Can the Flyers come out of the rebuild this season?
The Philadelphia Flyers were oh-so-close to coming out of the rebuild in 2023-24. For most of the season, the squad looked like a playoff team, somewhat surprisingly holding onto the No. 3 spot in the Metropolitan Division right into the last few weeks of the campaign.
But it all went off the rails for John Tortorella's club at the last; Philly lost nine of their last 11 games to not only drop out of the divisional race, but also lose out on one of the two wildcard berths in the Eastern Conference in the process. And with that, it's now been four seasons without postseason puck in Pennsylvania.
In a relatively wide open Metro, the Flyers should again be at least in the conversation to make a push for the playoffs, although the goaltending tandem of Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Still, the addition of young phenom Matvei Michkov should help, along with a presumed bounce back from defenseman Jamie Drysdale.
But in order for the Flyers to take the next step, they also need to avoid regression. And there are a couple of players on the team who certainly could take a step back after solid 2023-24 campaigns. Here are three such players who are hoping to avoid just that as Philadelphia eyes a triumphant return to the dance next April.
Travis Konecny might concede top-line minutes to Michkov
Travis Konecny is the right winger of the near future in Philadelphia; he just signed a massive eight-year, $70 million contract extension that will keep him in the City of Brotherly Love long into the future. It was a well-deserved extension, although it does have the potential to age badly. Konecny is already 27-years-old, after all. Still, this player is fresh off an excellent 33-goal, 68-point campaign — in just 76 games — which is a full 15 points better than any other player on the team in 2023-24.
“If I get the opportunity to win a Stanley Cup, which I believe we can do in Philly, it just wouldn't feel like an accomplishment unless it was with the Flyers, the team that believed in me,” Konecny said shortly after signing. “And I wanted to show the same respect when I had an opportunity to venture out and do my own thing. I believe in the Flyers as well. I've always been in it for the long haul and I'm really, really excited for the next chapter here and see what we can do.”
Konecny put up 61 points in 60 games the year before, and this player has been one of the more underrated wingers in the league almost his whole career. The main issue is the arrival of Michkov, who should compete for the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie in 2024-25 and could usurp Konecny as the top-line right winger.
Daily Faceoff currently projects Konecny playing on the second line, along with Morgan Frost and Owen Tippett. It's a solid unit, but Konecny might not get as much ice time as he had last year, when he was playing a ridiculous 19:50 per game.
Regression probably won't hit Konecny for a couple more seasons, but there's still an opportunity for him to slightly regress, especially as he had a 13.5 shooting percentage, which was well above league average.
Likely no room for Joel Farabee on PP1
Along with Konecny, Joel Farabee had a strong season with the Flyers in 2023-24. He set career highs across the board, scoring 22 goals and 50 points over a full 82-game slate. He also emerged as one of the team's top offensive options, finishing third on the team in scoring.
But heading into a new season, Daily Faceoff doesn't see a spot for him on the top powerplay unit, with those duties likely falling to Konecny, Michkov, Frost, Tippett and Cam York. That could affect his point totals, although he did only have seven points with the man advantage last year.
He also had a high shooting percentage, like Konecny, clocking in at 12.1 percent. That was almost two percent higher than the year before, and there's an opportunity for that to regress in 2024-25. He also took 182 shots, which was the most in his career. Farabee will still be relied on to play a big role next season, but expecting him to exceed 50 points after he had never been above 39 before last year is bold.
Travis Sanheim faded down the stretch
Travis Sanheim was one of the main reasons why Philadelphia was so potent at the beginning of the season, looking like a true top-pairing defenseman and shatting his career highs across the board. But, along with the rest of the team, he began to fade down the stretch.
With Cam York likely set to assume powerplay duties, and Daily Faceoff projecting Jamie Drysdale on PP2 to start the year, it will be extremely difficult for the former first-round pick to improve on his impressive totals of 10 goals and 44 points in 81 games.
Like Farabee, Sanheim is still a huge part of this team, and he will absolutely be in the top-four all year long. But he needs to clean up the defensive side of his game. Although he finished fourth on the team in scoring, which is huge, he was a -20 when the dust settled.
It'll certainly be interesting to watch Sanheim, York and Drysdale battle for important minutes in 2024-25. But if Sanheim is the one left off the powerplay, there's little to no chance he'll be cracking 40 points for the second straight season.
