Three predictions for the Flyers’ 2017-18 season
By Nick Som
Nothing like a few optimistic Philadelphia Flyers predictions to help get you through the offseason.
A lot of sports prediction posts make outlandish claims as a means of maximizing clicks and riling up the fanbase. This is not one of those posts. Of course, it’s no fun if the predictions being made are little more than restated facts, either. There’s a perfect, delectable middle ground to be found here, like the frosting of an Oreo cookie. Here are three Philadelphia Flyers predictions for the upcoming season that aim for that frosting.
Sean Couturier finally breaks out
Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard it before. Sean Couturier has played six seasons in the NHL, and he has still yet to crack 40 points in any of them. It’s fair to say at this point that Cooter will never be an elite scorer, lacking the skating ability to consistently generate shot attempts from dangerous parts of the ice by himself.
Philadelphia Flyers
But that doesn’t mean Couturier can’t still have a breakout year- it just means we have to reevaluate what a “breakout year” means for the guy. Ignoring the arbitrary nature of the 40-point benchmark, Couturier has already displayed solid scoring ability in his career. He was on pace for 51 points during the 2015-16 season before injuries limited him to 63 games. The injury bug struck again last season as well, and seemed to throw Couturier off before he ever got started.
A healthy Sean Couturier would all but guarantee a silencing of the naysayers, allowing fans to appreciate the play-driving, defensive powerhouse he is without being concerned about his scoring. This really could be Couturier’s year.
Travis Konecny outplays Nolan Patrick
Nolan Patrick is almost certainly going to have a productive rookie year, strange facial infections notwithstanding. But Patrick is not the same caliber of prospect as an Auston Matthews or a Connor McDavid. A reasonable, optimistic projection for him would be somewhere around 20 goals and 20 assists. Solid numbers, but not remarkable. Combined with his rather significant injury risk, it seems highly unlikely that Patrick will post raw stats that rival the best rookie performances of the past few seasons.
Meanwhile, Travis Konecny is poised to make a big jump in his second season with the Flyers. His rookie year was somewhat disappointing, scoring an underwhelming 28 points in 70 games. But his play-driving metrics (49.8% score-adjusted Corsi For% at 5 v. 5) weren’t bad for a rookie. We’ve known Konecny has the offensive skill to be an excellent scorer at the top level since he was drafted- it’s just a matter of gaining experience. Not every NHL player has the natural talent to make plays like these:
The Flyers will make the playoffs
Not the hottest of takes, considering playoffs are always a goal for almost every NHL team, but there really is no reason to think the Flyers won’t pull it off . The Flyers are younger and more chock-full of potential than they have been in years. Patrick, Oskar Lindblom, and the team’s enviable horde of defenseman prospects are sure to invigorate the Flyers’ stale lineup. Many of the players that fans believed Dave Hakstol placed too much faith in, such as 5 v. 5 black hole Brayden Schenn and the entire fourth line of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Chris VandeVelde and Roman Lyubimov, have been exiled for one reason or another.
As a result, the Flyers are a sure bet to have a stronger season.. Making the playoffs should be a primary goal, even in a competitive Eastern Conference. If the team ends up falling short, expect even bigger changes come this time next year.
(Stats via Natural Stat Trick and Hockey Reference)