The Flyers have been giving us fits all year. We started with no expectations, and the team came out hot. Then just when we started to believe, the losses were relentless. Some thought we would add at the deadline others figured subtraction was the best path and the team essentially did nothing. Now that we finally started to embrace the lottery, we are winning again. Guys! What the f**k?
Remaining Schedule (click to expand)
- March 14 vs Blue Jackets
- March 18 at Ducks
- March 19 at Kings
- March 21 at Sharks
- March 24 vs Blue Jackets
- March 26 at Blackhawks
- March 28 at Red Wings
- March 29 vs Stars
- March 31 at Capitals
- April 2 vs Red Wings
- April 3 at Islanders
- April 5 vs Bruins
- April 7 at Devils
- April 9 at Red Wings
- April 11 at Jets
- April 13 vs Hurricanes
- April 14 vs Canadians
The Flyers are currently just out of the playoffs with 73 points but have won 6 out of 8. Boston holds the final playoff spot in the East with 78 points, Columbus has 77, then Ottawa and Washington sit with the Flyers. There are 17 games left, just enough for a push or a dive and I don’t think any of us know what will happen.
Push?
The East has 4 teams on top: Carolina, Buffalo, Tampa, and Montreal. After them, the other 4 teams are at 79 and 78 points. Basically, the playoffs are there for the taking. Can the Flyers do any damage once they get there? That’s the wonderful thing about hockey, you really never know. That’s goes double when you get a hot goaltender.
Dan Vladar has been a godsend for the Flyers this year. They are 21-11-6 with him in net. Assuming half those ties are wins, that would be 87 points right now if he played every game (113-point pace on the season). I know that’s not possible, but it shows that the Flyers might be a trickier playoff out than you would think. They just need to get there.
Even if it ends up being a quick out, this Flyers team needs some positivity they can build on. We haven’t been to the playoffs since the Covid season. There has only been one playoff series win since 2012. Just give us a goddamn chance!
Dive?
You want a chance? You had a chance. The team had one of its biggest feel good wins in ages when they beat the Ducks on January 6th. Then they proceeded to lose 6 in a row and 11 out of 13. This team can’t handle its emotions and has nothing to rally behind. Despite a few wins lately, it is still the same team that tanked before and needed an Olympic Break to recover.
Getting as low as possible is what this team needs to do. There are two tiers of bad teams below the Flyers. The Canucks are far and away the worst team with 48 points right now. Then there is a glut of 5 teams between 59 and 62 points. The Flyers are trying to stay with the next group, 8 teams between 66 and 73 points. The good part of this group is that it is really 9 teams. One of these bad teams is going to make the playoffs in the West with San Jose currently holding it down at 68 points. There are 4 teams for 1 spot.
If the Flyers play their cards right, they can get as high as 7th in the standings. In the NHL, the top 2 picks are subject to the lottery and teams can only move up 10 spots. Here are pick possibilities:
- 7th: 6.5% (1) and 6.7% (2)
- 8th: 6% and 6.3%
- 9th: 5% and 5.3%
- 10th: 3.5% and 3.7%
- 11th: 3% and 3.2%
- 12th: 5.2% for #2
There seems to be 3 picks that top the prospects list: Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, and Keaton Verhoeff. The Flyers need talent desperately and would truly benefit from even the 6% to 13% chance of lucking into one of these guys.
One Last Thing
The regular season ends on April 14th. In the words of Andy Dufresne, the Flyers need to either get busy living or get busy dying. To stay in the middle, out of the lottery and the playoffs, would be the worst-case scenario.
There could be one cherry on top of a season though. The NCAA Hockey Tournament kicks off on March 26th and ends on April 11th. Well, Flyers prospect and current Michigan State Spartan Porter Martone is not just in the tourney, but playing for one of the favorites. Martone is currently 4th in the NCAA in points per game and has 23 goals with 23 assists. As soon as his season ends, it is speculated that he will join the Flyers. Whether the season is lost or just getting good, this will be an exciting development for the future.
Philly Front Office 
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