Philadelphia Flyers Must Find a Solution to Defensive Problems

Defense wins championships, coaches often say. Of the last five Stanley Cup champions, four of them had defenses that ranked in the top 10. In that same time, of the 20 teams that have advanced to the conference finals, 13 have had a top 10 defense.

Right now, the Flyers are ranked 19th in the NHL in team defense, allowing 2.91 goals per game. Neither of those numbers predisposes this team to playoff success.

Only three teams have made it to the conference finals with a defense ranked that poorly, and only one (a stacked Detroit Red Wings team facing a young Chicago Blackhawks team) was able to make it to the Finals.

All memories of teams that are not the Flyers aside, the defensive play in Philadelphia is completely unacceptable for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. Whether it’s improved back-checking from the forwards, sharper man coverage from the defense, or stronger play in between the pipes, something has to improve.

As much as I would like to say that the Flyers can match what the Penguins did in 2009 (and I’ll probably be burned at the stake for saying this), no one on the Flyers has the raw talent of Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin, or especially Sidney Crosby.

Claude Giroux is a special player, no doubt about it. And when the time comes, I will champion him for the Hart (you heard it here first, folks) like no one’s business.

But he’s not Sidney Crosby. And he’s not Evgeni Malkin (though if he suddenly grew six inches, that could change). And Ilya Bryzgalov is put to shame by the absurd flashes of talent Marc-Andre Fleury can display (just remember the 2009 quarterfinals, Flyers fans). When he’s on his game, Fleury is in a league of his own.

My final point is this: the Flyers do not have the high-end talent required to win solely based on offense.

If the Flyers want to win, it will need to be a team effort. They must, to a man, fully commit to playing the highest quality defense that they can possibly manage on a night-in, night-out basis. Otherwise, this is destined to be another season of disappointment on Broad Street.