Photo Credit: Frankie Steskal
Chuck Fletcher refaced the Flyers organization by adding more leadership, to create more chemistry within the team. He also refaced the organization in hopes of creating faster starts:
“We just can’t keep bringing the same players back, and expect different results. We had to make changes this year. The players we added I would call high energy, competitive people. How often have we talked about our slow starts over the past two or three years? We need some juice, we need some energy,’’ Fletcher said. “We need to change the mood in the room. It’s nothing against the players we had here before, it’s about trying to create a new group, a new leadership group. New chemistry. All these guys, besides being good hockey players, bring a lot of those qualities, bring experience and professionalism to our roster.’’ – Chuck Fletcher
Kudos to Fletcher and Head Coach Alain Vigneault. The Flyers have had problems with slow starts for the past few years. This year they have been ahead after the first period in five of their six games played. Talk about faster starts, and all of this after Fletcher changed the culture of the Flyers this past offseason.
Time after time last season Vigneault was on record saying he wanted the Flyers to have faster starts.
How is this possible, Why Now?
New blood. Fletcher added Cam Atkinson, Ryan Ellis, Derick Brassard, Nick Seeler, Rasmus Ristolainen, Keith Yandle, and brought back Nate Thompson into the fold. With that of course the Flyers had some key departures in Jakub Voracek, Shayne Gostisbehere, Robert Hägg, Nolan Patrick, and Philippe Myers. Now I want to make this clear I am not blaming one player for the Flyers misfortunes with slower starts in the past, but Fletcher is right when he said he could not bring back the same players in hopes of this correcting itself. Evidently there was a problem from the players as a whole for the past few years.
Moreover, the Flyers are tied for fourth in the NHL averaging 4.2 goals per game. They are also averaging 29 shots per game, so Flyers fans do not have to yell shoot anymore 😂😂😂. Cam Atkinson alone does not give fans the opportunity to yell shoot, he literally shoots from anywhere.
If the Flyers want to continue to win or prove to their fans that they are indeed a different team this year, then they need to continue with fast starts. It wears players down as the season progresses with continuously coming from behind, especially if the Flyers want to make an extended playoff run. Flyers fans know all too well of teams in the past being worn down as the playoffs near, thus leading to an all familiar early playoff exit.
What will happen next is anyone’s guess, but the Flyers need to keep their feet on the gas pedal. They are receiving some really good goaltending, and the overall team defense has been sound. These are all recipes for success as the season wears on.
