Photo Courtesy of Philadelphia Flyers Public Relations
When the 2022-2023 Philadelphia Flyers regular season began the expectations were fairly low amongst the fan base regarding what to expect performance-wise on the ice. Despite that, there were a number of question marks surrounding the Flyers organization as the team found itself entering a season of transition and evaluation. As the season has elapsed we’ve had many of these questions answered however new questions have arisen as well.
Statistical Overview
The Philadelphia Flyers finished this season with the 7th worst record of 31-38-13 in the National Hockey League. That placed them with 75 points which is a 14 point improvement over the 61 points the Flyers finished with last season. Along with the above the Flyers scored 220 goals this season, which placed them at 29th in the league. Last season the team scored 210 goals which put them 31st in the league. In comparison, their goals against was cut down marginally from last season. The Flyers were 22nd worst in the league this season and gave up a total of 276 goals. During the 2021-2022 regular season the Flyers were 26th worst in the league and gave up 294 goals.Â
Overall the above demonstrates a marginal increase in performance across the board for the Flyers. When considering the statistics the Flyers made some progress in certain areas such as overall point accumulation and wins. The team had a record of 31-38-13 this season while sporting a record of 25-46-11 last season. Cumulatively Philadelphia scored 10 more goals this season and gave up 18 less goals when comparing with last season’s results. In light of said information it is critical to focus on the team’s play as a whole when looking at the more significant strides taken.
First off, the Flyers this past season played more cohesively as a 5 man unit. This resulted in better defensive play and less backdoor goals against. Although some areas of improvement defensively were lacking such as the much maligned Penalty Kill.
The Flyers special teams this season as a whole is one area that has not improved whatsoever when assessing the difference between last season and the 2022-23 regular season. In regards to their Penalty-killing efficiency the team was the 7th worst PK team in the league with an overall percentage rate of 74.7 %. Effectiveness on the Power-Play was also something lacking for the Flyers this season. The team had the worst Power-Play in the league for the second year in a row with an efficiency of 15.6 %.
As a whole, the Flyers did improve statistically but their progress was not as measurable in the actual statistics presented above. Instead it was the team’s increased compete level and resilience that was most noticeable throughout the season. Along with the young players consistently improving as the season continued.
Questions Answered
One of the biggest questions answered this season was the Flyers ability to become much more resilient and compete in the majority of their games. Coming off a season where the team was losing games handedly and didn’t look very competitive on a nightly basis the team improved significantly.Â
The Flyers lost 21, 1 goal games this season just showing how close the majority of their matchups were. That doesn’t include games where multiple empty netters were also scored by oppositions. With the amount of close games the team was in and the comebacks they had it’s evident the Flyers compete level was not something that could be questioned throughout this season. Based on the majority of games played John Tortorella has established a level of compete that was previously missing amongst this Flyers team.
Another question we had answered this season is how younger players would step up and progress on this Flyers team. What this season has proven is that Owen Tippett, Morgan Frost, Noah Cates, Cam York are young pieces that look to be a large part of the future for the organization. Not to mention other call ups that impressed in their short stints with the Flyers such as Tyson Foerster and Eliott Desnoyers.
At points the aforementioned forwards showed the ability to impact games positively with their offensive play. Based on the steps taken by Tippett, Frost, York and Cates into the 2nd half of the 2022-23 season there’s a chance for their games to continue to progress even further. As they continue to develop at the NHL level with more ice time and opportunities.
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Another important question was the evaluation of the Flyers talent and which players can be a part of the future and what players cannot be. During this season it was identified certain players may no longer fit into the future plans of the team. With a rebuild on the horizon as referenced by interim General Manager Daniel Briere and Head Coach John Tortorella the team is looking to get younger. That typically entails moving out older veteran players. There’s been several speculated names thrown around in relation to what players fall into that range. One player rumored to potentially be on the move is veteran Center Kevin Hayes.
Questions Heading Into Off-Season
Heading into the off-season it could be argued the Philadelphia Flyers have just as many questions surrounding the franchise as they did to start the season. Albeit now the questions are of a different variety.
With Danny Briere penciled in to be the Flyers GM and have the interim GM tag removed, the focus shifts to the President of Hockey Operations. A key piece in completing the Flyers front office restructuring is identifying who the President of Hockey Operations will be for the Flyers. As reported by Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast some candidates for the Flyers President of Hockey Operations are Doug Wilson, Scott Mellanby, Dave Poulin, Ray Shero and Cammi Granato. Another thing to note is that the Flyers are not deep into their search for a President of Hockey Operations yet as mentioned by Friedman. The team has a larger list they are considering and that list will be condensed into a smaller pool of candidates.
Figuring out who the President of Hockey Operations will be is a critical hire for the Flyers. Nonetheless whoever is named President has to be well versed on both the Hockey Operations and Business side of the role.
The next major question leading into the Flyers off season is where the team will be drafting in the upcoming 2023 NHL Entry Draft. At the moment the Flyers have a 6.5 % chance to win the draft lottery and pick 1st overall. A 6.7% chance to win the 2nd overall pick. While having the liklier 44.4% chance to finish with the 7th overall pick, or 36.5% chance to finish with the 8th overall pick.
Who the Flyers will draft in the 1st round may be the most important question out of the 2 mentioned above. With the upcoming NHL draft being stocked with top of the lineup talent the Flyers cannot afford to miss in regards to the player they pick. Selecting a talented player that can impact their lineup positively and provide an offensive spark for the team is a must and is certainly something the Flyers will be looking to do in the 1st round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
Ultimately, we’ll see where the Flyers end up selecting in the Draft and if they make any attempts to move up or acquire another 1st round selection.
