In the NHL this season, there may not be a better story than what is transpiring in the City of Brotherly Love with the Philadelphia Flyers. The supposed “rebuilder” has not only been competitive in 2023-24, but they are beating Stanley Cup contenders with relative consistency as if they belong in that tier — it’s happened so frequently that it’s almost redundant.
With hints of their current status as a genuine playoff contender showing from the time the season started in October now spanning to the latter stages of January, it’s beginning to sink in that the Flyers might be a legitimately great hockey team. They are not overachieving and are not bound to collapse the second they alter their roster through trade — their roster has been constructed masterfully and purposefully.
Despite lacking superstar talent, they have outplayed clubs that do. Spending millions of dollars of the precious salary cap on players who don’t have a vital role with the team, their innovation has beelined them into not just competitiveness but into a tier with some of the stronger rosters in the league. Even though the team was supposed to be in a rebuild, this might have been the plan all along.
Trades Have Catered to Team Strengths
From the moment general manager (GM) Daniel Briere was hired and new faces were appointed throughout the front office, they have built something special in Philadelphia. This was probably not some lucky coincidence but, more likely, a thoroughly detailed plan to have the Flyers move well past their expectations. Each move they have made seems innocent enough on paper, yet most of them can be pointed to as a big reason for the team’s success — this was likely by design.
It’s unrealistic to suggest that every move Briere and the Flyers made was some ingenious plan, but what they were going for was definitely outside the box. With every trade and contract, Philadelphia’s strengths were catered to. What were they, and how has each major move helped the team?
Two of the most notable deals the Flyers made in the offseason were the departures of defensemen Ivan Provorov and Tony DeAngelo. These were both relatively big moves as they were the highest and second-highest ice-time leaders for the team based on per-game averages. In theory, these served as “rebuilding” trades to try and maximize cap space and create more roster spots for young players. In reality, Philadelphia shipped off two of their biggest defensive liabilities, arguably improving their roster — it went under everyone’s noses.
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In terms of on-ice goals percentage at 5-on-5 last season, Provorov and DeAngelo were dead last and second last among Flyer defensemen in 2022-23. In terms of expected goals against per 60 among league-wide defensive pairings that played 100 or more minutes together, things arguably got worse for the two.
When Provorov and DeAngelo were paired together, which was for 436.9 minutes, they allowed the 11th-worst 3.63 expected goals per 60 minutes out of 308 pairings that played 100 minutes of ice time together. They did provide some offense, but of them played particularly great defense — it was to the team’s detriment.
Those two losses alone could have sparked the Flyers to be playoff hopefuls this season when looking at it in hindsight, as their 31-38-13 record was quite good for their circumstances. They had two of the worst defensive pairings in the entire NHL that season in terms of expected goals against, and both Provorov and DeAngelo were the two major culprits.
Looking at the defense from a more positive angle, the duo of Nick Seeler and Rasmus Ristolainen and their 1.9 expected goals against was one of the team’s best, and both of them were kept despite the former having some interest in the trade market at the deadline before Briere took over. There’s a reason why he got rid of who he did, even if DeAngelo and Provorov had a greater role with the team.
This season, the Flyers have one of the best defenses in the entire NHL, with the seventh-best expected goals against per 60 at 5-on-5 in the NHL and the fifth-best in all situations. This is a complete transformation, and a lot of it was due to them shedding their defensive liabilities. Improvements from defenders such as Travis Sanheim and even Ristolainen and Seeler themselves have been a bit of help, but departing with their worse pure defensemen aided their turnaround.
In shedding Kevin Hayes, a solid producer of 54 points for just a sixth-round draft pick despite retaining half his $7.14 million salary at an exuberant $3.57 million cost to the Orange and Black for the next three seasons, it was a move that was seen as a let down at the time for good reason. This was another move that has played to the Flyers’ strengths, even though it was seen as freeing up some cap space for the future and a roster spot by any means possible, just like the other two deals.
On Hayes’ three most common lines at 5-on-5 with the Flyers in 2022-23, they had a combined five rush chances for with an ugly 17 against — this comes out to just 22.7 percent. To make matters worse, two of these lines had Travis Konecny on them, while one of them had Joel Farabee. This season, the former is one of the best players on rushes in the entire league, while the latter isn’t too far behind.
This season, the Flyers are one of the best rush offenses in the entire NHL, and that is where a big chunk of their offense has come from. It wasn’t an easy decision to send off a player like Hayes with a minimal return, but it arguably made the team better. Instead of relying on him to be a top- or middle-six forward and help drive rushes, the Flyers got rid of him entirely so they could lean on making their offense the best it can be.
To replace him, a depth free agency signing was called upon. It might not seem like much, but Briere knew exactly what he was doing with something as little as his signing of Ryan Poehling, targeting elite speed and transition ability. He has slotted in nicely in the bottom six and provides the rush ability that someone like Hayes generally doesn’t.
Finally, the emergence of the Flyers’ high-end penalty kill has also led to their success. The seventh-worst unit in terms of penalty kill percentage last season has shot up to the second-best unit in the league. While it is more schematically sound than it was in 2022-23, additions like Poehling, Garnet Hathaway, and Sean Walker have all helped its transformation. Combined, they have four shorthanded goals on the season, which has helped completely change games due to the close nature of many of the Flyers’ contests. Without having to acquire a single star player, the Flyers catered to their current strengths.
Flyers Can Succeed With the Right Bodies
As long as the Flyers have the right players, they will continue to succeed in the future. Getting Sean Couturier back from a season-long injury in 2022-23 has been essential for Philadelphia’s turnaround. Even still, they have a 3-1-0 record without him this season, speaking to how well players have stepped up for him when he’s been unable to play.
As long as the Flyers have the right players to both fit their scheme and what they are good at, they can continue to win games. Couturier’s impact is immeasurable, and he has been one of the team’s most valuable players, but it shows how important having the right athletes is, not necessarily the most talented. If the Flyers can have a good amount of star talent and prioritize depth that can flourish in their scheme, their success might last beyond just this season.
When most teams lose a player that is as valuable to them as Couturier is to the Flyers, they struggle mightily. While the sample size is small, Philadelphia’s complete disregard for what players they are missing shows how well they are built. While they make use of their star players, the depth fits in so well that major losses can be made up for as long as it’s not a long-term issue. If the right players are on the team, they can still maintain their success.
It is still very possible for the Flyers to fall from glory, but their construction should be appreciated. Head coach John Tortorella has gotten the most out of the perfect group of misfits, and several players have evolved under him this season. When they are ready to acquire star players, it could put them over the hump. For now, regardless of whether their success can be translated from season to season or not, they are ahead of schedule, thanks to one of the most brilliant roster constructions in hockey.
