As the Flyers’ front office faced the media during the first few days of training camp, more of their plan became unveiled after some of their offseason moves, or lack thereof, left some scratching their heads. John Tortorella and Danny Briere talked their expectations for the season, and they seem to be aiming higher than most rebuilding squads.
Tortorella made note that last season was actually the first of the rebuild and that this season becomes the first stepping stone for future success. It’s more of a deliberate improvement than most were expecting, but their line of thinking was reflected by their roster changes during the summer.
It explains why they didn’t move Travis Konecny or Scott Laughton. It explains why they added depth reinforcements like Garnet Hathaway and Ryan Poehling. And it explains why they opted to add another washed up body on defense in Marc Staal rather than handing that spot to a rookie.
It’s still overall counterproductive that they are voluntarily taking away minutes from their own youth in favor of the vets, but if their goal was to avoid a classic rebuild, then their approach matches the endgame. A rare sight over the last few years in Philly.
We talked during the summer about the Flyers’ new rebuilding timeline with Matvei Michkov in tow, meaning that the team should aim to be on the cusp of success upon Michkov’s arrival in 2026. So the fact they want to take a step forward this year aligns with what should be a reasonable goal.
On the whole, there’s a good chance the Flyers are not a playoff team this season. If they manage to hang around a bubble spot and make a trade deadline acquisition or two it’s not impossible, but they’re essentially acknowledging that they’re going to attempt to finish as high as possible, with the results meaning they’re going to likely blow their draft positioning.
In an ideal world, this is truly the trial by fire season. The last time their feet drag. Take whatever findings they make during the 2023-24 season and correctly identify and upgrade the problems. The Flyers backed off from major roster changes in their form of either buying or selling in 2023, but hopefully that changes after this season. If they’re ready to improve, then actually improve. It’s a concept the last few GMs didn’t understand.
The biggest continued gaffe the Flyers organization has made for much of the last decade is their inability to pick a path, stick with it, and most importantly put one foot in front of the other to follow through with it.
Ron Hextall’s rebuild stayed in neutral for years with a half-hearted attempt at a last-second addition with James Van Riemsdyk. Meanwhile Chuck Fletcher’s famous “aggressive retool” ended with overpaying Tony DeAngelo and a lifetime contract to Nic Deslauriers. A move less aggressive than a toddler with a wiffle ball bat.
So for the Flyers to pass on a proper teardown rebuild in favor of knowingly entering the season with a roster who more than likely isn’t playoff caliber but far too good to finish in the bottom five of the league, is a major call. It basically leaves them no excuse but to get better during the 2024 offseason. To make the hard calls on their main roster players if they’re not cutting it and considering adding a notable outside piece, either via trade or free agency. The caliber of decisions the Flyers organization hasn’t made in well over a decade.
On one hand, it’s far more exciting to think a competitive era could return in Philly sooner than anticipated, but it’s also a major risk for the train to leave the station before it’s ready. Another year or two of top ten draft picks and taking the time to develop their in-house talent may have been the smarter play, but if Briere isn’t afraid to pull the trigger on actual main roster changes and upgrades, something we don’t know one way or the other yet, then they can afford to forgo development in favor of adding outside talent. It’s an interesting crossroads the Flyers have found themselves at, and hopefully they pick the right direction this time around.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
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