The Flyers tailspin continues following a 1-2-2 road trip. They are fading further and further out of the playoff picture.
It is not too early to talk about a fading chance at the playoffs. It is way too early to talk about the draft and the potential of a high pick.
Yes, the Flyers are a struggling team that may not piece it together this season. They could certainly miss the playoffs, especially as the season drags on without improvement.
Let me spoil some of the fun. As much as Flyers fans want to dream about it, the Flyers will not be in the running for Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel or anybody else in the Top 5.
Allow me to explain why. While it's easy to see the Flyers in the cellar, you really expect them to just roll over and die? It will never happen.
The Flyers are a team that strives to succeed. Success comes at a premium this season, mainly because Paul Holmgren's mistakes as GM are now Ron Hextall's problem. In his first season as GM, Hextall is trying to build this team his way.
You are already seeing some of the payoff. The Flyers have a very formidable top line, all in their mid-20s – Claude Giroux (26), Jake Voracek (25) and Michael Raffl (26). They have a budding young player who figures to be a second-line player in Scott Laughton, and he's only 20. Even Wayne Simmonds falls into this category at age 26.
This is still a very young team that is not used to adversity and this is the second season in a row they are dealing with it. For Giroux, Voracek and Simmonds, they have all been part of playoff success, winning playoff series and making regular playoff appearances.
And the team will only get younger in the coming years as near-NHL ready defensemen come to the team. Shayne Gostisbehere already got to the NHL – albeit briefly – and Robert Hagg, Sam Morin and Travis Sanheim are just a few other names you'll start hearing soon enough.
The Flyers generally don't fail, and with the makeup of this roster – very similar to last season's team that fell a goal short of winning a playoff series – they will not sink to a level that is beneath them.
This team will not finish dead last in the league. They won't finish in the bottom five. And as long as that happens, they aren't getting McDavid or Eichel.
I'll be the first to tell you the Flyers are not a good team right now and certainly not worthy of any playoff consideration. They rank as they should.
But I want everyone to remember the 2013 Flyers from a lockout shortened season. There were multiple times where they were written off, completely out of the playoff picture. Then they would win three straight games and suddenly a trip to the playoffs was a possibility.
That team didn't make the playoffs, but they came close. That's what this team has the potential to do. They won't dominate playoff teams. Most nights, they will be completely outmatched. But they will start to win their share of games sooner or later.
It may be hard to realize now, mired in a 2-8-3 stretch over 13 games, but the Flyers are a better team than this. You know it. They know it. And it will start to show sooner or later.
They won't save the season. But they can, and will, avoid being in position for one of McDavid or Eichel. That talk can be put to rest.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
