Five games in, the Flyers are sitting on two points, and that’s a start nobody in Philly drew up for this season.
The early record has already opened up the uncomfortable question: are the Flyers better than they’ve shown, or did the first playoff appearance in years create a little too much confidence? Head coach Rick Tocchet even suggested the group may not have been fully ready to begin the new season. Whatever the reason, the results have been flat, and the margin for error is already shrinking.
It’s not panic time yet, but it also can’t turn into an 0-for-October situation. That would leave the Flyers digging out of a hole that gets deeper by the week, especially with some teams in the division off to strong starts.
The Rangers might also be dealing with a serious goalie issue now, and if Philly can stack a few wins, it could move past some of the division’s lower-tier teams like the Devils, Islanders and Blue Jackets. But if nothing changes soon, this season could start slipping away before it really gets going.
The first fix is simple in theory: play smarter hockey.
The “rust” excuse only goes so far. Yes, the roster is young, but most of these players have been around the NHL long enough to know better.
Porter Martone isn’t learning how to skate on the fly. The Flyers know how to play; they just need to start doing it cleanly and with more discipline.
That starts with the penalties. They’ve already been shorthanded 17 times, including four times in the first period against Ottawa, and that kind of parade to the penalty box can wreck a game fast.
Against Pittsburgh in the home opener, the Penguins scored two power-play goals. Carolina did the same.
Good teams punish those mistakes, and the Flyers can’t keep handing them those chances.
Penalties will happen. Not every one is avoidable, and sometimes a necessary one is part of the game.
But reckless ones are another story. Philly can’t keep putting itself behind the eight ball and expecting to climb out.
The offense also needs to put more heat on the other team.
That means more shots, more pressure, and a more aggressive approach around the puck. Dump it in, chase it down, work the corners, and force the defense to deal with constant traffic.
It can also mean leaning into speed and trying to create odd-man rushes when the opening is there. With this roster, creativity matters.
And with the Flyers ranking third in the NHL in penalty minutes at 37, there’s a chance to turn some of that chaos into offense. In 2023-24, then coach John Tortorella used Travis Konecny as a short-handed threat, and Konecny ended up leading the league with six goals.
He’s added two shorthanded goals since then. That kind of weapon should be part of the plan again.
If the Flyers can make their penalty kill dangerous for the other team, they can force opponents to think twice.
A shakeup might also be part of the answer.
Sometimes a team needs something dramatic to wake it up. The Eagles made their own move this past week by trading former pro-bowl center Cam Jurgens to the Ravens, and now the backup center is hurt.
Whether that was the right football move or not, it sent a message to the rest of the roster. The Flyers may need a similar jolt.
This team entered the season with the sense that it was close, but still missing one more piece. The debate before the year was whether that piece was a top-line center or another defender. If the Flyers are going to act on that idea, there are names to consider.
Alexander Nikishin is one. There’s been interest in kicking the tires on Carolina, where he’s holding out for a big contract or a trade and where there doesn’t appear to be room for him.
He’s played with Matvei Michkov before, and the two are reportedly friends. That kind of chemistry could matter.
There’s also a belief that the Flyers could look toward Tocchet’s former team in Vancouver. Elias Petersson gets mentioned often, but Paul Cotter could be another option.
Philly also has some pieces it could use in return. Rasmus Ristolainen is in the final year of his contract and, as usual, could be moved.
Simon Benoit has been better than expected so far, which could make him useful in a deal. David Jiricek has been average, and if he could be packaged for a more established player like Nikishin, that might be worth exploring.
And if an offensive player simply isn’t producing anymore, sentiment shouldn’t get in the way.
The bottom line is pretty stark. Either the Flyers are a very talented team that hasn’t found its rhythm yet, or they aren’t as good as everyone thought.
Either way, they need something to jolt them back to life. If they find it, they could make a serious statement.
If they don’t, this could turn into a long season fast.
In Other News...
Flyers Already Face A Franchise-Level Problem After Another Lopsided Loss
The early-season alarm bells keep getting louder for the Flyers, who were beaten 5-1 by the Bruins and are now off to a six-game losing streak to open the year. It is only the second time in franchise history they have started this poorly, and the latest loss looked familiar in all the wrong ways, with Boston controlling play for long stretches and Philadelphia chasing the game again.
The Flyers were without Travis Konecny, Cam York and Rasmus Ristolainen, a blow to a lineup already trying to find traction. The absences have only added to the pressure on a group that has been outshot badly through six games and is struggling to generate much offense at all, leaving an increasingly uncomfortable question hanging over a start that has already gone from disappointing to historic. [Read more 🡒]
David Jiricek Just Gave The Flyers A Real Reason To Believe
David Jieks latest turn against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 8 offered the kind of all-around shift the Flyers have been waiting to see more often. He played about 18 minutes, showed up in the shot-creation department and looked comfortable enough to stay involved in key situations at both ends, a noticeable step forward from some of his earlier outings.
Jiek also found his way onto the top power-play unit, where he was part of a sequence that helped set up one of Matvei Michkovs goals. He still finished without a point, but for a Flyers team trying to sort out how much trust to place in him, the performance mattered because it suggested he can do more than just survive on the ice. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Still Searching For First Win As Tocchet Tests New Look In Boston
The Flyers head into TD Garden trying to end the road trip on a positive note and, more important, to get their first win of the season. Philadelphia has spent the week sorting through lineup decisions and special teams looks ahead of a matchup with a Boston club that arrives with a recent victory, and the game offers another chance for Rick Tocchet to keep evaluating how the group fits together in a new setting.
There is still a sense that certain combinations are starting to take hold, even as the results have not followed yet. The projected lineup shows the coaching staff leaning on some familiar pairings and trying to stabilize both ends of the ice, with the next question being whether those choices can finally translate into something tangible in a difficult building against an opponent that already has its footing. [Read more 🡒]