The Philadelphia Flyers’ 2023-24 campaign will be all about setting the pace for the future. The newly rejuvenated rebuilding efforts are supposedly underway and building the foundation this team will grow upon for years to come starts now. In the short term, it is going to lead to some very underwhelming hockey, but that doesn’t mean everything about the 2023-24 season will be boring, there could be some interesting developments to keep an eye on.
Number 5: The Defense Actually Works
It’s actually quite impressive the every time it seems the Flyers can’t assemble a worse defense, they figure out a way to do just that. There’s nearly a dozen players on the team who could reasonably earn an NHL gig out of camp, as the franchisee opted for a quantity over quality approach. With nothing resembling a bona fide top guy and a lot of low ceiling veterans, it could be a messy year for the defense corps… but what if it isn’t? Maybe against all odds a couple of the youths step up and carry the team and the players on the wrong side of 30 aren’t a complete disaster? It may be unlikely, but the fortunes of the blue line have to change sooner or later… right?
Number 4: Noah Cates Wins the Selke
Noah Cates had himself quite a rookie season in the NHL. He scored 13 goals and 38 points in 82 games and garnered both Calder and Selke votes for his efforts. He finished 15th in Selke voting and will look to improve upon that this season. His offensive production will need to see an uptick in order for him to have a real chance, which will be hard to accomplish on this anemic squad, but if the points start flowing and his defense stays up to par, he may surprise in the voting this season.
Number 3: Torts Loses the Room
John Tortorella is a notorious hard ass that arrived in Philly last season and managed to drag more out of the 2022-23 team than anyone expected. Yet his “82-game playoff” style of coaching is hard to maintain for long, especially when the work ethic doesn’t actually pay off in a playoff spot. With the roster looking way too malnourished to make a legitimate run at snagging a postseason run, will the roster continue to bust their metaphorical asses every night if there’s no light at the end of the tunnel? The old school coaches don’t have a particularly long shelf life anymore, and the timeline between Tortorella and the Flyers’ return to competition isn’t anywhere close to being on the same train, so what happens if things go sideways this season?
Number 2: Flyers Trade Konecny and/or Laughton
For some reason, the Flyers opted not to trade either of their best trade assets during the 2023 offseason despite indicating the organization was indeed rebuilding and both players having career seasons. Just because they survived the offseason doesn’t mean the target from the trade mill goes away. They will once again end up in the spotlight at the 2024 trade deadline and maybe this time the Flyers will do the right thing and garner some assets for their top trade chips. Will either player be able to replicate their personal bests from last season to keep their value high? It’s the major question the front office will gamble on thanks to their hesitation, but if things continue to look up for Konency and Laughton, they’re going to need to part with their main roster players in favor of the future sooner or later.
Number 1: Sean Couturier Returns to Form
If Sean Couturier returns to the Flyers’ lineup when the puck drops in October, he’ll have gone 22 months without seeing NHL action, recuperating from two separate back surgeries. He’ll turn 31 in December and was never particularly dynamic to begin with. It’s a cocktail to be underwhelmed at the player he has become, resembling just a shell of the player he was nearly two years ago. Yet there’s the other possibility of his low-energy defensive game remaining largely intact because he didn’t rely on the fancy tactics to begin with. He my not be putting up 70-point seasons anymore without Giroux to carry him, and his Selke-winning days may have passed, but he could still be a perfectly fine middle-six shutdown center if he’s actually healthy upon his return.
Honorable mention
Foerster is a Star
21-year-old Tyson Foerster is the most anticipated prospect to potentially make the NHL this season. He made it through his first full AHL campaign in 2022-23 and led the Phantoms in points with 48 and was second in goals with 20. Thanks to some questionable offseason moves which left the roster quite crowded, it’s not a guarantee Foerster makes the NHL out of camp, but let’s put some positive vibes out there and say he does. His raw skill is unmatched on the current main roster and could easily establish himself as a star if given the actual opportunity to do so. He could be the first taste of things to come for the Flyers if Tyson Foerster is prioritized in 2023-24.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
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