Philadelphia Flyers Poised to Breakout in 2019-20

There are plenty of exciting candidates to have breakout campaigns for the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2019-20 season.

The Philadelphia Flyers are in a strange place. They seem to be stuck somewhere in between a low-seed playoff contender trying to get the best out of their aging core and a team on the verge of a rebuild and revitalization. However, if some of the younger Flyers can make the leap to high-level NHL players, there is potential for the team to have a promising and successful season. Here are the top candidates to breakout in 2019-20.

Travis Sanheim

Sanheim made strides in the right direction for the Flyers last year. The left-handed defender upped his point production from 10 points in 49 games in his rookie season to 35 points in 82 games in 2018-19. Sanheim went from a sixth/seventh defender to contending for the top pairing alongside Ivan Provorov. With the Flyers adding Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun to the defense, Sanheim may see his role reduced a little bit.

However, these additions should ultimately benefit the Canadian as the veterans will add more stability and experience in the defense corps. Their leadership will allow Sanheim to improve his defensive capabilities and understanding. Sanheim has shown flashes of his offensive talent and would benefit from having a defensive rock to pair with. If Provorov rebounds to be the top defenseman fans have seen in the past, expect Sanheim to grow on his offensive production even more in 2019-20.

Oskar Lindblom

Lindblom showed real signs of promise towards the end of last season, logging 18 points after the All-Star break. The Flyers forward also had a low plus/minus of -9 last season while Claude Giroux possessed the highest at plus 9. With the signing of Kevin Hayes, the Flyers now have the ability to put Nolan Patrick as the third line center. Patrick should be able to be more effective in this role and help Lindblom’s game flourish. Lindblom being able to do all of the small things right should help complement the flashier play of Patrick.

Should another skilled prospect be added to the third line, there is potential for all three to have a breakout year. However, Lindblom’s ability to grind out possessions and play without the puck should allow him to increase his point production due to the amount of skill he could be with on a line. Lindblom should also be able to help Patrick and whoever ends up playing the other wing increase their production for the Flyers.

Carter Hart

Some would argue that the Flyers’ goalie already had a breakout season last year. While he did post some great rookie numbers, including a .917 save %, Hart only played 31 games last year. He faced a ton of shots behind a leaky defense and was called up to the Flyers due to a historically bad goaltending crisis that saw the Flyers start eight different goalies last season, which Adam Kimelman pointed out for NHL.com.

However, Hart seemed to shine in the chaotic mess, giving Flyers fans hope that they may have finally found a goalie for the present and future. With the new additions on defense and a full offseason to prepare, Carter Hart should take full control of the number one spot and improve on last season’s promising displays. The improved Flyers should be able to reduce the number of shots he faces and help him boost his GAA. Should Hart build upon the promising start to his career, expect to see his name among the All-Star competitors come January.

There are a lot of promising players within the Flyers organization. However, these are the specific players I believe will shine during the 2019-20 NHL season. Who do you think will be the breakout stars for the Flyers this upcoming year? Be sure to comment below!