The Philadelphia Flyers collapsed late in the season in 2023-24. Philadelphia held onto a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for most of the season. In fact, they held a spot through their division as opposed to battling for a wild card spot. Unfortunately, the team could not keep the pace, and missed the playoffs entirely.
Head coach John Tortorella remains at the helm in the City of Brotherly Love for this upcoming season. If this is the correct choice certainly remains to be seen. However, the veteran head coach believes in the current group of players at his disposal. And they have the talent to make a run at a postseason berth in 2025.
The Flyers have some promising young talent on the roster without a doubt. However, this team will need their veterans to step up in a massive way in the season ahead. With this in mind, here are two Flyers veterans who could make a true impact in 2024-25.
Nick Seeler is a defensive force
Nick Seeler was a relative unknown up until a few years ago. He made the Flyers roster back in 2022-23 and has evolved into an integral piece to their blueline puzzle. Seeler is a defensive defenseman, but his brand of defense is of the black-and-blue variety.
Seeler is one of the more engaged shot blockers in the NHL. In fact, no Flyers player blocked more shots (205) this past season than the 31-year-old Minnesota native, according to Hockey Reference. Additionally, he finished with the fifth-most hits thrown (132) among Philadelphia players.
Of course, there is more to his game than blocking shots and delivering checks. Seeler is quite adept at keeping the puck out of the net when he's on the ice. He had the second-lowest Goals Against Per 60 Minutes (2.79) of any Flyers defender in 2023-24, according to Evolving Hockey. He also finished with the highest On-Ice Save Percentage (.904) on the Philadelphia blueline.
Nick Seeler is a very valuable bottom-pairing defenseman. His emergence earned him a lucrative four-year contract extension with the Flyers, as well. It certainly seems as if the veteran rearguard has found a home in the City of Brotherly Love.
Rasmus Ristolainen could thrive if healthy
Rasmus Risotlainen seemed to put things together in 2022-23. The defenseman struggled early on with the Flyers after a trade from the Buffalo Sabres. However, he became a bit of a bright spot for Philadelphia despite a poor season from the team overall.
Unfortunately, the Flyers lost Ristolainen for most of the 2023-24 season. He played just 31 games last season as Philadelphia began to show promise. Though the collapse didn't come until much later in the year, losing Risotlainen certainly didn't help matters.
Ristolainen's analytics show that he was lagging behind his 2022-23 totals. However, he still had a solid performance in the games he did play. Ristolainen had 2.4 Defensive Goals Above Replacement in 2023-24, according to Evolving Hockey. In 2022-23, he had 8.8 DGAR, for reference.
Ristolainen is likely to play a major role on the Philadelphia blueline in 2024-25. Though they brought back Erik Johnson in NHL Free Agency, he stands as the team's only notable defensive signing. Furthermore, it's unlikely the Stanley Cup-winning defenseman knocks Ristolainen out of the lineup.
Ristolainen certainly wants to prove he can be a major contributor in the year ahead. If he can stay healthy, he could help the Flyers make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025. That outcome would certainly help wash away the feeling of the team's heartbreaking collapse in 2023-24.
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