As the dust settles from the biggest news to rock the Philadelphia Flyers in many years, everyone wants that spicy details of where it all went wrong in the Cutter Gauthier saga. And while all the drama is easily the most fun, speculative and talked about thing that has happened to the Flyers in over a decade, they have plenty of real-world questions to answer about the future of the franchise after the media spectacle.
Number 5: What Does This Mean for the Trade Deadline?
Heading into the trade deadline on March 8, the main rumored chips the Flyers have were exclusively on defense, and specifically on the right side. Sean Walker was expected to be on the move on deadline day, but because he was playing well, it was thought that he was going to stick around. Then rumors regarding Rasmus Ristolainen picked up some steam. With Jamie Drysdale picking up top billing as the top RHD, how does that change their plans when it came to who stays and who goes on deadline day?
Number 4: Constructing the Defense Moving Forward
The defense both today and the immediate future was already a bit of a quagmire, and now adding another young guy into the mix who may or may not be good certainly throws some questions into the construction of the blue line heading into the 2024-25 season. First comes the deadline and which vets stay and who goes, then it comes to to whether or not they integrate guys like Emil Andrae and Ronnie Attard next season. Does Zamula have a roster spot next season given his pending RFA status this summer? Do they try and find a legitimate number one left-handed defenseman to partner with Drysdale? And is Drysdale capable of being a true number one defenseman in the first place? Needless to say the Flyers are no closer to understanding their transitioning blueline.
Number 3: Where Did it All Go Wrong?
As the dust settles and the immediate reactionary responses have been said, everyone is wondering where exactly the two sides fell apart. While the exact details may never be known, the version of the story Elliotte Friedman told of the Flyers not wanting to sign Gauthier immediately at the end of last season for cap-related purposes and Gauthier overreacting and shutting down lines of communication thus forcing the trade seems like a plausible theory. Even if Drysdale ends up being a big piece of the Flyers’ future, this is one of those things that will linger on the minds of fans for years to come, especially if no further details emerge.
Number 2: Can the Flyers Secure Offensive Talent?
As much as every person in the city of Philadelphia revels in the ability to send a collective “FU” to someone, when it comes to the future of the Flyers’ forward group, losing Cutter Gauthier hurts. There’s no real way around that considering the entirety of the Flyers’ “rebuild” plan was exclusively tied to Gauthier and Michkov showing up and turning into bonafide stars. So much of their offensive struggles, including the powerplay, were brushed off under the guise that Gauthier would show up at the end of the season and turn things around. Well now that in-house help isn’t coming. So Danny Briere is going to have to figure out a way to address the lackluster offense both in the short and long term. The free agent pool is weak. Both of their first rounders this year are both more than likely deep in the teens or early 20s, and it’s been nearly 15 years since the Flyers and a blockbuster acquisition. Can Briere overcome the deck being stacked against him?
Number 1: Can Tortorella Develop Drysdale?
John Tortorella will be tasked with shaping the 21-year-old defenseman into a well-rounded number one right-handed stud. The problem is, Tortorella has a very mixed bag when it comes to his handling of prospects during the Flyers “rebuild” with a notable weakness when it comes to the defense.
Egor Zamula has been in and out of favor with Torts all season long. Emil Andrae, a fellow smaller defenseman close in stature to Drysdale played four games with the Flyers in a limited role and spent most of the first month of the season in the press box before getting demoted to the AHL, and Ronnie Attard has been on the outside looking in for the last two seasons, despite having strong stretches of play in Lehigh Valley.
The thing is, given the high profile nature of Drysdale’s acquisition, the coaching staff can’t be quite as dismissive with him as they are fellow young players. They’re going to have to not only work him into the top four, but be ready to deal with the development and transition period that are going to come with the change of scenery, a patience level that Tortorella doesn’t usually have.
To give Tortorella and his assistant Brad Shaw the benefit of the doubt, pretty much every defenseman on the roster is over-performing, and through at least Drysdale’s first game with the team the opportunity to succeed was plentiful. Will he be feeling the same love in a month or so after a couple ill-advised turnovers and breakdowns? That’s the big question.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: espn.com
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