Tag: Flyers 2023-24 Season

The 2024 Stanley Cup Final is set between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers. Last season the Panthers ended their playoff run three games short of Lord Stanley’s Cup. And this trip marks the fifth time in a row a Florida based team has won the Eastern Conference Championship. While the Oilers had a slow start to the season going 2-5-1 through the month of October followed by a 7-7-0 run through November. The Oilers stormed through the standing in the second half of the season to finish second in the Pacific Division. This included a 16 game winning streak from December 21st to February 6th, the second longest winning streak in league history.

This season’s Stanley Cup matchup has five former Flyers playing. These include Sam Ganger, and Calvin Pickard from the Oilers and Nick Cousins, Anthony Stolarz, and Sergei Bobrovsky from the Panthers. Ganger, a forward, has not played a playoff game yet this year spent. He spent one season with the Flyers in 2016 playing 53 games and recording 16 points. While goaltender Pickard played 11 games for the Flyers in the 2019 season. During that year the Flyers used 8 goalies due to due to injures and the depth they had at the position. While on the Panthers side forward Nick Cousins started his career in Philadelphia spending three seasons with the team. Since arriving in Florida Cousins has solidified himself as a solid bottom six forward for the organization. Both ends of the Panthers goalie tandem  started their career in Philadelphia. Bobrovsky spent the first two season of his career in Philadelphia before moving on the Columbus and Florida. While Stolarz spent five seasons in the Flyers organization spending time in Philadelphia, Allentown, and Reading. After battling injuries Stolarz moved on to Edmonton and Anaheim before ending up in South Florida. Either way at least two former Flyers will win the Stanley Cup this season.

One thing to consider is how the last fifteen season Flyers would have been different if the team would held on to at least one of their goaltender prospects. These include both Anthony Stolarz and Sergei Bobrovsky from the Panthers as well as Alex Lyon from the Red Wings.

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On Thursday Flyers goaltender prospects Ivan Fedotov and Alexei Kolosov both had their KHL contracts terminated which allowed them to come play in North America. Fedotov was in Philadelphia by Friday and has already suited up in two games for the orange and black. While Kolosov was sent down to Lehigh Valley along with Felix Sandstrom to allow Fedotov to join the Flyers.

Alexei Kolosov was drafted in the third round by the Flyers in the 2021 draft. The 22 year old Belarusian has spent the last four season playing for Dinamo Minsk in the KHL. In 120 game Kolosov averages a 2.63 GAA and a 0.909 SV% with 6 shutouts.

While Ivan Fedotov has one of the craziest backgrounds anyone has ever witnessed. Drafted in 2015 in the seventh round, Fedotov played 9 seasons with various Russian teams. In May of 2022 Fedotov was a free agent and he signed an entry level deal with the Flyers to come to North America. In July Fedotov was arrested by the Russian military for evading the required miliary service. He joined the Russian Navy in the remote Artic town of Severomorsk along the Finnish boarder. He did not play for the entire 2022-23 season. After spending his one year in the Russian Military Fedotov signed a two year deal to play in the KHL for CSKA Moscow (previously known as the Red Army). This lead to a contract dispute over which one is valid, the one he signed with the Flyers, or the one with Moscow. The IIHF intervened and ruled in favor of the Flyers and placed sanctions on CSKA Moscow. After playing 44 games this season with a GAA of 2.37 and SV% of 0.914 with 4 shutouts Moscow terminated Fedotov’s contract which opened the door for him to come to America. Fedotov made his NHL debut on April 1st for the Flyers in relief of Sam Ersson at the start of the second period, making 19 saves on 21 shots in a 4-3 overtime lost to the Islanders. Fedotov is the tallest goalie in NHL history at 6’8″. 

The Playoff Push

With six games left in the regular season the Flyers sit third in the Metropolitan division standing. They are one point ahead of both the Capitals and Red Wings, and two above the Islanders. The Caps have eight games left, while the Wings and Isles have seven. In the remaining schedule for the Flyers four of their games are against teams outside of playoff contention in the Sabres, Blue Jackets, Canadians, and Devils. With one game against the the division best Rangers, and the final game which maybe for all the marbles against the Capitals. After going 2-4-1 in seven games against five of the best teams in the league the Flyers lost three in a row against teams outside of the playoff picture. The Flyers are in despite need of wins against weaker opponents if they want to have any hope of making the playoffs.

AP Photo/Chris Szagola

Fan favorite Wayne Simmonds has announced his retirement from the NHL after playing 1,037 games. Simmonds was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round of the 2007 draft. After spending three seasons with the Kings Simmonds was traded to the Flyers along with Bryden Schenn for Mike Richards. Simmonds first season with the Flyers (2011-2012) was one of the most notable seasons in recent Flyers history.

Two years after their run to the Stanley Cup Final the Flyers made wholesale changes by trading away their two of their best players in Jeff Carter and Mike Richards in exchange for Jake Voracek and Wayne Simmonds. The 2012 season was also marked by the stand out rookie seasons for Brayden Schenn, Matt Read and Sean Couturier. This was also the one season that Jarimir Jagr played for the Flyers in his return to the NHL. 13 games into the season newly appointed captain Chris Pronger suffered a career ending injury, which lead to Claude Giroux being named captain the next season, a title that he held for ten seasons. The 2012 season is notable for the Flyers with the Winter Classic played at Citizens Bank Park and the team’s playoff run beating the Penguins in an electric first round matchup. Simmonds was known as a great leader on and off the ice by giving back to the community. Simmonds was the Flyers All Star representative in 2017 where he won the MVP award.

Simmonds played 8 seasons and 584 games in Philadelphia. His final game as a Flyer was the 2019 Stadium Series game at Lincoln Financial Field where he was traded to the Predators at the deadline. Simmonds would then spend one year with the Devils and one with the Sabres before finishing his career with the Maple Leafs. Simmonds elected to retire after several injures plagued him late in his career. Wayne’s last game was in April of 2023.

The Flyers will sign Wayne Simmonds to a one day contract on April 13th as the Flyers take on the Devils to celebrate his career so that he can retire as a member of the team he had the most success with.

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This past week the Flyers called up goaltender Felix Sandstrom from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to backup Sam Ersson. Through 20 games with the Phantoms Sandstrom has a 3.23 GAA and a 0.882 SV%. The 27 year old Swede has played 26 games in the NHL over the past three years all for the Flyers. It looks as if the the Ersson-Sandstrom combo will be used for the rest of the year. Cal Petersen was placed on waivers to be sent down to Allentown this past week. Petersen only played 5 games for the Flyers including a 7-6 lost to the Penguins which led to the change. In addition the Flyers have brought forward Ollie Lycksell, Bobby Brink and defensemen Ronnie Attard up from the Phantoms. Attard was brough up to fill in the defensive gaps created by the absences of Ristolainen and Drysdale both considered week to week. While Travis Konecny was has missed the last five games and is expected to return this week.

Bobby Brink has excelled in his return to the lineup scoring two goals in his first three games. While Tyson Foerster has remained hot since his return from injury with six goals in five games including a penalty shot goal against the Senators. That goal gave the Flyers the NHL record for most penalty shot goals in a second at 5. Two players that have struggled as of late are Joel Farabee and Cam Atkinson. Farabee was on a 14 games goalless streak until Saturday. While Cam Atkinson has not scored a point in 12 games and was a healthy scratch for two games this past week. Farabee and Atkinson are two star players the Flyers need if they want to make a playoff push this spring.

The Flyers have also signed Denver Barkey to a three year entry level contract. The 18 year old has sent the past three season playing for the London Knights in the OHL. The 2023 3rd round pick has produced 87 points in 56 games for London. This week the Flyers are in action Monday night as they host Kevin Hayes and the St. Louis Blues. Followed by a trip to Florida to play the Panthers Thursday night and the Lightning Sunday night. The NHL trade deadline is this Friday the 8th at 3pm EST. The Flyers are in an unique spot of a rebuilding team that is in playoff contention. General Manager Danny Briere has already mentioned that the long-term future of the club is their main priority going into the deadline.

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After a disappointing loss at the Stadium Series game to the Devils the Flyers rebounded with a win over the struggling Blackhawks. On Friday Konecny left practice early in discomfort in what would later be diagnosed as an upper body injury. Konecny ended up missing both games this weekend. The Flyers did get Tyson Foerster back after missing the past 4 games after blocking a shot against Seattle.

The weekend started off with a home matchup agaisnt the red hot Rangers, winners of their past nine. Rookie forward Matt Rempe has been the talk of the league this past week. The 6’7″ 21 year old has more penalty minutes than ice time through his first 3 games. Rempe matched up with Nick Deslauriers early in the contest for one of the best fights of the year. In the end the Rangers ended up winning 2-1. The next day the Flyers were in Pittsburgh to face the Penguins. With Cal Petersen in net the Flyers lost 7-6. Tyson Foerster scored two goals and missed some time after blocking a shot. While Jamie Drysdale left the game early after taking a hit from Jansen Harkins. Drysdale missed most of last season with a shoulder injury.

Coming into this season no one expected the Flyers to be in their current situation two weeks before the trade deadline. Through 59 games the Flyers have 67 and are third in the Metropolitan Division. 5 points a head of the next team that can catch them, the Devils. It has been clear from the start that GM Danny Briere and President Keith Jones have a long term goal in mind for this organization. To rebuild the Flyers into a champion caliber team. With the short term success of the current team it begs the question of what upper management will be willing to do at the deadline. There have been rumors that teams are interested in Laughton, Konecny, Seeler, Walker, and Ristolainen to name a few. It is believed that either Seeler or Walker will be traded, it is unlikely that both would be moved. While Ristolainen’s name was in the mix either this season, but his current injury has deflated this trade value. Laughton and Konecny have been chosen as leaders of the team by being named alternate captains last week. It is once again unlikely that both of them will be moved. And if one of them are traded it would be from a healthy offer. Briere and Jones will be analyzing the long term future of the club at the approaching deadline.

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The Flyers are a streaky team as of late. They had a five game winning streak followed up by a five game losing streak before the week long break. And now the orange and black are on a four game winning streak. Including wins against two of the best teams in the league. A 2-1 victory over the Panthers and a 4-1 win over the Jets. Followed by a 3-2 win over the Kraken and 5-3 triumph over the Coyotes. Three of the wins came with the Flyers new starting goalie Sam Ersson in net. While the win over Seattle came with Cal Petersen in his third start of the year. The Flyers success has been fueled by the continued success of Travis Konecny and Owen Tippet this season. While Morgan Frost and Scott Laughton are getting hot at the right time. The Flyers will now embark on a three game road trip with stops in Toronto, New Jersey, and Chicago. This includes the Stadium Series game against the Devils Saturday night at 8 eastern from Met Life Stadium on ABC.

Trade Deadline

The NHL trade deadline is fast approaching (Friday, March 8th at 3pm). At their current position it looks like the Flyers will be buyers at the deadline this year.  There have not been many reports to who Philadelphia may be looking the acquire, but several Flyers players are on other teams’ radars. These include Ristolainen with possible interest in Toronto, Vancouver and Dallas. Sean Walker who is on the radar of Edmonton, Toronto, and Tampa, where the Flyers will be looking for at least a 1st round pick. Scott Laughton’s name has also been linked to rumors where the Flyers would once again be looking for a 1st rounder.

The Flyers will mostly likely move one of their defensemen since they have depth at that position. One thing that Flyers should look for at the deadline would be a skilled forward, most likely a center. There were rumors linking Trevor Zegras of the Ducks to Philadelphia but that would be unlikely. As Zegras is one of the best young forwards in the league it would be hard to Anaheim to move on from him. Zegras has experience playing with several Flyers including Drysdale, York, and Brink. I do not anticipate the Flyers attempting to trade for a goalie at the moment as they are content with Ersson and Petersen moving forward.

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For the Flyers first game after nine days off the orange and black traveled to South Florida to play a hot Panthers team. Florida has aspirations to prove that last season was not a fluke and that they are ready for another deep playoff run. While the Flyers had to regroup after a five game losing streak going into the All-Star break. The first period was shaky for the Flyers as they were heavily outplayed by the Panthers. They had to rely heavily on Sam Ersson to keep it a one goal deficit after twenty minutes. The Flyers were able to regroup and battle back for a 2-1 victory with goals by Travis Konceny and Noah Cates. The Flyers were fortunate to have Owen Tippett return to the lineup after missing the last four games with a lower body injury. Philadelphia will be relying on Sam Ersson to be the number one goalie for the rest of the season due to the absence of Carter Hart. As he has most likely played his last game as a Flyer.

Travis Konceny was the Flyers lone participant at the NHL All-Star game this past weekend in Toronto. He was drafted to Nathan MacKinnon’s team along with Sidney Crosby, Tom Wilson, and Sebastian Aho from the Metro Division. TK did not participate in the skill competition on Friday night and only recorded an assist in Team MacKinnon’s lone game in a 4-3 shootout loss to Team McDavid.

The Flyers are currently third in the Metropolitan Division with 58 points in 51 games. They are three points behind the Hurricanes and four points ahead of the Islanders. No other team in the division has played 51 games yet so teams below the Flyers will have games at hand to make up points to try and catch the Flyers. As of right now it looks like both Wild Card spots in the East will be taken by teams from the Atlantic Division. So the Flyers must stay in the top three of the Metro to make the playoffs.

The Flyers are next in action on Thursday the 8th against the Jets, followed by a Saturday night game versus the Kraken and Monday night against the Coyotes during a three game home stand.

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Coming into this season’s all-star game the Flyers are on a five-game losing streak. This comes after a five-game winning streak earlier in the month. Over this stretch the Flyers have been outscored 12 to 27. In most games the Flyers would fall behind early in the game and work back in the second half to make the game interesting. Just to give up multiple empty net goals to pad the opponent’s stat sheets. The only bright spots from this losing streak are the one going performance of Travis Konecny and Joel Farabee. Who are proving to be two of the best young forwards in the league. Travis Konecny will be the Flyers lone All-Star representative in Toronto this weekend. While Cam Atkinson has started to get hot after a slow start to the season.

The Flyers were without Owen Tippet for the last four games as he has been placed on IR with a lower body injury. He is expected to return after the All-Star break. Tippet recently signed an 8-year contract extension, making 6.2 million dollars a year. This would most likely make Tippet a Flyer for life. As well as giving him the current longest contract on the roster. While forward Ryan Poehling also signed an extension for two years at 1.9 million annually.

Philadelphia will be in a tough goaltending situation for the rest of the year relying heavily on rookie Sam Ersson who is eligible for the Calder Trophy this season. The Flyers had one of the best goal tandems in the league throughout this season, but they will be without Carter Hart for the foreseeable future. Cal Petersen has been called up from Lehigh Valley to be Ersson’s backup. Petersen has only played in three games for the Flyers, including their last matchup against the Bruins where Ersson was pulled after the first period. Through 15 games with the Phantoms Petersen has a 3.26 GAA and 0.890 SVV. It is safe to assume that unlike it was with Hart and Ersson where they had equal playing time. Ersson will start the majority of the time for the rest of the season, while Petersen will only play in one half of back-to-back games and an occupational midweek game.

Image courtesy of (Amy Irvin/ The Hockey Writers)