It's the Olympic break, which means we're without Philadelphia Flyers hockey for several days. But in the meantime, we thought we'd take this opportunity to hand out some player grades. We're breaking this exercise into four parts: the top forwards, the depth forwards, the defensemen, and the goaltenders. And we're gonna start with the top forwards.
Before we dive into the player grades, we'd be remiss to not highlight one player up front: Tyson Foerster. Before he was injured, Foerster appeared to be having the breakout season we'd all been waiting for, scoring 10 goals and 13 points in 21 games. His absence has been deeply felt throughout the lineup, but it doesn't seem appropriate to grade a player who hasn't suited up in months.
With that out of the way, let's get into it.
Trevor Zegras: A-
From every perspective, the Trevor Zegras trade was a homerun by Danny Briere. Zegras has been everything that Flyers fans could've hoped for and more: he's the second-most-used forward in average ice time (18:53) and has 20 goals and 49 points in 56 games. The only reason he doesn't get a full "A" grade is that, over the last few weeks, his scoring has somewhat slipped. Part of that slide could be lineup changes (he's been moved to center full-time on a few occasions), fatigue (one more game and he'll tie the 57 he played with Anaheim last year), or the team's general collapse. Make no mistake, though: this has been an outstanding season for Zegras so far.
Travis Konecny: A
The year started a little shaky for Konecny, but he's been on fire as of late, up to the team lead in goals (22), assists (32), and points (54). He is doing everything in his power to get this team into the playoffs, even if the rest of the roster isn't always pulling their weight. It's the first year of his $8.75-million AAV contract, and he's showing why he's worth every penny. Konecny is the heart of this team, and he's one of its prime offensive drivers--an easy "A" grade.
Matvei Michkov: C-
We won't go into all the drama surrounding Michkov this year (the fitness, the coaching, the ice time), and instead focus on the play. And the play has not been good. After a promising rookie season that saw Michkov lead rookie scoring with 26 goals and an excellent 63 points, this year has seen a steep drop in production: only 13 goals and 29 points in 55 games. Hopefully, the Olympic break has given Michkov a chance to reset, and he can rediscover his form for the stretch run. Plenty of time to boost his grade by the end of the season.
Sean Couturier: D
The only thing keeping Couturier out of "F" territory is that he's still a solid defensive forward and can win faceoffs, but the offense has completely left him. He hasn't scored a goal since early December, has a total of five on the season (and 26 points), and was last used centering the fourth line. As captain, though, he still counts as a "top" forward, and he spent much of his time in the top six earlier in the season. The drop off in Couturier's all-around play has been steep, and given his health history (multiple back surgeries) and age (33 years old), it's unlikely he'll be all that much better than he is now. Coming out of the break hot could show he's still got some juice in the tank, but he will just need his minutes heavily managed for the remainder of his contract.
Owen Tippett: A-
Tippett has been a revelation this season. It just took a month or two for him to fully emerge. He's up to 19 goals and 35 points in 56 games this season, and has been the most dominant forward not named Travis Konecny since the Flyers' losing skid began. He seems to have changed his game somewhat in the process, too: less a sniper, more a power forward, taking the puck to the net and finishing in tight. His name will be in trade rumors forever, it seems, but one thing is true: Tippett is a good player, and the Flyers are a better team with him on the roster.
Christian Dvorak: B
While the $5.1-million AAV extension Dvorak signed has been the subject of much derision (perhaps justifiably, but it's too early to say for sure), there's no denying that he's been the Flyers' best center this season. That's a low bar, considering the team's center depth, but 12 goals and 34 points in 55 games is perfectly acceptable middle-six production. The only problem is that the Flyers need better players than that down the middle. As far as offseason additions go, Dvorak has been a key reason the Flyers have been competitive this season; the question is how impactful he'll be away from Zegras and throughout the length of his contract.