By: Stephen C. Last night, the Philadelphia Flyers dropped the puck to begin another quest for Lord Stanley's Cup. Despite a 2-1 loss to one of the Cup favorites, the Boston Bruins, the Flyers are optimistic about their chances this season. The good news is that the Fly Guys are among the most consistent franchises in sports. Since they joined the league way back in 1967 (for the mathematically challenged, that’s 47 years ago), the Flyers have missed the playoffs only nine times (1969-70, 1971-72, five straight years from 1989-94, 2006-07, and 2012-13). Still, even though the Flyers have the second highest winning percentage among all NHL teams, they haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1975, when they won their second of back-to-back. They’ve had their chances, winning their conference and playing for the Cup six times since their last win in 1975 (1976, 1980, 1985, 1987, 1997, and 2010), but the Flyers haven’t been able to get over the hump and win one in 39 years. The team this year is the ultimate question mark. Coming off a crushing loss in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs last year in Game 7 to the eventual Eastern Conference Champion New York Rangers, the Flyers look to make it back to the playoffs again to compete for that ever elusive Stanley Cup. A front office shake-up was the biggest story of the offseason, as long time GM Paul Holmgren changed titles to Team President, while former Flyer goaltender (and personal favorite) Ron Hextall was appointed the new GM. Hextall’s task? Find a way to push the Flyers from “good” to “great.” And that’s just for year 1. This team will have high expectations, as every team from Philadelphia always will. Whether this team can deliver and fulfill those expectations, well, we have 82 games to figure that out. Offense Led by Hart Trophy finalist and Captain, Claude Giroux, the Flyers offense will need to consistently be able to put the puck in the back of the net for the Flyers to contend. They can’t be as inconsistent as they were in years past if they want to overcome the obvious weakness of this team, which is the defense. The Flyers will need Giroux to be every bit as good, if not better, as his season last year, minus the incredibly slow start. The Flyers will pair Giroux with winger Jakub Voracek on the right side, while the left side is still being figured out between winger Michael Raffl and centerman Brayden Schenn. Other than Giroux and Voracek, the Flyers will rely on two young forwards in particular, center Sean Couturier and wing Matt Read, to continue to build upon successful years last year. Couturier is shaping up to be one of the finest defensive forwards in hockey, but the Flyers could need him to take a leap forward offensively to continue to help the team. Read netted 22 goals last season, one of seven Flyers to tally at least 20, and he and Couturier should continue to complement each other and play well together. Alternate Captain Wayne Simmonds, who led the team with 29 goals last season, will again be looked upon to continue to score at a high clip. With the trade of fan favorite Scott Hartnell, the Flyers will be looking for new (I guess he qualifies as “new”) addition R.J. Umberger to fill Hartnell’s skates. Veteran center Vinny Lecavalier will be counted upon again to provide support as a fourth center. If Lecavalier can build upon a decent first season in Orange and Black and return to some of the form that made him one of the best players in the NHL during his tenure with Tampa, the Flyers offense should be in great shape. The Flyers will also need their power play to continue to play exceptionally well. Scoring on the power play has always been a strength for the Flyers, and they’ll need it to be again this year as this is a team that will occasionally struggle to score in even strength situations. Defense / Goaltending By far, the biggest blow to the Flyers over the offseason is the loss of veteran defenseman Kimmo Timonen. The Flyers were already going to be suspect on the blue line, but the loss of Timonen will amplify that. Sure, Timonen was clearly not the same defenseman he once was (I mean, the guy’s 39 years old. What exactly are we expecting here?) Braydon Coburn is the team’s best defenseman. He’s a solid defender, big body guy, who will eat up tons of minutes on the ice for a thin Flyers defense. The Flyers will most likely pair Coburn with Andrew MacDonald, a decent puck mover who struggles with turnovers. Even so, the two of them should pair together well enough. Luke Schenn, brother of Flyer forward Brayden, should be paired with veteran defender (and alternate Captain) Mark Streit. The Flyers will need Schenn to be the defender they thought they were getting when they traded for him. He’s shown the ability to be a solid NHL defense, but inconsistent play has plagued his last few seasons. The Flyers final pairing should be new addition Michael Del Zotto and Nicklas Grossmann. Grossmann played pretty well down the stretch after the Olympic break, but an injury late in the season hampered his effectiveness. Basically since Hextall retired, the Flyers have been looking for a goalie to fill his place between the pipes. Hopefully, the Flyers have found their guy. The goalie will be Steve Mason, who finished last season incredibly strong, and was almost good enough to out-duel Rangers’ goalie, and probably the best goalie in the league, Henrik Lundqvist in the first round of the playoffs last season. The Flyers will need Mason to be every bit as good as he was for most of that series this season if they want to make a deep playoff run. Season Outlook As of now, the Flyers look to be behind both rival Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers in the Metro Division. The division seems pretty wide open though, as the rivalries in place seem to make this division as interesting as any hockey. On talent alone, the Pens should run away with the division (and maybe the conference), but they’ll find a way to keep things fun throughout the season. I don’t know if any of the other teams got better enough to overtake the Pens, Rangers, or Flyers for a Metro playoff spot. The Islanders are a good young team on the rise who could really surprise people if their young core can put it together. The Devils should be better, and are probably the best shot to sneak in over one the Metro’s top three. I think the Flyers are a playoff team, but unless they get better on the blue line (or Mason turns in one of the greatest Vezina seasons in NHL history), they’re probably still a piece or two behind both the Pens and Rangers. The Flyers may be good enough to get by one of those teams in the playoffs, but probably not both. I expect the Flyers to get into a lot of high scoring games this year. Mason will be good enough to keep them in a few games here and there when the defense really struggles, but the Flyers shouldn’t count on him to steal too many. Hopefully, Hextall can make a deal to bring in a solid defenseman to help stabilize the back end. Even so, I think Couturier and Read are primed to take big leaps forward and should help the Flyers overcome their defense and make it back to the playoffs. PREDICTION: 44-31-7, 95 points, 3rd Metro, Loss in Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
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Stephen C.If nothing else, I am consistent. I got LASIK to correct my vision, so I have no flaws. Stephen H.I am so damn good looking. I am also a guest contributor at this point who will probably never post again. Archives
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