Photo Credit: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
February was not very kind to the Philadelphia Flyers. After a very promising January losses have been piling up again capped off by this weekend’s back-to-back beatdowns. Two very decisive losses in a row. Let’s be blunt, this entire season has been an uphill battle for the Flyers but at least it was a battle. Even in hard times they never rolled over. This month has seemed different.
Flyers vs Devils
Tonight’s loss to the Jersey Devils by a score of 7-0 was the antithesis of the Flyers current situation. It was an endless highlight reel of young talented Devils scoring goals, one prettier than the next. I was keeping detailed notes on all of the scoring for a while and eventually I stopped. I realized there’s not a Flyers Fan alive who’s going to want to read through this.
There was a pre-game event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Devils 2003 Stanley Cup victory. All the trophies and stars were out there and the fans were going nuts reliving the moment as Scott Stevens hoisted The Cup. That is the energy the Flyers skated into tonight. That and a very young talented playoff bound team that sits near the top of the standings. Also the Flyers were without their most prolific scorer Travis Konecny who’s been put on injured reserve with an upper body injury. The deck was totally stacked against the Orange and Black tonight before the first puck was even dropped.
The bright spot
Putting TK on IR made room for the NHL debut of Elliot Desnoyers. Elliot had a great first game as a Flyer. It did not look at all like a debut. He was fast, sharp, and wise with the puck. “The Destroyer” was doing all the right things and looking very comfortable doing them. He was hitting, making confident moves, and he had a few really nice chances. Coach John Tortorella commented on the fact that he was a standout in a good way. Desnoyers leads the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season in scoring with 19 goals and 36 points in 48 games. Elliot Desnoyers is something Flyers Fans have to look forward to.
Other than that this game was pretty darn low on Flyers highlights. Nick Seeler had one heck of a fight against Michael McLeod and Sam Ersson recorded his 1st NHL loss after winning his first 6 decisions. Tortorella said of Ersson after the game “it sucks he had to eat all 7 but Hart was not going in there”. The Flyers looked good in the scoreless 1st period outshooting the Devils 11-6. New Jersey scored 3 goals in the 2nd period and 4 more in the 3rd. It was brutal.
What has changed?
What has been different about this month especially the second half has been the growing resignation of where the team is headed. The Flyers had one less win in February than they did in November. A big difference is how the losses came about. In November most of the games were within reach going into the final period and the team fought tooth and nail till the final horn. There was a “never say die” attitude that ran through the skeleton crew of young players during that stretch. The NHL season is long and grueling and a quarter of it is still left to go. Their mission was to become a team that is harder to play against. Hopefully when the trade deadline is out of the way the Flyers can pick up the pieces and get their focus back on track.
The trade deadline
There is one last game against the NY Rangers on Wednesday night before the NHL trade deadline this coming Friday March 3rd. The Flyers are obviously sellers and not buyers at this point. Perhaps that uncertainty has had some effect on the team and their ability to rally around each other as of late. Everyone knows things have got to change. Some of the veterans who have been mentoring the younger players could be leaving the team in a few days. James van Riemsdyk was a healthy scratch in tonight’s matchup against the Devils. Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher said his absence was due to a maintenance day.
Rumors have been flying around about JVR and many suspect a possible trade is the real reason he did not play tonight. Players are going to need to be juggled back and forth to the affiliates as strategies play out in the coming days. Everything that happens this week will be tainted with speculation as to who is going and who is staying. I would think the looming deadline is on the minds of every player on this team. That uncertainty is not unfounded. At this point it’s no secret that things can not remain the way that they are.
What could be stupider than letting Fletcher make these upcoming deals??????
Yep seems like a gigantic mistake.