Analyzing Flyers average regular season and playoff minutes

Were there any Flyers who were relied on too much in the postseason? Or were there any not relied on enough?

After every season ends, there is always an endless amount of storylines to discuss. Who was playing hurt? Why didn’t this player produce? While those are all questions circling the Flyers at this current moment, there is another that is dominating most.

And that has to do with the average ice time of certain players in the playoffs. So the plan is to take a look at the regular season ice time and compare it to that of the playoffs. Focusing mostly on the even-strength play would be the fairest way to compare all players.

Not all appear on the power play and the same goes for the penalty kill. But those can be used slightly to show the overall ice time of each player. The goal is to determine if there was a significant discrepancy in ice time during the regular season and postseason.

Was there a change in strategy for Alain Vigneault once the Flyers reached the playoffs? The numbers don’t show a stray for most players involved. There are a few who saw an uptick in ice time, for good reasons. And some of the top players lost a little ice time, though their production didn’t exactly help their case for more time.

The players at the top of the list aren’t a surprise. The top players were still getting the most amount of time on ice when looking at both the regular season and postseason.

Sean Couturier
Regular Season: 19:49 ATOI, 14:54 EV
Playoffs: 19:13 ATOI, 14:08 EV

Couturier managed to hold the most ice time among forwards in both the regular season and in the playoffs. As the team’s top center, that is nothing to be shocked about. He lost just over 30-seconds of ice time when the postseason hit. The real change was looking at his even-strength time. That was almost at 40-seconds.

He did lose the third period of Game Five and the entire Game Six in the second round. So it’s fair to say that number could’ve gone up in those games. We have to take his MCL injury into account there. It doesn’t appear there was much difference in how Vigneault used Couturier during the postseason. Even with his lack of offense at even strength.

Claude Giroux
Regular Season:18:59 ATOI, 14:49 EV
Playoffs: 18:28 ATOI, 14:38 EV

The same can be said for Giroux. His dip in ice time isn’t significant enough to say there was a problem with his role. His even-strength time is barely over a 10-second difference. He did move lower down in the lineup at one point during the second round. But not enough to affect his primary role on the team.

He was still counted on as a top player, even when he wasn’t able to produce until the tail end of the second round. His effort was certainly there before he potted his first goal. He had plenty of time to prove his worth, though.

Kevin Hayes
Regular Season: 17:43 ATOI, 13:57 EV
Playoffs: 18:35 ATOI, 14:26 EV

Hayes is one of the first players we see that had a significant enough boost in his time on ice. He had almost a minute’s worth added to his load at both even strength and his overall time. And it was for a good reason.

He was one of the best Flyers at putting the puck in the net at even strength. His 1.48 goals-per-60 was third on the team. He had the best total points-per-60 at 3.38. Hayes also wasn’t afraid to shoot the puck as he produced 10.65 shots-per-60. So his ice time promotion was indicative of his play on the ice.

Jakub Voracek
Regular Season: 17:02 ATOI, 13:57 EV
Playoffs: 18:09 ATOI, 14:28 EV

Voracek had one of the biggest increases in overall time, jumping up 1:07 in his overall ice time. He was clearly one of the best players on the ice for the Flyers, especially in the second round. His total numbers might not necessarily back themselves up as we saw with Hayes. But the eye test was pretty clear.

His significant boost in ice time was warranted.

Travis Konecny
Regular Season: 16:48 ATOI, 13:46 EV
Playoffs: 17:26 ATOI, 14:20 EV

Even as Konecny struggled to put up points in the postseason, he was given an adequate boost going into the playoffs. He saw almost a 40-second increase in his overall time and when looking at just even strength. So there was still trust that Konecny would be able to figure things out.

He was unable to grab a single goal after tying a career-high with 24 during the regular season. That could have also been a reason he saw that increase in ice time. It may have been Vigneault rewarding him for his regular-season play.

James van Riemsdyk
Regular Season: 14:54 ATOI, 12:14 EV
Playoffs: 14:19 ATOI, 12:15 EV

van Riemsdyk is the first one we see with a significant decline in his time on ice, not due to injury. Though he saw multiple opportunities where he was scratched. He did play in all six games against the Islanders, though. His even-strength time was almost identical to that of what he saw in the regular season. So he was being used in primarily the same situations when he was on the ice.

His drop in overall ice time likely has to do with missing some time. He was a healthy scratch in four games, all coming during the Montreal series. Though his overall contribution on the ice wasn’t there either. There were some times where it looked like van Riemsdyk was figuring it out. But he wasn’t able to translate into offense until the end of the Islanders series.

Scott Laughton
Regular Season: 14:36 ATOI, 12:37 EV
Playoffs: 15:21 ATOI, 13:29 EV

Laughton is another case where he saw a significant boost in his ice time. During the first round, he was one of the best Flyers’ on the ice. He cooled off a bit but still managed to post the second-highest goals-per-60 in the playoffs. He ranked third in total points-per-60.

He followed up a career-high regular season with a strong effort in the postseason. He was rewarded exactly as he should have been for his play.

Derek Grant
Regular Season: 14:16 ATOI, 11:42 EV
Playoffs: 13:11 ATOI, 10:50 EV

Grant is truly the first player on the list who saw his ice time cut significantly even though he appeared in all but the last game. Grant burst onto the scene with the Flyers and looked like he would continue his career-high season. But something flipped when the postseason came around.

He is near the bottom in just about every offensive category. He was under 50% at the faceoff circle. Grant was significantly outshot and out-chanced when he was on the ice.  He didn’t have the worst marks, but he was in top five among regular postseason players. He broke even in goals for and against, assisting on two of the three he was on the ice for.

A strong regular season turned into a disaster of a postseason. He would end up scratched in what turned out to be the Flyers’ final game of the playoffs.

Joel Farabee
Regular Season: 14:06 ATOI, 12:23 EV
Playoffs: 14:28 ATOI, 12:21 EV

Farabee had to fight to have his name included on the Flyers starting roster for the postseason. He missed the end of the Islanders’ series due to injury. However, he saw a bump in his overall ice time. That included some time on the power play and a very minor chance on the penalty kill.

His rookie season saw a few ups and downs, but there is certainly promise in what he can become. The boost in time mainly has to do with the addition of some special teams time. So there is some trust that Farabee had earned after the regular season.

Nate Thompson
Regular Season: 12:37 ATOI, 10:21 EV
Playoffs: 13:08 ATOI, 11:13 EV

One of the biggest questions surrounding ice time had to due with Thompson. He did see a significant increase in his even-strength time. It was almost a 50-second increase. His overall time went up by about 30-seconds. He was the top forward when it came to the penalty kill, seeing almost 30-minutes of ice time during the playoffs.

He was actually on the ice for only one power-play goal against despite having the most time on the PK among forwards. That isn’t to say he was the sole reason for that. The overall numbers aren’t good for him, no matter what strength you look at. Even if he wasn’t on the ice for the most goals against, that does not mean he was positive while on the ice.

The increase in ice time isn’t as massive as it may have appeared. But there wasn’t much Thompson did to deserve the boost in time.

Michael Raffl
Regular Season: 12:22 ATOI, 10:57 EV
Playoffs: 13:03 ATOI, 12:16 EV

Raffl’s most dramatic increase came during even strength play. Despite missing some time with an undisclosed injury, he actually skated almost 1:20 more in the postseason.

His average time on ice total only went up about 40 seconds, however. This would likely be explained due to his lack of special teams play. He was relied on more when the Flyers weren’t up or down by an extra man.

Raffl has proven to be a versatile part of the lineup. His usage up and down the roster allows him to see that large increase in ice time. He is trusted in just about every situation.

Tyler Pitlick
Regular Season: 12:02 ATOI, 10:50 EV
Playoffs: 13:34 ATOI, 11:46 EV

Pitlick seemed to thrive the longer the Flyers were in the post season. In fact, he was among the best players during the second round. He might not have the offensive numbers to show it, but his promotion to the second line was a big shot of confidence.

His total time on ice jumped by almost 1:30, the largest increase among all forwards. He proved his worth time and time again this postseason. His play during a pivotal time could help him earn a new contract.

Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Regular Season: 11:17 ATOI, 10:14 EV
Playoffs: 11:53 ATOI, 10:53 EV

The young rookie finally found his place with the Flyers during the regular season. Sticking with the club, he was given the chance to start on the postseason roster. He would miss a few games due to injury, likely from some tough blocked shots.

As a depth player, only a slight increase in ice time is to be expected. But it still shows that the Flyers weren’t sheltering him in his first postseason. They gave him the opportunity to continue proving that he belongs.

He may have spent a little extra time in the box, but it was usually a team penalty and he doesn’t appear on the PK. He has seen some power play time, though.

Conclusion

When looking at the ice time of every regular forward, there isn’t much to be surprised about. The ones who saw an increase in their time received it for a good reason. And the ones who lost saw had some things to work on.

The main discrepancies come with some of the depth players seeing that change in their role. When those players are seeing a larger increase in their time over the top players, that can be an issue.

While they still average the most minutes, there is key time being taken away from them and given to some players who haven’t earned it. There are times where you need to be able to roll all four lines. But there also comes a point where you have to let your top players be your top players.

The ice times weren’t the reason the Flyers weren’t able to make it past the second round. But it can be said that it played a role during certain times.