Photo Courtesy of, Ringo H.W. Chiu, Associated Press
With the Flyers coming off a 3 game winning streak during their California road trip it’s no question the team is playing better. They’ve even managed to sweep the California road trip for the first time in the franchise’s history. As the wins compile a legitimate question that is usually pondered in relation to a team at the bottom of the standings which the Flyers are this season has arisen. That question would be will winning hurt the Flyers?
From my perspective I don’t believe that to be the case. Considering how the team is winning games at the moment I would argue that winning will actually be a benefit for the Flyers. When analyzing this 3 game winning streak many younger players have been contributing in significant ways such as Owen Tippett, Morgan Frost, Noah Cates, Cam York, and Sam Ersson. It’s imperative to note that these are all young players improving and learning what can work for them at the NHL level.
As a result, such experiences for the younger players on this Flyers roster is valuable for their development. Evidently, it can help these players improve their games along with figuring out certain aspects of the NHL level. Like how to close out a game effectively while you have the lead and other valuable takeaways.
Obviously, the winning does hurt the Flyers draft pick and lottery draft odds. However, it must be noted that the Flyers have gone on this winning streak mainly taking on less talented teams than them. Due to that, it leads me to believe as the Flyers begin consistently playing more playoff teams the likelihood of such a winning streak continuing for much longer is slim.
With that in mind these wins are also very valuable for another reason. Head Coach John Tortorella is looking to implement a particular structure, standard and identity he wants his team to play with on the ice. Winning helps Tortorella get that message across to players and gives them more belief in the system and accountability he is attempting to implement as it is resulting in some wins. It’s difficult for a player to continue to buy in and do all a coach asks of him without the results. For the sake of what the coaching staff is trying to do in Philadelphia, winning some games is certainly not a bad thing.
Gettin Gritty Wit It
We’re back for another episode of the Gettin Gritty Wit It podcast. On this week’s episode we focused on the theme of winning and if it’s hurting the Flyers. We also delved into a ton of topics listed below and more:
-Young players showing more consistency under Torts?
-TK is a star
-Flyers goalie depth, Ersson’s impressed
-Brink activated off IR, Hart cleared
-World Juniors talk, Canada v USA, Gauthier, Bedard
Thanks for listening and for all of your support. Have a great week everyone!
