The Flyers were in Voorhees on Monday as they packed up following a disappointing 2014-15 season. Each player met individually with Craig Berube and Ron Hextall and also faced the media.
The day was filled with quotable moments. Here's some of the highlights.
- Michael Del Zotto reflected on his season and his desire to return to the Flyers. "It definitely wasn't easy. There's time where you doubt yourself and your talent and ability and that's when you have to put your foot down, take a step back and realize what got you here and what you need to do to stay. I have no idea what's going to happen. Nothing's been spoken from either side. Hopefully something will get the conversations going now that the season's over and we'll figure it out from there."
- Sean Couturier spoke about his role as a defensive forward, but expressed interest in breaking out as a scorer. "I think they like my style of play. I think they maybe expect more and more as the years go by. I feel the same. Next year I want to come in great shape. It is tough to produce when you start in your own end all the time. It's always going to be part of my game but if I can get a little more responsibility on the other end of the ice. I want to be a solid two-way forward that can produce offensively. I don't want to be known as the shut-down guy."
- Vincent Lecavalier may have made the biggest statement with his remarks on Berube and his usage during the season. "The fans are great, the organization's great, everything. But things did change when Chief came on board. When I signed here, one of the main reasons was to play for Lavy and his style of play and what he thought of me. Obviously, when you get a new boss, things change and it didn't go well for me."
- Jake Voracek believed the Flyers lacked leadership without Kimmo Timonen and that was a key reason to the team missing the playoffs. "Kimmo was such a big part of the locker room, leadership-wise. Every time things didn't go well, we had a meeting about it. He always calmed things down. He was being hard on us as well sometimes because as a team we needed to get better. I think that's what we were missing, someone like Kimmo."
- Steve Mason looked back at a strong season individually despite the team missing the playoffs. "It's a disappointment. You work hard all summer long to prepare, 82 games, it's a grind and then you don't make the playoffs. Whether you have a great year individually, that all changes when you don't make playoffs because that's the ultimate goal is to get into the playoffs and win the Stanley Cup. I can look at my year and be proud of it, but you can't be proud of the fact that we didn't get into the playoffs."
- Claude Giroux discussed the lack of consistency and the members of last season's team. "I think we could have made the playoffs this year if we played a little more consistent during the year. Obviously, a lot of things happen in an 82-game season, but I think we have a good group here."
Meanwhile, Berube's future with the Flyers certainly hangs in the balance. It didn't stop him from making several statements as if his job is more than secure. Berube had one of the more interesting meetings with the media on Monday. Here are some of his highlights.
- Berube drew comparisons between Couturier and Bruins center Patrice Bergeron – "Bergeron, who is a two-way forward much like Couturier, starts all of his faceoffs in his own end and seems to come OK, right? "When a top line goes out on the other team, Crosby comes in our offensive zone, who do you want me to put out? He plays 24 minutes a game. You tell me Couturier starts in the defensive zone too much. Well, that’s his job. He’s got to shut Crosby down and that’s why I put him out there. For him to improve as a player, he needs to understand he needs to get it in the offensive zone and get it done."
- In addition to expressing the changes in coaching philosophy, Lecavalier also stated that it was very much possible that he could not find any common ground in terms of playing as long as Berube was coaching. Berube responded – "At some point, he has to accept his role and he can help the hockey team. That's what we're looking for. If I sit a guy out when he gets back in the lineup, I expect him to be better. It's called mental toughness."
- Berube also said that in his meetings with the players, he did not have his future in mind, and spoke as if his job was safe despite not being fully sure. He also commented on being the head coach – "It’s a great job. It really is. It’s even more special here. It’s a real good sports town. When you’re in a town like Philadelphia, you’ve got to accept the good and the bad. You know that you’re gonna get critiqued and you know you’re gonna get criticized. You gotta understand that. It’s the same as a player. It’s a tough town to play in."
Hextall is expected the address the media on Wednesday, but don't expect any major announcements. The GM has said he wants to take weeks to evaluate every aspect of the team before taking any action. That means, for now, Berube's job is indeed safe and the team will look the same, with the exception of potential deals to pending free agents.
But the final step of the 2014-15 season, the cleaning of lockers and the final words for most of the players, is now officially complete. It's on to a busy offseason for the Flyers.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
