Philadelphia Flyers: Where do they stand this Offseason?
By Leo Kennedy
With the official NHL offseason officially upon us and the July 1st free agent open season fast approaching, how will the Philadelphia Flyers go from being first round losers to real contenders?
The Philadelphia Flyers surprised everybody last year with a late-season turnaround leading to an unlikely playoff berth. They played a hard fought series against the President’s Trophy-winning Washington Capitals, but ran out of gas and were eliminated in 6 games.
A first round playoff loss was more than most expected out of the boys in orange, but this result is not good enough for fans, the organization, and the players alike. Let’s take an overall look at what General Manager Ron Hextall the Flyers need to do in each category in order to garner better results in 2016/17.
Forwards
You can’t win games if you don’t score goals, simple as that. If there was one thing that was glaringly obvious in the 2015/16 season it was that the Philadelphia Flyers forwards were having trouble putting the puck in the net, with the team scoring only 2.57 goals per game, 22nd best in the league.
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While certain unsung heroes such as Ryan White managed to step up in some key situations, the overall lack of scoring forwards took a serious toll on the team’s success. The problem last season was not only a result of a lack of dynamic scorers on the roster, there was also the issue of current stars seriously under performing.
Forward Jakub Voracek scored only 11 goals in the regular season, half the number he scored in the three seasons prior. So what changes can the Philadelphia Flyers make to add consistent, scoring forwards to their lineup? The good news is that with upcoming stars, such as 19-year-old Travis Konecny, and five picks in the first three rounds of this year’s NHL Draft in Buffalo, the team is in a prime position to build an impressive depth of scorers in the next few years.
The front office must find a way to add some dynamic scorers in the draft, and you can bet that Hextall will be on top of it. However, especially considering how patient Hextall tends to be in terms of prospects, this is a long term solution, so what can be done in the short term? With 11 forwards already set to be on next years roster (likely to be 12 if the Philadelphia Flyers re-sign RFA Brayden Schenn, which they absolutely should) it seems unlikely that there will be many free agent additions.
However, if the team can make one major signing in this year’s prime free agency to add one more consistent scorer, that could be the boost they need to make the next step towards playoff success.
The Philadelphia Flyers are likely to buy out forward RJ Umberger, which will free up a little cap space that could be used for signing a key contributor. The biggest name in this year’s free agency is Lightning Captain Steven Stamkos, but considering the Philadelphia Flyers’ plethora of respectable centers and still limited cap space a play for Stamkos seems highly unlikely.
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The good news is that there are also several top tier wingers available. In a perfect world, the best player the Philadelphia Flyers could grab is left winger Loui Eriksson, who netted 30 goals and 33 assists for the Boston Bruins last season.
He also was the only Bruin to play in all 82 games, a level of healthy consistency that would be great for a Philadelphia Flyers’ group plagued with injuries. However, with Eriksson likely looking for a contract somewhere in the range of $5-6 million, he would be a stretch money wise.
The best and most realistic option would be Andrew Ladd, who finished his season with the Chicago Blackhawks after being traded from the Winnipeg Jets. Ladd scored an impressive 24 goals last season and at 6’3 and 200 lbs would bring some much-needed size to the Philadelphia Flyers’ front lines. A big bodied, 20+ goal scorer would be exactly what the doctor ordered for the team’s offensive woes.
Defensemen
With Michael Del Zotto, Mark Streit, and Shayne Gostisbehere leading the group and CHL Defenseman of the Year Ivan Provorov all but guaranteed to be added to the lineup this year, the Philadelphia Flyers have a decent amount of defensive depth at the moment.
Provorov, currently 19 years old, will likely have limited minutes, but has better defensive strengths than this season’s breakout star, Gostisbehere. Travis Sanheim is another great prospect who can really move the puck but don’t expect to see much of him this season barring major injuries or extenuating circumstances.
Although it would be best for the Philadelphia Flyers to focus primarily on forwards in the draft, expect to see at least one or two defensemen picked early. With another few solid pickups in the draft, the team will have a defensive powerhouse sometime in the next few years. In the short term, picking up another consistent 20-30 minute defenseman could do wonders.
Next: Claude Giroux’s Fall From Fan Favorite
Goaltenders
With Michael Neuvirth and Steve Mason splitting time last season, the Philadelphia Flyers currently boast the best set of netminders they have had in ages. While no personnel changes are necessary, elevating Neuvirth to the main starting position would be a good move after his very impressive playoff performance in which he gave up only two goals in three starts, earning a remarkable 0.67 goals against average versus the Washington Capitals. A team that scored the second most goals of any team in the regular season. Not only would this move give Neuvirth a well-deserved promotion, it would push Mason to work harder as well.