The Philadelphia Flyers were oh-so-close to breaking the postseason drought in 2023-24, occupying the No. 3 spot in the Metropolitan Division for most of the year before suffering an epic collapse. Philly lost nine of its last 11 games, not only falling out of a guaranteed divisional berth but also failing to secure one of the two wild card slots in the Eastern Conference.
It was a brutal ending to what was otherwise a hugely successful campaign for a Flyers team that still hasn't qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since coming within one victory of an East Final trip back in 2020. Now entering year five of the rebuild, there's hope in Pennsylvania that this roster can once again compete for a spot in the dance come next April.
And the arrival of Russian phenom Matvei Michkov should be a huge boost in that effort after the 19-year-old had his KHL contract terminated earlier this summer. The teenager should immediately compete for the Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie in 2024-25; his talent is undeniable. Meanwhile, the rest of the young core — Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, Cam York, etc. — should take another step forward next season.
But will it be enough to get the Flyers out of the rebuild and back into Stanley Cup contention? That's a tough question to answer, especially with a couple of glaring roster concerns entering training camp in September. And the most pressing one is between the pipes.
Goaltending is a huge question mark
Presumed goaltender of the future Carter Hart has been on an indefinite leave of absence due to his alleged involvement in the 2018 Hockey Canada assault scandal. He left the team in early 2024 and has not returned since, with the Flyers not matching his minimum qualifying salary offer and thereby releasing him.
That was certainly the right move, but it undoubtedly puts the Flyers in a tricky spot. The tandem of Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov is as unproven as any duo in the league, and the former was up and down in his 51 starts in 2023-24. The 24-year-old sported a 2.82 goals-against average and .890 save percentage, which isn't going to cut it on a team that has playoff aspirations. He managed to win 23 games, but began to fade down the stretch and did not perform well in the last month-and-a-half of the season.
While a full offseason of training should do Ersson good, there's a chance that Fedotov — who finally came over from Russia earlier this year — could take over the starting gig. The 27-year-old made his debut at the end of the campaign and played three games, struggling mightily in that span. His 4.95 GAA and .811 SV% was ghastly, although he should be much better next season once he's acclimated to North American hockey.
Still, a duo of Ersson and Fedotov doesn't exactly inspire confidence, and it's unquestionably the most glaring concern on the Flyers roster heading into next season.
Can veteran forwards keep up with youth revolution in Philly?
Along with a goaltending conundrum, the Flyers have a few veteran players who are beginning to be pushed out by a young, talented core. Besides Foerster and Brink up front, players like Morgan Frost, Owen Tippett, Joel Farabee and Noah Cates will be pushing for more prominent roles next season and beyond.
And that's not great news for captain Sean Couturier. Although he remains the leader of this team, him being scratched by head coach John Tortorella goes to show how far his game has fallen off after multiple surgeries. While Daily Faceoff still projects him as the top-line center in 2024-25, it's unlikely it will stay that way all season long.
The 31-year-old managed just 38 points in 74 games last year, and it's clear that the abundance of ailments he's suffered are really holding him back. This is a heart and soul player who has given his all to Philadelphia throughout his career, but his declining abilities are certainly something to keep an eye on next year.
Guys like Scott Laughton and Rasmus Ristolainen are also beginning to age, especially the latter. Laughton still has some game but was a -9 last season, while Ristolainen managed just four points in 31 games while playing to a -6 rating himself. The Flyers are looking ahead to the youth revolution, and it'll be interesting to see how much the veterans contribute next year. They'll need to be effective, but based on last season, it's certainly a concern.
Young, talented D-core needs to hold up for this to be a playoff team
Three of the Flyers top D-men are 24 or younger, with York, Jamie Drysdale and Egor Zamula figuring to anchor this blue line long into the future. Along with Travis Sanheim (28) and Ristolainen (29), five of the six regulars will be under the age of 30 when training camp starts. Nick Seeler is 31 and Erik Johnson, who projects as the No. 7 D-man, is 36.
The point is, this remains a very young blue line, and the inexperience showed down the stretch. While a core of York, Drysdale, Sanheim and Zamula is solid, they need to prove over an 82-game season that they can bring their top level night in and night out. That clearly wasn't the case at the end of last season, as everything seemed to fall off the rails.
There's a ton of hope in Philadelphia that this iteration of the Flyers is good enough to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in nearly half a decade. But the goaltending remains a huge question mark, a couple of veterans badly need a bounce back year, and the D-core must prove that it can endure the gruelling wear and tear of a seven-month regular-season.
If those questions are answered, playoff hockey could be returning to the City of Brotherly Love for the first time since 2020.
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