It's safe to say expectations were low as the Philadelphia Flyers entered the season, which makes the fact that they are 9-6-1 with 21 points through 16 games even sweeter -- and more miraculous.
There's still a lot of hockey left to be played, but right now the Flyers are firmly in the playoff hunt in the Metropolitan Division.
ESPN's Greg Wyshynski is here to burst everyone's bubble, though. He recently published an article detailing the current playoff picture and even with the Flyers' hot start to the season, gave the Flyers a 27.2 percent chance of making the playoffs.
"In some ways, the Flyers are a very similar team to the one that predated new coach Rick Tocchet's arrival. They don't earn the majority of shot attempts. They are fairly good defensively at 5-on-5, although with a propensity to get stuck in their own zone a bit too much," Wyshynski wrote. "It's a tough team to play against, but perhaps not a dangerous enough one."
Yikes.
ESPN throws cold water on Flyers fans' hopes after hot start to season
Head coach Rick Tocchet has prioritized improving their defense and limiting the opposing team's shots on goal. Lest we forget that the addition of goalie Dan Vladar has aged tremendously and is one of the biggest reasons Philadelphia is in the position it is.
We're a long way off, but how many teams have thrived in the postseason -- regardless of overall prowess -- based solely on a goaltender getting hot at the right moment?
Not everything is perfect, though, which is why it's a little early to be buying any blocks of playoff tickets for April. A few causes for concern that Wyshynski mentions are Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov, which is hard to argue against.
Zegras has been everything the Flyers could have hoped for. They made the trade as a way to bring some star power and scoring ablity to their lineup. Zegras needed a change of scenery, as he didn't pan out for the Anaheim Ducks. Thus far, Zegras has six goals and 13 assists through 18 games.
As for Michkov, he hasn't exactly played his way into the good graces of Tocchet. Last year, as a rookie, Michkov scored 26 goals and recorded 37 assists for 63 points in 80 games. This season, Michkov has just four goals and five assists in 18 games. Michkov has played poorly enough where Tocchet actually benched him multiple times this season.
There is still so much season left, but the Flyers have seen some great success. They seemingly found their solution to the goaltending situation and Zegras has exceeded expectations this early in the season. Maybe their playoff odds will increase if they continue to keep it up.