The Flyers finally got a win over the weekend against the Senators, and it came after a little course correction in how they were trying to create offense. Before the game, they were looking to simplify things, and that approach paid off.
It wasn’t a clean performance from start to finish, but there was still plenty to like about the result. Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone were front and center in helping get the group rolling again, which stood out even more because the team has not been giving those young players much help lately.
There’s also a bigger picture hovering over all of this, and it has nothing to do with one win. The talk around Travis Konecny - whether the Flyers will or won’t trade him, should or shouldn’t trade him - keeps circling, but that debate is still well short of the club’s most immediate problem. More broadly, the Flyers are eventually going to need to make some kind of moves to bring in higher-end talent that their supporting players can actually build around.
The win did not erase the concern that the Flyers could soon start feeling the impact of the trades they have not made yet. There is also some thought that the players may have entered the game with a different mindset, and that shift may have played a real role in how they were able to snap out of their funk.
The other issue is numbers. The Flyers are looking even more shorthanded now, or at least that is the concern.
They do have options if they need to dip into the minors again, though. They have already recalled Hunter McDonald to help on the blue line, and it would not be a surprise if another forward recall is next.
In Other News...
Flyers Suddenly Face A Cam York Problem On Defense
Cam Yorks absence has quickly become a real lineup issue for the Flyers, who had to adjust their blue line after the defenseman landed on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 8. York was hurt in the game against the Ottawa Senators, and the move leaves Philadelphia shuffling its defense while trying to keep some stability early in the schedule.
To cover the gap, the Flyers brought up Hunter McDonald from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and made corresponding moves with Jack Studnicka and Helge Grans, sending both back to the AHL affiliate. For a team still sorting out its defensive mix, the next question is how long it can manage without York and what the ripple effect will be on the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Linked To Proven Scorer But The Price Could Sting
The Flyers have a winger in Owen Tippett who naturally draws attention when teams start hunting for proven scoring help, and Montreal is one of the clubs being mentioned as a possible fit. Shaun Starr and Marco DAmico have been discussing the Canadiens' interest, pointing to Tippetts ability to finish chances and the way his age lines up with where Montreal is trying to go.
What makes the idea more complicated is the cost. Any move for a scorer with Tippetts profile would almost certainly require real assets coming back the other way, and that is where the conversation starts to get tricky for a team trying to build thoughtfully rather than chase a quick fix. For now, it remains only a speculative link, but it is the kind of rumor that keeps a Flyers name in the center of the market. [Read more 🡒]
Troy Terrys Recovery Just Became A Real Ducks Story
The Flyers have been juggling injuries for weeks, and the list is still long enough to keep their lineup in flux night after night. While several teams around the league are dealing with their own absence issues, Philadelphias situation has been especially busy, with multiple regulars unavailable and the coaching staff having to plan around who can actually dress.
Among the latest names in that mix is Cam York, who has been on injured reserve since Oct. 8 with an upper-body injury. Tyson Foerster, Sean Couturier and Owen Tippett are all in the game-time-decision category, which only adds to the uncertainty as the Flyers try to patch together their lineup and keep their season moving without losing too much ground. [Read more 🡒]