By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
In the 2017-18 season, rookie and top draft pick Nolan Patrick will certainly be under a microscope in regards to his performance and point production.
But the Flyers core, which collectively struggled in the 2016-17 season, will also be under close watch.
After looking at some expectations for Nolan Patrick, here’s a few projections on the Flyers core players.
Claude Giroux
The 2016-17 season was Giroux’s worst in terms of point production. Playing in all 82 games, Giroux managed just 14 goals and 44 assists for 58 points.
The Flyers have increased the talent and depth on the team and are trying Giroux at left wing on the top line, at least to start the season, to see if that can provide a spark.
The Hockey News projected 64 points for Giroux, a modest 20 goals and 44 assists. That’s a fair projection after a disappointing 58. Expect Giroux to certainly be in the 60’s and pushing 70 points, but anything north of that would be an unexpected bonus.
Jake Voracek
Voracek’s disappointing season came two years ago in 2015-16 when he posted just 11 goals and 44 assists following a career year with 22 goals and 59 assists for 81 points.
Entering the third season of a pricey eight-year contract, it’s past the point of admitting that Voracek isn’t a point-per-game player and the focus is just on consistently producing. Giroux is a good marker for Voracek’s success, especially since as Giroux has gone, so has Voracek.
The Hockey News projected 60 points for Voracek, 20 goals to match Giroux and 40 assists. After a 61-point season a year ago, that once again seems fair. A 65-point season from Voracek would be satisfying and if he can climb to just shy of 70, that’s a plus.
Wayne Simmonds
Simmonds has been about as consistent as it gets over the last three seasons. In that time, Simmonds’ highest point total is 60, but that largely depends on goal scoring more than anything.
By missing the final six games of the 2014-15 season, Simmonds missed out on his first 30-goal season, but reached the mark in each of the last two years with 32 goals in 2015-16 and 31 goals last season.
Expect Simmonds to reach that mark again for a third straight year. The Hockey News is projecting a 60-point season with 32 goals, matching the totals he posted two seasons ago when the Flyers made the playoffs.
Sean Couturier
Couturier has been a bit of a mystery in the past few years, but mainly because injuries have disrupted his last two seasons. In his last full season in 2014-15, Couturier had 15 goals and 22 assists for 37 points, a modest total for a two-way center that puts more of an emphasis on his defensive play.
That said, Couturier has picked up the offensive numbers slightly in each of the last two seasons. He scored 11 goals and had 39 points in 63 games in 2015-16 and scored 14 goals and had 34 points in 66 games last season.
The Hockey News is projecting 20 goals and 45 points for Couturier. At first glance, that may seem way out of Couturier’s reach. But with his placement on the first line — at least for now — and a much-improved second power-play unit for the Flyers, those numbers are probably right in the neighborhood of what Couturier should produce this season.
Shayne Gostisbehere
After taking the league by storm in his rookie season in 2015-16, Gostisbehere came back to reality in a big way with a rough sophomore season. Sure, replicating his 17 goals and 46 points in 64 games was going to be difficult, but nobody could have anticipated just seven goals and 39 points for Ghost in 76 games, not to mention five games as a healthy scratch.
But the 2017-18 season is a new one for Gostisbehere, though it may not start with the rest of the Flyers on Wednesday after he left Sunday’s preseason finale with an upper-body injury.
Obviously Gostisbehere isn’t going to be the goal-scorer he was in his rookie season. As a defensive veteran on the team, even in just his third NHL season, there is a responsibility to focus on play in his own zone. That said, he shouldn’t shy away from jumping up offensively as much as he did last season.
The Hockey News projected 10 goals and 37 points for Gostisbehere. A season in the 40-point range would be a very successful one for Ghost and should be the expectation. Pushing 50 points would not only be a great sign for the Flyers, but would also have him in the discussion as a top offensive defenseman in the NHL.
Travis Konecny
As a rookie, Konecny turned in a good season with 11 goals and 28 points in 70 games, but there is certainly room for improvement. Konecny was scratched three times and missed nine games with injury in his rookie season.
With the added experience, expectations should come up slightly for Konecny. The Hockey News has him projected at 18 goals and 24 assists for 42 points.
Playing on the third line — at least to start the season — will probably not be as good for his offensive numbers, but his time on the second power-play unit should be more productive. If Konecny can reach the 15-goal mark and 40-point mark, it’s already a step in the right direction. If he can reach the projection of 18 goals and break the 42 points, it will be a very solid season for the second-year forward.
Ivan Provorov
For the Flyers other rookie, Ivan Provorov, it was trial by fire in the defensive zone. Despite a rough start in that department, Provorov eventually molded into a top-pairing defenseman as a rookie, and that should continue in his sophomore season.
More ice time should also equate to better point production as well.
Provorov’s role was not to be the offensive-minded blueliner as a rookie. So despite scoring just six goals, playing in all 82 games, leading the way in ice-time and posting 30 points was a very good rookie season. Provorov had 25 even-strength points in his rookie season and that’s where things should change in his second season.
More power play time and being more active in the offensive zone become greater parts of Provorov’s game, and that makes the projection from The Hockey News a very reasonable one.
Their projection is 10 goals and 40 points for Provorov. If those are indeed the totals for the second-year defenseman and his defensive play continues to be impressive, consider him the undisputed top defenseman on the Flyers by season’s end.
