The Philadelphia Flyers should be in the Eastern Conference Finals right now

In any other year, we’d be three rounds deep into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And this spring, the Philadelphia Flyers would still be alive.

Even for those who aren’t huge followers of hockey, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are known far and wide for their intensity. It’s a rite of spring that many anticipate. But we’re still waiting to see if and when we’ll get any sort of NHL playoffs this season, and that especially stinks for the Philadelphia Flyers, because all signs pointed to them still being alive in the chase for the Cup at this point.

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As best I can figure, we’d be about three games into the Conference Finals right now if the NHL had never paused in March, with only four teams still vying for the greatest trophy in sports. I’m employing one part wishful thinking here, but also a lot of logic and observational data when I tell you that the Orange and Black would have been one of those teams. They would have fought their way out of the incredibly tough Metropolitan Division and be squaring off toe to toe with the Atlantic Division winner right now. Of course, there’s no way to prove that for certain, but here’s what would have happened.

The Flyers looked to be on a collision course with the archrival Penguins in the first round in the Metro Division’s 2-3 matchup. It wouldn’t have been easy, but I see the Flyers taking that one in six or seven games, the key to which would have been their home-ice advantage. You can point to historical precedent about Sidney Crosby and the Pens “knowing how to win big games”, but this is a different group of Flyers, one that’s unperturbed by years past that saw them live in Pittsburgh’s shadow. There’s some merit to the experience angle, but this Flyers team was ready to take a step past their cross-state rivals.

After that, it likely would have been a matchup with the Washington Capitals to decide the would-be division winner. Again, it’s not like the Caps would just roll over, but you have to be impressed by the way that the Flyers handled them this season. The Flyers took all three meetings between the teams since the start of this calendar year, most recently an impressive 5-2 victory in DC back on March 4. They also held Alex Ovechkin completely off the scoreboard in the teams’ four games against each other this year. I wouldn’t expect that to happen in a playoff series, but the Flyers showed that they are more than capable of shutting down the Caps’ attack.

Alternatively, the Flyers might have passed the Capitals for the Metro Division crown down the stretch and avoided the Penguins in the first round entirely. In that case, the Flyers would have likely clashed with the New York Islanders or Carolina Hurricanes in Round 1. The Islanders might have actually been the toughest draw for the Flyers in the entire division, as they seemed to have the Flyers’ number this year. I’d be fairly nervous about that one, but I believe that the Flyers would prevail in a tight series. Then, they’d get either Washington or Pittsburgh in Round 2, and I’ve already made my feelings known on those matters.

At this point you’re probably thinking that I’m unrealistic about the Flyers and have them cruising all the way to a hypothetical parade, but I feel like the buck would likely stop for them in the Conference Finals at the hands of either the Boston Bruins or Tampa Bay Lightning. The Flyers hung tough against both of these clubs in their meetings this year, but I think they’re probably a season away from being able to beat either in a best-of-seven. The Bruins would especially benefit since there are no shootouts in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

That’s my best guess for how things would have played out (and would still be playing out) for the Flyers if the season had kept on rolling. I think a title was beyond anyone’s reasonable expectations, but I’m really regretting that we’re all missing out on what could have been a truly awesome playoff ride. There’s always next year, though. There might even still be this year. Who even knows anymore.