Morgan Frost
Keith Yandle comes out of the lineup for the first time after 989 consecutive games. Ronnie Attard makes his NHL debut on the blue line, while other newcomers remain in the lineup looking to make a good impression. They get another matchup against a future playoff team, facing the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The final 15 games for the Flyers will serve as a chance to evaluate. They will provide a look at some new faces entering the lineup in the last couple of weeks and maybe even a new face or two to come down the road. It is a way to take inventory going into the offseason – what does the team already have and what does it need even more of on the roster moving forward?
The Flyers took a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild to close out the 1-4-0 road trip, also knocking them out of playoff contention for the second straight season.
Tanner Jeannot’s goal with 1:19 left in the third was the difference as the Nashville Predators defeated the Flyers, 5-4, on Sunday night.
The final 20 games for the Flyers begin with the start of a five-game road trip in Detroit as the Flyers take on the Red Wings on Tuesday night.
As the trade deadline passes and the Flyers open up a few roster spots, it presents more of an opportunity for younger players to get more of a look at increased roles in the NHL. GM Chuck Fletcher used Sunday’s game as an example of what he hopes to see for the rest of the season, “energy, hard work, young players playing a bigger role and getting an opportunity to show what they can do for next year.”
It’s not about whether Owen Tippett has the ability in him. That’s what got him drafted 10th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. It’s about if he can consistently have noticeable performances like the one in his Flyers debut on Sunday, especially if the opportunity for ice time and an increased role is there.
A rebound goal by Scott Laughton in overtime was the difference, giving the Flyers a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings at Wells Fargo Center to snap a 13-game losing streak.
With Bobby Clarke’s recent comments about former Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall, it’s time for another revisit not just about the Brayden Schenn trade, but the 2017 NHL Draft as a whole.
It has reached a new level for the Flyers. This is essentially one great, big reality show. The play on the ice is only one part of the equation, and at this point, the things happening off the ice are becoming bigger headlines, most recently comments from Flyers legend Bobby Clarke on the Cam and Strick Podcast regarding Ron Hextall’s time as GM.
