When we revisit some of the more impressive stretches in hockey, it’s always the season as a whole. But what typically gets lost is when those players are truly at their peak. It’s not easy to keep up an incredible pace over 82 games, but what about when that’s narrowed down a bit? The Philadelphia Flyers have had quite a few candidates since those stats could be accessed more easily, spanning from the 2007-08 season to today.
Jeff Carter: Oct. 11, 2008 to Dec. 30, 2008
For a little while, Jeff Carter was going head-to-head with arguably the greatest goal-scorer to ever live in Alexander Ovechkin, and not just at any time either — it was during his prime. From the very start of the 2008-09 season until the end of 2008, he had 27 goals to the superstar’s 25 for first place in the NHL. With 37 contests under his belt, the Flyer centerman was on pace for about 60 goals when rounding up. Yes, he was that good.
While that pace didn’t sustain itself, Carter did end up with 46 goals and 84 points on the season, finishing second in the league-wide goal-scoring lead to, you guessed it, Ovechkin. That’s still very impressive, but one would have to imagine that Carter would’ve been a Flyer for much longer if he had won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, though — he was dealt less than three calendar years later.
Claude Giroux: Oct. 6, 2011 to Dec. 29, 2011
Claude Giroux was a star for what he did over his full 2011-12 season, but the start of it is what got him going. From his first contest of the season until the end of 2011, he compiled 45 total points, which was tied with Henrik Sedin for first place in the NHL in that span. What’s most impressive? Giroux did this in six fewer games, putting him on pace for an insane 115-point campaign if he played all 82 contests.
Giroux finished a bit shy of that with 93 points in 77 games, but he still ended strong all things considered — 28 goals and 65 assists are nothing to scoff at. That’s not even including him lighting up the Pittsburgh Penguins for 14 points in their six-game playoff series, either.
Jakub Voracek: Oct. 8, 2014 to Jan. 20, 2015
From the start of the 2014-15 season up until the All-Star Break, Jakub Voracek was in a class of his own. No, really; not a single player in the NHL had more points than him, and he was four ahead of second-place-holder Tyler Seguin. His 17 goals and 39 assists for 56 points in 48 games put him on pace for around 96 points over a full season. That’s a bit weak for leading the league in points and all, but it would’ve been the highest total a Flyer had reached since John LeClair had 97 in 1996-97.
Voracek finished the season with 81 points, just six points behind Art Ross Trophy winner Jamie Benn. If there was ever a season for a Flyer to become just the second Flyer ever to lead the NHL in points, that was definitely the chance. It’s hard to think of him as ever being arguably the best player in the NHL at any point, but he was certainly in the conversation that season.
Steve Mason: Jan. 2, 2015 to April 11, 2015
From the start of 2015 up until the official end of the 2014-15 season, Steve Mason was the new player to watch in Philadelphia. He doesn’t always get the respect he deserves, exemplified by him having arguably the best stretch of goaltending in team history on a team that missed the playoffs by a dozen points. Of course, that wasn’t his fault, but it’s unfortunate that of any Flyers team, that was the one he had to surpass prime Dominik Hasek numbers.
In that span, he had a .937 save percentage (SV%), a 1.94 goals-against average (GAA), and a goals saved above average (GSAA) of 16.89. Among the 39 netminders who had 1,000 or more minutes of ice time in that span, he ranked third, fifth, and sixth in those categories. He unfortunately spent his best years on some up-and-down Flyers teams, so the league-wide recognition just isn’t there.
Related: 3 Underappreciated Flyers’ Goaltenders Since 2000
When the whole season is put out there, he had the best SV% (.944) of any goaltender in the league at 5-on-5 with the 1,000-minute ice time minimum. No, not even the near-unanimous Hart Trophy winner that season, Carey Price, was better.
Shayne Gostisbehere: Dec. 1, 2015 to Feb. 29, 2016
From the start of December until the 2016 Trade Deadline, Shayne Gostisbehere was one of the best offensive defensemen in the entire league — he was just 22 years old. He went on an incredible 15-game point streak in that span, too. For a while there, he was putting up prime Mark Howe numbers.
Among the 147 defenders who played 500 or more minutes in that span, he ranked third in goals per 60 with 0.76, third in assists per 60 with 1.78, and second in points per 60 with 2.54. He wasn’t even an all-offense player, either, with the 14th-best on-ice expected goals against per 60 of 2.21 in that same group of players. He held the best actual and expected goal shares at that time as a result of his two-way prowess.
It’s unfortunate considering how it ended in Philadelphia, but the history books should know that, for a while, he was arguably the best young defenseman the NHL had to offer. He was on track to being one of the best defenders the Flyers ever had, but both injuries and giving up on him a bit too quickly never allowed that to happen.
There have been some elite stretches since 2016, such as Giroux in 2017-18 and Voracek during the same season, but nothing quite to the magnitude of those on this list. So, who’s next?
