Philadelphia Flyers: Mid-Season Report Card

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As the Philadelphia Flyers hit the halfway mark of the season, here’s a report card on every player

Wednesday’s game against the Boston Bruins was the 41st of the season for the Philadelphia Flyers. This puts them at the exact halfway mark of the season. Sitting at 6th place in the division and out of a playoff, as a team the Flyers are looking for improvement.

The Flyers have put themselves behind the 8-ball, and it will be a tough job earning a spot in the playoffs. Who has done their job thus far? Who needs to improve? Here we’ll run over the performance of every player on the roster and give them a letter grade against reasonable expectations for each based on past performance.

(***The stats cited herein are as of 40 games played, and does not include Wednesday’s game against Boston***)

Next: Giroux Line Grades

Jan 7, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Philadelphia Flyers forward Claude Giroux (28) carries the puck during the second period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /

Giroux Line Grades

Claude Giroux – C+

The good news is that the team captain leads the team in points and is one of the better Corsi rated forwards. He’s also an all-star. The bad news is that he is one of the worst plus/minus forwards on the team and his 5v5 point production is way down from his usual standards. In 5 of the last 7 seasons Giroux’s 5v5 points/60 has been 1.98 or higher. He is nowhere close thus far this season. He is currently on pace for ~60 points, which would be his worst season since 2009-10 when he was 22 and scored 47 points. His Corsi-for rate is also the lowest it’s been since 2009-10. He has to be better for the Flyers to have a chance in the second half.

Jakub Voracek – C+

After a career year last year with 81 points in 82 games, Voracek is on pace for barely 50 points this season. Furthermore, his 5v5 points rate of 1.18 is way below his previous career worst of 1.87 in his last season in Columbus. Saving him from an even lower grade, however, is that his Corsi rate is only marginally lower than his normal numbers the last 5 seasons. The problem is that his shooting percentage is about 1/3 what he usually shoots at, and his teammates are shooting a few percentage points lower than usual when he’s on the ice. There is good cause to believe his numbers will bounce back in the second half, which the Flyers desperately need.

Wayne Simmonds – B

Simmonds has been on the cusp of 30 goals the last few seasons, but he’ll need to pick up his scoring to get close to that this season. He also won’t be happy with a team worst -11, but the advanced Corsi stats show Simmonds is playing as well as ever. He also earned the appreciation of his teammates by sticking up for them in fights even if it’s earned him two misconducts for instigating. Much of his stats decline can be attributed to the Flyers struggling power play. He is on pace for only 8 power play goals this season, down from 15 and 14 he scored the previous two seasons.

Next: Couturier Line Grades

Dec 19, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier (14) skates with the puck against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports /

Couturier Line Grades

Michael Raffl – B-

Raffl is a bit tricky to grade. He sees difficult competition, and is the third best Corsi forward on the team this season. At +7, he has the second-highest plus/minus on the team. On the other hand, can you really be a top-6 NHL forward scoring only 20 points? He scored 21 goals in 67 games last year, but is on pace for 12 in 82 this year. He needs to be scoring more for the Flyers to be a playoff team.

Sean Couturier – A

Couturier got off to a slow start offensively, but he has been Superman ever since. His 12 points in his last 10 games will impress everyone, but advanced stats make him look even better. He sees the toughest competition of all Flyers forwards, yet he is their highest rated forward by both Corsi and good old fashioned point production per 5v5 ice time. He probably can’t continue these tremendous rates, but he absolutely should set a career high in points. Couturier’s has taken a big step forward this season.

Brayden Schenn – B

Schenn bounced around the lineup a big early in the season, but he has been entrenched in the top-6 since then. With good linemates, his 5v5 scoring rate is at a career high, if only barely. He’s just not a great Corsi/possession player, nor has he ever been. Schenn will be looking to keep up his 5v5 play and get a few more points on the top power play unit in the second half to get to the 50 point mark and set a new career high.

Next: Bellemare Line Grades

Dec 8, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (78) celebrates his goal against the New York Islanders during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

Bellemare Line Grades

Chris VandeVelde – C+

By most statistical measures, VandeVelde is one of the worst forwards on the team. I don’t think many Flyers fans would be surprised to hear that, and would ask the question why has Hakstol made him a 3rd line player when he was previously a fringe/4th line NHLer? Is the UND connection too strong here?

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – B-

Like his linemate VandeVelde, Bellemare has been promoted to 3rd line duty along with his PK responsibilities. He’s handled those duties okay, playing pretty tough minutes. He’s been a bit of blackhole offensively. At 0.5 5v5 points per 60 minutes, he is 348 out of 369 NHL forwards who have played 200 5v5 minutes. For point of comparison, Zac Rinaldo is 352.

Ryan White – B

White missed most of last season due to injury, but he impressed management when given the chance by playing well above his previous NHL performance. This year he has been rewarded with his biggest NHL role ever, although his performance isn’t up to his lofty standards of last spring. Generally I think he’s giving the Flyers the performance they expect from a physical bottom-6 forward.

Next: Laughton Line Grades

Nov 19, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Matt Read (24) picks up loose puck away from San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton (19) during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

Laughton Line Grades

RJ Umberger – C+

Umberger came into the season with some optimism. He was hampered by injuries the entirety of last season, and he came into camp saying he “felt like a different person.” The new health outlook hasn’t changed the fact that Umberger still looks like an old 33, and has now reached 43 games since his last goal. To his credit, his possession numbers have shown a little uptick since last season, he’s 3rd among forwards in plus/minus, and **drumroll please** his 5v5 assist rate is at a career high. I don’t think that assist rate will still be that high by the end of the season, and Umberger looks like a 4th line player at best.

Scott Laughton – B

With a 5 game cameo as an 18-year old in 2012-13, it seems like Laughton has been on the cusp of the Flyers NHL lineup for years. In reality, he’s still only 21. He bounced up and down between the NHL and AHL last season, but his 6 points in 31 NHL games left quite a bit to be desired. He’s been a lineup regular this season, albeit at less ice time per game. His 5v5 scoring rate has improved nicely and his actually quite high at 1.9 per 60, but he’s has the worst Corsi percentage among all Flyers forwards despite seeing soft competition. As the only waiver-exempt forward on the roster, he is a candidate for demotion if Jordan Weal or Sam Gagner is to get a chance.

Matt Read – B+

Read is another tough player to judge this year. He was miserable last season, although lingering injuries surely played a role there. This season he didn’t seem much more productive, but his advanced statistics demand attention. Only Sean Couturier has a better Corsi-for rate or Corsi percentage than Read, and even with his slow offensive start and “unlucky” PDO, his 5v5 points rate is higher than Giroux, Voracek and Raffl.

Sam Gagner – C+

Gagner has only received limited opportunities this season, and is currently parked in the AHL. He may get another chance sooner rather than later, but there’s no guarantees. His 10-game pointless streak before injury and demotion did him no favors.

Next: Defense Pair 1 Grades

Jan 7, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Michael Del Zotto (15) celebrates his goal with forward Brayden Schenn (10) during the second period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /

Michael Del Zotto & Radko Gudas

Michael Del Zotto – A-

Nothing in Del Zotto’s goal numbers, a -6 rating and 0.34 5v5 points per 60, is going to impress you. Fortunately there’s more to the story. I might make the case that Del Zotto is having the best season of his career. His Corsi-for rate is at a career high, his Corsi-against rate is at a career low, for the obvious result that his Corsi percentage is significantly higher than ever. On top of that, he and Gudas are playing big minutes against the opponent’s best. This is all new territory for Del Zotto, and indicates a maturing game from a 25-year old defenseman. The only obstacle for Del Zotto this season has been his incredibly “unlucky” PDO. Of 183 NHL regular defensemen, Del Zotto’s PDO is 174th. If his Corsi performance stays where it is, the goals will surely follow in the second half of the season.

Radko Gudas – A

Gudas has gone from being a healthy scratch at the start of the season to the top pair. Gudas is taking the toughest matchups, and is putting up the top Corsi numbers of all Flyers defensemen. He is also a physical presence throwing big and frequent hits. With 174 hits, he is second among all NHL defensemen despite playing 9 fewer games than the NHL leader.

Next: Defense Pair 2 Grades

Nov 5, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Mark Streit (32) controls the puck against the Calgary Flames during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports /

Mark Streit & Nick Schultz

Mark Streit – C+

Both Mark Streit and Nick Schultz are struggling. Their pair is lagging way behind the other pairs in terms of Corsi, which is a big concern. In terms of production, his 5v5 points rate is about the same as last year, but his Corsi numbers are the worst of his career. Furthermore, where he had 26 power play assists last year, this year he has 3. He may not get a chance to bring that number back up as it seems Ghost has stolen that job from him. Right now Streit is a power play specialist without a role on the top power play unit.

Nick Schultz – D

Schultz has been a fixture in the lineup, but he doesn’t have much to show for it. He’s never been a point producer, and his Corsi numbers are the worst on the team. This pair needs to pick it up or the Flyers need to find a new duo.

Next: Defense Pair 3 Grades

Jan 7, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (53) against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Flyers defeated the Wild 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /

Shayne Gostisbehere & Evgeny Medvedev

Shayne Gostisbehere – A

Ghost has been simply phenomenal. He’s been a transformative presence, stealing Streit’s power play job and scoring 3 OT game winners. With 16 points in only 23 games, he is forcing his way into the Calder race.

Evgeny Medvedev – B+

It’s been up and down for Medvedev. He clearly has the exact skill set the Flyers are looking for in their top-4, but sometimes he struggles adjusting to his first season in the NHL. I suspect he will have a more consistent role in the second half of the season, and hopefully he can keep improving as he gets more comfortable in North America.

Brandon Manning – B-

Manning has been a serviceable defenseman, no more, no less. He could be the #7 defenseman the rest of the way this season.

Next: Goalie Grades

Dec 11, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goalie Michal Neuvirth (30) makes a save as Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn (14) skates around during the first period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

Steve Mason & Michal Neuvirth

Steve Mason – B

Mason got off to a rough start on the season, apparently dealing with family issues. That bad start tanked his numbers, but they’ve slowly been coming back up as he rounds back into form. He’s still got the number one job, and the Flyers will need him to every bit as good as he’s been the last two seasons if they want to make the playoffs.

Michael Neuvirth – A+

While Mason struggled early in the season, Neuvirth was near perfect. I can only think of one shaky performance from him all season, as he gave the Flyers a chance in every game he appeared. As of writing, his .934 save percentage is second best in the NHL.

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