It was another disappointing hockey season in the “City of Brotherly Love” for the Philadelphia Flyers. Twenty-two games into the season, Alain Vigneault was let go as the coach and replaced by Mike Yeo, who did not fare much better. The Flyers were last in the Metropolitan and 29th in the league, with only the Montreal Canadiens, Arizona Coyotes, and the Seattle Kraken having worse records than the Flyers. In addition, this season’s 61-point total was the second-worst showing by the team in its history in a full 82-game season.
Make sure to check out all of our other NHL Season Recaps.
By the Numbers
Record: 25-46-11
Power Play: 12.55% (32nd)
Penalty Kill: 75.74% (26th)
Goals For: 211 (31st)
Goals Against: 298 (27th)
Best Player
For as horrible as the Flyers’ season was, Travis Konecny was their best player with 52 points. Despite his inconsistent play at times, he is able to play on one of the top two lines. He also has the most shots on goal for the team and netted 16 goals for his attempts. Konecny has three years left on his contract, and it is possible he might find himself in a different jersey next season. However, questions remain about his inconsistent play. Is it because he is on a not-so-great team, or because Konecny has reached his ceiling? Only time will tell, and it is a subject the front office will have to tackle.
Biggest Disappointment
The coaching staff has been the worst for the Flyers. General manager Chuck Fletcher should not have gotten rid of Vigneault so quickly into the season. It is understandable why he did it; however, it didn’t make a difference in improvement. You could say that the team stayed the same or was worse. One might make the case that the staff was dealing with injuries upon injuries and COVID-19, but it still does not explain why they were so horrible.
Behind the Bench Analysis
Obviously, neither Vigneault nor Yeo was able to save the team from itself this season. Usually, coaching changes make a difference, but not this time. There appeared to be no attempt to change anything from the status quo, and the team paid the price for it. However, one might contemplate if a team can get better if a majority of the parts are broken.
Do the Flyers have someone for them like Montreal has Martin St. Louis? If so, they need him asap for this upcoming season.
Front Office Analysis
Fletcher will need to find a coach who will be able to work with a team down in the dumps. They cannot continue on the path they appear to be on. On the one hand, they needed to trade Claude Giroux and attempt to work other miracles at the trade deadline, but getting rid of the team’s captain was a bold move. They got Owen Tippett, and a few draft picks from the Florida Panthers in return.
They also moved Justin Braun to the New York Rangers and Derrick Brassard to the Edmonton Oilers, getting draft picks in return. We will have to see how serious Fletcher is about getting the Flyers back to where they are supposed to be once we get past the playoffs and into July with the buyout period, the draft, and free agency.
2022 NHL Entry Draft Picks/Prognosis
As of right now, the Flyers have six picks in the upcoming draft—one in each round except for round two. So Fletcher has six chances to build the future and retool the team, depending on how you look. None of the players chosen will make an immediate impact, but Fletcher will need to learn from his previous picks what not to do. For example, they will need forwards who are able to shoot the puck more and seek out defensive defensemen who will be better suited to help the goalie out.
Offseason Wish/Checklist & Prognosis for 2022-2023
The Flyers will have to see where they are as a team and what is available in free agency. They might need to pick up another goaltender if the season for Carter Hart and Martin Jones is any indication. Fletcher has made some questionable decisions as general manager, but he needs to take a long look at where his past choices have gotten the team. Then he needs to make better choices and picks if the Flyers are to have a future.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @primetimesportstalk
Follow Liz Pendergraft on Twitter @lizzibear824
Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
