It didn't take long after the season ended for the Flyers to make changes. The embattled Ilya Bryzgalov was bought out and still has not signed elsewhere. Danny Briere was bought out and ended up in Montreal. Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble have not been offered contracts. Ray Emery was brought in to compete with Steve Mason for the starting job. They went out and got Mark Streit in free agency to give them a power play specialist. The biggest move was signing Vinny Lecavalier to a 5-year, $22.5 million contract after he had been bought out by Tampa Bay. They also locked up captain Claude Giroux with a 8-year, $66.2 million extension through the 2021-22 season. It's hard not to think that the ceiling for this team is higher than it was last year, what with all the injuries and poor defensive play, but is it enough to make the playoffs?
Projected Forward Lines:
Scott Hartnell - Claude Giroux - Jakub Voracek
Brayden Schenn - Vinny Lecavalier - Wayne Simmonds
Scott Laughton - Sean Couturier - Matt Read
Zach Rinaldo - Max Talbot - Jay Rosehill
Adam Hall - Andrew Johnston
Largely the same group from last season, but of course the notable difference is the presence of Lecavalier. The 9th ranked offense in the NHL from last year adds a piece that can still play strong minutes and be a leader on the ice. The top six should become even stronger now with Schenn shifting to left wing. Laughton will be playing his first full NHL campaign, and he looks to someday replicate the point per game success he enjoyed in the OHL. He'll be joined on the third line by Couturier and Read, making a good energy line that will chip in goals as well. The fourth unit will bang bodies and intimidate opponents with Rinaldo and Talbot leading the charge. The biggest question I have here is whether or not the guys who had horrible years last season like Hartnell and Couturier can bounce back this year.
Projected Defensive Pairings:
Andrej Meszaros - Kimmo Timonen
Braydon Coburn - Mark Streit
Luke Schenn - Nicklas Grossmann
Erik Gustafsson
The words "Philadelphia Flyers" and "defense" haven't gone together in a long time. Last year, though, it was injuries that caused the slump. Coburn missed 15 games. Grossmann missed 18 games. Gustafsson missed 21 games. Meszaros missed 37 games. It all contributed to a goals against per game average of 2.90, which was tied for 22nd in the NHL. Provided the troops stay healthy, that number has to improve this season. I don't see how they can do worse. The other dilemma for the Flyers defense is that the team has ten players signed under one-way contracts and are currently $2 million over the cap. They'll like get under once they send tow or three down to the minors, but there's an outside chance that they look to make a trade in the coming weeks.
Goaltending:
Ray Emery
Steve Mason
Next in line for the least desirable goaltending position in the NHL is Emery, who is coming off of a spectacular season as Chicago's 1B goalie behind Corey Crawford. He went 17-1-0 in 21 appearances for the Blackhawks, posting a 1.94 GAA and a .922 save percentage. He did not start in the playoffs, but his shining moments from last season were right in the thick of the Blackhawks incredible run of 24 games with at least one point to start the season. We'll see if the ghost of Hextall still haunts the Philly net. The Flyers could also go with Mason, who went 4-2-0 in seven appearances with a 1.90 GAA and a .944 save percentage. He had ten shutouts in his rookie year with Columbus, but hasn't been able to sustain good play since then. We could be looking at a 1A/1B situation here.
Special Teams:
Philadelphia pulled off a rare feat last year: they finished in the top five on both the power play and the penalty kill, and still missed the playoffs. The Flyers were #3 with the man advantage last year at 21.6%. Out of all the defensive injuries the Flyers suffered, Timonen only missed one game and so his presence was vital to their success. This year he'll have Streit with him, so the two of them should assume control of their power play units. Discipline proved to be a problem as the Flyers were shorthanded 184 times and posted a -13 differential, but they still finished fifth on the PK with an 85.9% success rate. All of the penalty killers except Briere return, but the hole that he leaves is a big one. If someone fills his shoes admirably, the Flyers should be okay there.
X-Factor:
As always, the key to success is the goalie position. Whether it's Emery or Mason in net, one of them has to emerge and play well enough to steal games when the offense isn't clicking. Those who are quick to jump on the bandwagon now that Emery is in town need to be reminded of what happened with Bryzgalov. He thrived while playing under a very defensive-minded team in Phoenix, and wound up getting exposed as a system goalie in Philadelphia when he couldn't perform under their more hectic style. In Chicago, Emery had the league's best defense in front of him, so it'll be interesting to see what happens this season. The silver lining is that Mason played well even with all the injuries to the backend, so even though it's a small sample size one can look to his numbers and have hope for this year.
The Flyers will make the playoffs if...
... someone, whether it's Emery or Mason, seizes control of the #1 job in net and plays well, the defense stays healthy, and they don't try to win every game 5-4. Flyers games are always up and down affairs, where it resembles a track meet instead of a hockey game. The high scoring is great for fans, but it causes nightmares for goalies and coaching staffs alike. They have to find a way to clamp down on opponents late in games and they have to play much better at even strength to have a chance at the playoffs this year. If they can do that, and keep the special teams numbers up, the playoffs are not out of the question for this group.
The Flyers will miss the playoffs if...
... we get the "same old Flyers" who can't stop anyone, there's another rash of injuries, and the goaltender position continues to be a black hole. Look, we know what to expect in terms of style of play from the Flyers. The question now is, can they win playing at such frantic pace? They have the skill players and offensive talent to win, but I can't help but feel that the defense will eventually wear down and crack under the pressure of always having to move the puck up ice and rushing back on turnovers. In the new Metropolitan Division, they have a few teams to climb over to get into the playoff race, like Washington, Columbus, and the Islanders. I think they'll be a bubble team. Maybe in, maybe out.
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