Ryan Ellis
The Flyers are set to close out the preseason on Tuesday night when they host the New York Islanders at 7 p.m.
Flyers head coach John Tortorella addressed multiple topics on Friday, including the captaincy, young players, and goalies, while the team made more roster cuts.
Before the puck even hits the ice, the Flyers are already dealing with more than their share of injury woes.
At the end-of-season press conference, and for much of the offseason, the Flyers focus was on injured players returning healthy. The so-called plan has already backfired before the team even takes the ice for training camp.
According to a report from Crossing Broad’s Anthony SanFilippo, Flyers forward Sean Couturier suffered a herniated disc and could miss significant time this upcoming season.
The NHL Draft has come and gone, blink and you missed free agency. The final piece of the Flyers offseason outlook is to focus on line combinations for the upcoming season.
On Wednesday, you saw that the current regime is incapable of handling a rebuild. They insisted upon an aggressive retool for a fast fix, not the necessary rebuild needed. Now it’s time to start that rebuild anyway, but focus on the front office that has so clearly set the Flyers back.
The Flyers acquired the rights to defenseman Tony DeAngelo from the Carolina Hurricanes along with a 2022 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick, a 2023 third-round pick, and a 2022 fourth-round pick. DeAngelo will reportedly sign a two-year extension with an AAV of $5 million.
Last week, the hockey world was rattled by the firing of Barry Trotz by the New York Islanders. As the Flyers coaching search continues, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in his 32 Thoughts column that Trotz is a “top candidate” of the Flyers.
The problem with each of these possibilities is that they are rooted in hope. Hope that the injured players return as advertised and stay healthy. Hope the young players take that big step everyone has waited for. Hope that you can perhaps manufacture some hockey trades or free-agent signings to plug in the holes that the team is lacking for speed and skill and make it all work.
