Photo Credit: Katelynn Reiss
After another disappointing loss to the Boston Bruins, the Philadelphia Flyers are now 0-4-2 in their last 6 games and in the midst of a 6 game losing streak. With the team already going through a 10 game losing streak and a head coach being fired this season their recent stretch of losses can be considered as more of the same lackadaisical play. Despite their 7 game point streak that occurred while matching up with a variety of non-playoff opponents the team has been playing an unstructured style of hockey for weeks on end.
There are simply too many lengthy stretches of play in which the Flyers are unable to possess the puck and get hemmed into their defensive zone. Once the team is in their own end they are unable to effectively and consistently transition the puck up the ice. The Flyers breakout positioning and lack of puck support in the areas needed to transition the puck up the ice and present options to the puck carrier are non-existent. Resulting in defensive zone turnovers being made by the Flyers instead of zone exits.
This is where Carter Hart comes into the fold. The 22-year-old netminder has had a tremendous back bounce season considering the level of play in front of him on a nightly basis. In most cases, Hart is the reason why the Flyers are able to stay competitive in games as he has masked a lot of their flaws and is essentially why they have won a lot of their games this season. Hart’s stats are much improved from the stats the goaltender posted last season as he’s currently sporting a .912 % save percentage and a 2.92 goals-against average so far. With the way the Flyers have performed in front of Hart those are great stats as the defensive play on many nights has not done him any favors.
In a season clearly highlighting the Flyers shortcomings and cementing the proposition that this team needs to undergo major changes both from a roster construction standpoint, as well as, a cultural standpoint organizationally. One certainty is that Carter Hart is the silver lining for the Flyers when so much turnover is likely on the horizon. Even though, there have been misses on draft picks in the past Hart is one pick that did not miss and is poised to be the Flyers franchise goaltender for the long haul. Throughout the process of reshaping a team and roster, the thing that makes everything a lot easier is knowing there is stability in goal (look at Anaheim and John Gibson). The Flyers have that luxury and Carter Hart to build around in the foreseeable future. What will be interesting to see is how the organization approaches making changes with this roster and who goes or stays. Not to mention if any front office changes are possibly on the horizon as well. Nevertheless, the key factor for the Flyers moving forward and building up their team will be acquiring as many valuable assets in terms of high-end prospects and draft capital to begin developing and infusing dynamic players into the lineup. With the goaltending position already figured out one piece to the puzzle has at least been solved for the franchise moving forward.
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I like Hart, but I disagree with this. I think he has been weak on his posts at times, not a great stick handler, and seems small at times. And teams seem to be targeting his blocker side. Playing well but certainly not a “silver lining.” Given the opportunity Sandstrom, Ustimenko, Ersson or even Fedotov could end up being the better goalie.