Since 2013, the Philadelphia Flyers have prided themselves on being a team that can consistently make the playoffs. In the early 2010s, they started off right, making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010 where they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime of Game Six. For the next two years, they remained solid as they made it to the second round both times. Since then, the Flyers have missed and then made the playoffs every year except the last two seasons. A franchise that has tried to remain competitive now has struggled to even make the playoffs. The Flyers have been trying to stave off the idea of a rebuild for a very long time. And this offseason they looked to change their fortunes for the upcoming season.
The Flyers added some talent at defense and added some depth in hopes of strengthening their lineup well enough to head back to the playoffs. Tony DeAngelo, Nicolas Deslauriers, and Justin Braun were the acquisitions the Flyers brought on to potentially move the needle for the franchise. DeAngelo was acquired in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 8 for three draft picks and signed a two-year contract three days later. DeAngelo had 51 points, including an NHL career-high 41 assists, in 64 regular-season games and 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games last season. DeAngelo is a pure offensive defenseman. He brings high-level offensive creation and scoring. His main downside is his rather lackluster play on the defensive end. If he is partnered with a healthy Ryan Ellis, his shortcoming could be lessened by having a more responsible defensive partner. Deslauriers and Braun are veteran depth additions who fill out some roster spots for the Flyers. They aren’t anything special but are decent role players that the Flyers need to complete their roster.
The major change this offseason though was signing a new head coach. The Flyers hired John Tortorella on June 17 to replace Mike Yeo, who took over after Alain Vigneault was fired on December 6. Tortorella has a long history of success as he has 637 wins over 20 seasons as a coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, and Columbus Blue Jackets. He also won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004 and the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year twice (2004, 2017). In theory, Tortorella seems like the right hire for the team, but with the confusing direction of the franchise, many were confused with the hire. Toward the more recent pause in his coaching career with the Blue Jackets, they weren’t as successful under his tenure, and was known for his harsh reputation.
The Flyers looked to add some pieces in major hopes of taking that step forward back into the playoffs. In reality, they are more in dire need of a healthy roster. Ryan Ellis, Sean Couturier, and Kevin Hayes all missed significant time last season. All of them were important players for their roster and them going down made a significant impact on their season.
One major question still faces the team. Can the roster still be competitive with the pieces they have? Last season the team struggled immensely on both sides of the ice. As they couldn’t generate offense, nor provide solid defense to save their lives. The advanced analytics show here in terms of offensive shot generation and preventing opponents’ entries, the Flyers were ranked towards the lowest percentiles in the NHL.
The Flyers either lack a clear vision for their future or at the very least the appearance of a clear plan. There is no coherent vision. The team is currently trying to frame their current state as an ‘aggressive retool,’ but all their acquisitions and decisions make it seem like they’re trying to make a major run at the championship. The Flyers have made interesting trades for decent players but also signed players that don’t necessarily fit the roster composition. A lot of these moves are going to handicap their ability to rebuild once they truly decide it’s time for them to blow it up. There’s no clear direction, and it leaves many fans puzzled.
Philadelphia is a bottom-five team that is over the salary cap when they shouldn’t be. Unfortunately for them, if they chose to rebuild, a majority of their contracts are not easily moveable, making it impossible to sign an elite homegrown talent that might have actually moved the franchise back in the right direction (Cough cough Johnny Gaudreau cough cough). The future is confusing for the team but a lot more remains to be seen as the season starts soon. The team soon needs to realize that their window has closed and needs to focus on tearing it down and rebuilding like some of the other teams in their division. The organization needs to figure out that their time has gone and that everything they’ve done recently has only set them back farther. Here’s a great analogy to finish off this article about the state of the Flyers. The Flyers are what happens when a person uses superglue as a means to climb a wall. They added it to their hand thinking it would help them get somewhere, but realistically they’ve gone nowhere and now remain completely stuck until they tear themselves out of it.
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