Flyers Training Camp Highlights Team Issues

The Flyers have come to the end of their training camp with a lot of question marks and some major, major concerns. Unless you are one of those fans who are in denial and think that every move this team makes is a great one, you have probably been a little worried since about Thanksgiving of last year.

The team replaced their coach, traded away their franchise player, and had to sit back as their hands were tied due to salary cap issues. Everyone else in the Eastern Conference seemed to get stronger, with the exception of the New York Islanders.

And now that the season is virtually upon us, what do we have? Here are the major concerns so far with the Flyers coming out of training camp.

Offense: Have You Seen Me?

With the preseason finished, the Flyers have scored a grand total of eight goals in six games. Two goals were scored in the first game against the Sabres. They were blanked by Boston over the weekend.  That’s not good. Do we need to put the offensive skills our players have on a milk carton and go in search of them?

To be fair, a lot of the vets haven’t been playing as much as they’ve been conditioning through Coach Tortorella’s gauntlet training camp. Let’s be honest, we know Cam Atkinson and Travis Konecny will make the team. These games are for the young guys to show off and prove they deserve a seat on the bench in Philly.

But outside of the Cates Brothers, there hasn’t been a lot of noise. It is known that Torts prefers a defense first mentality, and that is great. But you win games by scoring goals. If this becomes a habit, losing games 2-1, 1-0, etc. the Flyers could fall out of any sort of playoff contention before your Thanksgiving leftovers get too boring for any amount of gravy to save them.

Defense: Is This What We Got?

So far, Tony DeAngelo has been better than advertised. He’s moving the puck around. He’s put up a few points, including a team leading two goals. Everyone else is…..kinda blah. Maybe they are getting used to new pairings. Provorov has only been in one game. Maybe he is getting used to the new system under Coach Tortorella.

They haven’t given up a ton of goals (16 goals in six games), but the numbers of goals keep increasing. That’s not good.

Goalies: Who’s Left Standing?

Hart’s missed a lot of training camp. Backup Felix Sandstrom just got injured. Troy Grosenick isn’t playing well. Samuel Ersson is playing well enough in camp, but is he NHL ready? If Hart’s injuries come back during the season, this team could be left standing without a goalie. Starting goalies are hard enough to find in the NHL, but a reliable backup is almost as difficult. And with the salary cap issues, it could be a long season for our netminders.

New Coach: New System

How’s it working out? Not sure yet. We still have yet to have all the starters on the ice. A lot of players have been banged up. Young players are fighting for ice time. Some offseason vets, like Nic Desaluriers and Zack MacEwen are trying to show why they also belong here. It’s a small sample size to see what this team will be.

However, Torts has been leaving the games to his assistants while he gets an eagle eyed view from above. I’m sure there’s a lot of things he’s liked seeing and a lot he hasn’t liked. But when he gets “his guys” into the lines and formations he wants, we will see what this team can and will be.

Health: Is Anyone Healthy?

Ryan Ellis is done and Sean Couturier is a big question mark. Joel Farabee is still recovering from a neck injury and is likely still a few weeks out. Hart has had an injury he’s been dealing with in camp. Sandstrom just got injured. Atkinson is dealing with a minor injury.  Artem Anisimov, who came in to battle for a spot, has also been haggard throughout the camp.

Can this team compete if a lot of players are down? Not sure. Which brings us to our last concern…

Young Players: Can They Take A Step Up?

Farabee was a great surprise last year. Noah Cates has been shining so far in training camp. Morgan Frost leads the team with three points, all assists. Will the other young players like Tyson Foerster, Cam York, Ronnie Attard, and others take the leap the Flyers need to be successful; especially in the face of so many injuries.

Much of this will also come down to who makes the team and who is sent down for more seasoning. But with the regular season a week away, the Flyers have a lot of shaping up to do.