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by Hayden Downer (8th)

It was just six months ago that the Flyers were in the mud - hopeless it seemed. No playoffs, no hope, no aspirations. It looked like the 2023/24 NHL season was already a lost cause. It was a sentiment that even I shared in such bleak times.

But something has been different about the Broad Street Bullies this year. They’ve had a spark. As of writing this, on Monday, December 11th, the Flyers are 15-10-2 and have rattled off wins in five of their last seven games. 

But this “resurgence” of sorts started in the offseason. At the time, many of the Orange and Black’s moves were, bluntly, puzzling. Sending veteran center Kevin Hayes to the Blues for a measly sixth-round pick looked like a disaster class by the front office at the time of the trade. The Flyers also traded away franchise cornerstone Ivan Provorov, leaving a big hole in the defense with no clear top defensive line in sight. The Flyers also lost important players like Justin Braun and James Van Reimsdyk to free agency. The Flyers’ turbulent Tony DeAngelo experiment also came to an abrupt halt as he was dealt to the Hurricanes for chump change.  

At the time, it looked like all hope was lost, losing most of their best players. But things started to look up after the NHL Draft, where the Flyers selected a promising defenseman in Oliver Bonk out of the CHL. Bonk probably still won’t play for the Flyers for a year or two, but he is a very promising prospect. The Flyers finally got to signing some players late into the offseason as they picked up forwards Ryan Poehling and Garnet Hathaway. The Flyers also picked up seasoned defenseman Marc Staal to bolster their 3rd defensive line. Extending exciting young talent Cam York was another good move from the front office, locking him down for two more seasons. The Flyers also picked up goaltender Cal Petersen from the Kings in the Provorov trade, giving them a solid backup goalie to pair with Carter Hart.

Despite the offseason shakeup, expectations were still very low. After all, in a league where the team can roll out a first line of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisitl, and Evander Kane, trotting out with Morgan Frost, Travis Konecny, and Joel Farabee didn’t give fans much hope. However, the Flyers won their season opener, albeit against an arguably worse Columbus Blue Jackets squad. The Flyers would win two of their next three after that, before falling in a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. This started a downward slide for the Flyers, as they would lose six of their next eight games. 

Coach John Tortarella was notably unhappy with the team's performance during this span. After a loss to the Golden Knights on October 24th, he was quoted as saying, “They turned it up,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said. “They throw caution to the wind. You end up backing up a little bit and being a little tentative. I think some of our younger players felt it a little bit, and these are some of the lessons we’re going to have to go through.”

We can’t be sure exactly what was said by Tortarella behind closed doors following that, but whatever he said, it sparked a fire in the players. After losing 2-1 to the then-winless San Jose Sharks, the Flyers have been on a torrid hot streak. They’ve battled to a 10-3-1 record in their last 14, including victories over league juggernauts like the Avalanche, Penguins, and the aforementioned Golden Knights. It’s a complete 180 from the team that finished 7th in the Metropolitan Division last year.

In terms of stats, there are plenty of new and returning faces. Carter Hart is still locking opponents down between the pipes, as he’s 9-6-1 so far with a .919 save percentage. Veteran forward Travis Konecny leads the Flyers in goals and points so far, with 16 and 24 respectfully. When it comes to assists however, it’s seasoned defenseman Travis Sanheim leading the pack with 17. Lots of familiar names there, but two new rookies have been showing great promise so far this season. The first is defenseman Bobby Brink, who has 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists), a +3 plus-minus, and has only taken six penalty minutes in 22 games. One more promising young player is rookie winger Tyson Foerster. He’s netted 5 goals and 6 assists, totaling up to a solid 11 points so far. Foerster is also a real workhorse. Whenever he’s out on the ice, he’s always giving it 100% and making a real impact. 

So, are the Flyers a real contender? Or are they just a team that happens to be hot right now? 

Only time will tell. With how stacked the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference in general are, the Flyers will certainly have their work cut out for them. The Flyers have a relatively tame schedule (disregarding games against Pittsburgh and Edmonton) before a stretch in mid-January where they play five legitimate cup contenders in Winnipeg, Dallas, Colorado, Tampa Bay, and Boston in the span of eight games. That’s when the Flyers true colors will show. 

But for now, I think we should all appreciate the Flyers recent run of form, because who knows if we’ll see it again any time soon.

Image Citation:

Slocum, Matt, “Flyers Win” Morning Call, 15 Dec. 2023, https://www.mcall.com/2023/12/14/flyers-rally-late-then-beat-washington-in-shootout/