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With Fading Vibes, Questions About the Real Vision for the Flyers’ Future
By Nick Piccone
Published:
The Flyers lost again Wednesday night, 5-3 to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Despite Travis Konecny’s hat trick and the return of Dan Vladar, the mediocre Flyers played mediocre hockey… again.
They’re currently six points out of a playoff spot and the vibes are low.
Three Metropolitan teams ahead of them in the standings right now have more cap space: the Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Blue Jackets.
Rick Tocchet wasn’t a unanimously loved hire as head coach and hasn’t done much to quell the notion that much of the blowback was unfair.
What exactly are Keith Jones and Danny Briere building to?
It’s crazy to me that the incredible 2010 run was now over 15 years ago. We used to bank on the Flyers at least qualifying for a playoff spot and having some incredible games in an incredible atmosphere. There have been many teams who’ve hit rock bottom just to rebuild and become Stanley Cup contender mainstays: the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, even the New York Rangers – who are now in a completely transparent rebuild.
The Flyers do have some prospects worth getting excited about, but it feels like there is still not a set plan for when they’ll join the big club. Porter Martone’s timing is still up in the air since he was just drafted last year. The same with Jett Luchanko. Could the Flyers possibly flip them for talent already in the NHL? Doesn’t seem like that’s Briere and Jones’ M.O.
But we also didn’t think they’d sign Christian Dvorak to a five-year deal. Sean Couturier was once a great Flyer, but he’s not anymore. He’s wearing the C because they legitimately have nobody else that can. Konecny? Eh.
Trevor Zegras was giving us something fun to watch, but not recently. Owen Tippett isn’t what we’d hoped he would be.
Some people might talk about injuries derailing seasons, but a good team with good depth at the very least treads water when hit with the injury bug. The Flyers don’t have that depth. The most excitement of the last few years was because Michkov came over earlier than expected. His struggles this season are more aimed toward the organization than the player because the organization still hasn’t recouped the benefit of the doubt from the previous eras.
I think some fans would prefer a 2006-07 type season where the Flyers just bottom out and start from scratch, because it seems to be easier to build a true contender that way. They got close in the 2021-22 season, but the ensuing season didn’t quite get them to the Conference Final the way 2008 did.
The Flyers just haven’t hit on many prospects. Hand up, I got lost in the idea of the Flyers making the playoffs even as a Wild Card team the last couple years. They have this ability to make you think, “What if?” They are far from a powerhouse, but can we trust them to return to the league’s elites under this regime? It’s the same question that’s been asked under Ron Hextall and Chuck Fletcher. We’re almost three years into Briere’s regime, and no more closer to relevancy.
At some point, there needs to be a real vision for the future. I’m not sure I’m seeing it.
Nick Piccone has covered Philly sports and events for over 14 years with various outlets, including PhillyVoice and Philly Influencer. In 2015, he co-launched the Straight Shooters Wrestling Podcast. He's also a producer for Fox Sports Radio Philadelphia and the Villanova Sports Radio Network. He grew up in South Philadelphia and South Jersey, and is a graduate of Neumann University. Contact: picconenick@gmail.com