The 2023-24 Philadelphia Flyers season has been a tale of two different sides of the same story. The team has finally gained its footing after a miserable free fall for much of the last three seasons, but it has led to a very “ready, fire, aim” kind of feeling as the overachieving group has overshot their original “rebuilding” target they entered the campaign with.
Danny Briere took over the Flyers’ GM job nearly one year ago and freely used the word rebuild, but the actions of the organization haven’t really matched the prototypical definition. The mixed messages partnered with their improved but not quite perfect on-ice results has thrown the question of where exactly the Flyers are on their own timeline into question.
Even though the Flyers are having a much better than expected season led by John Tortorella and his culture-based approach, the long-term question marks are still very much present, and with some notable roster losses in the form of Cutter Gauthier and Carter Hart, some brand new holes have emerged to fix.
Though the future plan of the organization won’t stay murky forever. It will all come to a head at the trade deadline, when they either sell off some of their roster players and accumulate more assets, or they refuse to part ways with their few players on the block, potentially re-sign them, setting the roster up to look nearly identical for another season.
Most rebuilding teams wouldn’t think twice about selling main roster players for draft capital, but with the Flyers still lingering on the playoff bubble on the back of their “cultural” rebuild, as the deadline approaches, selling those assets doesn’t seem like a guarantee.
Over the last few weeks rumors emerged that both Nick Seeler and Sean Walker are both being considered for contract extensions, with Seeler in particular seemingly ready to ink a deal to keep him in Philly for the foreseeable future.
A few weeks ago, we talked about some red flags with the way the Flyers are building their roster, mainly in the fact that a vast majority of the team is already under contract for next season. 18 of the 23 roster spots are already accounted for, and that’s before the fates of Seeler and Walker are known.
It’s been very much a “culture versus talent” battle, and running back the exact same team because they like each other despite the very obvious flaws still in front of them could hinder their growth before it even begins.
It doesn’t seem like there’s a ton of players on the Flyers’ trade block heading into the deadline next week. Nick Seeler, Sean Walker, Scott Laughton, Marc Staal and Rasmus Ristolainen highlight the only likely candidates to get moved.
That’s two depth leaders, one over-performing defenseman, one guy on a long-term contract and whatever it is Marc Staal is supposed to be doing these days… and they’ve all got lofty rumored price tags.
Wanting big returns for their pieces is natural, and adding first round picks is really the only way to continue to sell the facade of a “rebuild” much longer, but just retaining the services of the players on the block if those hefty prices aren’t met, in turn, is the exact opposite of a rebuild. Losing the services of Walker and Seeler during the offseason for nothing is bad, but handing out lifetime contracts would be even worse.
At the end of the day, there’s a big difference between “rebuilding” and just bobbing along in the ocean as a bubble team. At face value, the Flyers seem to be content as the latter. Rebuilding typically means overhauling and developing the product towards an end goal. Not just a cheap marketing term or rally cry with no actual action.
Is there time to adjust? Yes.
They could go into the deadline and actually sell, even if it leaves the roster shorthanded for a potential playoff push. It’s not like this is a make-or-break postseason and they were pegged to win it all if Sean Walker stays. There’s a good chance they’re not making it out of the first round regardless of who’s on the roster.
But keeping the band together, for whatever reason the front office can concoct, should put the end to the pander-ridden term “rebuild” and a shift towards building a legitimate team during the 2024 offseason should ensue.
So what do the Flyers ultimately do on deadline day? We’ll just have to wait until March 8 to find out.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
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