The Stanley Cup Finals start this weekend–a matchup that everybody surely saw coming–and in honor of that, we’re taking a look at three things the Flyers could learn from each team. Both the Florida Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights have characteristics that the Flyers should try to emulate in their rebuild as they try to return to perennial contender status. Today, we’re looking at the Panthers: an underdog team that might’ve had everybody fooled the whole time–they are just one year removed from winning the President’s Trophy, after all. Let’s get into it.
Make the blockbuster trade
Once upon a time, the Flyers made the biggest trade of an era to acquire Eric Lindros; at some point, they seem to have lost their way and forgotten how to do that. Maybe the trade that brought Matthew Tkachuk to Sunrise will remind them, because that’s looking like one of the most impactful moves of this era.
Sending a first round pick, Jonathan Huberdeau, and MacKenzie Weegar to the Calgary Flames for Matthew Tkachuk seemed like a ludicrous deal in Calgary’s favor–but one team is in the Stanley Cup Final and the other’s been on the golf course since the end of the regular season. Betting it all on a massive personnel shake up and acquiring the best player on the table is a move the Flyers should consider. Perhaps not this off season, but in the future when a young, all-star level talent becomes available, the Flyers have to at least have a seat at the negotiating table.
Put players in position to succeed
Florida’s ability to find cast-off talent has been a revelation. They bet on players who had pedigree, but had underperformed on their original teams (Sam Reinhart with the Buffalo Sabres; Sam Bennett with the Calgary Flames) and gave them the space to figure out their game. Both taken in the top five in 2014, Reinhart and Bennett were meant to be future top-liners for the franchises that drafted them; instead, they never quite hit the level expected of them and were left to find their own way. In Florida, however, they didn’t have those kinds of expectations on their shoulders; the Panthers already had Aleksander Barkov, Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad, so Bennett and Reinhart didn’t need to be the stars. They were put in positions that suited them, and they excelled.
Fun note: Ekblad went first overall in 2014, which means this Panthers team has three of the top five picks in 2014 on their roster. Funnier still is that, looking through their CapFriendly page, you realize a large number of current players are a pick from either 2013 or 2014. Consistency!
In a similar vein, the Panthers took chances on players that had “peaked” or even failed to be roster regulars with other teams. Carter Verhaeghe, Anthony Duclair, Brandon Montour, Gustav Forsling–all players that bounced around the league or never carved out consistent roster spots became key pieces in the Panthers’ ascendence. Again, they were put into positions to succeed in a lower pressure situation, which gave them time and space to work out their game and develop into integral players.
The Flyers have actually shown a willingness to do just that: giving massive minutes to Owen Tippett, Noah Cates, Morgan Frost, and Cam York is the only way to see what they’re fully capable of, and John Tortorella has not shied away from giving them the time and space to succeed. As veteran players come off the books, it’ll be an opportunity for the Flyers to, ahem, take a flyer, on players with high potential but lack the results, as well.
Have fun
The first thing you notice during one of these Florida playoff games? The smiles. Every player on that team looks like they’re having the time of their life: every goal’s celebrated like its their first in the NHL; Tkachuk’s always got a cheeky grin; each press conference oozes charisma and swagger.
The Panthers weren’t supposed to be here–they only even made the playoffs because the Pittsburgh Penguins crumbled! They were supposed to be an easy round one opponent for the historic Boston Bruins, but they’ve completely flipped the narrative: instead of people saying, “I can’t believe Florida beat the Bruins,” it’s now, “I can’t believe the Bruins beat the Panthers three times.” Florida went on to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs so badly it forced a reckoning in the front office, then swept the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final–the third consecutive time the Canes have been swept in the ECF. Florida’s playing with house money–how can anyone on that team not be having fun?
It feels like the Flyers kind of forgot about fun up until this most recent season. Of course, it’s hard to have fun when you’re losing, and easy when you’re winning, but good spirits and positivity can make the tough times better. That’s not the foundation of a Cup-winning team, mind you, but players should enjoy playing hockey. Hopefully us Flyers fans get to a point where we’re having as much fun watching games as the players are having on the ice.
