Big Little Things Stopped Flyers From Winning

Physical Presence

Chara, just by his nature and size, brings a physicality that is hard to play against and is a quality that the Flyers’ back end lacks.  Chara will not only win most physical battles, but will seek them out mainly because he understands it is to his advantage to do so.

The Flyers defensive system by contrast, certainly by design and perhaps out of necessity, favors containment by defenders, with help from the forwards to steal the puck. There is a downside to this tactic, primarily there is an open opposition player which manifested itself this year in wide open cross ice one timer opportunities.  Chara, and players like him, can win the physical battles and allow the other players to stay on their man.

But this is only part of the equation.  Former Flyers Michael Raffl was drilled from behind by the Islanders Matt Martin in his third game as a Capital. It was a cheap hit, if not completely dirty. It took all of about two seconds for Chara to hulk over and then beat the hell from Martin.

If you can get past the rich irony, or ridiculous hypocrisy if you like, of the Caps taking issue of a player crossing the line into dirty play, it shows the value of a player like Chara. There was no penalty called, there was not call from the league office to Martin, but there was an immediate message sent from the Capitals, emphatically stating they were not going to take that kind of abuse.

Again, the irony of the Caps, who employ Tom Wilson, a player who knowingly and routinely crosses the line, and then dares anyone to so something about it, is not lost on me. But the Caps with Wilson and Chara have become bad hombres, and are dictating the rules. Namely, where it is fine for the Caps to take liberties against foes, the Caps will not tolerate any reprisals. When you have these players you can set these types of rules.  Rules like these make it easier to win.

Leadership, Team Personality

Again, using Raffl’s third game for the Caps, as an example, the incident shows a lot about Chara’s character. Raffl had worn the Caps sweater for less than an hour of ice time. Raffl is a depth player for the team, running him is not the same thing as taking a shot at Carlson, Ovechkin or Oshie. It would have been easy, and reasonable, for Chara to let it go, to think of it as the price for having Tom Wilson on the team. But this is not what happened.

Chara, at 46, charged over, grabbed Martin and beat him with an intensity that sent a message. It said “This is our guy, and you can’t touch him like that”.  Martin is not a heavy weight, but he is still a pretty tough customer, and he was annihilated. He might as well been fighting a grizzly bear. Even though the fight was one-sided, this was more about the attitude than the outcome.

Chara, at 46, does not have to fight at this stage of his career. The Caps don’t need Chara to fight, they employ Wilson specifically for that task. It would have been perfectly fine for Chara to let the dust settle, and to let Wilson take vengeance later.  But that is not how Chara is wired, as a player or as a leader.

While Chara’s Caps have cultivated a reputation as bully bad boys, the Flyers have adopted a much more stoic personality under Giroux’s leadership. Maybe by design, maybe out of necessity. Now this is not a knock on Giroux, or his leadership. The team would not be better off if Giroux was dropping the gloves in an effort to police cheap shots. It is simply not something in his tool set.

In fact, it is not is any Flyers tool kit at the moment, and it was certainly something that Erik Gustafsson possessed. It is an element the Flyers needed. Having to face down Chara is a lot different than facing an agitated Voracek or an aggrieved Hagg.

It is fair to ask if the March disaster happens in Chara is in that locker room?  Would the team respond to a 46 year-old, who has nothing left to prove and who wants one more cup? Would Chara have conjured up a game where he destroyed his opponents each shift, willing the team to win that halts a losing streak?  Maybe, maybe not, but it is obvious that Gustafsson lacked any such capability.

As the offseason starts up, Flyers’ management needs to fill roster spots with purpose, to address deficiencies and fill needs. Flights of fancy and redundant pieces are not going to make this team any better.  The front office has the ability to make good decisions, like signing Kevin Hayes, and they need to approach the blueline with the same certainty. This season has exposed some obvious and undeniable weaknesses, the question is can the front office correct them.