Photo Credit: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
Thursday night at 7 PM a puck will drop in Columbus Ohio and the Flyers 2023-24 season will officially begin. There are a ton of question marks going into this season as we boldly embark into the “New Era of Orange”. Yes the Flyers are a team in the early stages of a rebuild and expectations must remain realistic, but if this works we are getting a chance to be there “when it all started”. At the very least we are no longer stuck in limbo. This team has been through a ton of changes both on and off the ice since last season and a new chapter in Flyers history is about to be written.
Top down
This biggest difference between this season and last is all of the major players who will not be out on the ice. The team’s top decision makers have all changed over. Clear the decks, put a whole new crew in charge and let them get to work. That is exactly what the organization did. It was a bold move as well as a very necessary one. The list of new officers is a Who’s Who of Philly’s tried and true. Keith Jones President of Hockey Operations, Danny Briere General Manager, John LeClair and Patrick Sharp as Special Advisors to Hockey Operations. These guys absolutely know and love the sport of ice hockey. The question is how well will that translate into their new responsibilities as architects of the Flyers rebuild.
Bench Boss
This will be the second season for Head Coach John Tortorella who has been responsible for many of the changes that have already taken place. Tortorella put his stamp on the team as soon as he got here. The Flyers were already missing some key players when injuries plagued them throughout the late fall and early winter. Tortorella kept his team competitive through that stretch. It became obvious that this team, no matter how dinged up, was going to give it’s all every single night. Players, even proven veterans, who did not follow along with Tortorella’s instructions found themselves losing ice time or flat out riding the pines.
Last year Tortorella alluded to problems in the locker room and a need for some “subtractions”. This year he is starting with a clean slate or at least a slate that he has had a hand in assembling. Tortz runs a tight ship and expects every player to be on board. He needs things to run that way. This is not a team loaded with superstars which could win games running on autopilot. Although there are plenty of talented players and if they truly play as a team they can end up be very effective. Tortorella needs them to buy into his system, stick to the plan, and become part of something bigger than the individual pieces. There were some players last year who didn’t see it that way… Those players are no longer part of the organization.
Time waits for no team
Time does not stand still while you rebuild a hockey club. Additionally the team does not get better just because time has passed. The Flyers can not tread water waiting for Michkov and Gauthier to arrive and expect to magically be a contender when they do. There is plenty of work to be done and the time to get cracking is right now. The Flyers are building an identity, a foundation, and the framework for the team that they hope to be sooner rather than later. I expect this team to work even harder than they did last year. I don’t believe the group of individuals they’ve brought in to steer this club will be satisfied with anything less.
This season will be a test for players like Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, and Morgan Frost who all had break out years last year. Can they build on that and push it even further? Joel Farabee was healthy and training all Summer as opposed to last year. Noah Cates and Cam York are coming in another year smarter. Carter Hart looked great in the pre-season. There’s also the addition of Marc Staal, Ryan Poehling, and Garnet Hathaway to the team. With that being said let’s get this out of the way before the season even begins. …the dreaded tank-talk.
What in the world kind of imaginary evidence could anyone possibly produce that would even remotely suggest the possibility of an intentional tank somehow being part of the plan? In fact the mountain of evidence against that happening is also conveniently a punch list of things to get excited about as this new hockey season gets underway.
- Tortorella, Jones, Briere, LeClair, Sharp, these guys did not come together and accept these high profile positions with the aspirations of running the Philadelphia Flyers into the ground. Quite the opposite.
- Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson did not spend an entire year working their way back into game shape in hopes of destroying their solid reputations. Getting these two players back is huge.
- Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, and Emil Andrae did not work their tails off to make the opening night squad so that they could give anything less than 100%. Put your foot on the gas boys it’s go time!
- Every member of this team is living the once in a lifetime opportunity to play in the NHL. You know when you say “how you doing” to somebody and they say “you know, livin’ the dream”, these guys could credibly give that answer on a lie detector test. They have dedicated the entirety of their young lives towards reaching this goal. You only get so many years to make your mark, to leave your stats in the history books, and to be part of the greatest game on earth.
Extra Credit: I am really looking forward to spending another season here with you fine folks and all the great people at The Flyers Nitty Gritty. It should be said that Jamey Baskow is truly a beauty to work with and I am very grateful to be part of the hockey community in this legendary hockey town. What makes Philly such a great hockey town? You do.
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