Scott Laughton
The final day before the start of the 2020-21 season is here, and that means roster decisions are due. The Flyers have officially announced their roster for opening night of the 2020-21 season.
The final tuneup for the Flyers before the official start of the regular season came on Sunday night when two rosters skated in a 60-minute scrimmage followed by a shootout at Wells Fargo Center.
On Saturday, the Flyers released their roster and schedule for training camp ahead of the 2020-21 season, set to begin in just 11 days.
Though the circumstances are very different, the NHL has been here before when it comes to shortened seasons, and not too far in the past either. The NHL saw the 2012-13 season shortened to 48 games after a lockout. Sean Couturier remembers that season well, and how a slow start can turn things sour quickly.
Eight players are up for new contracts after the 2020-21 season, and four Flyers have their fates well assumed at this point. The remaining four players have a much hazier future.
The draft doesn’t lose its importance to the Flyers, even if they are now turning the corner from the building stages to the contending years. The Flyers pick 23rd overall in this week’s draft. It’s the latest they have picked in the first round since 2012, but the team still expects to find talent.
Alain Vigneault addressed the media on Monday for the first time since the Flyers lost Game 7 to the Islanders nine days ago. His comments focused on a bright future ahead. “I believe that we’re on the right track as far as moving forward to win a Stanley Cup,” Vigneault said.
A look at some of the things on the Flyers offseason agenda, areas they will look to address, the signings they have to make and some potential trade targets, trade options within the current roster, and free agents that could end up on their radar.
The Flyers never had the answers. They could never counter the Islanders desire to finish this series. So it goes in the playoffs sometimes. Make no mistake, it’s disappointing, and this loss stings knowing the season is over, but there is a lot to take from this season. For now, let’s take a closer look at the game that did the Flyers in.
It all comes down to this. Game 7 to decide who goes to the Eastern Conference Final and who goes home. If it’s anything like the other games in this series, you can expect a close, hard-fought battle to the finish where only one thing is certain: this game will end with handshakes at center ice.
