The Philadelphia Flyers are already days into rookie camp, but their main NHL training camp doesn’t officially get underway until next Thursday. And forward Joel Farabee will be firmly “in the spotlight” right from the start, according to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz.
In his latest mailbag at the end of last week, the hockey insider was asked whether the 24-year-old still had room to grow on the roster, or whether he’s “too far in the doghouse” with head coach John Tortorella. And Kurz shared an interesting and insightful answer.
“I don’t like the phrase ‘in the doghouse’ before training camp even starts. No one is in the doghouse on Day 1 of camp. It’s a fresh start for everyone,” said Kurz. “The players who finished strong have to show that it wasn’t a fluke, and then there are the players who struggled down the stretch, such as Farabee — who has earned the right to show he can be a more consistent, aggressive player based on his experience and how he handles himself as a professional.”
Still, Kurz believes that Farabee will not have a spot in the Flyers’ top-six when the season opens against the Vancouver Canucks in British Columbia on October 11, unless he performs exceptionally at training camp.
Kurz has Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster and Owen Tippett pencilled in as the squad’s top-four wingers, and that means that No. 86 could get pushed down the lineup.
“But maybe Tortorella sees it differently and wants to start Foerster, Tippett and/or Michkov lower in the lineup,” he asserted. “We’ll see how things shake out during training camp, but if the Flyers are trying to free up money for next offseason, Farabee and his $5 million through 2027-28 could end up on the trading block.”
Joel Farabee faded at the end of 2023-24
Although Farabee set career highs with 22 goals and 50 points last season, he really struggled after the All-Star break. After being a fixture in the top-six at the beginning of the year, he was moved down the lineup and off the powerplay.
It doesn’t help that the Cicero, New York native is making $5 million against the cap for the next four seasons, and it really doesn’t help that the Flyers boast so many skillful young players looking for spots in the lineup. As Kurz suggests, if Farabee doesn’t find his early-season form right away, he could become a trade candidate.
General manager Danny Briere isn’t afraid to make bold moves to help this roster in the long-term, and there is not a ton of pressure for this team to compete for a playoff spot next April despite an unexpectedly strong 2023-24 campaign.
There’s certainly a chance that Farabee will be able to turn things around — he is a former first-round pick, after all. But with players like Michkov, Foerster and Bobby Brink looking to take a step forward next season, it looks like the clock is ticking for Farabee to prove that he can be a meaningful contributor in Philly.
