Photo Credit: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
When I arrived at the Flyers practice facility in Voorhees this morning I was informed that the morning skate was “officially” cancelled but the ice surface was prepared and available if any players wanted to take advantage of it. This week the hot topic has been which players are still into being part of this team. It was going to be interesting to see which players were going to show up. The press room was empty as were the bleachers the entire building was vacant and dead quiet. A few members of the coaching staff came on the ice with a bucket of pucks.
Coots and Cam
Eventually two Flyers skated out, it was Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson. Yes, the Flyers have a ton of work to do this off season and the team needs to focus on the future. That being said so many losses this past season saw the Flyers with a one goal deficit in the third period. There were plenty of nights where having Coots and Atkinson in the line-up could have been the difference.
It’s been known that Atkinson would not be seeing games this year but Coots thought he may be in the running to get back on the ice before the end of this season. He has been working diligently towards that goal. It was recently announced that the team is not willing to take that chance. It’s encouraging to see Couturier did not see that as his signal to head home for the summer. Both Coots and Atkinson were not just coasting around going through the motions. They were skating hard, powering through drills, and looking good doing so.
Both goalies Carter Hart and Felix Sandstrom took the ice, as well as Keifer Bellows and Tony DeAngelo. Tony D., the D stands for doghouse where he currently resides as far as John Tortorella is concerned. DeAngelo has been a healthy scratch for the past three games. Dude’s got great feet, it’s a blast to watch him skate the blue line on the power-play. He has 11 goals and 31 assists this season but he is a minus 27. Tortz has said that he does not want to cut into Tony’s offense but he can not remain a defensive liability. It appears that the two have reached a stalemate as to where those adjustments need to be made. It’s become a battle of wills and in that scenario the coach wins by default. Tortorella is the one who decides who plays and who doesn’t.
Final home game
The Flyers take the ice for their final home game of the season tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 2022-23 Team Awards will be given out before the game. The Flyers will play the final game of the season this Thursday against the Blackhawks in Chicago.
Extra Credit: Oddly enough on the way to the rink this morning I see this bus chugging through Port Richmond. The irony was not lost on me. “Fueled by Philly” and there is Couturier and Atkinson plastered on the side of the bus when neither of them has played this year. …Maybe it is a prediction for next season.
