Photo Credits: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
The Philadelphia Flyers are a team that is clearly focused on their future. Head coach John Tortorella has been clear and it sounds like he may be bracing Flyers Fans for more changes to come. “You just can’t fall in love. you can’t because if you do, it’s going to set you back”. This is a rebuild, and one of the key moving parts of a rebuild is obviously the roster.
The Flyers are playing way above expectations so far this season and a dedicated fan base is going to get attached to certain players. It’s only natural. The guys you see pulling this team together and making things happen are also the ones building the most trade value. This is a rebuild and faces are going to change along the way.
Beyond expectations
The Flyers are still holding onto 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division even after dropping both of their games this past weekend. Being just four points out of 1st place halfway through the season doesn’t just happen by itself. The players on this current roster stepped up and earned that spot. Philly has a very passionate fan base and they are currently being asked to walk a very fine line. Love and support your hockey club, but be ready for more changes coming your way. And that is absolutely the right thing to be asking for at this point.
Some changes may be hard to accept but the organization has to consider all of its options. Is any one player irreplaceable, or is the entire team still in flux? That remains to be seen. Unfortunately it is just part of the natural order of things. The players that are standing out right now are also the ones making the biggest impression on the teams who may be looking to buy at the deadline.
Past, present, future
This Flyers team that needs to stay focused on the road ahead and can not spend too much time looking in the rear view mirror. But let’s make a quick exception. People like to imagine what this current Flyers line up could accomplish if Claude Giroux was still on the team. Sure it’s fun to talk about, but the conversation is pretty much a nonstarter.
This entire rebuilding process may not have even started yet if the organization still had Giroux to hang their hat on. When Giroux left for Florida after his 1,000th NHL game there was nothing left to hide behind. The organization was in trouble, it had been for quite some time. When the captain finally left the ship that stark reality became nakedly obvious even to the most casual observer. It was time to blow the whole thing up and start over.
Respect
All that being said, I’m not of the belief that we need to wait until Giroux retires to pay the respect he has rightly earned. As a hockey fan it sure was a treat watching him putting in another hard day’s work at the at the Wells Fargo Center this past Sunday afternoon. At 36 years of age Claude Giroux is still a work-horse along the boards. I’m struggling not to use the word “work” to often here but that’s impossible when you’re trying to describe #28. To say that he still looks at home in the NHL is an understatement. He has put up 141 (regular season) points since he left the Flyers less than two years ago. The most goals Giroux has ever scored in a single season is 35, that happened last year.
Giroux has always had a natural ability. He can skate, he has great hands, and his imagination and creativity with the puck is off the charts. But it is his work ethic that puts him over the top. This is a guy who could be coasting through games with the last place Ottawa Senators just riding out his time playing for his hometown hockey team. Instead he’s still relentless in the corners, playing his 200 foot game, and being totally dangerous in the offensive zone. It could’ve been a great benefit for the young Flyers coming up have had a chance to be his teammate, but at least they are getting a chance to play against him.
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Keep your eye on the prize
It was great to see “G” skating on the ice in Philly again. During his time here Giroux was everything you could ask a Philadelphia Flyer to be. He will always hold a well deserved place in this city’s heart. Some day there will most likely be a euphoric celebration as they raise his number 28 banner up into the rafters. But for now the Flyers must remain focused on the future. Like Tortorella said when talking about the Flyers current roster, “we gotta be really careful to not let our emotions get in the way of making the proper decision for the team”.
