As the 2023-24 season begins for the Flyers, there is something that is different about the franchise than just months earlier as the 2022-23 season came to a close. In many cases, those changes are noticeable.
There are “new” uniforms that are primarily a throwback to the 90s. There are “new” but familiar faces in the front office. There are signs of the past and the carrying on of tradition, like the return of the double center-ice logo. When the Flyers marked the dawn of a new-look front office with the branding a “New Era of Orange,” they were ushering in changes on a foundational level of culture.
This offseason was never going to be about getting to a finished product with the roster. In a rebuild, that is years away from happening. But making these fundamental changes, that could happen in an instant.
With all of that completed, and the games about to begin, it begs the question: what does success look like for the Flyers in the 2023-24 season? It’s a logical question, since the on-ice product isn’t expected to be in contention.
How to Measure Flyers Success
Success can come in many forms.
In the next six-plus months, as the Flyers play the 82-game schedule, a successful season will be watching young players continue to take steps. There may be nights that the team’s result, especially in losses, is more overshadowed by an individual’s performance if it signifies growth.
At season’s end, when there could be more opportunities for youth to make the jump to the NHL level, those successes will also be measured.
Success this season can also come from veteran players returning to form, proving their worth, and potentially bringing the team something back in return on the market. If the Flyers are able to add to their multiple first and second-round picks that they already have, it can potentially lead to a successful decision come June.
But perhaps the biggest way the Flyers can succeed is away from the 41 games at Wells Fargo Center and 41 games on the road. It will be in the standard they set within the rebuild. It will be in the way that prospects continue to develop in the minors. It will be watching prospects in the junior and college ranks. It will Matvei Michkov watch.
And as the season progresses, for all parts of the organization, success will be in the results, as much for individuals as it will be the team. Success will hardly be measured in wins and losses in this Flyers season, just as it was last year. But it can be measured in growth. It can be measured in the spots that young players take over as the season progresses. And it can be the next stepping stone in the rebuild and the new era the Flyers are trying to build.
