Who's Overachieving, Underperforming for Philadelphia Flyers so Far This Season

The Philadelphia Flyers are now 4-3-2 after beating the Los Angeles Kings in an overtime victory on Tuesday night and have been solid throughout the last week.

But these first nine games must be taken into account as a whole. Enough time has passed to give an honest assessment of individual performances to start the season, so let's give it a shot.

One type of each kind of player is on here: a scorer, a checking-line forward, a defenseman and a goalie. 

Here are eight players who are either overachieving or underperforming for the Flyers so far this season.

Stats courtesy of NHL.com, ESPN.com and SomeKindofNinja.com.

Mark Streit: Overachieving

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With Braydon Coburn going down after just one game, Mark Streit suddenly became the top player on Philadelphia's blue line.

And the offensive-minded 36-year-old has filled that role admirably thus far. He's been solid in the defensive zone and has a very solid Corsi rating. He's also leading the team with 23:21 of ice time per game.

Some will point out that he's been sheltered by starting 54.8 percent of draws in the offensive zone, but those naysayers can't argue with the results: Streit is scoring at a near point-per-game clip with eight points in nine games.

Honorable-mention shout-out also goes to Michael Del Zotto, who has been outstanding for a castoff nobody wanted to sign all summer. 

Andrew MacDonald: Underperforming

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You will be hard-pressed to find a bigger Andrew MacDonald hater than me, but I just cannot stand watching him play hockey in orange and black while thinking about how much money he makes.

Contract aside, he's still just not good at all. Even while averaging nearly 23 minutes per game of ice time, he's only managed three points in seven games and has a minus-two plus/minus rating.

But it's his advanced metrics that are really brutal. While he does start a lot of draws in the defensive zone, his possession numbers are just terrible.

Check out this graph from SomeKindofNinja.com and look at how big MacDonald's red circle is. For the uninitiated, that basically means that the Flyers give up a whole lot more shots than they attempt while he's on the ice.

A big reason for that is his awful passing and overly passive defensive style, which allows forwards to waltz into the zone and get off shots at will. He's just awful.

Ray Emery: Overachieving

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Razor is back! Ray Emery had an average 2013-14 campaign, but he has been absolutely outstanding in four starts so far this season.

He's got a 4-0-1 record and was the main reason the Flyers beat both Los Angeles and Pittsburgh. The 32-year-old looks as quick and confident as ever, and that's great news for Philadelphia.

His goals-against average of 2.44 and save percentage of .924 are more than good enough for a backup—although he might not be that anymore.

Steve Mason: Underperforming

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It wouldn't be the Flyers without some goaltending drama, right? I'm not usually one to overreact, but there's been a pretty easy trend to pick up on through the first eight games of the season.

While the previously lauded Ray Emery is undefeated in regulation in his four starts, opening-day starter Steve Mason is 0-3-1 in his five starts.

It's tough times for Mason, who looked pretty good in 2013-14 and was the consensus top guy when this year got underway.

But tides have turned quickly, and there's really no reason to give the reins back to Mason with Emery playing so well. Hopefully Mason doesn't get into too big of a funk, which was purportedly an issue with him in Columbus. Although, if Emery keeps playing so well, then it wouldn't even matter that much.

Jake Voracek: Overachieving

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Apologies to captain Claude Giroux, but Jake Voracek has been far and away the Flyers' best player through the first nine games.

Voracek leads the team in scoring with 13 points, and he's been consistently driving possession and creating chances like Philadelphia fans have always hoped he would.

Crazily enough, his shooting percentage of 6.7 percent is super low and should actually rise as the season goes on. But his 11 assists are really the focus here, as he's simply dominated games at times and is making everyone around him better.

He's had a point in eight of nine games, with four multipoint games to boot. His skill was fully on display against Los Angeles, and Broad Street Hockey had a nice little GIF-laden post that is worth the time to check out.

This is looking like the start to a magical season for Voracek.

Brayden Schenn: Underperforming

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What to make of Brayden Schenn? His overtime winner against Los Angeles will put him back in good graces for a little while, but this start has been mostly disappointing for the young center.

He's starting an outrageous 60.3 percent of his starts in the offensive zone, by far the most on the team, yet he only has five points in nine games, with that overtime goal being his second of the season.

His average time on the ice per game sits at a low 16:45, which isn't a great sign for a top-six forward with as much hype and promise as Schenn.

It's a cliche, but he's at a crossroads right now. If he can step it up, then he'll likely cement himself in that second-line center spot, but he's also getting closer and closer to the trade block with each disappointing game.

Michael Raffl: Overachieving

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One of the biggest surprises of these first few weeks has been Michael Raffl's offensive prowess.

He had a solid rookie season in 2013-14, showcasing his ability as a crafty two-way player who skated well and could drive possession at times.

But while he didn't have much success creating (or finishing) scoring chances last season, that narrative has completely changed this year—especially in regard to finishing.

Raffl has an impressive five goals in nine games, tying him with Wayne Simmonds for the most on the team. While he only has one assist, I would expect that total to increase as he has earned more quality minutes and could maybe see some power-play time moving forward.

Special shout-outs to Chris VandeVelde and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who have played solid two-way games and staked their own claims to move up in the lineup.

Jason Akeson: Underperforming

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People were talking about Jason Akeson as a candidate to be a starter on the first or second line heading into this season, and that was just ludicrous to me.

He had one nice playoff series last year, but a few games means nothing in the long run. And it's pretty clear head coach Craig Berube is not a fan of the young winger.

Seven minutes and 24 seconds of average ice time per game is a pretty telling stat, and zero points in seven games won't get you out of the doghouse.

He has been stuck on the fourth line, but the onus is on him to perform; he has to prove that he deserves a shot in a better situation. So far, he has not done that.