Reinvigorated by young blood, the Flyers reach new heights
Jul 20, 2018 8:28:13 GMT -5
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Post by bjernagris (PHI) on Jul 20, 2018 8:28:13 GMT -5
Reinvigorated by young blood, the Flyers reach new heights
Nov 4th, 2024
PHILADELPHIA, PA. – After an offseason which saw considerable star power depart from the Flyers locker room and replaced with a batch of younger talent, the Philadelphia Flyers are off to a record breaking season start.
For the Flyers, 2023/24 was another strong campaign ultimately ending in disappointment as the Sabres once again were too strong in the Conference Finals, and in the offseason management saw it necessary to regroup. Arguably the league’s strongest goaltending duo departed, as Tomas Vomacka was shipped to Los Angeles and Braden Holtby’s contract was not renewed. Additionally, proven top-six veteran wingers Kyle Palmieri and Tyler Johnson were sent to new clubs, despite both having term left on their deals and coming off respectable seasons. Youngsters Lukas Habala and Jérémy Jacques, having just completed their first full seasons as iNHL regulars, were sent to Ottawa, and depth forward Spencer Smallman was traded to Dallas.
Flyers’ offseason philosophy was slightly different this year compared to previous offseasons, when big signings and blockbuster trades would be associated with the franchise. In a way, it was this offseason too, only that the big names went the other way. To replace the departures, young and largely unproven players were brought in, increasing hope among fans for a continually competitive team for future years while predictions were they would take a step back in the shorter term.
The goaltending duo was set to be Nordic, with highly touted Finn Juuso Estemaa finally getting a shot at becoming a regular Flyer after stewing in the AHL for four seasons with only sporadic iNHL action. The fight for the backup job stood between Swedes Adam Åhman and Hugo Kullander, with the latter getting the shot to start the season after a good training camp and preseason. Lack of experience was a major question mark going into the season – Estemaa and Kullander combined for 361 minutes of iNHL action at the start of the season – and pundits predicted that the tragic story of mediocre Flyers goaltending would get another chapter added to it.
Defense remained relatively intact with Jacques the only departure, replaced by former 1st round pick Loïk Léveillé who joined as a free agent, signing a 5-year contract, as well as big frame Swede Eric Hjorth who signed an offer sheet after the Coyotes opted not to match it.
The forward group saw more significant changes, as rookies and Flyers’s draftees Isaac Howard (2022, 1st round, 30th overall) and Lee Chiang (2021, 3rd round, 92nd overall) were promoted to the big club. Howard, coming off an impressive junior career posting 313 points in 272 games across four seasons with the Tri-City Americans in the WHL, was set to slot in on the first line alongside young stars Aidan Dudas and Olivier Mathieu. Chiang, who spent two seasons with the Flyers’ AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms, was penciled in for third line duty with Sean Tschigerl and Massimo Rizzo. The latter, himself an offseason addition in the Jacques trade, was arguably the highest-profile player to join the Flyers this offseason. Finally, sandpaper winger Anthony Tabak was acquired from Dallas to provide depth and grit.
In the fiercely competitive Metro division nothing comes for free, and the Flyers regrouping had pundits predict a step back for the organization this season as the team and their new players would adjust to big league action.
Early indications are they could not have been more wrong.
A quarter into the season, the Flyers boast the strongest record in the league’s history to start a campaign (19-1-0), and the team has been firing on all cylinders. Goaltending has been the least of concerns, with Estemaa and Kullander combining for 1.69 GAA and.936 SV%, sitting at or near the top of the league’s goalies in both categories. On defense Anthony Aguanno has seemingly taken the final step into becoming a true top pairing player, posting 17 points (5+12) in 20 games so far and pairing up with Mark Friedman to form one of the strongest defense duos in the league. Loïk Léveillé has jumped right in, contributing offensively and defensively in all situations on the ice next to fellow Québécois Simon Després. On offense, production is quite evenly spread across lines and players. Top center Aidan Dudas leads the team in points averaging more than 1 point-per-game. Massimo Rizzo has been a strong offensive contributor with 16 points (6+10) in 20 games, seemingly having found back to the form of his rookie year when he helped the Senators to a Stanley Cup win and was in the discussion for Rookie of the Year. Notably, veteran winger Brayden Schenn has proven that he is still a relevant player in the league, and much-maligned Nick Bjugstad keeps putting up points despite some aspects of his play looking weaker than in years past. Howard and Chiang have both had respectable starts to their big league careers, with the former sitting at the top of the league’s plus-minus column along with his line mates, and the latter getting ice time on Philly’s top PP unit. Finally, Anthony Tabak is providing grit and attitude while also chipping in offensively, posting 8 points (3+5) with limited ice time.
Young players who make their entry to the league tend to have an issue with consistency, and certainly a hot start like the one we are witnessing is not sustainable, so we should see the Flyers performance level off in the near term. However, the team looks set to make the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season and the big question is, after having been eliminated in the Conference Finals for three consecutive seasons will a younger squad be able to achieve what their predecessors were unable to?
Nov 4th, 2024
PHILADELPHIA, PA. – After an offseason which saw considerable star power depart from the Flyers locker room and replaced with a batch of younger talent, the Philadelphia Flyers are off to a record breaking season start.
For the Flyers, 2023/24 was another strong campaign ultimately ending in disappointment as the Sabres once again were too strong in the Conference Finals, and in the offseason management saw it necessary to regroup. Arguably the league’s strongest goaltending duo departed, as Tomas Vomacka was shipped to Los Angeles and Braden Holtby’s contract was not renewed. Additionally, proven top-six veteran wingers Kyle Palmieri and Tyler Johnson were sent to new clubs, despite both having term left on their deals and coming off respectable seasons. Youngsters Lukas Habala and Jérémy Jacques, having just completed their first full seasons as iNHL regulars, were sent to Ottawa, and depth forward Spencer Smallman was traded to Dallas.
Flyers’ offseason philosophy was slightly different this year compared to previous offseasons, when big signings and blockbuster trades would be associated with the franchise. In a way, it was this offseason too, only that the big names went the other way. To replace the departures, young and largely unproven players were brought in, increasing hope among fans for a continually competitive team for future years while predictions were they would take a step back in the shorter term.
The goaltending duo was set to be Nordic, with highly touted Finn Juuso Estemaa finally getting a shot at becoming a regular Flyer after stewing in the AHL for four seasons with only sporadic iNHL action. The fight for the backup job stood between Swedes Adam Åhman and Hugo Kullander, with the latter getting the shot to start the season after a good training camp and preseason. Lack of experience was a major question mark going into the season – Estemaa and Kullander combined for 361 minutes of iNHL action at the start of the season – and pundits predicted that the tragic story of mediocre Flyers goaltending would get another chapter added to it.
Defense remained relatively intact with Jacques the only departure, replaced by former 1st round pick Loïk Léveillé who joined as a free agent, signing a 5-year contract, as well as big frame Swede Eric Hjorth who signed an offer sheet after the Coyotes opted not to match it.
The forward group saw more significant changes, as rookies and Flyers’s draftees Isaac Howard (2022, 1st round, 30th overall) and Lee Chiang (2021, 3rd round, 92nd overall) were promoted to the big club. Howard, coming off an impressive junior career posting 313 points in 272 games across four seasons with the Tri-City Americans in the WHL, was set to slot in on the first line alongside young stars Aidan Dudas and Olivier Mathieu. Chiang, who spent two seasons with the Flyers’ AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms, was penciled in for third line duty with Sean Tschigerl and Massimo Rizzo. The latter, himself an offseason addition in the Jacques trade, was arguably the highest-profile player to join the Flyers this offseason. Finally, sandpaper winger Anthony Tabak was acquired from Dallas to provide depth and grit.
In the fiercely competitive Metro division nothing comes for free, and the Flyers regrouping had pundits predict a step back for the organization this season as the team and their new players would adjust to big league action.
Early indications are they could not have been more wrong.
A quarter into the season, the Flyers boast the strongest record in the league’s history to start a campaign (19-1-0), and the team has been firing on all cylinders. Goaltending has been the least of concerns, with Estemaa and Kullander combining for 1.69 GAA and.936 SV%, sitting at or near the top of the league’s goalies in both categories. On defense Anthony Aguanno has seemingly taken the final step into becoming a true top pairing player, posting 17 points (5+12) in 20 games so far and pairing up with Mark Friedman to form one of the strongest defense duos in the league. Loïk Léveillé has jumped right in, contributing offensively and defensively in all situations on the ice next to fellow Québécois Simon Després. On offense, production is quite evenly spread across lines and players. Top center Aidan Dudas leads the team in points averaging more than 1 point-per-game. Massimo Rizzo has been a strong offensive contributor with 16 points (6+10) in 20 games, seemingly having found back to the form of his rookie year when he helped the Senators to a Stanley Cup win and was in the discussion for Rookie of the Year. Notably, veteran winger Brayden Schenn has proven that he is still a relevant player in the league, and much-maligned Nick Bjugstad keeps putting up points despite some aspects of his play looking weaker than in years past. Howard and Chiang have both had respectable starts to their big league careers, with the former sitting at the top of the league’s plus-minus column along with his line mates, and the latter getting ice time on Philly’s top PP unit. Finally, Anthony Tabak is providing grit and attitude while also chipping in offensively, posting 8 points (3+5) with limited ice time.
Young players who make their entry to the league tend to have an issue with consistency, and certainly a hot start like the one we are witnessing is not sustainable, so we should see the Flyers performance level off in the near term. However, the team looks set to make the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season and the big question is, after having been eliminated in the Conference Finals for three consecutive seasons will a younger squad be able to achieve what their predecessors were unable to?