Caleb Weiler
Wednesday night starts the beginning of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the end of the 50th season of the Philadelphia Flyers.
It is the time of year that is regarded as the best time for any sports league, the quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup seems to bring out the best out of players to win the best trophy in all of sports.
However, this is another year where the Flyers did not make the cut.
The Flyers went 39-33-10 for a grand total of 88 points, missing the playoffs by seven points. The Flyers have made the playoffs just two out of the last five years, which is not the level of success that Ron Hextall is looking for as the general manager.
The Flyers leading scorer was Jakub Voracek with 20 goals and 41 assists for a total of 61 points.
No other Flyers player eclipsed the 60-point mark.
Wayne Simmonds was arguably the Flyers’ best player. He scored 31 goals, passing the 30-goal mark for the second year in a row, and had 23 assists for 54 total points. Simmonds was also the All-Star Game MVP and proved that he is a leader for this Flyers team.
Both Claude Giroux and Shayne Gostisbehere had offseason surgery, which slowed them down early in the season and it showed. Giroux was only able to post 58 points this year and Gostisbehere was a healthy scratch for a few games this year. By the time they found their grooves, it was a little too late.
While this was a disappointing season because the Flyers were not able to sneak into the playoffs and get bumped in the first round again like last year, there was a great glimpse into what the Flyers have moving forward.
Rookies Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny started Hextall’s youth movement. Provorov averaged 21:59 in ice time and led the Flyers in blocks while also posting 30 points in 82 games his rookie season. While there are plenty of great rookies in the NHL right now, the Flyers have a stud defenseman in the making with Provorov and he is going to anchor this blue line for a long time.
Konecny struggled a little more than Provorov this season with some healthy scratches and injury issues, but was able to post 28 points in 70 games. Konecny posted 11 goals, which is a boost for a Flyers squad that has issues with secondary scoring and his speed was extremely noticeable on the ice as the Flyers lack speed as well. By the end of the season, Konecny was seeing more ice time and being more responsible in his own zone while also continuing to grow his offensive game.
As always, it is disappointing when your hometown team goes to the golf course early, but the Flyers didn’t have a chance to win the Stanley Cup this year.
The Flyers have some extremely impressive young guns, some who have played for the Flyers this year and others who look to make the squad next year. Look for the Flyers to bounce back next some with some fresh blood while also getting rid of some bad contracts.
Also look forward to articles on each and every player who played a game for the Flyers this year moving into this long and arduous offseason.
You can follow Caleb Weiler on Twitter (@TheBitter_Caleb) and e-mail him at [email protected]. Follow Philly Influencer on Twitter (@PHL_Influencer), Facebook and Instagram.