Welcome to Puck Drop Preview 2015-16, where our hockey department gives you a detailed look at each team from around the NHL leading to the start of this hockey season and offers our insight and analysis. Makes sure to stick around until the end of the series, where we’ll offer our full predictions for the standings in each division, and eventually our collective LWOS 2015-16 Stanley Cup pick. You can check out all our articles on our Puck Drop Page. Today we continue with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Puck Drop Preview: 2015-16 Philadelphia Flyers
Last Season
It was another on and off season for the boys from Broad Street. Six 4+ game losing streaks, with the largest winning streak being four. All told, the team finished 20th in goals for, 22nd in goals against, the third best power play, and the 26th worst in the penalty killing department. The team had arguably one of the best duos in the league in Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek, who combined for 47 goals and 154 points. Unfortunately, that was basically their offense, along with power forward Wayne Simmonds, who scored 28 goals being a force at the front of the net. Outside of these two, the Flyers had three other 20+ goal scorers and three 30+ point men that were forwards.
On defense, Mark Streit had one of the more under-the-radar campaigns with nine goals and 52 points. Michael Del Zotto had ten goals for the first time since 2011-12, potting 32 total points in just 64 games. People tend to forget he’s only 25. Outside of those two, the defense was very thin. They dressed twelve different d-men, with Nick Schultz, Nicklas Grossmann, Luke Schenn, and Andrew MacDonald with his nightmare contract(12 points) getting the bulk of the games.
The Flyers did do some dealing of their own during the season that actually planned for the future, something unusual for a team that always feels they are in the thick of things. General Manager Ron Hextall nabbed promising defenseman Radko Gudas, a pick in the first, second, and third rounds of the NHL Draft, adding one for 2016 that was conditional for Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn. In the end, the Flyers missed the playoffs for the third time since the 1995 season, holding the 7th overall pick in the 2015 Draft.
Offseason
After the season, the Flyers fired coach Craig Berube, and the search was on for a new bench boss. Enter…Dave Hakstol. Few people outside of college hockey knew who he was, but Ron Hextall(get used to mixing their names) felt he was the man for the job, having compiled a record of 143-43, a .654 winning percentage, at the University of North Dakota.
Coming into the draft, the Flyers had nine picks and used the first of those to select Ivan Provorov, an offensive defenseman from the Brandon Wheat Kings. He scored 15 goals and 61 points in his first season of WHL play. Travis Konecny of the Ottawa 67s was selected next with the first round pick acquired from Tampa Bay. He was captain of the team last season, his second in the OHL that saw him score 29 goals and 68 points in 60 games playing center and left wing. Both add valuable pieces to the Flyers’ future forward and defense groups, which already include Travis Sanheim, Samuel Morin on D. The forward group is less impressive and the organization hopes Konecny can be a force. He performed big last year on the big stage for Canada at the World Juniors, scoring four goals.
In free agency, the Flyers stayed quiet for the most part, signing Michal Neuvirth with the idea of goaltending depth for Steve Mason, who had a very underrated 2014-15 campaign posting a 2.25 GAA and .928 save percentage. They also picked up Sam Gagner from the Coyotes for the contract of Chris Pronger and Grossmann, bottom six man Chris Porter on a 1-year deal, and an interesting pick up in Evgeni Medvedev from the KHL. He played eight years for AK Bars Kazan, totaling 37 goals and 165 points in 373 career games as a defenseman. Zac Rinaldo got traded as well to the Bruins…Bringing a third round pick ba–I still don’t know how but…Anyway…They also made two big signings to retain some players of their own. Sean Couturier and Voracek were signed to extensions, with the former’s being for six years and $26 million, and Voracek’s being eight years and $66 million.
2015-16 Opening Night Lineup
Forwards:
Michael Raffl-Claude Giroux-Jakub Voracek
Matt Read-Sean Couturier-Wayne Simmonds
Chris Porter-Scott Laughton-Brayden Schenn
RJ Umberger-Vincent Lecavalier-Sam Gagner
Chris VandeVelde-Pierre-Ediouard Bellemare-Ryan White
Defensemen:
Michael Del Zotto-Evgeni Medvedev
Nick Schultz-Mark Streit
Brandon Manning-Luke Schenn
Andrew MacDonald-Radko Gudas
Players to Watch:
Michael Del Zotto
After quite a solid stint with the Flyers last season, Del Zotto comes into camp with expectations. At 25, the Flyers may have found a cheap puck-mover that could service the back end playing a top-four role. At only 25, he had one of his best offensive seasons of his career in just 64 games. Mark Streit is the only other viable option as an offensive guy from the back end at the moment and he is 37. If he regresses, Del Zotto could be given an opportunity to see good minutes to prove that last season wasn’t a fluke.
Steve Mason
Sometimes there’s a case where you wonder if a netminder had a good team in front of him, where would the team be? That is the scenario with Steve Mason, who arguably had the best season of his career(yes, better than his Calder campaign in 2008-09). Since 2008-09, Steve Mason has been trying to figure it out. Getting a new lease on life in Philadelphia as a goaltender is an odd statement but Mason did get it. Lowering his GAA to a career best and bumping his save percentage as well, he was a bright spot on a team full of holes. It will be interesting to see what he does for an encore, because we all know what happened after his last “stud” season.
On the Rise:
Travis Sanheim
Picked 17th overall in 2014, the 19-year old only has two years of WHL experience but looks to be one to watch in his development. He scored 15 goals and 65 points last season, tops in the league. With a team thirsting for an impact defenseman that has miles waiting to be used, the Flyers and their fans should be looking forward to this guy. Look out for him along with Samuel Morin and Shayne Gostisbehere if he recovers from a torn ACL that limited the start of his Flyers career to two games.
Brayden Schenn
A former #5 overall pick from the Los Angeles Kings in 2009, the 24-year old Schenn built on his 2013-14 campaign scoring 18 goals and 47 points in 82 games. He also cut down his penalty minutes from 54 to 34. Look for him to get an opportunity this season to eclipse the 20+ goal, 50+ point barrier under Dave Hakstol. If he does, he could be in for a solid payday as an RFA next offseason.
Sean Couturier
Although Couturier scored just 37 points this past season, he is only 22 and has room t0 grow. He has nearly posted back-to-back 20+ goal seasons and under a fresh head coach, he should be motivated to have a big season. Having Wayne Simmonds to your right helps, and if Matt Read can regain some of his rookie form, the pieces are there for putting together a solid campaign. Playing a top six role this season again, he’ll have every opportunity to do that.
On the Decline:
Andrew MacDonald
Referring to that God-awful contract again, it’s hard not to put MacDonald here. This man is getting paid $5 million per season for the next five years, and has put up 20+ points just twice in a seven-year career, the last coming in 2013-14. He has never really driven possession either in those seven years, being under 50 CF% and 50 FF% in all of them. He started 52% of the time in the offensive zone last season, the first time he eclipsed more offensive zone starts than defensive in his career. That netted him just two goals and 12 points. He’s never eclipsed five in a season. MacDonald is 29, and things aren’t looking favorable for the organization.
Vincent Lecavalier
Another price to pay, Lecavalier is a case of a tremendous player hitting a regression in his 30s. A former 50+ goal scorer, Vinny’s best seasons are behind him and that was evident when he was bought out by the Lightning in the 2013 offseason. The Flyers were the team to snatch him up and sign him to a five-year contract that will pay him $4.5 million per season for the next three seasons. Trade partners have been nonexistent and rightfully so, as Lecavalier followed up a 20-goal, 37 point season with an eight goal, 20-point campaign in 2014-15. He is 35 and it’s hard to see him as a difference maker in Philly playing bottom six minutes.
2015-16 Season Outlook
This looks to be a year of growth for the Flyers. They didn’t go “all in” last year and focused on contending for a playoff spot this season and beyond, which could be possible if the forward group pitches in more outside of Voracek and Giroux. The thin defensive group could trip that push up, but with a full season of Del Zotto and an experienced blueliner in Medvedev you never know. But, the goal should be to adjust to the new system under head coach Dave Hakstol. There will be pain along the way as Mike Babcock likes to say, but with every team that’s rebuilding/retooling, that should be expected. Look for the Flyers to make a push early on but fade as the season goes along, picking in a good spot in next year’s draft.
Main Photo:
Stats, cap figures, game logs courtesy of ESPN, hockeydb, hockey reference, USCHO, and CapFriendly.
