Philadelphia Flyers: Three bold predictions for the 2021 season
Three bold predictions for the Philadelphia Flyers 2021 season.
The return of NHL hockey and the Philadelphia Flyers is nearly upon us. Sure, it has been a weird year, and it seems like hockey just ended not too long ago. But that is okay, we will adapt and get ourselves ready for the return of hockey in the City of Brotherly Love.
Expectations are certainly high this season for the Orange and Black, and while we are unable to be in the building on opening night, you better believe many televisions in the Delaware Valley will be tuned in on January 13th at 5:30 PM EST when the Pittsburgh Penguins come to town.
With that said, here are three bold predictions for our beloved Philadelphia Flyers during the 2021 NHL season:
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James van Riemsdyk will score 20 goals
Look I know, what a way to start. But if you have been following my work for a while now, you know the unreasonable infatuation I have with James van Riemsdyk. While most fans and pundits are out on number 25 and have seemingly given up on our old pal JVR, I am here to tell you how important it is for him to have a strong season in 2021.
Looking like he will be penciled in somewhere between the second and third line, the big winger will need to get back to doing what he does best, and that is putting pucks in the back of the net. The best way to do this will be to park himself right in front of the goalie, and net those dirty goals that he has done so often in his career.
Signed prior to the 2018-2019 season to a massive five year $35 million dollar deal with the expectation that he would come in and play a key role on the next great Philadelphia Flyers team. He was fresh off of a 36 goal season the year prior in Toronto, and to be quite honest, his second tour in Orange and Black hasn’t been as bad as people have portrayed.
Year one of his return saw JVR pot 27 goals along with 21 assists (48 points) in 66 games, which put him right on pace to score 33 goals if he had been able to suit up for all 82 games. This past season, van Riemsdyk unfortunately took a step backward. In reality, his metrics suggest he had a pretty strong season all around, but his counting stats of 19 goals and 21 assists (40 points) in 66 games is a far cry from what the fans and organization expect from the veteran.
He even spent some time on the fourth line which really does not suit his game, and was a healthy scratch for a few playoff games (which was a head scratcher, pun intended). When utilized correctly, JVR can be an impact player.
He posted his best Corsi% (CF+) with the Philadelphia Flyers since all the way back in his rookie year at 52.9%. (For those unaware of what this stat indicates, essentially anything above 50% signifies your team controlled play more often then not when you were on the ice.) He also began over 50% of his shifts in the defensive zone (50.4%), something he had not done since all the way back during the 2013-2014 season in Toronto, and something he had never done with the Orange and Black.
What this all says to me, is that we are due for a bounce back season from James van Riemsdyk. While he may never return to his glory of scoring 36 goals, there is no reason to believe that ol’ JVR can’t pot 20, even in a shortened season such as 2021.
Even with his commitment to become a better 200 foot player, scoring goals is what JVR was brought back to Philadelphia to do, and equipped with a great group of players around him, I believe we see much more of the good then the bad from number 25 this upcoming season.