At the end of every season, the Flyers hand out a list of team awards. These are the players we think deserve those awards if the season were to have ended today.
Before their final home game of the season, the Flyers have their annual awards ceremony where the team announces six different award winners. The awards are named after various former Flyers and focus on things such as team MVP and most improved player. The team also looks at traits such as class, character, and heart.
The full list of awards, their definitions, and past winners can be found here.
Toyota Cup- Star of the Game
The Toyota Cup, while taking the longest to figure out, is also the easiest award to determine. There is only one right answer. It was a close one, however. The top two players were separated by just one point. Travis Konecny finished with 43 points while Kevin Hayes had 42. While Hayes was named the first star of the game seven times, Konecny was named a star of the game 13 times while Hayes finished as an overall star 10 times. Carter Hart also showed his value to the team, finishing with 40 points in this category.
Bobby Clarke Trophy- MVP
This year’s winner felt like an obvious pick. In his fourth season with the team, Konecny has reached career highs in assists and points. He was one goal away from setting a new career-high there as well. Konecny was named to the All-Star team, the Flyers lone representative, back in January. He has been a consistent player throughout the entire season and has seemingly been that shoot-first, dynamic sniper that the team has been looking for.
Barry Ashbee Trophy- Outstanding Defenseman
This one was a tougher decision than most of the other awards. There were a few defensemen on the team that we felt had a solid argument for this award. After a tough season last year, Ivan Provorov completely turned it around this season. He has looked even better than he did during his first few years. His offensive production has him seventh on the team and top among defensemen with 36 points. And the addition of Matt Niskanen on the Flyers’ top pairing has seemed to re-energize and re-focus Provorov’s game. The team is certainly better when Provorov is on the ice.
Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy- Most Improved
It took a few years for Scott Laughton to make his mark and stick with the Flyers for good. But he found a way to make himself an important part of this team. His versatility and adaptability have been key factors of his development and his work ethic has paid off. Despite missing time with a broken finger, Laughton already has a career-high in goals and is five points away from a new high there as well. His importance was stressed during the trade deadline as the team received calls on him, but GM Chuck Fletcher refused to part with him. He’s become an important part of this team and is beginning to look like the player the team hoped he would become.
Gene Heart Memorial Award
Thinking about a player who has demonstrated the most heart during the season, our minds immediately go Oskar Lindblom. Not just the player, but the person especially. Throughout everything that he has gone through this year, it is hard to find a moment where Lindblom didn’t have a smile on his face. And the team radiates that whenever he is around. Just ask Alain Vigneault his thoughts whenever he is asked a question about Lindblom.
Yanick Dupre Class Guy Memorial Award
This award felt like the hardest to predict as it deals with more than just on-ice play. So we went with who we felt best fit the definition of the award. Even though this is his first season with the team, it is clear to see the respect that Hayes has earned and given in just a short period. And it doesn’t just involve his teammates. The entire city has welcomed Hayes in and he has done his best to show everyone how much he loves playing for the Flyers. Whether it’s with his determination on the ice or his witty personality off the ice, Hayes has become an instant fan favorite.
The Flyers were set to present these team awards before they would face the Nashville Predators on April 2nd.