In case you haven’t been paying attention, the Philadelphia Flyers haven’t been very good lately. It’s been three consecutive seasons of the worst hockey the team has ever produced and there are many contributing factors to the struggles on the ice. Yet one of the major problems facing the Flyers has been their atrocious special teams.
Both the penalty kill and powerplay have been among the worst in the league since the pandemic hit. Injuries, front office ignorance and a general lack of talent are at the root of the problems, and the team hasn’t directly addressed any of the causes or symptoms stemming from the special teams, because, as noted, the recent trend of incompetence has prevented them from doing so.
| Season | Powerplay | Penalty Kill | NHL Standings |
| 2019-20 | 20.8% – 14th ranked | 81.1% – 11th ranked | 89 points – 6th |
| 2020-21 | 19.5% – 18th ranked | 73% – second last | 58 points – 19th |
| 2021-22 | 12.5% – last place | 75.5% – 26th ranked | 61 points – 29th |
| 2022-23 | 15.6% – last place | 74.6% – 26th ranked | 75 points – 26th |
As you can see, the disintegration of the special teams has directly correlated to the disaster the Flyers have become over the last few seasons. Also seems worth noting that these numbers have occurred under three separate head coaches and four incarnations of assistant coaches.
So how do they fix it? Well, it first and foremost, it comes down to the quality of players they have, which is still a pretty massive problem overall. They’re still essentially relying on various internal solutions, from players returning from injury to untested prospects, which has backfired for the last few seasons, so why change up that strategy now?
The penalty kill will get some serious reinforcements with the return of Sean Couturier, whose absence has been a major reason for the struggle in the first place, the addition of Garnet Hathaway who played on the PK for both the Capitals and Bruins last season, and the continued development of Noah Cates, who was fourth on the Flyers roster in shorthanded TOI in 2022-23.
They are also going to have to overcome the loss of Ivan Provorov, who, despite his struggles, has eaten some of the heaviest short-handed minutes in the league over the last five seasons. Whether he was at the top of his game or not, it’s not something that is easily going to be replaced.
The powerplay receives their help from the returning Cam Atkinson, and whichever prospects make the roster, with the notable contributors being Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink and possibly Emil Andrae, who took top duties with the Phantoms when he arrived last season. The powerplay still hasn’t recovered from the loss of Claude Giroux, who was the lifeblood of the man advantage for most of his career.
Given the roster stays relatively heathy (which is always a major question surrounding the Flyers these days) they are, on the whole, an improved team compared to the last few seasons. The high end talent is still completely lacking, but they’re a much more well-rounded group than they have been.
Does it translate to special teams success? Probably a little bit, but it’s more likely to show up in their even strength numbers. Though a dead last powerplay at a measly 15% and a basement dwelling PK clocking in at just 75% is a pretty low bar to top. There may be improvements to their percentages, which help them climb the leaderboards slightly, but overall, don’t expect that big step forward, especially on the powerplay, to come in 2023-24.
The 2023-24 season will be all about turning up the pressure on their in-house options. Fully diagnosing what the coaching staff has at their disposal and who is a building block for the future and who is not. With any luck, that means the front office takes their findings from this season and addresses the special teams situation with some kind of legitimacy next summer. Even under the guise of a rebuild, there is no success to be had if they can’t get their powerplay out of the basement or stop the hemorrhage on the penalty kill. It doesn’t necessarily mean go out and snag the high-end, most expensive options out there, but it does mean finding players who excel in those roles to give the team a fighting chance. It’s the only way to turn their special teams luck around.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
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