Flyers Quarter Season Grades: The Offense
By Nick Butler
Joel Farabee
I know he had neck surgery this offseason and did not get a full offseason to train nor did he get the preseason, but that is no excuse. Farabee was cleared to play and needs to be better. A lot of pressure rides on Farabee being one of the elite players on this team, especially after his breakout season last year riddled with injuries. While five goals and 10 assists aren’t necessarily bad through 27 games, Farabee needs to take that extra step forward this season.
Joel Farabee needs to hit the 25 goal and 25 assist markers this season. The last two seasons he scored 17 goals and 17 assists and 20 goals and 18 assists. Farabee has it in him to be that elite top liner for this team, it’s just a matter of breaking through the ceiling. If Farabee can do that, then I have no worries about his development for the future.
Owen Tippett
The player the Flyers got in exchange for our beloved and tenured captain. Tippett this season has shown flashes of brilliance. The speed, hands, IQ and goal scoring ability have been on display, but the stretches of him being quiet and irrelevant have shown, which was one of the issues he had down in Sunrise.
Seven goals and four assists this season isn’t going to cut it. If you watched The Standard during the preseason, you will know how much Torts likes Tippett and what he sees in him. Tippett just needs to bring the intensity and passion every single game and his development will go through the roof.
Tippett needs to hit the 20-goal marker for the season. The assists won’t really make that much of a difference considering his play style is more of being a goal scorer. While he can move the puck and pass it with the best of them, focusing on getting his shot more under control will absolutely make him lethal from anywhere in the offensive zone.
Morgan Frost
What can I say? Frost has so much upside that he taps into for a game or two and then regresses. Like Torts said “Frost is like a toilet seat. He is up and down.” That statement resonates loudly with a lot in this fanbase. Frost was drafted by Hextall to be the Brayden Schenn replacement and eventually, maybe your number one center. Once again, he has been disappointing. Through 26 games, Frost has three goals and three assists. At this point, sending Frost back down to Lehigh won’t help him.
Frost has to help himself. Overall, he needs to find his game and figure out who he is as a player. Frost said, “I want to be a difference maker this season”. The way things are going, he has currently been a detriment to the Flyers. This could be Frost’s last chance with this hockey club to make an impression. If he begins to thaw, then expect him not to be here in the future.
Overall, the Flyers offense has its ups and downs but as a whole, you win as a team, and you lose as a team. Without being lethal and losing a ton of games this season by one goal, taking away all of the empty netters of course, this team just leaves Hart out to dry and take losses.