The 2023-24 Philadelphia Flyers season is on the horizon and it 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. So let’s predict what could lie ahead for us this season.
Wade Allison Breakout SZN
Wade Allison found himself deep in John Tortorella’s doghouse during his first full season in the NHL as the coach attempted to turn him into a two-way depth winger rather than than the all-out offense player he was in Lehigh Valley. If Torts loosens the reins a bit this season and lets Allison breathe some life back into his game, he could easily post new career highs in goals and points.
Farabee Breaks 40 Points
Joel Farabee is entering his fifth NHL season and somehow still hasn’t scored 40 points in a campaign yet. He managed to play in all 82 games last season after returning from offseason neck surgery, but still only managed to hit 39 points, topping his previous career best of 38. It’s time for Farabee to put up or shut up and as he enters the season fully healthy, we should finally get a better picture of what the former 14th overall pick can do.
Scott Laughton is Named Captain
John Tortorella is anti-captain for the Flyers, but he also seems to trust Scott Laughton more than anybody else. They’ve got to make a decision with Laughton one way or the other, and if he’s sticking around, they may as well coronate him with the official title of captain.
Flyers Relocate to Tulsa, Oklahoma
Maybe not a prediction as much as a secret desire. Put us out of our misery already.
Front Office Adds Another Former Flyer
Is this even a bold take or just the new norm? Either way, there’s probably at least one more advisor gig to be had and a rolodex of former Flyers to fill that role. Wonder what R.J. Umberger is up to these days?
Wayne Simmonds Retires a Flyer
Last week, we theorized about the Flyers potentially bringing back Wayne Simmonds as a good will gesture to the fans if he indeed opted to continue his playing career, but if he’s ready to hang up the skates, they better give him that one day contract to retire in orange and black where the pinnacle of his career took place.
Tuomaala Succeeds in Lehigh
The Flyers’ 46th overall pick in 2021 has spent a bulk of the last two seasons toiling away in various Finnish leagues as both his age and size have been held against him. Tuomaala, 20, with a birthday in January, is expected to make the jump to the AHL for the 2023-24 season. He still possesses tons of speed and offensive potential, and with a clean slate to show what he’s got, maybe he can turn his value around and work his way back into the top prospect conversation in the Flyers’ pipeline.
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.
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?
Flyers Trade Scott Laughton
29-year-old Scott Laughton was one of the many Flyers that were expected to get moved during the summer but ultimately did not despite setting new personal bests in goals and points. Though a solid depth forward like Laughton will be a valuable chip to playoff teams come the trade deadline and the Flyers may be able to squeak more value out of him then than they could’ve during the offseason. Was it smart to wait? Time will tell.
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.
Sam Ersson Establishes Himself as the NHL Starter
As of this writing, the fate of Carter Hart is still very much in limbo. But all is not lost of Hart goes away because they’ve got Sam Ersson waiting in the wings. He played his first full North American season in 2022-23 with promising results despite his numbers not being perfect. Whether Hart is here or not, Ersson will look to challenge for the starting job, and if his stock continues to rise, he could very well snag the top billings in Philly.
Tyson 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.
Flyers Trade Travis Konecny
Why didn’t the Flyers deal away their top trade chip who was coming off a career year as the organization entered a rebuild? That remains a mystery, but it doesn’t mean that Konecny is here to stay. He’s still the best piece they’ve got when it comes to acquiring assets, and if Teeks can replicate his point-per-game pace from last season, his value may be at an all-time at the trade deadline, and his reputation as an annoyance could be an attractive feature for playoff teams. It’s a big risk waiting to move Konecny as injuries could strike or his offense could regress, but if things continue on a positive trend, maybe there’s a big return waiting for the Flyers at the deadline.
Ryan Ellis Returns
It’s more than likely 32-year-old Ryan Ellis’ career is over, but wouldn’t it be completely on-brand for the Flyers to initiate a rebuild then their top defenseman makes a miraculous return to the ice and carries them out of the basement of the NHL standings?
Flyers Add a Top Defenseman
The Flyers have a roster filled with young forwards with Cutter Gauthier and Matvei Michkov on the way, and more young goaltenders then they know what to do with, but they still lack the diamond on defense they’re gonna need to be successful. They may need to go out and put in the legwork to make acquiring a defenseman happen by crafting a nifty trade or poaching talent via an offer sheet. Even Keith Jones has suggested the Flyers need to improve the blueline, so is this the year strides on the backend are taken?
Flyers Land The First Overall Pick
The Flyers are supposedly in a rebuild despite not actually tearing down during the offseason. The ultimate goal should be landing a top pick in the 2024 draft. While it’s unlikely they snag that spot based on sheer standings, that’s what the lottery is for. Is this the season the hockey Gods look kindly upon the Flyers? Now is as good a time as any.
Flyers Make The Playoffs
As noted above, the Flyers are supposed to be rebuilding but didn’t go through the typical process to do so. The roster isn’t great by any means, but it’s good enough to believe that there is a very slight chance the Flyers could challenge for a wildcard spot if things go their way during the season. They won 31 games last season (with 12 overtime losses) and were 17 points out of a playoff spot. The overall roster is arguably better this year and if they turn a few of those OT losses into wins, anything is mathematically possible.
John Tortorella 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?
Marc Staal Doesn’t Get Traded at the Deadline
For some unfathomable reason, the Flyers signed 36-year-old defenseman Marc Staal and the fanbase has widely excepted the move under new GM Danny Briere despite a track record of hating every similar players they’ve signed in previous regimes. The excuse has been the idea that they’ll sell him at the trade deadline for assets. Forget the fact that a washed up depth defenseman doesn’t hold much value to begin with, but considering he’s a favorite of head coach John Tortorella, there’s a chance he doesn’t get traded at all.
Flyers Trade Travis Sanheim
Travis Sanheim’s new eight-year, $50 million ($6.25 mil aav) kicked in back on July 1, and it carries four seasons of a full no-trade clause. Supposedly, the Flyers tried to ditch the deal during the offseason but were unsuccessful in their attempts. Now it’s in Sanheim’s hands as to whether or not he gets moved. Sanheim is entering his seventh NHL season and second under head coach John Tortorella, who he didn’t see eye to eye with last season. If things continue to be a struggle in Philly, Sanheim could consider his options and opt for a fresh start elsewhere, and the Flyers probably wouldn’t mind clearing his abysmal extension off the books either.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nbcsports.com
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