After five years of not making the playoffs, the Flyers are trying to start fresh. They are on their third coach in that time period and hoping that he can turn things around.
For a fan base tired of seeing a once great, dominant team being shoved into irrelevancy for the better part of a decade, they are hoping the turnaround comes sooner rather than later.
With this in mind, we know that things can't keep going the way they are. Sometimes, things need to be shaken up a bit; such as a coaching change. At the same time, the players are the ones on the ice. They are playing the game.
So, which players may need to be held to a higher standard this year?
Owen Tippett
A lot has been said about Tippett over the last few months, especially after a down year. To be fair, a lot of players last year had a down year, not just Tippett. Many players had lower goal and/or point totals from the year before. Tippett battled through some injuries and, like a few guys near the end, had some issues with coach John Tortorella.
With that in mind, eyes on him, fairly or unfairly. Here's the thing. He's signed onto this team until the end of the 2030-31 season for $6.2 million. That's going to be hard to trade unless the Flyers eat a significant chunk of his salary or they buy him out and keep him on the salary cap for years to come. Neither are good.
Tippett is still good. The Flyers haven't given up on him. Still, he does need to step up his game and perform more consistently at the level he’s known for.
Bobby Brink
You may be surprised to see Brink on this list. After all, he posted career high in goals (12), assists (29). and points (41) last season. He also came on strong near the end of the season. So why is he here?
It has nothing to do with him, per say. He is a right winger on a team loaded with them. He is also cheap ($1.5 million) and controllable. Players like that often get traded. Brink will be an RFA at the end of this season. With a lot of young wingers coming up in the system and with some solid vets, Brink needs to stand out if he wants stick around Philly.
The thing he has going for him right now is effort. He is someone who comes to work hard and is very coachable. He is someone that new head coach Rick Tocchet could easily elevate his game play.
Noah Cates
Cates may also be a surprise considering the team just extended him to a four year deal. Again, this is less about him than it is about the team; in the same sense for Brink. Cates is a center. The team just drafted several young, big centers and has one, Jett Luchanko, ready to break in at any moment.
Cates isn't going anywhere any time soon. However, he can't be here forever. There are some players that could be breathing down his neck if he can't pick his game up a bit. I'm not sure if he needs to add more of a scoring touch, become a tad more physical, or start becoming a solid defensive-minded center. He's the sort of player this team loves, but he should elevate his game in some way before his internal competition overtakes him.
Egor Zamula
This is the first player on this list in real danger of losing a roster spot this year. Zamula has played defense well enough for a guy who was undrafted. He's not bad as a depth defender, but with a lot of defensive prospects on the way, he needs to perform more consistently.
With Rasmus Ristolainen out, some young prospect will get a chance to step into that role. Likewise, if they perform well enough, they might force a current player on the roster out of their role. Looking at the roster, it's most like Zamula or Emil Andrae. And the former is the likely option. If he wants to stick around, he's gotta play like he wants it.
Dan Vladar
Again, this is less about Vladar and more about the goalie carousel. No, Vladar isn't going to be the savior in net. He's a stop gap. He's here to help Sam Ersson not get burned out, allow someone like Yegor Zavragin time to develop and improve, and save the team until Carson Bjarnason is ready to possibly step up.
With all that said, Vladar is important. If he excels in net, he could be extended and make one of the other four goalies expendable. If he gets roasted in net, that will put more pressure on Ersson, the team's defense, and Flyers' management to figure out a solution.
This may not be fair to a guy who hasn't played at all in net for the Flyers. At the same time, he stated he wanted a chance to prove he can start. Being a goalie is one of the most stressful and difficult jobs in professional sports. This is what he wanted. It's time to prove to everyone you deserve it.