At a time when it’s easy to go negative, and believe me, if you’ve written one word about the Flyers in the last decade it’s easy to go negative these days, there’s actually a lot of good emanating from yet another 10-game winless streak, which reached this landmark Saturday with a 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders.
You might not see it yet, or, you might think I’m offering some bit of half-serious snark just to get through yet another post about a team that challenges the scribes documenting its malaise for history and posterity like no other.
But the reality is what’s taking place right now does have some silver linings.
Before we get to those though, we have to provide the obligatory information that is mind-numbing, so if you want to dodge it and close your eyes and scroll down for a couple seconds. Consider this your warning:
That’s not good.
Also not good is the Flyers’ special teams. The power play, which has tallied just two goals in the last 11 games, is down to 14.5%, which ranks 31st in a 32-team league. The penalty kill is only marginally better ranking-wise, coming in at 26th in the league at 73.5%.
If you’re one of the analytically-inclined types, the Flyers rank 28th in Corsi For Percentage (Puck Possession metric) at 45.34% per NaturalStatTrick.com.
Additionally, NaturalStatTrick.com has them ranked 24th in expected goals for (38.95) and 3rd in expected goals against (49.45), which is a list you want to be closer to the bottom than the top,
And then there’s this very accurate observation:
So… there you have it. Al the negative stuff in one place. Now, onto what good is coming from this:
The one question I keep getting asked this season is why Torts is so damn hard on Kevin Hayes. Hayes has been a point-per-game player. It’s the best start to his career through 22 games. And yet, here’s a short list of what Torts has done to Hayes so far:
And yet, the guy keeps producing. He’s one of only a few true NHL forwards in this lineup and continues to put up points and carry this team offensively (as much as this offense CAN be carried). He’s taking the abuse of the coach, and plowing through it, professionally, not complaining, just going out there and making plays like this:
And like this:
So, how does this make Tortorella an evil genius? Isn’t he unnecessarily punishing a guy who is actually the team’s best player so far?
No.
In fact, what he’s doing is actually helping to fuel the player in such a way that he just might be creating a trade market for a guy who otherwise has a seemingly unmovable contract.
Think about it. How do you get a team attracted to a player with a $7.1 million cap hit not only for this season but three more afterwards?
Go back to the summer. GM Chuck Fletcher couldn’t trade one season of James van Riemsdyk, with a similar contract coming off a 25-goal season without adding in a sweetener that was too rich for Fletcher’s liking.
So, why would a team do anything different for Hayes?
Well, for one, he’s a natural center, as opposed to being a winger like JVR, so that automatically has more value. He’s also a big-bodied center, which is coveted in this league.
He can play in all situations, including both special teams, although on a good team he’s likely more a second power play unit guy.
He’s versatile enough to move up and down a lineup, and there’s no doubt he’s incredibly well-liked by players all across the sport, so he’d definitely come in and be a good teammate and locker room presence.
By moving him to the wing, Torts felt like he could use Hayes to create more offense – and it’s showing. And, by continuing to needle him, he is keeping Hayes motivated. Maybe enough that Hayes could be the Flyers lone representative at the All-Star game.
Think a good team might be more intrigued to add all that at the deadline? Even if it’s not a great return, getting the cap space is far more crucial considering the state of this team.
So, yeah, Torts might actually be on to something.
No one wants to continue to hear about how hard a team battled, or how solid the effort is when it doesn’t amount to victories. It’s true. But, the reality is, when you have a team like this and you are giving players an opportunity to play extended time in the NHL, creating good habits that basically become muscle memory are paramount.
The Flyers didn’t compete well in their 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh Friday, but in the 5-2 loss to the Islanders, it was a completely different story.
The Flyers were simply the better team for most of the game. They were especially proficient from a team defense perspective, limiting the Islanders chances. Even though the score was tied 2-2 after two periods, there was a general sense with how the game was going that the Flyers could finally break through and win a game for the first time in nearly three weeks.
Then, in a span of 20 seconds early in the third period, it went awry. A attempted pass from Rasmus Ristolainen to MacEwen missed in the neutral zone, the Islanders came back with speed and Brock Nelson had an open shot and sniped Sandstrom for the lead.
Then, Hayes lost the puck trying to start a zone exit and Joel Farabee noticed it a hair too late and was out of position to stop Anthony Beauvillier from being in the perfect place for a one-timer.
Neither error was egregious. They were borne out of effort. The Islanders, to their credit, capitalized on both. Aside from those moments though, the Flyers controlled the game. If you looked at the analytics, you would have expected them to win the game.
That, of course, is why we don’t rely solely on those analytics, but they do tell you the Flyers played a strong game, one of the best in a while too.
So, when this happens after the game, you know why:
To be clear, there were other questions prior to these that Torts did answer with a little more detail. But you can understand why he didn’t want to criticize Saturday.
He would have been well within his right to lambaste the team Friday. He chose to go the one-word answer rout for most of his presser instead. On Saturday, however, he could have almost written a love ballad based on the way the team played, and likely would have sang that tune had they won. Instead, he reminded us that there was a lot of good in the game and burying that beneath criticism wouldn’t have been fair to the players.
Years from now, these games will long be forgotten, but the players who survive this tumultuous time in franchise history will be able to hearken back to how they played and find the right button to push when needed in a far more critical juncture.
Truly, this is best for the Flyers at this point. There is no guarantee that losing a lot will net you a superstar, but there is at least one generational talent in the 2023 draft, maybe two (although you’d have to wait a few year for him, as he’s under contact in Russia until 2026.) And at least two other players with enough high-end skill to project as potential All-Star caliber players – much like their selection of Cutter Gauthier last season.
That’s what the team needs to turn around. A young superstar to build around. A couple other talented young players to grow with him, and then a collection of veterans with a team-oriented focus to support them and be there with them in the good times.
That last group is what Torts is trying to mold right now. Who will be part of it if/when the Flyers emerge on the other side? That’s to be determined. Safe bets are the likes of Owen Tippet, Noah Cates, Scott Laughton, Ivan Provorov and Tony DeAngelo. Add in guys like Tyson Foerster and maybe Zayde Wisdom along with Yegor Zamula and Cam York. Get Sean Couturier healthy and look out for the dark horse goalie Samuel Ersson.
That might be a pretty good base if you add a Connor Bedard or a Adam Dantilli or if you wait for a Matvei Michkov or even land fourth prize in Leo Carlson plus Gauthier has the Flyers finally moving in the right direction, as soon as next season.
But until then, we have to continue watching this slog and wonder allowed if the current management group can be trusted to not screw this up.
And if they do, boy will we ever be negative about it.