There’s nothing to hide about the Philadelphia Flyers' 4-10-4 start to the season. It’s been a rough opening, headlined by a nine-game losing streak.
That’s why the prevailing question has been, "What's wrong with the Flyers this season?"
And while whoever answers that question should win a Nobel Prize, the bottom line is that the “problem” is not what everyone thinks it is.
Allow me to elaborate.
The Flyers’ season last year was a bit of an unexpected one. A young, exciting team got ahead of the rebuild by scoring, playing good defense, and getting better-than-expected goaltending.
It was that season that put the entire NHL on notice. No one is taking the Flyers lightly this season. Everyone knows who they are and what they can do.
Yes, there have been issues with porous defense, lack of scoring, and Dan Vladar coming back down to Earth. But the bottom line is that once a rebuilding team proves it can win, no one lets their guard down.
That’s exactly what happened last season. Some teams might have felt they were going to have an easier time facing the Flyers. When that didn’t happen, those teams were caught offguard.
Well, not anymore. Everyone is taking the Flyers seriously, and that situation entails a major psychological adjustment.
Flyers need to let their maturity catch up with their skill level
You always hear talk of maturity and how young teams need time to develop and grow. As much as that sounds like a cliché, it’s actually very true, not just in hockey, but in every sport.
There’s something that experience gives players. Regardless of what the analytics nerds say, there is always something that experience offers that analytics just can’t quantify.
That’s what is afflicting the Flyers right now. The added pressure from opponents coming in hard against them is something that Philly’s maturity will eventually need to catch up.
Let’s put it this way: No one really saw Porter Martone coming last season. Sure, everyone knew he was a good prospect. But all it took was for Martone to burn a few teams, and then every coach figured out he was a guy to stop.
That’s why Daniel Briere swung for the fences on Leo Carlsson. He knew that the Flyers, such as they are constructed, need someone who can come in become a major difference-maker. And until complementary pieces can come into the mix, the only thing that Flyers fans can really do is be patient with this team.
Sometimes, you need to take two steps back before really making progress.
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