We’re past the midway point of the 2023-24 NHL season, and the Philadelphia Flyers are in an unlikely playoff spot, desperately trying to cling onto it as the campaign marches on. Despite the fact the front office were calling this a rebuilding season, maybe they don’t need a full scale as originally anticipated. With the trade deadline on the horizon, if they managed to hang onto a spot until then and attempt to make additions for a postseason run, what exactly should be their main targets of improvement?
Number 5: Number One Left-handed Defenseman
With the addition of 21-year-old right-handed defenseman Jamie Drysdale, whom the Flyers are going to try and turn into their top pair righty, they could use a little bit of star power on the left side to insulate their young star for years to come. Both Travis Sanheim and Cam York can hang onto that top left spot with some level of legitimacy, but in a perfect world, neither are the ideal long term partner for Drysdale. It’s not priority number one at the moment, but will be a piece they’ll probably need to address at some point in the near future.
Number 4: Big Top Four Defenseman
There have been many rumors surrounding the fate of Nick Seeler, with a potential contract extension the likely outcome because he’s had a decent season. But the new deal mainly comes because of his size and physical ability on an otherwise smaller corps. And while neither he or Ristolainen have been bad, they’re also not the best of the best at their craft. If they could find a worthy top four defenseman with size that’s a clear cut improvement over Seeler and Ristolainen, it could be a big win in the long term.
Number 3: Depth Scoring
Scoring on the Flyers in general isn’t where it needs to be in order for them to have Cup aspirations just yet, but they’re particularly struggling to get goals from anyone not named Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett or Joel Farabee. The big problem here is high-end depth pieces are going to go for a king’s ransom at the trade deadline to a bonafide Cup team in need of their last missing piece, so while this one is fairly crucial for success, it’s also going to be the hardest to obtain at the deadline.
Number 2: Backup Goalie
After Carter Hart’s arrest, the Flyers have gone from an embarrassment of riches in net to needing to find a semi-competent backup goalie to ease the pressure on rookie starter Sam Ersson ASAP. Cal Petersen just isn’t going to cut it as an NHL option despite the fact he’s got one year left on his current contract, and the organization seems to think highly of 22-year-old Alexei Kolosov, who’s expected to make the North American jump next season, but is not a real option for NHL minutes right away. Whether or not the Flyers prioritize this at the deadline or wait until the offseason will be the big question, but it’s a need they can’t ignore, because throwing Sam Ersson to the wolves without help is a sure -fire way to destroy his confidence and hinder his overall development.
Number 1: Young 1C
The one position the Flyers have flat out ignored for most of the previous now three general managers is a legitimate solution at center, and with former fifth overall pick Cutter Gauthier no longer in the picture, Danny Briere is going to have to proactively track a top center down by himself. A center group of Couturier-Frost-Poehling-Laughton just isn’t going to cut it when it comes to Cup aspirations. Trevor Zegras has been the biggest name out there ahead of the deadline, and while he may not be the bonafide number one guy they’re looking for, he’s easily their best option when it comes to young, offensively dynamic centers in an otherwise barren pool to pick from ahead of the 2024 deadline or offseason.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: NHL.com
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