During any given normal year, the Stanley Cup Finals conclude during the first or second week of June, and preseason hockey resumes towards the end of the second week of September. This results in a gap between NHL game action that is usually about 100 days long, give or take a few days depending on how many games the final series goes. In the past calendar year (actually only 10 months to be exact), hockey fans have had to go without any form of NHL hockey for gaps longer than the traditional offseason not once, but twice, 140 days, and 107 days respectively.
That being said, there’s a lot of excitement in the hockey world right now, with the NHL season beginning tomorrow night. The Flyers and Penguins actually have the privilege once again of being the first game back from the pause, as they did in July when they opened up the “preseason” in Toronto with an exhibition against each other. The difference this time though is neither team will be shooting with rubber bullets, and two points are on the line. So as we’re on the eve of NHL hockey once again, here are seven things to look forward to as both Flyers and hockey fans this season.
7. The Return of Nolan Patrick and Oskar Lindblom
Let’s get this one out of the way early. This should be exciting not only for Flyers fans, but all hockey fans. Everyone is familiar with their stories. Oskar returning for the final two games of the Flyers playoff run last season was one of the most miraculous sports moments of the past few years, and this season he will presumably return to his true form, as one of the most exciting developing young wingers in the league. And then there’s Nolan, who missed the entire 2019-2020 season, including the bubble playoffs, but has been skating with the team, and even netted a goal in an intrasquad scrimmage Sunday night. The return of both young players should be invigorating for Flyers fans, but is also a testament to human resiliency. It’s enough to make any hockey fan smile.
6. Tyler Pitlick as an Arizona Coyote
To look at how deep the Flyers offense is this year, and then realize that that’s without one of their most consistent and tenacious forwards from the 2019-2020 season in Tyler Pitlick is actually quite absurd. When asked about his relationship with Flyers fans last February, Pitlick replied “They love me and I love them back.” As evidenced by Philadelphia media’s obsession with Nick Foles and the Chicago Bears earlier this NFL season, once you have the Philadelphia faithful behind you, they’re with you for life.
This offseason Pitlick signed a nice two-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes, at 1.75m AAV. Arizona was left in a bit of a mess with the departure of GM John Chayka, but it will be interesting to see how they perform this year, as they still have one of the best goaltending tandems in the league, as well as a solid defense led by captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The lineup should have wiggle room for Pitlick to continue to assert himself as the player Flyers fans loved last season. He’ll likely be slotted at 3RW, behind Conor Garland and Phil Kessel, but depending on his performance and whether the team decides to shake things up or not, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities for him to see the top six for a handful of games this season.
5. Jarry as Starter, Murray as Senator
Last year the Pittsburgh Penguins found themselves having one of the best problems in hockey: two really good starting goaltenders. However, in the offseason they faced the dilemma of which one to trade. Having a two-time cup champion still in his prime as a backup isn’t necessarily efficient, so when it became clear that Tristan Jarry was the starter, the writing was on the wall that the older Matt Murray had to be moved. It was a smart move on Pittsburgh’s part, a team who has notoriously been in “win now” mode for over a decade, as they gathered a second round pick and prospect Jonathan Gruden, who put up over a point per game with the London Knights last season. For Ottawa, they get a proven starting goaltender, who will help their young players develop at the NHL level, as well as steal a few wins for them. Ottawa isn’t expecting a playoff berth this season, however, it is important they have a solid season by developmental metrics, as they are finally putting together the pieces of what will hopefully be a very bright future. Will Jarry be everything the Penguins hope for him to be? Or will Murray have them kicking themselves? Only time will tell.
4. Toronto as Top Dog?
With the divisional realignment for the 2021 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in a division of all Canadian teams, the North Division. At early face value, it looks like the Leafs could be the best team in their division this year. After the firing of Mike Babcock last season, the team seemed to change demeanors completely, but still failed to make it out of the qualifying round of the playoffs, losing in five games to a fierce Tortorella Blue Jackets squad. It should be more of a testament to how hard Columbus played, rather than the Leafs being a subpar hockey team. So with a bit of added grit and a division without their dreaded rivals the Boston Bruins, Toronto could have a real chance to go on a run this year, if they can establish superiority in the North.
3. Fiercer Divisional Rivalries
As mentioned above, the NHL has realigned divisions this season. Teams will not be playing outside their divisions, and instead will play the same teams between 9 and 10 times, with most games happening in series’ of two, to limit travel. For the Flyers, they’ve been lumped into a division with a long-standing rival in the Bruins, as well as their usual rivals. All Canadian teams will be pitted against each other, meaning the Battle of Alberta can somehow get even spicier as the Flames and Oilers will meet a record 10 times in regular season action. It could also stoke up a few bicoastal rivalries in Canada to an extent that has never been possible before. The possibilities of new rivalries are pretty much endless, as having to play a team that much in one season almost always leads to a rivalry, hence why the AHL is so exciting, but one other key matchup to look for will be St. Louis and Vegas in the same West division. Both cup contenders with physical play styles and top-grade offenses, they could end up really despising each other by the end of the year.
2. The Return of the AHL
AHL news has quite possibly never been more overshadowed by NHL news than it has been since the pandemic put things on pause. All minor leagues completely ceased operations, and have not sniffed the ice since march. As North Americans we often take for granted that we have not only one, but two of the greatest leagues on the planet in our own backyards. The AHL is anticipated to reboot on February 5th, which is exciting for a number of reasons. For NHL fans, this means there will be a public, non-simulated, forum for prospects to play, and develop. Without any other North American leagues to play in since March, the progress and potential of some of the NHL’s top young prospects has been stunted. On top of the developmental aspect, the return of the AHL brings more potential opportunities for fans to catch a live hockey game. Since many teams play in markets that are less populated, and often have more relaxed Covid-19 protocols, it could mean many people will have a real chance of catching a hockey game live within the next few months. Exciting stuff.
1. The Flyers’ Defense
For the Flyers, this is the ultimate wild card. The only given is that Phil Myers and Travis Sanheim can be an elite second defensive pair. Next, there’s good reason to believe that between Robert Hagg, Erik Gustafsson, and Justin Braun, the Flyers will be able to put together a more than competent third pairing. However, the Flyers first pairing is where the questions come in. The first question is whether Ivan Provorov will remain the stud defenseman he was by Matt Niskanen’s side in 2019-2020. Flyers fans are hoping the answer to that question is yes. Then comes the major wild card, which realistically could determine whether the Flyers could win the Stanley Cup or miss the playoffs altogether, and that is whether the Flyers can find a bona fide top pair defenseman to accompany Provorov.
This could come in a few forms, and they pretty much all hinge on Shayne Gostisbehere. The first is whether Gostisbehere can be that top pair defenseman himself. The second is whether Gostisbehere can slot in successfully on the second or third pairing, and whether one of the remaining players can fill the top pairing role. The third is whether the Flyers can effectively flip Shayne Gostisbehere in a trade that will provide a return that can accomplish one of the two aforementioned fixes. It’s a complete wild card for the Flyers, but that’s what makes hockey exciting; the unpredictabilities that come with every new season.
