September 26 saw all eyes locked on the screen as a who’s who of Flyers prospects all took the ice in a split-squad affair with the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils. The result? An aggregate defeat of 5-0 (3-0 vs. NYI, 2-0 vs. NJ).
That was a sour note to begin the preseason on, but that proved to be the lowest point of the two and a half week stretch as the Flyers went 4-0-2 the rest of the way. The 4-2-2 mark was the best preseason finish since 2011-12, a truly good sign of things to come.
Their success on the ice, though, couldn’t mask the plague of injuries that struck in the form of Michael Del Zotto, Scott Laughton and Brandon Manning, among others.
All things considered, there were plenty of takeaways from the exhibition season.
Help is on the way
They don’t need any introduction at this point. Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny did just about everything they could to force their way onto the roster as 19-year-old prospects.
Provorov was nearly a lock before the injuries struck the blue line with his steady play and calm demeanor. There never was a moment that looked too big for him as he maneuvered his way around the ice with tape-to-tape outlet passes and skating that seems effortless. He also proved to be a calming presence on the powerplay, even bringing out the best in Mark Streit in the two games they were paired together.
Up front, Konecny knew he had a long road ahead of him if he wanted a spot on this team. Rather than get lost in the shuffle, Konecny shined brighter than any of the other competing forwards. He didn’t stop there, though. Next to Jake Voracek, there wasn’t another forward that was as impressive as he was over the eight games.
Ron Hextall once told reporters that the “best players” will make this team, no matter who they are. There’s no doubt any more that Provorov and Konecny are among the top players on this roster.
Voracek looks poised for bounce back season
Look no further than his overtime goal on October 3 against the Rangers. He took Ryan McDonough for a ride around the Rangers zone before muscling his way to a goal. If that doesn’t tell you he’s back, then nothing will.
A confident Jakub Voracek during 3v3 overtime is a scary, scary thing.
— Charlie O’Connor (@BSH_Charlie) October 8, 2016
That was just one of an assortment of strong plays from him this preseason. He did a similar thing in Saturday’s overtime as he circled around the Bruins zone to create a scoring chance. Voracek credits the World Cup of Hockey for getting him into what he called the best shape of his life this soon in a season.
The playoff-type feel of the World Cup forced him and the other participating Flyers to up the ante in their preparation, something that should benefit them early on. Voracek mentioned a handful of times to reporters that he also lost some weight, which could explain some of the early explosiveness he showed in the preseason.
An aggressive PK is a beautiful thing
Gone are the days of tape-to-tape passing by the opposing team’s power play as the Flyers penalty killers sit back awaiting their fate. Well, that’s the plan at least.
And it’s off to a rousing start as the Flyers went on to kill all but two man-advantages this preseason (29-31, 93.5%). That’s almost 14 points higher than their 80.5 clip last season, which was good for 20th in the NHL. If they want to be a serious contender, they’ll need to get that mark somewhere around 83.0+.
We’ll have a lot more this week on what exactly the Flyers are doing with their new penalty kill approach, but in short, it has to do with a more aggressive style. The forwards challenge at the top more which according to Sean Couturier, means teams won’t be making “perfect passes” like they used to. Head coach Dave Hakstol has been impressed thus far by the unit, believing success on that end will translate to more team success.
The Flyers have depth… and they’ll need it apparently
Perhaps overshadowing the team’s performance this preseason were the rash of injuries. First it was Nick Schultz going down early, then it was Mark Alt proceeding the same day announcement of Scott Laughton and Brandon Manning both hitting the shelf. That, though, paled in comparison to Michael Del Zotto being ruled out for possibly five weeks.
Generally, losing that many guys would really hamper a team – and it still will because clearly, the Flyers are dealing with financial headaches – but Laughton had yet to earn a spot on the roster with Hakstol, the day before his injury, explaining how his play had gone on a downward trajectory with back-to-back so-so performances. The only real concern is Del Zotto, who was already coming off wrist surgery, and serving as a top pairing defenseman.
Still, though, the Flyers have a slew of forwards so losing Laughton isn’t an issue and playing without Del Zotto and possibly Manning for a few games – although he says he’ll be ready for opening – can be weathered as the infusion of Provorov should not only help the team as a whole, but it should bring out the best of his likely partner in Mark Streit. Likewise, Hextall made it a point to strengthen Lehigh Valley, and bringing in guys like Will O’Neill and T.J. Brennan, along with Sam Morin, Travis Sanheim and Robert Hagg, only provides the Flyers with that much more depth for future call-ups.
Hakstol’s more comfortable, and in turn, so are the players.
More behind the scenes than anything else, Hakstol is definitely feeling at home in Philadelphia. He knows the first year took a little longer than expected to get everything in place as he sought to implement a new system. The players, too, admitted it took some time to fully get everything down. Once they did, they played their best hockey.
Expect to see that from the get-go this season. On multiple occasions, I asked various players how they’re feeling now in comparison to this time last year, and each one said it’s a night-and-day difference. Having that comfort of knowing what to do on the ice and what the coach expects makes things that much easier. Everything now is instinctual as opposed to thinking, something that can make a split-second difference on the ice.
It’s also beneficial for the aforementioned World Cup players who missed up to two weeks of camp. Coming into a camp where they knew exactly what was going on made the transition from tournament play to preseason seamless; just look at how strong guys like Voracek, Streit, Sean Couturier and the others played.
A few more observations:
- Nick Cousins is going to be fun to watch this season. He told me he’s feeling more confident than ever this season and is eager to get the regular season started. Voracek said Cousins has a good mix of skill and agitator in him. He has a chance for a breakout season.
- This is going to be a long season. No, not “long” as in “ugh, this team is bad,” but long as in game length. Last season, the Flyers went to overtime 27 times, going 10-6 in the five-minute 3-on-3 format and 3-8 in shootouts. In eight preseason games, they needed overtime three times.
- Sam Morin and Taylor Leier will likely be the first call-ups this season among guys not in camp right now. On their way out, Hakstol spoke very highly of the two, agreeing that the pair will see time this season at some point as long as they maintain their level of play with the Phantoms.
- Whatever the record is for average ice time by a 19-year-old defenseman, Provorov will more than likely break it or at the very least, come within seconds of it. He led the team in time on ice on multiple occasions this preseason and in Saturday’s game that saw a lineup resembling the one they’ll skate out on opening night in Los Angeles, Provorov trailed only Streit by 16 seconds.
- Perhaps the biggest mover that isn’t a teenager was Jordan Weal. Admitting it took him a little bit to get back into the flow of a 60 minute game after playing one game in nine months, Weal proved to be an offensive threat and a decent power play option on the second unit. It’s unclear where he’ll fit on the roster, he could still be a healthy scratch on the regular if he makes the team, but he definitely improved his stock. /
What the fans learned
@Kyle_Phillippi @BroadStHockey I’ve learned that not every one needs more time in the minors to grow some just have it Konecny/Provorov
— Patrick Laird (@pjlx924x) October 9, 2016
@Kyle_Phillippi gudas is teflon
— kelly (@kniscoolasice) October 9, 2016
@Kyle_Phillippi With injuries and possible suspensions, the start is more critical that first thought. Young players need to lead early.
— Anthony DiGrazio (@PhillyisFlyer) October 9, 2016
@Kyle_Phillippi Voracek is back !
— Michael Taylor (@M2theTaylor) October 9, 2016
Many fans still don’t understand how good Couturier is. https://t.co/pBr263TOyE
— Big Sammy (@BroadStBullshit) October 9, 2016
To see all of the fans responses, head over to Twitter.
