Five things the Flyers can do to instantly change their fortunes

Five years without a playoff game has been a long time—seven if you want a home game in Philly. That's way too long a wait for us Flyers fans. We are thirsty for a return to the playoffs where we belong.

So, what's it going to take? What will the once mighty orange and black to resume their rightful place in the postseason?

Flyers GM Daniel Briere checked the first box off the list by hiring Rick Tocchet as the new head coach. The last time the Flyers hired a coach, it wasn't until just before the draft. With a month to spare, the coach and GM can work on their vision for this team moving forward. They can look at the assets they have in the draft, in the minors, and what they could acquire in the offseason.

With that in mind, let's examine five steps they can take to ensure that this team can get back to its former glory.

1. Don't Blow This Draft

This is a draft the Flyers can't afford to screw up. There have been too many times in recent years that they've missed. Ok, Sam Morin and Nolan Patrick are somewhat forgivable because you can't foresee that injuries would've derailed their possibly promising careers. With Cutter Gauthier, who'd have known he'd pull a J.D. Drew and refuse to play here.

But there have been others. There have been some real head-scratchers and poor choices made. Every Philly team has done this. Whether it be someone who was vastly overrated (Ben Simmons) or just bizarre (Fireman Danny), nobody is immune to the terrible draft pick.

The problem is that in the last ten years, the Flyers have made thirteen first-round selections. Only Travis Sanheim, Travis Konecny, Cam York, Tyson Foerster, and Matvei Michkov remain on the big club, with Oliver Bonk and Jett Luchanko remaining in the organization. That's almost half. These losses have hit us hard. Whomever is available at the sixth spot better be a winner; whether they contribute this year or make their presence known in a year or two.

2. Shore up the Goaltending

It's no secret that the Flyers' goaltending is shaky at best. The current goalie trio isn't going to cut it moving forward. Where do we go from here?

The Flyers will need to acquire someone. It doesn't have to be a long-term someone. We have some reinforcements coming, hopefully, in the next three to five years if we don't give up on them (Anthony Stolarz) too soon. This new goalie might have to come via a trade or free agency. Someone who can split time with Sam Ersson would be great. At this point, we could determine if Ersson is a bona fide starter, a solid backup, or needs to be dropped. Ditto with Ivan Fedotov or Alexsei Kolosov.

It won't matter what the Flyers do it this year if the goaltending remains this leaky. Fix this first and then we can move on the next phase.

3. Get a Defensive Stud

It's easy to cast doubt on the goaltenders, but if we have a defensive corps that routinely makes bad passes that get intercepted and leave our goalie facing multiple 2-on-1s, we're in trouble. This team has a lot of defensive prospects, but how good are they? Some, like Helge Grans, invite a lot of discussion, but do we have the next Chris Pronger or Kimmo Timmonen down below? Unsure.

There will be some high-quality defenders available on the free agent market this year. Of these, Aaron Ekblad would be the prize. Ryan Lindgren would be an acceptable consolation prize. If the Flyers want to go into untapped waters, stealing a player like K'Andre Miller from the Rangers or Luke Hughes from the Devils in an RFA deal would be great.

Don't get me wrong, the Flyers have some solid defenders. They are probably one great defender away from really changing their fortunes. Perhaps even a great defensive acquisition might make Cam York (or some of our defensive prospects) available in a trade (for a goalie or winger, perhaps) and could make room for someone like Bonk to move up.

4. Acquire Game Changing Center/Winger

Likewise, the Flyers have a lot of potential firepower on offense. Ok, we don't have a Wayne Gretkzy on this team. Heck, we don't have a Mark Recchi on this team. However, you may not need one. The Carolina Hurricanes have four players who scored over 20 goals; the same as the Flyers. The difference is a better overall fundamental team. That's why they are in the Eastern Conference Finals and we are watching it on TNT.

We don't necessarily need a 50-goal scorer to make the playoffs (but I won't turn one away). However, we are lacking that impact guy. We haven't had that guy who can "put the team on his back" since Claude Giroux left. Travis Konecny is the closest thing, but he can't do it alone. Getting Mitch Marner and teaming him up with Konecny, Michkov, Foerster, Owen Tippett, etc., would be a dream come true. Brock Boeser, Brock Nelson, John Tavares, and Sam Bennett would also be wonderful additions.

However, they aren't the only ones. The Toronto Maple Leafs have a bunch of young, solid players who can be snagged as RFAs who could help the Flyers out a lot. Buffalo does as well. Maxim Shabanov could become a great acquisition, especially if the rumors are true that he wants to come to Philadelphia. The beauty is that the Flyers have options and money this time around, for the first time in years. But some of that comes with making good decisions first.

5. Make a Decision on Cates, York, and Foerster

The Flyers don't have any major pending free agents they need to consider. However, York, Foerster, and Noah Cates all have their contracts coming up. Before moving forward, they have to consider these young stars that are in house.

Cates has been fairly steady over the last few years and seems to be a reliable two-way forward. Foerster is a young, up-and-coming 20-goal scorer and has shown flashes of being a major offensive threat. Both of these players have performed well and will probably earn three- to five-year deals.

Then there is York. He is the big enigma. He has shown flashes of being an Eric Desjardins or Timonen, then goes stretches without making any points but a plethora of boneheaded plays. The question is how much of it is him and how much was John Tortorella. Did the old coach hinder his development (while enhancing Sanheim)?

Will Tocchet be the key to unlocking York's potential? Have we seen the best of him, or is the best yet to come? Or is it better to trade him while he may still bring us value? Could he be packaged in a deal to move up in the draft or get us a player we want? This decision could be one that determines what the Flyers do next, as the defense is still shaky.