I make a series of predictions at the start of every Flyers' season. Team stat leaders, award winners, and other incidentals. I follow up at the end of the season to see how close I was to what happened. Last year, I was pretty good with stat leaders and awards. I got confident, and with the fact that the Flyers played relatively well that year, I thought I could chug along with these predictions.
Turns out, I was WAY off on quite a few things. The Flyers bottomed out, but they weren't the only ones. A few teams that many thought would have a good season (cough, cough....Rangers), fell apart. There were a few major surprises as well. So, let's get started with the Metropolitan Division final standings.
Metro Division Standings
My Predictions | Reality |
|---|---|
Rangers | Capitals |
Hurricanes | Hurricanes |
Flyers | Devils |
Islanders | Blue Jackets |
Penguins | Rangers |
Devils | Islanders |
Capitals | Penguins |
Blue Jackets | Flyers |
Well, at least I got the Hurricanes right. To be fair, the Capitals barely made the playoffs last year and were getting older. The Blue Jackets had an awful offseason with the tragic death of Johnny Gaudreau. Plus, the Rangers have been knocking at the door of the Presidents' Trophy for the last few seasons. Who'd have thought that they'd have a craptacular season, the Capitals would be one of the best teams in the NHL, and the Jackets would've been one of the biggest surprises of the season? Likewise, who would have thought that the Bruins would tie the Flyers for the worst record in the Eastern Conference?
To be fair, I had been seduced by the Flyers almost making the playoffs last year. I felt that with Michkov's arrival and the steady growth of players like Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett, the team would rise to the occasion and finally make it back to the playoffs. I think the success of last season is what makes this year so much harder to take. They made us believe in a team that wasn't ready yet. Of course, the Penguins can say the same thing, thinking that they'd be better after getting Erik Karlsson.
The odd thing is, for being a last-place team, the Flyers aren't that far off from a .500 record. And compared to last year, it's only an eleven-point drop. So, while this season is a failure, it's not all that much different than last year.
Flyers Stat Leaders
For this part, I have my predictions on the left. On the right side, is what occurred in parenthesis.
Team Leader in Goals: Travis Konecny (Matvei Michkov): This was a bit of a shocker. Not so much because of Michkov, but more because of Konecny. Konecny had 24 goals this season. That's down from 33 the year before. I had believed he'd crack 40 goals, or at the very least 35. Not sure if he didn't have the chances or if it is because he set a career high in assists.
Konecny finished third in goals. Tyson Foerster set a new career high with 25 goals. Michkov's 26 goals took the lead on the last day of the season.
Team Leader in Points: Konecny (Konecny): He's been this for the past few years. This was an easy call. Even then, it seems like a down year for him, even though he set career highs in assists and points. I felt that he could've pushed 80, or even 90 points.
Team Leader in Assists: Owen Tippett (Konecny): This is the second year in a row I selected Tippett, and the second year in a row I was off here. I worry that Tippett may be stagnating a bit. Maybe it was because the whole offense stagnated this year. But his 23 assists were good for fourth. Konecny upped his game and led the team with 52 assists.
Defensive Leader in Points: Travis Sanheim (Sanheim): No brainer here. Sanheim's offensive numbers are down from last year, but his 30 points are 10 more than the next closest guys (Nick Seeler and Jamie Drysdale). Again, everyone's offensive numbers are down. It's not just him.
Team Leader in Penalty Minutes: Garnet Hathaway (Hathaway): Here's the thing, while I was correct on this, this is a staggering stat. Last season, Hathaway led the Flyers with 132 minutes in the sin bin. This year, he led the team again, but with just 58 minutes. As a team, the Flyers had just 602 minutes, good for 24th in the league. That is a well-disciplined team.
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): This was going to be a slam dunk. Say what you will about John Tortorella as a head coach, he did unlock Sanheim's potential and helped turn him into a top line defender. He has gone from a player who had gotten a terrible long-term deal by Chuck Fletcher to a reliable defender.
Bobby Clarke Trophy for Team MVP: Travis Konecny (Konecny): Again, this was an easy one. Konecny is the best offensive player this team has. He's been the scoring leader for the last few years. This was an easy one to call. We'll see next year.
Yanick Dupre Memorial for Class Guy: Scott Laughton (Sanheim): To be fair, I didn't think that the Flyers would sell some of their players at the deadline. Had Laughton stuck around, it probably could have been him. It was an easy selection. However, Sanheim has great community relations and is a clubhouse leader. It's a solid award for a solid guy.
Pelle Lindbergh Memorial for Most Improved Award: Jamie Drysdale (Bobby Brink): I thought that Drysdale, being healthy for a season, would have a better year. And while he did stay healthy, Brink is becoming a better player. He's a sneakily solid player. Yes, he was benched at times, but he learned from it. It will be interesting to see where he takes his game next year.
Toyota Cup Game Star Selections: Travis Konecny (Matvei Michkov): I thought that Konecny would have cracked the 30 and 40 goal mark and led us into the playoffs. Naming the Team MVP for this award makes sense. However, Michkov has matched Konecny goal for goal for most of the season. It fits that Mickhov would earn this.
Gene Hart Award Work Ethic & Dedication: Noah Cates (Cates): Nailed this one. Cates is not the best player on this team, but he works super hard. You can't deny that. He does a lot of the little things right and is the kind of player this team needs moving forward. Well-deserved honor for Cates.
Then there was this prediction:
"Furthermore, l'll add that Michkov will be the runner-up for the Calder Trophy to Macklin Celebrini. I will also predict that Sam Ersson will be a top 10 finalist for the Vezina Trophy and could be an All-Star with Konecny if the Flyers get off to a hot start."
Ersson will not be a top 10 finalist for the Vezina, and I hope I didn't jinx his career with this one. He was part of the Four Nations tournament, with Konency and Sanheim, so....there's that. As for Michkov, we'll see. The NHL hasn't revealed the Calder nominees yet. However, because of some of his slumps and the way that he was handled at times, I don't think this is happening. He's not winning the Calder, and I don't think he'll be the runner-up. A possible third or fourth-place finish is likely.