Philadelphia Flyers: Handing out Awards for the 2012 NHL Season

The Philadelphia Flyers' 2011-2012 season was full of highs, lows, surprises, disappointments and achievements. Many fans were very disappointed after they got dominated by the New Jersey Devils in the second round, but the Flyers have an abundance of young talent and the team's future is bright.

This year showcased much of this promise, and it is time to look back and reflect on a season that hopefully will be remembered as the beginning of a great run for Philadelphia.

Here are some awards and analysis on the play of a few Flyers that stood out (for good or bad reasons) this season.  

Most Valuable Player: Claude Giroux

This is the easiest one by far.

Giroux emerged as a superstar two-way player, scoring 28 goals and adding 65 assists for an impressive 93 points. He also came into his own as both a leader and defensive forward, getting a lot of time on the penalty kill.

Next season, look for Giroux to firmly supplant himself in the discussion for best player in the league.

Most Disappointing Player: James van Riemsdyk

Although he was hurt throughout much of the season, the 23-year-old winger did not play very well when he did get on the ice. For a second overall pick, 24 points in 43 games just does not cut it.

JVR could find himself on the chopping block this offseason.

Biggest Overachiever: Wayne Simmonds

Scott Hartnell makes a strong case here, but the former fifth overall pick benefited from playing on a line with Giroux.

Meanwhile, Simmonds scored 28 goals, mostly from rebounds, deflections and short redirections. In his first three seasons, Simmonds scored nine, 16 and 14 goals, so netting 28 this year qualifies him as a huge overachiever.

Biggest Underachiever: Matt Carle

In no way is Matt Carle a bad player. But when you play the way he did this year, and especially in the playoffs, there is no way around critiquing his efforts.

He showed his flaws defensively, turning the puck over and getting outmuscled along the boards. Do not be surprised if Carle is not in Philly next season.

Breakout Player: Matt Read

In a season with eighth overall pick Sean Couturier and No. 1 NHL prospect Brayden Schenn making their Philly debuts, nobody would have thought Matt Read out of Bemidji State would have the best rookie season of the three.

But Read, who led all NHL rookies with 24 goals, showed that he has the speed and shooting ability to be a great scorer. If he can improve on his goal total next year, he will become the biggest piece to the Flyers' offense after Giroux. 

Best Offseason Acquisition: Max Talbot

Honestly, this was a toss-up because Schenn, Simmonds, Ilya Bryzgalov and Jake Voracek all showed why they were brought to Philly.

But Talbot's gritty play and unparalleled leadership will help this young team for years to come. He should be in the discussion for captaincy if Chris Pronger retires, and Talbot would be my personal selection to replace Pronger. 

Biggest Question Mark for Next Season: Scott Hartnell

This past season, Hartnell led the Flyers with his career-high 37 goals. The biggest reason for the scoring outbreak was his incredible chemistry with Giroux. How many goals does Hartnell score on a line without Giroux? I can't say for sure, but there's no way he gets 37 without him.

If Hartnell and Giroux avoid letting other teams shut them down next season, I expect Hartnell to score another 37. But if teams figure out a way to stop it, Hartnell could easily go back to around the 20-25 range, which would really hurt the Flyers offensive firepower.