Rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers look for a fresh start, scoring boost with new faces
Philadelphia Flyers' Morgan Frost (48) celebrates with teammates after his winning goal in a shootout in overtime during a preseason NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, in Boston Credit: AP/Michael Dwyer
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
COACH: John Tortorella (704-579-37 over 22 seasons, 1 Stanley Cup title)
SEASON OPENER: Oct. 13 at Columbus.
DEPARTURES: D Ivan Provorov, C Kevin Hayes, F James van Riemsdyk, D Tony DeAngelo.
ADDITIONS: President Keith Jones, GM Danny Briere, G Cal Petersen, F Garnet Hathaway, D Marc Staal.
GOALIES: Carter Hart (22-23-10, 2.94 GAA, .907 save percentage), Samuel Ersson (6-3, 3.07, .899), Cal Petersen (5-3-2, 3.75, 0.868).
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK STANLEY CUP ODDS: 150-1.
Philadelphia Flyers' Jacob Gaucher (78) and Boston Bruins' Anthony Richard (90) chase the puck during the first period of a preseason NHL hockey game Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, in Boston Credit: AP/Michael Dwyer
LAST SEASON: The Flyers finished with the third-fewest points (75) in the Eastern Conference in Tortorella’s first season at the helm. The club also had issues off the ice, including controversy surrounding D Ivan Provorov’s refusal to take part in Pride Night in January. Tortorella seemingly butted heads with veterans Kevin Hayes and Tony DeAngelo, neither of whom are with the club anymore. Philadelphia also chose not to re-sign veteran James van Riemsdyk. Philadelphia did get a strong season from F Travis Konecny, who had a team-leading 61 points in 60 games, and a solid campaign from G Carter Hart. But the Flyers received inconsistent or subpar performances from several other youngsters, something Tortorella hopes turns around in 2023-24.
STRENGTHS: Hart was a steadying presence in net and has been solid – and, at times, spectacular – in his five seasons in Philadelphia. Backup Samuel Ersson delivered some outstanding performances last season. The acquisition of veteran netminder Cal Petersen in the offseason trade that sent Provorov to Columbus gives Philadelphia quality depth between the pipes.
WEAKNESSES: The Flyers ranked 29th of 32 NHL teams last season with 220 goals, and they let go of established NHL goal scorers Hayes and van Riemsdyk. F Owen Tippett had 27 goals last season and again will be counted on heavily to find the net. Besides Konecny and Tippett, though, the Flyers have little in the way of established NHL scoring. They will hope that forwards Morgan Frost (19 goals) and Joel Farabee (15) can up their goal tallies from a season ago,
WHAT TO EXPECT: The Flyers have gone three straight seasons without making the playoffs and expectations are low to end the drought this season. However, with changes in the front office, some talented prospects and the fiery Tortorella behind the bench, the club has hopes that they are on the right path to once again become consistent playoff contenders.
Boston Bruins' Matthew Poitras (51) misses his shot against Philadelphia Flyers' Cal Petersen (40) in a shootout during overtime in a preseason NHL hockey game, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, in Boston Credit: AP/Michael Dwyer
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Neither C Sean Couturier (back) nor F Cam Atkinson (neck) played last season. The 30-year-old Couturier established himself as one of the league’s top two-way centers, tallying 460 points in 721 games over 11 seasons, and would be a key piece to the club’s rebuild if healthy. Similarly, the 34-year-old Atkinson, with 236 goals in 700 games, would give the Flyers some needed scoring if he can return to form.
