What’s Next For The Flyers After the Olympic Break

The Flyers didn’t expect to be in the position they were in going into the Olympic break. After a month where it felt like every mistake ended up in their net, they now have four more days to decide what they want to do in the final months. If they’re honest about where they are, this has to be a soft sell, and not a desperate push to buy at the March 6 trade deadline.

The loss to Ottawa on February 5 sent the Flyers into the break at 25-20-11 with 61 points, placing them 6th in the Metropolitan Division. They’ve lost 12 out of their last 15 games and are quickly drifting away in the playoff race. In a hard-cap league, this is the worst spot they can be in. They’re too good to bottom out, and they’re nowhere near good enough to show any threat in a 7-game series.

For a while, the team overachieved and got insanely lucky through structure and the shootout. Lately, the cracks are showing, and that cushion they once had is gone. The power play has gone ice cold, so cold in fact, they’re tied for 30th in the NHL on the man advantage, and a negative goal differential tells you exactly what needs to be said about the current state the team is in. They struggle to score; some days they score one and let up two, or they’ll score three but let up six or seven. There’s no question about what they’re building towards with the inconsistency.

So, what’s next when they return from the break?

Why They Need To Sell

Start with talent. The Flyers don’t have a true game-changing scorer who is in the midst of their prime. They can generate chances, but there’s no answer for it at the moment. The Flyers can’t be a contender in the Eastern Conference if they don’t have a solidified goal scorer keeping them in games every night.

Then take a look at the cap and the assets. The Flyers have the ability to take on money, but they don’t have the high-end talent to even acquire a rental. Spending their current future to chase a wild card spot would most likely push the real window further away.

In goal, Samuel Ersson has been extremely underwhelming all season, giving up an average of 3.51 goals per game. His teammate, Daniel Vladar, who was the second option at net, is giving up an average of 2.47 goals per game, which is 11th amongst qualified goalies. Even with Vladar’s success in goal, the weak position can’t talk fans into thinking all the Flyers need is one scorer and they’re set, when that’s obviously not the case.

What Selling Looks Like For The Flyers

Selling for the Flyers isn’t going to be a full-on fire sale. It should be moves that free up cap space and turn short-term value into long-term value.

Move a veteran defender while his value is high. Rasmus Ristolainen has always been in conversation as to whether or not he is a candidate to be dealt. He’s averaging just around 20 minutes on the ice every night, and his value right now is at its peak. Ristolainen recorded two points in Finland’s 11-0 win over Italy in the Olympics. If a team is desperate, the Flyers could get a pretty good haul for his services.

If a team calls general manager Danny Briere about Owen Tippett, the Flyers should definitely listen. Although they don’t necessarily want to move Tippett, if a team dangles a first-round pick or high-level prospect, that’s a deal that the Flyers could be willing to take. Tippett is averaging 16:25 of ice time per game and has recorded 54 points in 56 games. He isn’t afraid to throw his body around and is a guy in the middle who gives you speed and can score.

One more guy who could be on the move is Carl Grundstrom. With him being an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, he’s easily capable of being a piece gone at the deadline. He’s a good fourth-line option, and his play style is perfect for a team in a 7-game series. He only carries a $1.8 million cap hit and doesn’t hold any trade protection. Contenders like to overpay at the deadline, and the Flyers should be on the receiving end of that overpay.

They can also weaponize their cap space. Taking on a bad contract or retaining salary in a three-team deal helps a contender make a move, and the Flyers get a mid-round pick or prospect just for using space they weren’t going to spend anyway. Buying forces them to get rid of young players or picks for a short-term boost in the position they traded for. For a team that has lost 12 out of 15, no one is thinking they are one piece away from contending.

The Schedule After

When the NHL resumes, there’s no easing into it for the Flyers. They’ll end February with the Capitals, Rangers, and Bruins, teams that are fighting for a playoff spot as much as they are. Once March hits, the Flyers get hit with back-to-backs and lots of travel time. They’ll face off against the Maple Leafs, Mammoth, Penguins, and Wild before heading out west to face the Ducks, Kings, and Sharks in the middle of the month. Most of these teams are well over .500, and the Flyers need to be making up ground in a Metro division where everyone ahead or behind them can rack up points just as fast.

This makes the break even more important. Only three Flyers went to Milan for the Olympics, which is probably for the best. A big chunk of the roster stayed home, and frankly, they need this rest more. This break matters for the veterans who are gassed, the young players whose confidence has taken a hit, and anyone fighting where almost every touch feels tight and overthought. For these players, 10 days away from formal team activities followed by focused practice time might be the best thing that could happen.

Selling at the deadline doesn’t mean that the season is over. It means the coaching staff and front office have backed up what they have preached since day one, which is that rebuilds are long and every decision has to serve that. You can still go on a run, but there’s no shot this current group is able to handle a playoff-style schedule.

A Look Towards Summer

A rough run down the stretch for the Flyers could help them land a better draft pick, although that shouldn’t be on anyone’s mind throughout the organization. What should matter is that every move between now and July lines up with where this team realistically is, not where they wish they were. That’s what makes this break so interesting. The Flyers have enough time to rest, reset, and focus on the details that slipped over the last month. They’re not out of it yet, but they could be hanging on by a thread real soon.

On the eve of the gold medal match in Milan between the U.S. and Canada, we’ll find out if this was the pause that saved their season, or the moment we look back on this season as a promising start that turned into an outlook for next year. Either it’s the moment they double down on the idea of a surprise playoff push, or the turning point when they stop making quick fixes and become a team that can build long-term success.

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