The race in the Metropolitan Division is shaping up to be another close one in 2019-20, so where do the Philadelphia Flyers rank on paper coming into the year?
There’s been a substantial amount of change in the Metro throughout this offseason. Top draft prospects Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko have entered the fray while players such as P.K. Subban, Nikita Gusev, Jacob Trouba, and Semyon Varlamov have joined the Eastern Conference division as well. Artemi Panarin also stayed within the division even though he signed with a new team, going from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the New York Rangers.
Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Chuck Fletcher did make moves to improve the roster this offseason in his own right, although nearly none of the players he brought in carry the same name value around the league as the talent mentioned above. The Metro is looking to have yet another neck-and-neck campaign between all of the teams, so how do the Flyers stack up on paper heading into the new season?
One team Philadelphia is definitely better than is the Blue Jackets. Columbus went all-in at the Trade Deadline in February and failed to retain any of the notable players they acquired at that time. While they still have guys like Pierre-Luc Dubois, Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, Cam Atkinson and added Gustav Nyquist this summer, the Blue Jackets have significant question marks regarding defensive depth. Their goaltending unit is a substantial weakness, too, with Joonas Korpisalo projected to be their starter heading into camp. Putting all of that into perspective, Columbus shouldn’t make waves next season and may even finish last in the division.
I also think the Flyers are ahead of the Rangers and New Jersey Devils right now, though the Devils will keep it close if everything pans out. I’m aware that New York added Panarin, Trouba, and Kakko but their depth after those three and Mika Zibanejad isn’t great. Their second-line center seems to be a toss-up between Ryan Strome and Filip Chytil, who both scored less than 40 points in 2018-19. I do think Chytil will be a solid NHL player down the road, but don’t see him making considerable strides in the upcoming season. New York’s defensive core outside of Trouba and Brady Skjei is very shaky, as well, and I’d take Philadelphia’s top defensemen of Ivan Provorov, Shayne Gostisbehere, Travis Sanheim, and Matt Niskanen over the Rangers any day of the week.
As for the Devils, there’s no denying that they’ve vastly improved from last year’s squad. Adding Hughes, Subban, and Gusev to a group of Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier, Will Butcher, Damon Severson, and Kyle Palmieri is a considerable upgrade, but like the Rangers and Blue Jackets, their depth defensively isn’t strong. Andy Greene isn’t getting any younger, and Sami Vatanen and Connor Carrick aren’t very good, in my opinion. Gusev isn’t a sure-fire bet to be a capable NHL talent, either, as he’s spent most of his pro hockey career in the KHL. The Flyers should be at odds with New Jersey throughout the season, but I think Philadelphia is superior at this moment.
I don’t see the New York Islanders finding the same success in 2019-20, either. They heavily relied on Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss playing out of their minds last season, and even though I think Varlamov is a solid goaltender, he probably won’t post similar numbers to what Lehner and Greiss had. The Isles going with a run it back type-plan this offseason in re-signing most of the players from the 2018-19 roster wasn’t the smartest thing as they had the highest PDO of any NHL team this past year, meaning they had some luck on their side. For those reasons, I’m expecting a form of regression from the Islanders next season and putting the Flyers ahead of them.
That leaves the Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, and Pittsburgh Penguins left for Philadelphia to battle. I believe the former two are locks as the first and second in the Metro heading into training camp, as the Caps and Canes are talented from top to bottom. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Flyers were able to finish ahead of the Penguins by season’s end but can’t say they will with certainty until Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin show major signs of decline. With that being said, I think Philadelphia ranks fourth in the division with the potential to sit third in April if all goes right.