You would have replied, “Sign me up!” if someone had informed you before to the season that the Philadelphia Flyers, sitting in third place in the Metropolitan Division, would be in the postseason at the All-Star break.
And here we have the Flyers, one of the NHL’s biggest surprises, with a 25-19-6 record, ahead of teams like the Islanders, Devils, Penguins, and Capitals.
We pause this 50-game celebration to bring you back to earth.
The Flyers, who have now dropped five games in a row, still have a slim chance of making the playoffs for the first time in four years. Their chances have been considerably diminished by the absence of goalkeeper Carter Hart.
Nevertheless, this has been a successful season for the Orange and Black, even if the Flyers are not able to go to the postseason. They’ve established a reputation, are rarely outplayed, and have seen a lot of young players progress.
And if general manager Danny Briere can add some elite prospects and one or two No. 1 overall picks before the March 8 trade deadline, this could be an extremely good season.
Needed; offensive firepower
The Flyers may improve their chances of making the playoffs by bringing in a few veterans, but that is not what they should do right now. Now is the moment to start thinking ahead. It’s time to acquire draft picks that will eventually provide the Flyers with much-needed scoring firepower.
It’s nearly necessary now that they’ve been forced to deal Cutter Gauthier, a gifted center/winger who was expected to rank in the top six next season.
The 29-year-old defenseman Sean Walker has performed far better than anticipated, but this summer he will become an unrestricted free agency. If you can trade for him for a first-round pick, you owe it to your supporters to deal him.
Likewise, 29-year-old defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who shares Walker’s added worth as a right-handed player.
One of the leaders of the Philadelphia Flyers’ second-best penalty kill in the NHL, Scott Laughton, 29, could also fetch a first-round pick. Though he’s not a top-six forward, Laughton is the epitome of professionalism. It makes sense to trade him for a high selection.
Grittier defenseman Nick Seeler, 30, is attracting trade attention as well. He is enjoying a career season and leads the league in blocked shots. You leap for a second-rounder if you can get one. It can be more advantageous to sign the prospective unrestricted free agent if teams make a lower offer.
Briere must pay attention if Morgan Frost is mentioned during trade negotiations. However, as previously stated, the Flyers need every offensive weapon they can muster, so until an incredible offer comes up, I wouldn’t deal the inventive 24-year-old centre. Once upon a time, the Flyers gave up on forwards Justin Williams and Patrick Sharp too soon. Thus, only accept Frost’s offer if it is extremely alluring.
Pipeline’s strength
The Flyers’ goalies and defensemen are their strongest link. Forwards are subordinated. Frost becomes more valuable to them as a result.
Although he continues to produce, right winger Cam Atkinson isn’t as valuable to the Flyers as Frost is. Atkinson is 34 years old, thus Briere will most likely make the move if he can acquire some good prospects or a reasonably high draft pick. The $5.875 million cap hit for Atkinson might deter potential bidders.
Returning to Hart and the Hockey Canada sex scandal, the legal proceedings around him may drag on for some time. Hart, 25, used to be the focal point of the Flyers’ comeback. Right now? Nobody can predict how this will turn out.
However, it wouldn’t be shocking if Hart missed any more games this year. (And possibly for a very long time.) Unfortunately for 24 year old Sam Ersson, who is now the team’s starting goaltender, Hart’s injury has diminished his confidence.
Being the alpha dog puts a lot more pressure on Ersson now. Is he capable of handling it?
The Flyers will have to choose this summer whether to sign Hart as a restricted free agent if he plans to play hockey next season. However, Hart needs a lot of things to go his way before he can even consider playing in 2024–25.
