Question Marks Surround The Philadelphia Flyers, Amidst Them Lies A Silver Lining

Photo Courtesy of Tim Nwachukwu, Getty Images

With the Labour Day long weekend already upon us Training Camp is only a few weeks away and begins on September 21st for the Philadelphia Flyers. Shortly thereafter, the 2022-2023 NHL Regular season starts off with the Nashville Predators taking on the San Jose Sharks in Prague on October 7th. While the Flyers season opener will take place on October 13th, against division rival the New Jersey Devils. 

As these critical dates loom, we’re even closer to figuring out player roles on this Flyers roster and the outlook of the franchise moving ahead.

With arguably the worst season in franchise history now behind the Philadelphia Flyers; coupled with a very underwhelming off-season that just took place. The organization is currently plagued by a frustrated fanbase, not to mention the variety of question marks and uncertainty surrounding their on ice product. These would include:

• What will be John Tortorella and the new coaching staff’s impact?
• Can Sean Couturier and Kevin Hayes stay healthy?
• Will the Flyers establish an improved defensive structure? 
• Can they reduce their goals against average? 
• Can they improve their penalty kill?
• Can they improve their power-play?
• How will DeAngelo perform?
• Can Provorov bounce back? 
• Will Frost and Tippett take the next steps and become bonafide NHL contributors?
• What other young players will step up?
• Will Ryan Ellis play this season?
• Who will be the captain of the Flyers?
• Lastly will the team develop an identity/culture and become harder to play against?

If the above list of legitimate questions and concerns indicates anything, it certainly proves there are many variables at play this season.

Of course with these uncertainties lies the possibility for virtually anything to transpire. 

Essentially, the Flyers could end up on the positive end of some of these questions above or on the negative side of things as most seem to be predicting. Although, the large amount of uncertainty breeds a sense of optimism. 

As there’s no telling how this group will adapt to the systems and tactics of new head coach John Tortorella. They could very well fully buy into his system and coaching style as a group. Ultimately resulting in a much better team-wide structure and overall performance on the ice as compared to last season. Nevertheless, there’s always a chance the complete opposite occurs.

Based on the situation at hand there’s a scenario where somewhat of a middle ground in terms of the team’s performance and expectations is met. The bottom six looks to be an open competition for younger players to cement themselves into full time NHL roster spots. The opportunity is there for certain players to earn ice time and increased roles, such as special teams usage.

With such high stakes and opportunities for players comes the possibility of breakout seasons as development in the NHL is not linear. For example, Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres is a perfect case to dissect. Thompson’s career year last season demonstrates that players with talent and upside that have not yet performed at a high level in the NHL always have a chance of doing so if they are put into the right situations. 

Another factor to consider is that Chuck Fletcher and the management staff have almost doubled down on this current Flyers roster. A large number of players that were Flyers last season are still on the team. As a result, players may have some more confidence in themselves and their abilities.

Such lack of change could be a detriment as the team just may not be talented enough to compete. However, last season’s terrible performance can be attributed to players partly having down seasons and a wealth of injuries. Being given the opportunity from management to bounce back places some of the players who underperformed last season in unique positions where they can possibly return to form. This could mean motivated play and performances from specific players are on the horizon. 

One other concept to ponder in regards to this upcoming Philadelphia Flyers season is the, “us against everyone,” mentality the team is likely to adopt. With the fanbase being so distraught, and media pundits projecting the team to finish around the bottom of the Eastern Conference, it may motivate the team to come together to prove the majority of their critics wrong. The team will need to buy into Tortorella’s system to do so and specific players will need to remain healthy for something like that to come to fruition. Though it is something for the team to rally around and use as a motivational tool.

The final idea to take into consideration is the lack of expectations the team has may remove a lot of the pressure players feel going into the season. This could enable players to play more freely without the added pressure and expectations to perform at a high level. As most are not expecting the Flyers to make the playoffs or be anywhere near doing so. 

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Nonetheless, all the question marks surrounding the Philadelphia Flyers heading into the 2022-2023 regular season may not necessarily be a bad thing. Especially depending on how some of these variables play out. There is the potential for younger players to have breakthrough NHL seasons and become contributors for the Flyers. Comparatively, there’s always the chance these players underperform. Indicating that a large majority of these question marks have turned in a negative direction from a Flyers perspective. Realistically, until the team goes through their training camp/pre-season and players are on the ice, it’s hard to predict exactly what may happen. We need to observe this Flyers roster under the tutelage of John Tortorella to determine what type of team they will become, performance and identity wise.