(Kate Frese/SB Nation)
Fall is in the air, finally marking the return of hockey season. Things may be slightly different now in the NHL with the addition of another club, but the similar principle applies — all teams will vye for a chance at the Stanley Cup next spring (and hopefully, when the Cup is awarded, there will be a little less Pittsburgh involved as well).
For the Flyers, there will be plenty to keep an eye on. Whether or not it's how the team improves on last season or the youthful injection of talent coming up as another phase of Ron Hextall's rebuild, there will be plenty to watch out for. That said, here are 17-18 storylines worth keeping an eye on in the 2017-18 campaign:
1. Whether or not the Claude Giroux-to-wing experiment continues. It was a bold attempt in the preseason, but in the handful of games that makes up a preseason schedule, it's tough to gauge results. The move has the potential to bring out the long-awaited big offense from Sean Couturier/whoever else occupies the center role, and it could also give Giroux the space he desperately craves and works excellently in.
2. How Taylor Leier will fare. I've always been a fan of Leier, but he always seemed to be a lower-key prospect. He's consistently worked harder since his first season in Lehigh Valley in 2014-15. And when your're a fourth-rounder in a draft class featuring names like Scott Laughton, Anthony Stolarz and Shayne Gostisbehere, it's easy to stay low-key.
3. Oskar Lindblom's status. It was kind of a surprise to see Lindblom be sent down to Lehigh Valley to start his season — like many others, I thought a spot with the big club was his to lose. But it's a move that'll pay off for him in the long run, and I can see him coming up once someone goes down to injury.
4. Dave Hakstol's progress. One season after leading the Flyers to a playoff berth as a rookie coach fresh out of the college ranks, Hakstol dropped back a little bit last year. Between lineup moves that seemed to make no sense, the controversial benchings of young players like Travis Konecny and Shayne Gostisbehere and leading the first team in NHL history to miss the playoffs despite a 10-game winning streak, Hakstol's judgment was called into question quite a bit. Some even called for the Flyers to part ways with him. It's clear that like his young players, Hakstol has quite a bit to learn, and it's interesting to see how he can bounce back in his third year.
5. Gostisbehere. Speaking of third-year talent, Gostisbehere had a rough go last season. Sophomore slumps are expected, and it's not easy in the slightest to expect a duplication of that incredible 2015-16 rookie year. I have no doubt that Gostisbehere can put that all behind him, and come out stronger in 2017-18.
6. It's a shame, though, to see him injured in the preseason finale against the NY Islanders. While he looks to be good to go for the second game on Thursday in Anaheim, nobody wants to start off the season hurt, particularly a player like Gostisbehere.
7. Jersey numbers. The newer guys are taking some new numbers on the back of their sweaters. Nolan Patrick is trading 64 in for 19, Samuel Morin is going from 50 to 5, Travis Sanheim is taking 6 and Robert Hagg is claiming 8. Morin joins a long list of defensemen to claim to No. 5, joining the ranks of players like Braydon Coburn, Larry Goodenough, Kim Johnsson and the late Dmitri Tertyshny. The last forward to wear 5? Mike Boland, for just two games in 1974-75.
8. Stolarz' injury. If he can return from that meniscus injury and go on an incredible run for the Phantoms, it truly would be something remarkable. Otherwise, I just see his status as goalie-of-the-future waning more and more, especially with other exciting names like Carter Hart and Felix Sandstrom getting ready to come up in the future.
9. Lest we not forget, Stolarz was drafted at a time when Hextall had no command of the team. Hextall never personally selected Stolarz as the goalie of the future, so it's understandable he'd want his own guy. But at this point, Stolarz may very well be getting into what-might-have been territory.
10. The Brian Elliott–Michal Neuvirth tandem. As much as I enjoyed Steve Mason in his Flyers tenure, I wouldn't have paid him the $4.1 million cap hit he got from Winnipeg — though I did almost appreciate when he took on the demeanor as Ron Livingston in 1999's classic Office Space towards the end of his Flyers tenure. At 32-years-old, Elliott's about as stop-gap as it gets.
11. It's worth wondering, though, what Elliott the Flyers will get. There's not a whole lot of room for improvement for a 32-year-old goalie, but he had polar opposite seasons in 2015-16 with St. Louis and 2016-17 with Calgary. Elliott and Neuvirth aren't exactly a confidence-inspiring duo, but if they get the job done, that's all that matters.
12. Have we seen the end of Matt Read? It's possible, but not probable. Read cleared waivers as the team's final cut on Tuesday, though considering the team is starting the season with eight defensemen, he could very well return once Morin or Sanheim is sent down.
13. 2012 Me really thought Read had been jobbed for the Calder Trophy, and that he had what it took to be a special talent. I have never been so wrong in all my life.
14. At the start of the offseason, it really looked like there could be a spot on the roster for Mike Vecchione. Ultimately, it all came down to a position battle with Scott Laughton in training camp, and the more-experienced Laughton won out. Vecchione's biggest problem was beyond his control — neither he nor the Flyers expected the No. 2 pick in this year's draft, which obviously added another center to the mix. We haven't seen the last of Vecchione, and he'll be back soon.
15. Much is made of the young players making the jump this year — that excitement is wholly justified — but let's not forget, Konecny and Ivan Provorov enter their sophomore seasons. Provorov looked like a whole new player by season's end, and he just keeps getting better and better. Again, sophomore slumps are to be expected, but these two will be just fine.
16. Kris Knoblauch. We've gone in-depth on the new assistant around these parts several times before, and I'm curious to see how he can rejuvenate what was a stale power play over the past several seasons. At a 13.0 percent clip, the Flyers' power play was bottom-tier in the preseason (22nd). It's clear there's some room for improvement early on.
17. How will Jordan Weal handle his second season? Weal provided a much-needed boost to the Flyers' offense last season, rewarding the club for their patience with eight goals and 12 points in 23 games. He's absolutely paid his dues to get to this point, and a very easy player to root for. If he can continue that scoring pace this season, he could absolutely finish in the 28-29 goal range — not bad for a first full season.
18. Playoffs (saving the best for last). Sure, between Pittsburgh's quest for a three-peat, Columbus looking to take the next step, the annual Washington second-round meltdown and the NY Rangers getting set to waste another year of Henrik Lundqvist, on the surface, it looks like making the playoffs will come at a premium for the Orange and Black. The Metro Division expects to be another tough division this season, so the Flyers will have to get to work. I wouldn't be surprised if they miss out again this year, but getting back in would be valuable experience for a young club.
