2023-24 Philadelphia Flyers Predictions Revisited

Back in September, I wrote my predictions for the season. It was what I thought would happen stat-wise, award-wise, and standings-wise with this team. On some of them, I struck gold. On others, not even close. Let's see how close I was.

Metro Division Standings

My Picks Reality
Hurricanes Rangers
Devils Hurricanes
Rangers Islanders
Islanders Capitals
Penguins Penguins
Flyers Flyers
Capitals Devils
Blue Jackets Blue Jackets

Well, I got three of the eight teams correct. What happened? The Rangers started hot and kept going all year to win the President's Trophy. The Hurricanes struggled with injuries early on and had some goaltending issues before getting their act together after New Year's. They've been hot since the trade deadline. The Devils were one of the biggest surprises. They were strong last year and injuries shattered this team hard. Columbus was Columbus, no surprise there.

When I made the predictions, I said that the Isles, Pens, Caps, and Flyers would all jostle for that last playoff spot. That ended up being true. I felt the Islanders would be a bit stronger. The Pens and Caps were kind of a coin flip. I am, very proud of this prediction that came true:

"If the Flyers make the postseason, they will probably be one of the last teams in. Right now, it is looking as if the Flyers may be one of the last ones out."

- Scott Cole

The Flyers were one of the last teams out. It's something to build on. Yes, that late-season collapse ruined them. One of those wins and the Flyers are in. It's ok. It can make this team hungry for next year.

Flyers Stat Leaders

My predictions are on the left. The real leaders are in parenthesis.

Team Leader in Goals: Travis Konecny (Konency): This was kind of a no-brainer. He had another career year, topping over 30 goals for the second time in his career. This time, it was a career high of 33. They need to re-sign him.

Team Leader in Points: Konecny (Konecny): Another career high of 68 points. He led this by a long shot. A lot of Flyers had career-highs in goals and points. This is a good look for the future of this team.

Team Leader in Assists: Owen Tippett (Konency): Tippett had a career-high 25 assists, good for seventh on the team. Konecny led the team with 35 assists, just one above Travis Sanheim.

Defensive Leader in Points: Cam York (Travis Sanheim): York finished the year with 30 points, which was good for ninth overall and second for blueliners. Sanheim had the best year for defenders with 44 points, posting career highs in goals and assists. Who would've known he would've become an offensive juggernaut this year?

Team Leader in Penalty Minutes: Nic Deslauriers (Garnet Hathaway): This was supposed to be a slam dunk. Deslauriers has been in the top five in penalty minutes and hits the last few seasons. Looks like Hathaway dethroned him as our top physical guy this year.

Flyers Team Awards

Once again, I have my predictions on the left and what actually happened in parentheses.

Barry Ashbee Trophy for Best Defenseman: Travis Sanheim (Sanheim): There were signs this offseason that he was going to shake off last year's rust. Boy did he. He showed he is one of the Flyers top defenders in a big way. If he can build on this, he will have a great career in Philly.

Bobby Clarke Trophy for Team MVP: Travis Konecny (Konecny): This was kind of a slam dunk. He scored the most points the year before. This is his second year leading the team in points. He earned this award big time. He was the majority of the offense this season. Bobby would be proud.

Yanick Dupre Memorial for Class Guy: Sean Couturier (Nick Seeler): I thought Couturier coming back for a strong season would clinch this award for him. However, Seeler makes sense. He was a Masterton Trophy nominee last year. He was a top-tier defender this season. They signed him to an extension back in March.

Pelle Lindbergh Memorial for Most Improved Award:  Noah Cates (Cam York): I thought that after a strong rookie campaign, Cates would bust out this year. Injuries limited him to 59 games. York, however, showed some of the promise worthy of a first-rounder. If he keeps on this trajectory, the Flyers will be the beneficiaries of a young star in the making.

Toyota Cup Game Star Selections: Travis Konecny (Konecny). It's not surprising that the top points-getter and the team MVP would win this award. This was an easy prediction.

Gene Hart Award Work Ethic & Dedication: Scott Laughton (Sam Ersson): Laughton is one of the grittiest guys to ever don a Flyers' uniform. Whenever you need anything done, he is the guy to call on. However, let's be honest. If not for Ersson, this team would never have sniffed the playoff this season. Maybe the Flyers overworked him, but he was solid all year. He was the heart and soul of this team. He kept them in contention all year. Laughton would've been a great candidate, but Ersson earned this piece of hardware.

Flyers All-Star Selection: Travis Konecny (Konency): Many of the guys this year had career seasons. Tippett will get there someday. Joel Farabee looks as if he will be one as well. However, Konecny should've been one last year. He'll likely be one again. This was a no-brainer.