5 Keys for the Philadelphia Flyers to Get Off to a Fast Start in 2014-15

The Philadelphia Flyers will open the 2014-15 NHL season this Wednesday when they travel north to face the Boston Bruins. Last season, the Flyers got off to a very slow start and had to finish very strong to barely reach the playoffs.

Here are the five biggest keys for the Flyers to get off to a fast start this time around.

Keep in mind that these are team factors. While there are certainly many factors that individual Flyers players need to be successful, these are the five biggest issues that apply to the team as a whole.

Obviously, some key players will have a bigger impact than others on the team's ability to get out of the gate quickly.

After struggling early last season and a relatively quiet summer, a good start to the new campaign will be vital to the Flyers' confidence.

Feel free to comment on any of these factors or add one of your own. As always, indicate why you feel the way you do.

5. Vincent Lecavalier Must Fit into the Team's System

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If Vincent Lecavalier ups his game, the Flyers will be dangerous.

The Flyers signed Vincent Lecavalier to a five-year, $22.5 million contract during the summer of 2013 and expected him to be a major addition to their offense. However, the veteran forward had trouble fitting into Craig Berube's system and was demoted to the fourth line late in the season.

Lecavalier finished the year with 20 goals and 37 points in 69 games with a disappointing minus-16 rating.

If Lecavalier can have a more productive season and play better in his own zone, the Flyers could easily put together three lines capable of scoring consistently.

In training camp, USA Today's Dave Isaac reports that Berube has returned Lecavalier to center and plans to use him on a line with R.J. Umberger and Michael Raffl.

So far, Berube is pleased with Lecavalier's play in training camp and preseason. "He's moving good and competing," Berube said. "I liked him on the power play, but even five-on-five, I just like his competitiveness in all areas of the ice."

If Lecavalier can be a steady force on the second or third line, opponents will not be able to shut down the Philadelphia offense by just stopping Claude Giroux's trio.

That would make the Flyers a more dangerous team.

4. 1 or More Forwards Must Have a Breakout Season

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Bryaden Schenn is one of several Flyers forwards who can raise their game this year.

The Flyers had a strong offense last season but often relied too heavily on Claude Giroux to make the offense go.

After trading Scott Hartnell to Columbus during the summer, the Flyers need to replace his grit and offensive production.

There are several candidates on the current roster who can fill the void left by Hartnell's departure. They include Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier, Matt Read or Jakub Voracek.

If one of these players makes a significant jump or if each of these players improves their production a bit, the team can make up for Hartnell's departure.

No matter who steps up, diversifying the offense will go a long way toward helping the Flyers get off to a quick start this season.

3. Steve Mason Must Prove Last Season Was No Fluke

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Steve Mason must get off to a solid start as well.

The Flyers will once again be relying on starting goalie Steve Mason to get the team back to the playoffs.

Mason had a good season last year, especially early on. He finished with a 2.50 goals-against average and .917 save percentage. Those are solid yet unspectacular numbers, but they are even better when you consider the mediocre defense that was playing in front of him.

The Flyers allowed 30.6 shots per game, placing them 19th in the NHL last season. Many of the shots allowed by the Philadelphia defense were quality scoring opportunities.

Mason had the best season of his career in 2008-09 with Columbus when he won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. The Oakville, Ontario, native followed that up with four very uneven campaigns, which led to his trade to the Flyers late in the 2012-13 season.

Mason has never had two strong NHL seasons in a row. The Flyers need him to play at least as well as he did last season, if not a little better for the team to get off to a fast start this season.

2. The Defense Must Be at Least Respectable

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Mark Streit is one of the more experienced Flyers defensemen.

Defense has been the Flyers' Achilles' heel for the past few seasons.

This year, the Flyers are returning with more or less the same cast they had in last year's playoffs—with the exception of veteran Kimmo Timonen, who is going to miss a large portion of the season due to blood clots in his lungs and legs.

The Flyers have several talented defensive prospects, but general manager Ron Hextall has opted to keep them in the AHL for additional seasoning so that they aren't rushed to the NHL.

Shayne Gostisbehere and Samuel Morin both had strong training camps but were sent back to the AHL.

Hextall explained his rationale to Frank Seravalli of The Philadelphia Daily News:

"

It gets a little tempting. Then you kind of hit the refresh button and think about reality, which is: These are preseason games, there are a lot of young players in the lineup, and the older players weren't really bringing their best stuff. In the end, we thought it was the right thing to do [to send the young players back to develop].

"

The Flyers did sign Michael Del Zotto late this summer to take Timonen's spot in the lineup. He needs to bounce back from several disappointing seasons if he is to help the Flyers defense improve.

Unless the defense plays better than it did last season, the Flyers will have a tough time getting off to a fast start to 2014-15.

1. Claude Giroux Needs a Good Start

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The captain got off to a slow start last season.

Last season, Claude Giroux struggled to score early in the season and the Flyers also had difficulty putting the puck in the net as a team.

Giroux went without a goal for the first 15 games of last season and the Flyers won just four of them.

Giroux finished the season with 28 goals and 86 points, good for third in the league behind only Sidney Crosby and Ryan Getzlaf.

How important was Giroux to the Philadelphia attack? The Flyers were 22-3-1 in games when Giroux scored a goal and 20-27-9 when he failed to put the puck in the net.

If Giroux gets off to another slow start, the Flyers offense may do the same. If the captain starts the season off on a productive note, the entire team is likely to follow his lead.

Contract information courtesy of CapGeek.com.