(Photo by Matt Slocum/AP)
(Photo by Matt Slocum/AP)
At the midpoint in the 2022-2023 NHL season, the Philadelphia Flyers sit at 16-18-7, good for seventh in the Metropolitan Division, 14th in the Eastern Conference and 25th overall in the league.
The Flyers have won five of their last six after beating the Buffalo Sabres last night, 4-0. The shutout was the Flyers’ first of the season and Swedish rookie goaltender Sam Errson’s first career shutout. Errson, who made his NHL debut in Carolina, has yet to lose a game in the NHL, and become one of the bright spots for a team that has its eyes on another early lottery pick in the summer.
The focus here is on the Flyers’ midseason awards. The Flyers season-long awards go the team’s MVP (Bobby Clarke award), best defenseman (Barry Ashbee award), player with the most heart (Gene Hart Memorial award), the player who plays with the most class on and off the ice (Yanick Dupre Class Guy award), and the team’s most-improved player (Pelle Lindbergh Memorial trophy).
Last year, Cam Atkinson took home the Bobby Clarke Trophy following the trade of former captain Claude Giroux. Atkinson also took home the Yanick Dupre Class Guy Award. The winner of the Barry Ashbee Trophy was Travis Sanheim. Sanheim also won the Pelle Lindbergh Trophy for the second time in his career. Finally, it was Zack MacEwen rounding out the awards by taking home the Gene Hart Memorial Award.
This year, with the injuries to Cam Atkinson, Sean Couturier, and many other veterans, the awards race is still pretty wide open. Let’s get into my predictions at the halfway point in the Flyers’ season.
Bobby Clarke – Travis Konecny
Konecny, one of the hottest players in the world, gets my vote here for the team’s MVP at this point in the season. After being benched early in the year by new head coach John Tortorella, TK has responded by averaging over a point per game and is currently on a nine-game point streak. In his streak, he has 17 points with nine goals and eight assists. His streak is also the longest current active streak in the NHL. It was known before the season the Flyers would need all the help they could get in the goal-scoring department. Konecny’s 21 goals through his 35 games would not only shatter his career high of 24, he paces at 49 over 82 games. For the fans that have been clamoring for years for a sniper, here he is.
HM: Carter Hart
Barry Ashbee – Tony DeAngelo
DeAngelo, in the first year of a two-year contract that is paying him $5M AAV, started the year out very well offensively for the Flyers. Lately, however, his play has dropped off a bit. He was recently benched by Tortorella, for reasons neither of them wanted to speak about, but his tenacity for the puck, edginess, and skill have given him a slight edge over Sanheim and Ivan Provorov. Don’t be surprised if Cam York makes a run in the second half of the season after a strong first showing in 2022-23.
HM: Travis Sanheim
Yanick Dupre Class Guy – Scott Laughton
The only guy on the team with a letter is Scott Laughton. That doesn’t make him the default winner, but it does carry some weight. It’s been well-documented that Laughton is a leader in the room. He doesn’t make excuses. He holds himself and his teammates accountable. He is a guy who every team should want in their lineup. He plays wing and center and can be plugged into almost any spot in the lineup. Fourth line center? Absolutely. Top line winger? Might not produce like one but he’ll be responsible in his own zone enough to be given those minutes. Penalty kill? He and Konecny have formed one of the better penalty kill duos in the league. Powerplay? Again, he might not score 10 powerplay goals in a season, but his feistiness in front of the net is something his teammates can take from his game.
HM: Noah Cates
Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy – Owen Tippett
Tippett, the main return for Claude Giroux, has had a nice first half. The former 10th overall pick in 2017 has 21 points in 36 games including a career-high 12 goals. Tippett has shown his explosiveness chasing down loose pucks and has been a good addition to a lackluster powerplay. His one-timer is loud and can find the back of the net from anywhere on the ice. The 23-year-old sniper’s development is key for Flyers moving forward. His 12 goals in 36 games is on pace for 27 over 82 games.
HM: Morgan Frost
Gene Hart Memorial Award – Zack MacEwen
MacEwen, now a fan favorite in Philadelphia, could take home this award in back-to-back years. MacEwen definitely has a future in hockey, it just may not be in Philadelphia due to his expiring contract and young players coming up through the system. He could garner some trade interest throughout the league for his rugged but skilled style of play. MacEwen could bring back the Flyers a late round pick from a team who needs to add some snarl to their fourth line. Toronto and Carolina could be potential fits.
HM: Nic Deslauriers
