Stevens Leaves Flyers Without an Identity

The Flyers’ decision to fire John Stevens was certainly not surprising to anyone who has watched this team over the last two seasons. While most believe the roster is stocked with talent, the product on the ice is far from impressive.

For a team that was selected by The Hockey News to win the Stanley Cup this season to be sitting tied for 11th in the Eastern Conference is completely unacceptable. The reasons for the Flyers’ struggles are puzzling, yet plentiful.

First of all, is there any structure? Are the Flyers an up-tempo offensive team? A shut-down defensive squad? A team that excels on special teams? I would have to say no on all three. I have no idea what they are. With an impressive roster that would make even Joe Banner proud, the Flyers are not a team I feel comfortable with whether they have a 3-0 lead or are trailing by a three goals. There is no confidence this group can either hold a lead or rally from a deficit.

The same simple mistakes this team makes are maddening. Once again, they CANNOT win a faceoff. Ever. Outside of the injured Blair Betts, this team is pathetic inside the circle. Jim Dowd, where have you gone? A 60-minute effort must be too much to ask for because this collection of players seems to sleepwalk through stretches every night. This fact cost the Flyers down the stretch last season, most notably in the final regular season game against the Rangers when they fell asleep with a lead and lost the game, allowing the Penguins to claim home ice in the first round. We all know how that turned out, especially in Game 6.

The chain of command inside the dressing room is another issue. When Mike Richards was named captain, many wondered if he was ready. With Chris Pronger now in the fold, who takes the reigns and steps up when things need to be said? Pronger admitted this week he was “walking a tightrope” inside the room and didn’t want to step on Richards’ toes. A team meeting was called after Thursday’s loss to the Canucks that Richards supposedly led, but who is really in charge? Richards fought Kevin Bieksa when the Flyers needed a spark against the Canucks, but that sort of thing seemed to happen a lot more when #18 wasn’t wearing the C.

The final straw came this week when the Flyers had four days at home to prepare for Vancouver in a game they were calling a must-win. The Canucks had played the night before in Jersey and were 3,000 miles from home. So what happened? The Flyers came out and established nothing on their home ice. They didn’t outwork Vancouver, didn’t display any urgency and would have been down a few goals early if not for Brian Boucher. In hockey terms, they were not a tough team to play against on that night and on too many others to count. Philadelphia looked like a defeated team right from the start.

Peter Laviolette seems to be a coach that holds players accountable. Was John Stevens? It sure didn’t seem that way. Maybe the core group felt too comfortable with a coach they had won a Calder Cup with. It’s hard to say. It is encouraging that the organization hired someone from the outside. I don’t think any fan would’ve been happy with Craig Berube or John Paddock. The only certainty is that this team, that sits below the Islanders in the standings, needed a change. It worked for the Penguins last February when they fired Michel Therrien. We’ll see how it works out for Laviolette and the Flyers.