Philadelphia Flyers need to look toward future after rough start
Thursday night’s 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins added another frustrating game to the Philadelphia Flyers 2018-19 season.
The Philadelphia Flyers dropped to 4-6-0 and once again, the offense showed it’s inability to score, even when the goaltending wasn’t as bad as it has been during other games of this young season. It has become clear that this team isn’t in a position to contend once again, and because of that it’s time to make some changes.
The first thing this franchise needs to do is move on from Head coach Dave Hakstol. Since taking over in Philadelphia in 2015, the Flyers have been one of the streakiest teams in the NHL. In 2016-17, the Flyers won 10 games in a row at one point during the season, yet they still missed the playoffs. Then there was last season when the team lost 10 games in a row and made the playoffs.
The inability for this team to be consistent comes back on the coach. Obviously he isn’t the one out on the ice making plays, but Hakstol has proven time and time again that he can be stubborn when it comes to making changes to his lines. After all, Jori Lehtera and Andrew MacDonald have found themselves on the ice way too many times.
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The next thing the Flyers need to do is make some personnel changes. Guys like Lehtera and MacDonald should not be out there for this team on a consistent basis, if they should be at all. But what about guys like Jake Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, Claude Giroux, and Nolan Patrick? Simmonds is in the final year of his deal, so he’ll be looking for a new contract after the season. I doubt the Flyers move him, unless a team is confident that they’ll resign him. Don’t expect anything to happen with him, though. Giroux isn’t going anywhere, either. After the 100-point season he had last year, the Flyers will want to keep him around to help with the young guys making their way up.
Voracek is a different story. He is under contract until the end of the 2023-2024 with an average salary of 8,250,000 million dollars. With that annual salary, it may be difficult to move Voracek, who has been hot and cold throughout his career, but because of a strong start this season with 12 points (3 G and 9 A), he may have some value in the trade market. The Flyers aren’t in a position to win right now and Voracek is 29, so moving him should be something GM Ron Hextall considers this season.
The return they could get for him isn’t clear, especially with his contract, but if the Flyers can get a good, young prospect or some future draft stock in return, it could be hard to pass up. Again, the Flyers aren’t in a position to compete right now and although Voracek can still be a solid player, he won’t be the same once the Flyers are ready to compete.
As for Patrick, the jury is still out on him. The Flyers took him second overall in the 2017 draft and at times has impressed, but has also disappeared. At 20 years old, Patrick is too young to deem him a bust, so the Flyers should still have him in their plans as a core member of this team’s future.
Other guys who should go, or at least see less time, are Brian Elliott and Radko Gudas. Although Elliott was decent against the Bruins, making 22 saves on 24 shots, he’s had some really bad starts. He’s also 33 years old and struggles with injuries. Speaking of injuries, Michal Neuvirth needs to go to simply because he’s never healthy. As for Gudas, his time with the Flyer has featured boneheaded penalties and turnovers, and although he’s been decent so far this year, he’s never been great and never will be.
It’s time for the Flyers to embrace their youth movement. They have some of the best young prospects and it’s time to just give them their chance to grow in the NHL. I’ve never been a big fan of the idea that players should spend time down in the minors to get ready for the big leagues. The best way to get ready for the NHL is to compete in it against other NHL talent, not minor-league talent.
Just play the prospects, Hakstol.. dark. Next
If Hextall decides to stay the course with the current state of the team, maybe it’s time to embrace a full rebuild and clear out the front office as well. The Flyers aren’t ready to win, so let’s build on the future and get the young guys on the same page with each other so that all of the young talent doesn’t go to waste. What was once a very bright future a few years ago has now become a dark time. Embrace change, Philadelphia.