out to about 11%.
- Flyers were 8 for 66 on the power play before AV and Michel Terrien were fired That worked to be 12%
- Flyers have gone 17 for 147 on the power play since the firing of AV and Michel Terrien. That works out to about 11%
- The Flyers were 8-10-4 before AV was fired 22 games
- The Flyers are 15-32-7 under Mike Yeo 54 games
- Mathematically eliminated from playoffs on March 29, 2022
- Have won 3 Road games in the 2022 calendar year
Call it a retool, call it a rebuild, call it whatever you want. Just please someone anyone tell me what’s next. Back to the drawing board for the Orange and Black.
Matt Bednarczyk is your host of Talking Philly Sports With Matty B. He is a proud retired US Army Sergeant First Class, he is also a combat veteran with over 80 months served in Afganistan, and Iraq . Huge Hockey Fan. Matt is a lifelong 4 for 4 Philly sports fan. Born and raised on the Mayfair and Tacony neighborhood lines of Northeast Philly. He brings over 40 years of Philadelphia Sports passion and provides a realistic look at our Major Sports Teams and the most passionate sports fans on the planet. Look for his show live on Edge of Philly Sports.
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