The 2023-24 Philadelphia Flyers season is already hit the 10-game mark and has produced a much better than expected start for a team that us supposed to be rebuilding. They hold a 4-5-1 record and could’ve easily snagged a few more of those wins based on their play if the luck broke differently. There are some interesting storylines, both positive and negative, to keep an eye on as the season is fully underway.
Number 5: Special Teams Still Underwhelming
The powerplay and penalty kill is where each team’s high-end talent is put on display and a key to winning games. The Flyers, still lacking in the game-breaking player department, are having some mediocre results to start the season. The powerplay is still among the worst in the league, sitting 28th at a measly 11.4% and the penalty kill has improved a bit thus far, currently ranked 16th with a 77.8% success rate. Until the team invests in skilled players, they won’t be reaching the pinnacle of special teams any time soon, but their improvements on the ice are showing up marginally on the PP and PK so far.
Number 4: Couts & Cam Return
Veteran forwards Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson returned to the Flyers after missing 22 months and 17 months respectively. And through the first ten games, it looks like neither of them have lost a step. While the early energy is a good start, now it’s about their conditioning and whether or not they can keep their play at a high level as the season drags on. Atkinson is currently second on the team in goals (6) and third in points (9) while Couturier is fourth in goals (2) and points (6).
Number 3: Hart Re-finds His Form
Once upon a time, Carter Hart looked to be one of the best young goalies in the league. Then he spent a few seasons trapped behind a terrible Flyers’ squad and his numbers deteriorated to a point that called into question his future as the longterm starting goalie. He started the season strong with four wins in seven games to go along with a 2.30 goals against average and .921save percentage and one shutout. They’ve been riding him hard considering the uncertainty surrounding his future with both his contract coming due and the ongoing Team Canada investigation, but his results so far have been indications that the old version of Hart has returned.
Update: Hart left the Sabres’ game, the 10th of the season for the Flyers, with a lower body injury and there has been no update as of the publishing of this piece. Not a great development, but not unexpected based on their usage of goalies to start the season.
Number 2: TK Stays Hot
Was Travis Konecny’s 30-goal, point-per-game season in 2022-23 a fluke? So far, his play in 2023-24 indicates that this version of Konecny is here to stay. He’s scored eight goals and 11 points in ten games this season and remains their top forward. There’s still a question as to whether or not they keep or trade him in the 2024 offseason, but for now, Teeks just has to keep his head down and continue to add points to his résumé to either keep the Flyers afloat or to punch his ticket out of this abyss during the offseason.
Number 1: Top Defenseman Travis Sanheim
Now 27 and entering his seventh NHL season, defenseman Travis Sanheim has suddenly emerged as a consistent top-pair defenseman who is capable of eating big minutes. He’s a point-per-game player averaging the second most TOI per game, over 25 minutes a night, behind only Drew Doughty, and isn’t making a complete mockery of himself in the process. Consistency has always been Sanheim’s biggest problem. He’s displayed flashes of brilliance that sputtered out within a few weeks or months in the past. Is Sanheim’s emergence for real this time or is it just another flash of what could’ve been?
Honorable Mention
The Tortorella Effect is Working Twice
One of the major questions entering the season was whether or not the team would respond the hard assery of John Tortorella during his second season behind the bench. So far, they have risen to the occasion and continue to buy into the “82-game playoff” style and hard work ethic. As the season goes on, and especially if the wins start to diminish, are the boys still bought in by season’s end if there’s no success coming from the seeds they sow?
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: sports.yahoo.com
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