Philadelphia Flyers: 7 Obstacles on the Road to the NHL Playoffs

In Philadelphia, the terms “hockey” and “playoffs” seem to go hand in hand. The team’s fan base has passion that rivals the most popular Canadian teams and the franchise itself has missed the playoffs only once since 1995. 

A history that demands the best makes for some tough decisions for a general manager, and current GM Paul Holmgren made a statement by trading away the team’s present to invest in the team’s future. As a result of the departure of players like Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Ville Leino, the immediate success of the team has been jeopardized in favor of crafting a more dominant force down the road.

Despite starting anew, the Flyers intend to be competitive in the division, conference and the entire NHL and refuse to be counted out of Stanley Cup conversation. In order to fast-track the championship-filled future of the team, the Flyers will need to plow through some major roadblocks during the 2011-12 season.

Seven big concerns seem to stick out more than others, and they will be the focus of the Orange and Black from preseason to the final horn.

The Goaltending Situation

Disclaimer: Ilya Bryzgalov is a great goalie. I repeat, Ilya Bryzgalov is a great goalie. Few Flyers fans doubt his ability or see a potential goaltending nightmare over the course of the season.

However, it wouldn’t be a list of obstacles without acknowledging that goaltending in Philadelphia rarely goes according to plan.

From Vanbiesbrouck to Niittymaki to Leighton, Flyers goaltending is the definition of “consistently inconsistent.”  Paul Holmgren appears to have addressed the issue by inking Bryzgalov to a long-term deal, but until the season officially comes to a close, Flyers fans will be biting their nails expecting an injury, weak goal or total meltdown in net.

If all goes according to plan, this slide will eventually be thought of as ridiculous paranoia, and the Flyers will never have to question the man in the pads.

If all goes according to plan.

Absence of Energized Veterans

The Flyers have their share of wise sages in the lineup, including likely-captain Chris Pronger and defected anti-hero Jaromir Jagr. 

However, when one examines the assumed starting lineup of the Flyers, it becomes clear that the most prominent and pivotal names on the roster are either aging veterans or underage up-and-comers. For many teams, these roster additions would be welcome guests for their experience or energy. 

For the Flyers, there is a concern that a lack of hybrid players—those with the demeanor of a veteran and the drive of a rookie—may affect the team’s ability to gel. 

Holmgren seems to have simultaneously invested in the immediate present and long-term future, and this disparity will be disconcerting when the team doesn’t appear to have a coherent, consistent mindset over the course of the season.

Potential Distractions

The Flyers have been one of the most interesting, talked about teams during the offseason, and this fact may carry over into the locker room at game time. 

Arguably, no team will be more scrutinized for its trades over the summer, and the inevitable hypothetical questions about how the team would be performing with Richards and Carter will make it difficult for players to assess and absorb their own playing abilities. Young players especially will have a hard time processing the media speculation.

On top of that, any struggles the team will have will likely result in rumblings concerning the jobs of coach Peter Laviolette and GM Paul Holmgren. That’s simply how it works in Philly. Again, some players may have trouble drowning out the sound of the questions. 

As if that weren’t enough, HBO will be filming a number of the team’s games and practices, as well as off-ice activity, and players can expect to see their on-camera words and actions interpreted, re-interpreted and misinterpreted in front of a national audience. Philly’s most dangerous opponent this year will be its own ability to stay focused on the task at hand.

Competitive Spirit of the Division

In the Atlantic Division, no team should be counted out, and no opponent should be taken lightly.

No division features five teams more geographically crowded; and no division features five teams more motivated to not only beat the other four, but also humiliate them.

This year, all four Flyers opponents have something to prove and a laundry list of reasons to prove it.

The Islanders have been in rebuilding mode long enough and feel the heat of a potential relocation, making this year more important than ever for the franchise. The Devils are recovering not only from missing the playoffs, but from seeing the Flyers retake momentum in the rivalry during recent years. The apparent twilight of Martin Brodeur’s career will only make him play Philadelphia tougher.

The Rangers have invested big bucks in big pieces for their roster, and they have had to watch the Flyers, Devils and Penguins become the Atlantic Division’s focus for too long. The Penguins and Flyers always have and always will hate each other, and most fans in Pennsylvania consider winning the season series between the two every bit as important as winning the division crown.

The Flyers will see 24 games against these opponents this year, and every regulation win means two points earned for Philly and two points taken away from the bad guys. Faltering in divisional matchups may result in earlier tee times than the Flyers intend.

Lack of Scoring on Offense

The most impactful part of losing Richards, Carter and Leino stems from the fact that these three players were among the most important offensive contributors, and the allowed the Flyers a balanced, dangerous three-line scoring attack.

The Flyers are without a Sidney Crosby- or Alex Ovechkin-type who is a bona fide, goal-scoring superstar and therefore made his mark through a balanced scoring attack. Now, Danny Briere is the only consistent veteran scorer on the roster (when he is healthy), and fellow Flyers Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk, while showing great potential, could falter with the bulk of the offensive pressure on their shoulders.

The team does not expect Jagr to revisit his numbers from 10 years ago; and Brayden Schenn and Jakub Voracek may not put up the points they will put up a few years from now. The offense is young, budding and in need of time to build chemistry, but the team may not have that luxury this year.

Unless Briere, Giroux and van Riemsdyk become goal-producing machines, offense will be a weak point for the Flyers this year and may cost the team a trip to the playoffs.

Resilience of the Penguins

While New Yorkers may argue, in recent years the Atlantic Division has boiled down to a Keystone faceoff. The Penguins seem to be the only team that really has Philly’s number, and Flyers fans will tell any critic that a loss to the Penguins feels 10 times worse than a loss to anyone else.

The belief is this: Beat the Penguins, and you’ve got a shot at the Cup.

Pens captain Sidney Crosby could miss a major portion of the impending season, but last year’s squad showed that a Crosby-less (and Malkin-less) Penguins team can be as dangerous as any group on the ice. If that same team can show up with or without Crosby in 2011-12, the Flyers will be so caught up in keeping pace with the Penguins that the whole season could fall apart.

There is no doubt that the Penguins, even in losing, have had a psychological edge over the Flyers for years, and that mind game will cause the Flyers to concentrate less on their season and more on the standings.

Assumption That 2011-12 Is a Rebuilding Year

Nothing makes a team more likely to lose than being content with losing.

By no means do Flyers fans and management condone losing, but the massive makeover that was the 2011 offseason have caused some to speculate that the Flyers are rebuilding. Of course, being a rebuilding team is a polite way of saying “losers.”

If for any reason the Flyers players believe that 2011-12 is the groundwork of the team’s future—and nothing more—then the team stands little chance of hoisting the Stanley Cup in June. Players unfamiliar with the Philly sports landscape may arrive in town with a five-year plan in mind, only to soon experience the demanding, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately nature of the Philadelphia sports fan.

Paul Holmgren and Peter Laviolette are well aware that their task is to illustrate that a Cup in 2012-13 is insignificant. The only focus for the players should be a Cup in 2011-12. 

Thus, 2011-12 is no rebuilding year. The team’s best seasons may be ahead, but fans and franchise alike will never be content with a team unwilling to compete.