As many hockey fans know, it’s been a rough few years for the Philadelphia Flyers. After finishing second place in the Metropolitan Division during the 2019-20 season, its been a steady decline in success. Philadelphia finished sixth in the COVID-modified East Division in the 2021 season and is currently sitting seventh with 51 games played in the 2021-22 season. After multiple 10+ game losing streaks and firing a head coach, the Flyers are quite the laughing stock of the NHL these days. The solution that I believe is best is a rebuild. Our team is already young, why not embrace it and build off of it? Although it will take a few seasons, it seems to be necessary after the last few years.

Before I start with the rebuild, it won’t hurt to mention a few issues from the last 2 years. First, our defensive lines have done anything but defending the blue line. Losing Matt Niskanen meant all of our defenseman had to play up a spot, leaving the 2021 season without a real 1A defenseman at all. Ivan Provorov clearly proved that he doesn’t have that spot, and that he’s best off as a 1B next to a strong defenseman. Although Ryan Ellis was supposed to be that 1A, injuries have prevented that from happening. This brings me to my second problems, injuries. As of 2/22/22, the Flyers have 7 players on injured reserve; Joel Farabee, Sean Couturier and Ryan Ellis are just a few of these names. Joel Farabee is our main young talent, with 18 points in 33 games. Sean Couturier is an incredibly strong 2-way player, and a reliable goal scorer and Ryan Ellis was our main off-season move who was supposed to be the head of the Flyers’ defense. Along with Kevin Hayes, Wade Allison and a few other off-season moves, the long injured reserve certainly hasn’t helped the team. The final issue is the coaching and management staff. Clearly Alain Vigneault wasn’t working in Philadelphia, but Mike Yeo isn’t the solution; not much more to say there. As far as management goes, were still recovering from the Hextall days. He ignored scouts and mishandled our young team, causing long-term damage to the future of the team; and even though I’m not a fan of Chuck Fletcher, he’s in an incredibly difficult spot as far as the team he has to put together. All of this brings us to the current state of the 2021-22 season.

As we stand now with multiple 10+ game losing streaks, the most beneficial thing the Philadelphia Flyers can do with this season is tank for Shane Wright, the projected 1st overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old Canadian native Center shows extreme potential if the Flyers would be lucky enough to land a first overall pick spot. Not only should Philadelphia aim for Wright, there are many players on the roster that could be traded for other high draft picks or prospects. The only players I would keep are Joel Farabee, Sean Couturier, Cam Atkinson, Wade Allison, Ivan Provorov and Carter Hart. Farabee and Allison are the type of young, talented players Philadelphia needs more of, while Couturier and Atkinson are the type of veterans we need to teach these young players. Provorov can be a strong defenseman as a part of the right pair, and Hart is the strongest goaltender the Flyers have seen in a long time. Besides this, everyone else can pack up.

This offseason will surely be a busy one for the Philadelphia Flyers. Ive already mentioned who I want to keep, now it’s time for who gets to go. Oskar Lindblom, Kevin Hayes and Scott Laughton are all players that could at least get us draft picks or prospects in return. Nick Seeler, Sam Morin and Travis Sanheim might not get us strong prospects, but we could receive some draft picks at the very least. Yet the main trade bait for this offseason will inevitably be Claude Giroux. Although he’s a Philadelphia guy in and out and lots of Flyers fans would like to see him retire in Philly, trading him could get us some strong, young talent that we might not get otherwise. Even though Giroux is certainly past his prime, he’s clearly a great locker room guy who continues to put up points. After his All-Star performance, I’m sure many teams have seen the talent he has when paired with other talented players. We might not want to see him leave, but in the long run  its probably in the teams best interest.

If the rebuild is going to happen at all, the team needs to be patient with its young foundation. It will be a few years of development, but in the end its worth it and clearly needed after the last 2 years. After all, the main goal of any NHL team is to win the Stanley Cup, not just a few games; and this won’t happen with our current setup. So here’s to embracing our young future. 

On Saturday afternoon, rumors began to spiral off the ground of the Philadelphia Flyers’ Nolan Patrick and Philippe Myers being traded to the Nashville Predators. As many fans and sources found out the news, many people became confused about what was to come. Shortly after the first few rumors began, the Philadelphia Flyers announced the 2 players had been traded to the Predators for defenseman, Ryan Ellis. The Predators then almost immediately came out to say that they had traded Patrick to the Vegas Golden Knights for Cody Glass. With this 3-team trade being a big one, it’s right to share any predictions as to what this will do for Nolan Patrick and the Flyers. 

First off, this trade will indefinitely benefit Nolan Patrick. He’s obviously struggled in Philadelphia, yet so did most of the team this year. With him being a young player and still having lots to learn about playing in the NHL, it’s necessary for him to have a certain amount physical support on the ice. In Philadelphia, we’ve struggled as a team for many of the seasons that he’s been on the roster for. We didn’t have the chance to bring up struggling players to play along our stars for a game or two. Nolan Patrick started off somewhat strong in Philadelphia, but was later diagnosed with a severe migraine disorder and was forced to miss all of the 2019-2020 season. This sent him into a total rebuild upon his return, and everything I’ve mentioned before became an issue. He needed to start over and play up with bright influences, and the rest of the team struggled while attempting a playoff run. The team had no game time to waste to risk allowing failing players to playing on the first or second line. This only brought Patrick’s skills down. However, the Vegas Golden Knights are a strong, new team. If their future seasons are anything like this one, they have plenty of time too spare to give young players a chance to play up. This will benefit Patrick by giving him the chance to learn from other strong players and rebuild his game. Although I would’ve liked this rebuild to happen with the Flyers, it will benefit him greatly to play in Vegas. And who knows, maybe he’ll reconstruct his skills and make a return in a few years like JVR. Either way, it is most likely a smart career move for him. 

The Philadelphia Flyers will obviously benefit from this trade as well. One of the main things we struggled with last season was the defense. We lost Matt Niskanen, and it truly showed. He was our #1 defenseman, and his leaving forced the rest of our defense to step up a spot. Ivan Provorov was our projected #1 for last season and that obviously didn’t work out. He’s only 24, so this expectation was unfair anyway. In this trade, we received Ryan Ellis. Hopefully, he will be the missing piece of the puzzle. His skill will tremendously help Provorov on the first line. Ellis will hopefully fill the spot of the Flyers’ #1 defenseman, allowing Provorov to return his #2 spot. The rest of the defense will no longer have to play up a spot, and will hopefully supply somewhat-better results. Although it will probably take some time for these new lines to settle in, this year we will get our preseason back and not waste as much time with this in the regular season as we would’ve last year. Yes, we lost 2 players for 1 defenseman, but I believe this will greatly beneficial for the Flyers. This will give our defense the gas to venture onto the road of returning to their former selves and beyond.  

This trade was definitely a big one, holding of 4 players and 3 teams. Yet I do believe that this will benefit almost everyone involved, or at least who the Philadelphia Flyer’s fans care about. Nolan Patrick will be given the opportunity to rebuild and improve. The Philadelphia Flyers’ defense will reconstruct and help support the rest of the team and Carter Hart in his rebound season. I’m certain this trade is what’s best for everyone involved. Trades like these are what we need to help the future of the Philadelphia Flyers and part of the rest of the NHL. 

Although Travis Konecny didn’t stand out as a star on the Philadelphia Flyers’ this season, he didn’t disappoint fans and management either. However, he did face quite the setback compared to where he was before the pause of the 2020 season. He didn’t score as much, and his skills were somewhat lacking. Yet he did put the puck in the back of the net 11 times this season, ranking him 6th among the team, and the 5th with only one more. Obviously, his season wasn’t wonderful, but it definitely wasn’t terrible. Something that I think was beneficial for Konecny’s minor success was his line mates. Something that I think harmed his skills was, the COVID season. One last thing to talk about with the young player is his future. I do believe that Travis Konecny could become an important part of the Philadelphia Flyers, and in many ways. 

One thing I think helped improved Travis Konecny’s playing this season was his line mates. He spent most of the season playing on the first line with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek or Sean Couturier. This truly defined lead by example. Even Konecny himself confessed to playing better on the first line. I believe any athlete can admit that playing with another athlete/teammate, who’s skills exceed your own, can motivate you to better your skills. After all, NHL players are humans too, so why would they be much different? Although Konecny fell behind this past season, I’m confident that with another season with advanced Flyers can really help improve Travis Konecny’s skills. 

Even though this isn’t unique to Konecny, another thing that probably affected his season was the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in late February – early March, Travis Konecny was placed on the COVID-Protocol list. On March 2nd, Konecny returned for the Flyers vs. Penguins game. Philadelphia lost 5-2, and he wasn’t much of a help. Even TK himself said he “definitely felt a little out of it”. Yet he also reassured that he would return to his old self after a little training, which didn’t evidently didn’t happen. Although I’m sure lots of aspects of COVID likely affected his season, one of the main things was probably his recovery. The Corona Virus is undeniably an immensely demanding thing to recover from. This wasn’t any different for Travis Konecny. After his return on March 2nd, Alain Vigneault stated he put him in a “very tough situation”. Konecny was apparently thrown back into the game without the necessary training and recovery. With this condensed season lacking practices as well, he had no way to recover from COVID-19 during the season. This season was damaged greatly due to the Corona virus pandemic, and it was no exception to Travis Konecny.  

Despite this season being somewhat disappointing for the player, you cannot forget about the more than promising season Konecny was facing before the season’s halt in March 2020. Not only this, but he also showed a strong sense of locker room presence during most of his career as a Flyer. This and his skills that could remain after this season, could lead to him receiving the title of Alternate Captain later in his career. Even if he doesn’t stay in Philadelphia for the entirety of his NHL career, he’s a strong enough player to get us a promising player out of a trade. Either way, Travis Konecny likely has bright future in the NHL. 

All in all, Travis Konecny average 2021 season. From his line mates to the COVID-19 impact, there were many good and bad things about this season. Even if Travis Konecny’s future NHL seasons aren’t with the Philadelphia Flyers, its undeniable that whatever ends up happening with him will help the team. Travis Konecny is a talented player no matter what, and whatever happens will benefit the Philadelphia Flyers. 

Nolan Patrick was the second overall draft pick in 2017. At the ripe age of 18, there was lots of hope for the young talent. After collecting 61 points across his first 2 seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, Patrick was diagnosed with a severe migraine disorder. With his pre-existing concussion history, the future was very uncertain for the young player. None the less, he returned for the 2021 NHL season. Although lots of Philadelphia was optimistic for Patrick’s comeback season, it was quite disappointing. Two things I believe that set him back this season are, his failed rebound and the lack of pre-season and practice. One last thing to mention is what the future will look like for Nolan Patrick. Although this season was a major letdown, there is most definitely a brighter future for the young player.  

The first issue with Nolan Patrick’s 2021 season, was his failed rebound. He missed an entire season due to migraines, and there’s no doubt the training to come back from this would be extremely difficult. Although there were such high standards during the time of his draft, he struggled to meet them even before his issues began. After all of his development, it was quickly destructed. After all this, the 2021 season would require a complete rebuild for Patrick’s game. With this past season being as condensed as it was, this left no time for the necessary training from Patrick. Hopefully, all the trade rumors surrounding the player will motivate him to train extra hard for the 2021-2022 season.  

As I mentioned before, it could be beneficial for Nolan Patrick to have a regular season schedule. He needs a good training camp and practices during the season to help his re-development. The 2021 season had barely any/no preseason training camp, which most likely significantly hurt Patrick’s season. He had virtually no time to recover and gain back even a few of his basic NHL skills. Even if he gets to take part in a good training camp this preseason, he needs a way to further develop outside of game-time. Therefore, having more time for practices during the season could/would help his return to his former self. I do believe that without a COVID-ruined hockey season, Nolan Patrick could come back and have a much better season. 

With everything that has happened in Nolan Patrick’s career, it’s uncertain to tell what the future holds for the former 2nd overall draft pick. However, you can have a few predictions and hopes. First off, one can only hope that Patrick can steer-clear from a trade during the offseason. Like I’ve been evidently pushing, I believe that he has a VERY bright future in Philadelphia. It would be such a shame to watch one of our highest-anticipated draft picks of the decade leave Philadelphia and thrive somewhere else. Maybe Patrick could play up a line to prove his skills. Travis Konecny played MUCH better when playing with Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier on the first line. Imagine if Nolan Patrick got similar results from playing alongside Joel Farabee and Jakub Voracek or JVR. Second, Flyers’ coaching staff can work as hard as possible to create a proper training camp for Patrick. They could even consider sending him back to the development camp for prospects and AHL players. Third, Flyers’ management could consider pulling him down to the Phantoms for a few games if he continues to struggle next season, giving him time to improve his playing, without damaging the Flyers lines. If something like this happens, I’m positive that Nolan Patrick could have an exceptionally bright future with the Philadelphia Flyers.  

All this being said, I’m certain it’s obvious that I’m in favor of Nolan Patrick staying in Philly. I hope I’ve showed that in the long run, it could seriously benefit the Flyers if he stays and further develops. With a regular season and going down the right path for the future, Nolan Patrick could become a star in Philadelphia. I have high hopes for him as far as living up to his expectations, and I hope you do too. 

If there’s one thing Philadelphia Flyers’ fans can’t complain about, it’s Joel Farabee. He’s been a fan favorite since the beginning, and it’s obvious why. The 21-year-old was the season’s top goal scorer and scored twice in the season finale to help our win. I believe that it’s safe to say that Farabee had one of the best seasons on the team. Two things that I think were vital in his success were, his awareness and the circumstance regarding his age. One last thing necessary to think about when thinking about Farabee, is his bright future. He is evidently a skilled and impressive young talent, and he is an extremely important part of the Flyers’ future success.  

While reviewing all 20 of Joel Farabee’s 2021 season goals, you can quickly realize one thing- Farabee was always vastly aware of his teammates. His moves were quick and sharp, and obviously held intense quick thinking. Many of his scored goals were sharp turns with a quick shot- rarely a breakaway. Looking into the future, Farabee could easily become a top point-scorer in Philadelphia. Let’s say we don’t lose Voracek in the expansion draft. A line with the two of them (and possibly a rookie or struggling player) could be a huge improvement to the team. It’s an utterly amazing thing to see a young talent, such as Joel Farabee, excel in skills like quick thinking and ice awareness. After all, there’s (hopefully) only room to improve from here. 

Although it probably wasn’t a major part of his playing, Joel Farabee’s age could be a part of his mindset. Take Carter Hart for example. His exit interview revealed just how much his mindset affected his game. Farabee is still the youthful age of 21, so his spot is not secured like. Yes, he had a great season. However, he’s still young enough to have a terrible breakout season. I believe that he knows of this, and I’m sure that it motivates him to work harder for his future.  

At the ripe age of 21, it’s hard to determine what is in store for Joel Farabee. However, there can be a few hopeful predictions. First, we can only hope he stays in Philadelphia. He’s a young talent, and we would need to gain a true legend of a player to make a trade involving him worthy. I know the Flyers are in an intense search for a top defenseman, but there must be a way to avoid losing Farabee. Second, if he does stay in Philly, we can hope to see him as a future captain. After watching multiple interviews with Farabee, you can tell he truly knows his stuff. As a talented and credible player, you could picture him as a future captain. Whether it be after Giroux, or waiting until the next captain retires, you can imagine him wearing the “C”. No matter what, the future is bright for the young star. 

In summary, it’s obvious that Joel Farabee had a bright season. His skills and knowledge towards the game of hockey really shined through. As for what the future holds for Farabee, I’m sure it’s nothing but bright for the star. There’s lot to be excited about, and I’m sure Joel Farabee won’t disappoint. 

Although lots of the Philadelphia Flyers struggled this season, Sean Couturier was certainly not one. Lots of Philly’s fans and staff focused on the negative aspects, and all our somewhat successful players were lost in the mix; that is unless you’re Joel Farabee and admired by every Flyers fan. 28-year-old Couturier recorded 41 points this past season (18G, 23A), with only 45 games played. This left him always playing on the first or second line and 2nd overall for points among the Flyers (behind JVR, Voracek and Giroux, who all tied for first). So, I have decided to point out two major things I noticed he did very well, and why he is an alternative captain. I’m aware that the Flyers’ season didn’t go as planned, but you must be able to look past the results and see our potential success for future seasons. 

Something I truly admire about Sean Couturier is, his skills and example for his teammates. In my opinion, a truly skilled player can prove his/her skills through assists. Don’t get me wrong, goals are great too, but an impressive and important save requires quick thinking, accuracy and complete selflessness. With Couturier’s quick moves, he can easily distract a goalie and fire an assist to a wing while throwing the keeper completely off-guard. While he played center on the first line, both of his wings played exceptionally well. Travis Konecny recorded 11 goals, and Claude Giroux recorded 16. Sean Couturier is very evidently a skilled player and encourages his teammates to improve. 

Another reason to seriously appreciate Couturier is, his reliability. From shootout, to switching up lines, Sean Couturier never disappoints. Across his career, he’s recorded 28 game winning goals and 4 overtime goals. He’s even stepped up enough to collect 5 shorthanded goals and 25 power play goals. As I’ve mentioned before, he also helps push his teammates to step up and play their best. With 174 goals and 269 assists, you can tell he doesn’t disappoint. One of the few good things I want to say about Alain Vigneault after this season, is that he doesn’t let Couturier’s reliability and skill go to waste. Nine times out of ten, you’ll see Coots take a shot in a shootout. He often plays on the Flyers’ first line and help us put up some points. Sean Couturier is a truly outstanding and reliable player, and Philadelphia is beyond lucky to have him. 

The final subject I would like to mention for Sean Couturier is not what I usually choose to write about. It’s not about something he did extremely well, or terrible. I would like to point out why Couturier is an alternative and potential future captain. Lots of what I’ve previously said about him has worked up to this topic, but it hasn’t been simply said. On the ice, Couturier helps make his line mates better. Take Travis Konecny for an example. Konecny is a decent player on his own, but he is evidently better and scores more when he is alongside Couturier and Giroux. He also is an exceptionally reliable player who coaches, and fans can depend on in remotely any situation. Another important responsibility in a/an (alternative) captain is their energy and leadership. From what fans can see through certain interviews, lots of the Philadelphia Flyers truly respect Sean Couturier and some are close friends with him. In this interview, you can hear Couturier calmly and firmly answer questions about him and his teammates, even after the disappointing loss to Boston in Lake Tahoe. He’s very loyal to the city of Philadelphia, just as much as the fans are loyal to him. Sean Couturier is truly one of the best current Flyers, and certainly deserves the title of alternative captain. 

All in all, this season wasn’t disappointing for Sean Couturier. He scored when he had to and fired off assists to help his teammates do the same. He remained calm and firm, even when our team was at the lowest. He is a fitting example for our young team, and even helps improve our veterans. Coots had a great season, and proved now more than ever why he wears an A. The entire city of Philadelphia is beyond lucky to have a player like Sean Couturier, especially after a season like this one.