Flyers Spiral Going Viral

Where will it end, where’s rock bottom, when will the bleeding stop? Word spread like wildfire on Tuesday when it was reported that young Flyers star Matvei Michkov was asking to be traded. There was a report that Michkov would like a fresh start away from the organization that picked him 7th overall in the 1st round of the NHL 2023 entry draft.

The story was everywhere. Social media was on fire with talk of how it was Cutter Gautheir all over again. It’s telling that you were not seeing surprise or anger towards Michkov. If it were in fact the case it seems most people at this point would totally understand where he’s coming from …or going to.

By Tuesday night it was being reported by multiple sources that “Flyers management has received no official notification or trade demand from Michkov’s camp.” The Flyers leading goal scorer (10 goals in 20 games) will be a restricted free agent at the end of this season. All of this is very fresh and it’s still too soon claim a definitive overview of the entire situation in my opinion.

Why was this so easy to believe?

This was so easy to believe (and still difficult to toss aside) because the Flyers are broken. After getting off to the worst start in franchise history the team has not changed a thing. After going through a confidence breaking preseason the Flyers didn’t earn a “W” until ten games into the regular season.

The Flyers suited up most of their regular line-up in their final preseason game against Washington. The Caps went with a prospect heavy roster and whooped the Flyers 5-1. That game stands out as a harbinger of things to come. It was written off as most preseason games usually are. The Training Camp games were horrible with the Flyers getting stomped in 3 out of 4, but the regular season would be different right? Just getting the bugs out.

The Flyers lost their season opener at home to the rival Pittsburgh Penguins 7-0. They didn’t even show up against the team they knocked out of the 1st round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs just last Spring. It was apparent right out of the gate, something is really wrong.

“Expecting a different outcome”

So far this season has been the very definition of insanity. The Orange & Black suffered their ninth straight loss on October 15th and it’s safe to say that at that point “Tocchet fired” became a regular Google search for many of the Flyers Faithful.

So far the organization has chosen to stay the course, change nothing, and wait for the situation to correct itself. The team picked up a few wins and then fell right back into the losing groove. Things are up and down but not good to say the very least. You would have to figure that as long as no changes are made this will remain the pattern for the foreseeable future. Bleak, bleaker, bleakest.

Boiling Point

During the 2nd period of Monday night’s game in Vancouver an argument broke out between Matvei Michkov and Nick Seeler at the Flyers bench. The argument was animated and very public. Michkov threw his water bottle at the boards during the heated exchange. Porter Martone tried stepping into the middle of it to no avail.

The argument started after a play where Michkov took a low percentage shot on net instead of passing to a wide open Nick Seeler. Michkov made up for it by aggressively back-checking as the puck made its way back into the Flyers zone.

What’s the big deal

Being that the Flyers had exactly one shot on goal in the 3rd period of that same game you can see why they would end up arguing over who gets to take it. Either that or no one else actually wanted to fire a shot after seeing how much heat you can take for doing so.

Anyway, on Tuesday morning when it was reported that Michkov wants out of Philly of course everyone is all ears. Why wouldn’t you believe it? Why would you stop believing it now? It’s incredibly frustrating to work you butt off, produce results, and feel like you’re being held back at the same time.

The team’s leading goal scorer, who is underappreciated and struggling to get ice time is going to burn out eventually wouldn’t you think? You have to worry about the same thing happening to the Flyers goaltenders. Especially Joseph Woll who has been doing a bang up job between the pipes. Woll’s rockin’ a 2.91 GAA with a .902 SV% and has all of two wins to show for it.

It’s Contagious

The culture is dying on the vine and it’s contagious. The system is boring and unsuccessful. You see the team struggling. Then you witness the locker room breaking apart. Then you see Flyers Fans going through anguish and anger on their way to apathy . It’s trickle down and it’s coming from the top.

This is basically the same line-up yet a completely different team than the one we saw stringing together their “against all odd” run to the playoffs last season. It’s coming from above. If it were just a few players that lost their way you make a few changes, sit a few guys, maybe make a trade or two.

It’s reached the point where the Flyers have to make a structural move before they start bringing new players into the mix. Right now this team is a momentum meat grinder. Why would you bring any new blood into this current situation? This system is just going to grind them down and burn them out.

About Author