Big Little Things Stopped Flyers From Winning

In a Flyers season that can only be considered an unqualified disappointment, it is natural to lookback and consider if different decisions would have led to different outcomes.  For me, I still look back at the Erik Gustafsson signing as  ahead scratching moment especially when Zdeno Chara was still on the market.

Chara may have never been a possibility, perhaps he saw the flaws in the Flyers and knew it was not the place for him.  But Chara’s level of interest is almost besides the point. Understanding what the Flyers’ need is truly at heart, and in this case, Chara fit the bill almost perfectly. The choice to bring in Gustafsson was illustrative of management’s lack of understanding of what the team needed.

Defensive Defensemen

The Flyers defense, largely through Hextall’s process, is a much more talented unit than it was five years ago. This past season it was loaded with puck moving defensemen, with Gustafsson’s addition only serving to overcrowd the roster with players who are not shutown defenders,

Provorov and Sanheim have played well and offer good defense on a nightly basis, but both players would benefit from having a solid defensive partner. Finding a match to replace the departed Niskanen for Provorov was the team’s most pressing need, and the Flyers failed to address it. Could it have been Chara that filled that role?

Hagg and Braun, while labelled as defense first defensemen, and are capable, they are not elite defensively, and the label may be more of a commentary on their offensive prowess. Would Chara become that elite defender the team lacked?

Myers is inconsistent and needs to increase his compete level to fully utilize his immense talent. The Flyers trotted out Gostisbehere and Gustafsson regularly with both players suffering from some degree of defensive woes. Could Chara have provided enough stable defense to allow these players to flourish?

Chara may have been just the tonic to solve any number of problems on defense.