There are just two games remaining in the Flyers season. Prior to the final one on Saturday, when the Flyers host the Ottawa Senators, the team will present their annual awards.
The Bobby Clarke Award is given to the team's most valuable player for the season. The race is probably already over. But throughout the season, it was essentially a two-horse race.
Chances are the award will go to Flyers goalie Steve Mason, who has emerged into a leading goalie in hockey – and yes, the numbers are there to prove it. But you can also give a nod to Jake Voracek, who led the race for the first few months of the season.
Both have had career years and are closing on finishing them strong.
Mason has dazzled with sprawling saves and stellar performances. Voracek blossomed into a point-per-game player alongside Flyers captain Claude Giroux.
For Mason, the season started slow. He allowed three goals or more in five of his first seven games and didn't get his first win of the season until Nov. 4, a 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers.
With just six wins on the year as December started to wind down, Mason missed the first five games of the Flyers eight-game road trip during right over the week of Christmas.
Mason's return from injury started with struggles as well, until he started a five-game winning streak with a shootout win over Ottawa on Jan. 6. Mason suffered one shootout loss on Feb. 5 before leaving a game on Feb. 8 in Washington with an injury that would keep him out nearly three weeks.
Upon returning in relief on Feb. 26, Mason made 15 starts and allowed more than three goals only twice, with the second coming on Tuesday night against the Islanders.
During that time, his save percentage of .928 is third in the league, trailing only Carey Price and Devyn Dubnyk. Mason's GAA average, currently fifth – even after Tuesday's game – is 2.23. If not for the low win total, Mason would potentially be challenging for a Vezina Trophy nomination.
The Flyers success has hinged on Mason. So many times this season, he has held the team in a game and given them a chance to win. After Tuesday's win over the Islanders, Mason's record is 18-17-11. The league average for wins by a goalie is 13.
So Mason's excellent season will be overlooked on a national scale – hence the good, not great, and run-of-the-mill comments about the Flyers goaltender.
In reality, this will be Mason's best season of his career, even better than his rookie season which earned him the Calder Trophy. In that season, Mason won 33 games while posting a 2.29 GAA and a .916 save percentage. On GAA and save percentage, Mason would set career highs this season.
Voracek stormed out of the gate with points in seven points in his first five games. It took until Dec. 2 for Voracek to not register a point in a game where the Flyers were not shut out as a team. By that point, Voracek already had 32 points.
His torrid pace continued. It wasn't until the end of December that Voracek went back-to-back games without a point. Even as his numbers dipped off following a six-point performance at the All-Star Game, Voracek never went more than two straight games without picking up a point.
It was that kind of consistency that allowed him to remain in the race for the Art Ross Trophy all season long. With just two games remaining, he is two points behind the duo of Sidney Crosby and John Tavares with 81 points, making him a point-per-game player.
Voracek is also on the verge of setting career highs across the board. He sits at 22 goals, one shy of matching his career high from a season ago. His 59 assists lead the league and are already a new career high, as are the 81 points.
What has really been noticeable about Voracek's season is his ability to create space with the puck and really operate at will. Entering the season, Voracek had gained 10 pounds of muscle. It showed.
His ability to work around defenders and create space was noticeable immediately and he certainly didn't show any signs of wear as the season progress. Voracek is one of three Flyers to have played in every game this season – Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier.
These two players are part of the core of this team and will remain so for seasons to come. Mason will turn 27 in May. Voracek turns 26 in August. Both have plenty of good years ahead. They will be the pieces to carry the Flyers forward as the rebuilding process continues.
In a season that featured so much disappointment and frustration, it was difficult to point the finger at Mason or Voracek. They were the standouts, the stars that shined the brightest even on the darkest of nights. And to do that over an entire season, especially one of this repute, is certainly impressive.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
