Every year I offer a set of predictions on how the Flyers will do, what place will they finish in, stat leaders, etc. Sometimes I am close. This year...not so much.
What Place Will the Flyers Finish In?
The funny thing about the Metropolitian Division is that you never quite know what is going to happen. Teams that should be good fall apart. Teams that you expect to stink rise to the occasion. Then there are the Carolina Hurricanes. As long as Rod Brind'Amour is their coach, you can expect them to finish in first or second place. Let's take a look at how I had this division shaping up versus how it played out.
What I Predicted | What Actually Happened |
|---|---|
1. Hurricanes | 1. Hurricanes |
2. Capitals | 2. Penguins |
3. Devils | 3. Flyers |
4. Flyers | 4 Capitals |
5. Rangers | 5 Blue Jackets |
6. Blue Jackets | 6. Islanders |
7. Penguins | 7. Devils |
8. Islanders | 8. Rangers |
Well, at least I got the Canes correct. I'm not upset that the Rangers slid to the bottom. Long may they stay there. The Blue Jackets were a nice story last season. I didn't think they'd make it this year and I was right about that. The Islanders had a better year than I expected. I didn't think the Devils would collapse again. And much like with the Rangers, no tears are being shed here.
To have only three teams from this division that long to beat up on each other is staggering. At the same time, the Eastern Conference is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy tougher than the Western Conference. Hell, the Flyers would be a first place team in the Pacific Divison. Next year, who knows who'll be up or done.
I also said that the Flyers would just barely miss the playoffs. I'd rather have them just sneak in than just miss out. I'm glad to be wrong with that one.
Team Awards
Once again, I was off. However, let's take a look at what happened and why I was wrong.
Awards | What I Predicted | What Actually Happened |
|---|---|---|
Bobby Clarke Trophy for Team MVP | Matvei Michkov | Dan Vladar |
Barry Ashbee Trophy for Best Defenseman | Travis Sanheim | Travis Sanheim |
Yanick Dupre Memorial for Class Guy | Sean Couturier | Garnet Hathaway |
Pelle Lindbergh Memorial for Most Improved Award | Emil Andrae | Jamie Drysdale |
Toyota Cup Game Star Selections | Matvei Michkov | Trevor Zegras |
Gene Hart Award Work Ethic & Dedication: | Nick Seeler | Travis Sanheim |
To paraphrase Meatloaf, one out of six ain't good. However, there are reasons for it. First of all, who thought Dan Vladar would be the best goalie this team has had since Brian Boucher (the 2000 version)? While this team had some great scorers, Vladar is hands down the MVP of this team. Without him, this team doesn't come close to sniffing the playoffs. I hope he gets Vezina Trophy love (he won't), but he is well deserving of this award.
Michov had a big falling off this year. Hopefully he can come back to his rookie year. If not, the Flyers should trade him while he is worth something. Zegras had a great season and let's hope he builds on it.
Sanheim had his best year as the legit defender on the team. He hustled and led that defense during some tough growing pains. You could've made an argument for Drysdale as best defender and it would've been fine. Drysdale is starting to come into his own. As for Andrae, he looked lost for much of the season and there is a good chance he could be gone during the summer.
Hathaway is deeply involved with a lot of charities in Philadelphia as well as still being tied to those where he used to play; most of them involved in firefighter charities. It is something that is well deserved.
Stats and Other Predictions
Well, I correctly predicted that Konencny would lead the team in points and that he would be seriously challenged by someone. However, I said that it would be Michkov who would make a run at the title. Instead, it was Zegras. Konecny would lead the team with 68 points and Zegras would finisn with 67. That's not bad for his first year in Philly. Both also led the team with 41 assists. Tippett came back to lead the team with 28 goals, taking that title away from Michkov.
I had also suggested that Foerster would've hit 30 goals with Michkov. Neither happened. Foerster got hurt and was on pace for 40 goals when he did. Michkov struggled to find his role. Hopefully it was just a sophomore slump and he'll bounce back season.
In other predictions, I said Ristolainen would be traded away. Find me ANY hockey publication/website that didn't say that. Instead, he is in the playoffs for the first time and, the way he is playing, could be one of the more valuable pieces. I said Bump and Bonk would make an impact. Bonk just arrived in the last game, but he did score his first career goal. That is a good sign. Bump played in a few games and looked well enough.
In fact, a lot of rookies had an impact. Denver Barkey played in a lot of games and looked fairly strong for a smallish rookie. His impact probably helped push Bobby Brink out the door (not that Brink was playing poorly). Likewise, the emergence of Porter Martone was an unexpected boost to the lineup. Finally, before he got hurt, Nikita Grebenkin was playing a lot and on all four lines. He might not have have the biggest impact, but he did show that he had value and could be a great role player over the next few seasons.
Overall, not a banner year for predictions. But the Flyers are back in the playoffs and that’s what matters.
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