FLYERS NOT DEVIATING FROM PLAN

MONTREAL, QC — The Philadelphia Flyers’ season came to a dismal conclusion last week as the club missed out on the postseason for the third consecutive season and fourth time in five years. After occupying the third seed in the Metropolitan Division for nearly four months, the Flyers won just two of their final 10 contests and missed the playoffs by four points.

As to what exactly caused the collapse, it was a cocktail of reasons. Poor goaltending was the biggest contributing factor, along with questionable coaching decisions (and off ice antics) likely playing some kind of role. The team lost four of its starting six defensemen over the course of February; Jamie Drysdale, Rasmus Ristolainen and Nick Seeler suffered injuries, while Sean Walker was traded to the Colorado Avalanche. Only Drysdale and Seeler returned to the team near the end of the campaign.

There are certainly several things that went into this season’s late demise, but at the end of the day, the Flyers are simply just not good enough ... yet.

On the whole, the season was an overwhelming success for the Flyers. Sure, if you’re a tanking enthusiast, this year was probably an unmitigated disaster. But if you were to ask the Flyers’ brass in a candid moment – of course, after a few days of licking their wounds – I think most would concede that, despite the bitter end to the campaign, it was mostly positive from an on-ice perspective.

Yes, the Flyers are rebuilding, but they have a lot of young pieces on their roster that figure to be fixtures of this roster moving forward: Bobby Brink, Drysdale, Samuel Ersson, Joel Farabee, Ivan Fedotov, Tyson Foerster, Morgan Frost, Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett and Cam York. There were both positives and negatives across the board, but having so many young players compete in meaningful games in March for the first time in four seasons is valuable.

That being said, the lack of talent ultimately came to the surface down the stretch, and it highlighted that the Flyers are still a ways away from being where they ultimately want to be.

So how do they proceed in the summer?

Had you asked this question two months ago, perhaps management would’ve given a more aggressive answer. Could the team have been more apt to lean for a bias for action to rapidly augment the talent? Perhaps, but that’s why you play a full 82 games.

As I’ve previously reported, the Flyers are well aware they lack talent. Specifically, down the middle, where the Flyers are not only thin at the NHL level but throughout the organization, there is a strong need for high end talent. Pieces like this do not grow on trees, which is why the Draft is always the best way to obtain them.

While the Flyers are fully committed to the NHL Draft (two firsts and two seconds in each of the next two years), they are keeping their ears to the ground on the trade and, possibly, free agent fronts.

I would not expect the Flyers to trade a boat load of assets for a player nearing his late 20s; given where the team is organizationally, it wouldn’t make much sense. Which is why Jakob Chychrun, whom the Flyers have been linked to and I can tell you do like as a player, is so interesting.

On the surface, Chychrun would make a lot of sense, as both an ideal, veteran partner for Drysdale and could step in to help their power play. But I have heard Chychrun’s injury history and what it will take to get him via trade – likely several of the Flyers’ young forwards in a package – are “red flags.” The Flyers would also need to be prepared to pay Chychrun with a heavy extension in a year’s time; I’d imagine the Noah Hanifin contract is in the ballpark as to what that could look like.

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson is a name that jumps out at me that would also make sense. The 24-year-old would fit from both an age and contractual perspective; he’s under contract for six more seasons at a $4.29M AAV. I have no indication that Samuelsson is available, but that is the type of guy I could see the Flyers pursuing.

I’ve gotten the sense that developing Drysdale is a top priority from the Flyers; adding a left shot to play with him is something on the to do list, though not an absolute. Worst case scenario, I’ve heard the Flyers are more than comfortable utilizing Nick Seeler (fresh off a four-year contract extension) as Drysdale’s partner – perhaps as a stop gap for freshly signed prospect Hunter McDonald.

In the case of Walker, whom the Flyers did really value during his time with the club, I don’t believe there’s a fit for a potential return. The Flyers made a healthy offer to the soon to be 30-year-old and, based on the scarcity of right shot defenseman typically available, he’ll likely be able to get more on the open market. The Flyers do not want to bury Drysdale on the right side, and bringing back Walker would essentially do that. I’ve heard repeatedly that saving cap space for the future contracts of Drysdale and York is of utmost importance; locking up Walker to a five (?) year contract would go directly against that philosophy.

Up front, there’s no secret the Flyers would like to bolster their talent, especially at the centre position. I’m of the belief the Flyers did their due diligence ahead of the Trade Deadline and have players in mind of whom to target. While I’m not sure of exact names, players along the lines of Trevor Zegras-types are who I’d expect them to pursue. Any player acquired will need to fit the age timeline and check the skill box.

In terms of what the Flyers are willing to give up, there isn’t an appetite to move draft picks and prospects to augment the roster. I’m of the belief that “hockey trades” are more of the avenues management will explore – so what (and who) does that mean?

There has certainly been a lot of smoke around 24-year-old Joel Farabee, who has four years left on his contract at $5 million per season. I don’t think the Flyers are shopping Farabee by any stretch, but they will explore options. Speaking to one Western Conference team, Farabee would generate a lot of interest on the Trade Market.

In the case of 2017 first-round selection Morgan Frost: he was available for trade all season. I’ve heard from several people around the league that his availability is pondered about, though he is not someone the Flyers will give away. He has proven to be an NHL centre, something the Flyers lack; if he is moved, it will be for a more than fair return, something the Flyers have yet to find.

The Flyers exceeded expectations this season, but that did not cause them to deviate from their plan. There are positives to draw from, but there is a clear need for a talent augmentation; the Flyers are prepared to explore ways to acquire it from all avenues. I do expect the Flyers to be active this summer, but it will not be at the expense of the club’s future.