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If the Philadelphia Flyers wish to spring into spring with the hope of ending the franchise’s nearly four-decade championship drought, they must not fall in the fall.
This year’s version of the Broad Street Bullies will need a solid start to avoid duplicating last campaign’s postseason exclusion and will rely on gritty veterans and ambitious youngsters to return to prominence.
After having won five playoff series the previous three years, including three in the magical run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, the athletes had planned to make their fans feel frenzied but ended up leaving them frazzled. They needed to wait until January to wield their sticks because of the NHL’s lockout and battled injuries and inconsistency over their 48-game slate, amassing a 23-22-3 record that left them six points shy of a playoff berth.
The league’s board of governors approved a realignment plan March 14, with the Flyers assigned to the new Metropolitan Division. Though that move marks novelty, they still will face the aggressive style of teams such as the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins regularly, meaning coach Peter Laviolette’s charges, who open the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center, 3601 S. Broad St., cannot afford to try to bank on a late push as last year’s roster members did in tallying six wins in their final seven contests.
Always mindful of how to keep the fan base fervent, general manager Paul Holmgren assessed the squad, which became the franchise’s second to miss the playoffs since 1994, and decided the main head that needed to roll belonged to Ilya Bryzgalov. Upon signing the goaltender to a nine-year, $51-million contract two years ago, the front office executive had envisioned the enigmatic yet talented Russian as a great complement to a strong corps of defensemen. Having helped the Anaheim Ducks to claim the Cup in 2007, Bryzgalov failed to adjust to big-market scrutiny and though he put up decent statistics, he earned much of the blame for the postseason-free crusade, with the team using a compliance buyout July 25 to end his time between the pipes.
Steve Mason joined the Orange and Black via an April 3 trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets and notched four victories and a 1.90 goals-against-average in seven tilts. The 25-year-old winner of the ’09 Calder Memorial Trophy for top rookie will pair with Ray Emery, who will make his second stop in South Philly. The agile netminder, who collected 16 wins for the ’09-’10 Flyers, went 17-1 for the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks and inked a one-year deal July 5. Though highly skilled, the masked men will require consistent contributions from their defenders, who like Bryzgalov faced criticism for their play last year.
Often lost in the judgments is that the unit suffered numerous injuries, with Kimmo Timonen dealing with a broken foot and Braydon Coburn and Andrej Meszaros tending to damaged shoulders, among other setbacks. Management will call on the blueliners to stall offenses but will expect them to light the lamp occasionally. To make that more likely, Holmgren acquired the rights to Mark Streit from the New York Islanders June 12 and signed the 35-year-old Swede to a four-year deal June 28. The 6-footer served as the Islanders’ captain for two years, gaining a reputation as a capable scorer and commendable defender. He, the aforementioned skaters and peers certainly stand to prove powerful puck chasers and will need to stay healthy if they are to prevent Mason and Emery from seeing flashing lights in their sleep.
While worries have customarily arisen among zealots regarding the defense, few have feared offensive struggles for their hockey heroes. Last year’s bunch deposited 2.75 goals-per-game, good for ninth in the league, and this season’s crop of forwards will look to blister shots past enemy keepers with impunity. Fan favorites Daniel Briere and Simon Gagne count as the biggest losses, the former electing to join the Montreal Canadiens after receiving a buyout and the latter learning last week the club could not find a role for him.
Though their absence will upset many, Claude Giroux hopes to continue his maturation as the captain and make linemates Scott Hartnell and Jakub Voracek elite wings. The talented center led the team with 48 points, with Voracek beginning to show more flair and flare with a club-high 22 goals. Coming off a career-best 37-goal year in ’12, Hartnell netted eight scores in 32 games, losing a third of the campaign to a broken foot.
Free-agent signee Vincent Lecavalier will likely center Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds on the second line. Also a Cup winner, the long-time Tampa Bay Lightning force will play a huge role in bettering Simmonds, whose 32 points place him third on the squad. Youth and experience will mesh on the third line, with Sean Couturier and Matt Read looking to perplex opponents, with the probable selection of Maxime Talbot as the final member of the trio. The always important fourth line also figures to affect the outcome of games, with last year’s first-round draft pick Scott Laughton to have Holmgren and Laviolette gauging his professional preparedness.
With a full season of expectations and prognostications ahead, the Flyers, who have made five finals appearances since the second of two title runs in ’75, must mesh early. If not, the ice could become quite hot for Laviolette et al.
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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