The Philadelphia Flyers’ five most impactful players in the 2023-2024 season can determine if they find success in the rink or if they will be heading home early again this year. Everyone on a hockey team is important, they all serve a role that helps the team win. But some players can mean more to a team than others, and these five players will have all the pressure in the world on them to perform at a high standard this year.
Flyers 5 Most Impactful Players
Every hockey team has a variety of different roles on a team. Some players are meant to score goals, others are rock-solid defenders. Some players are there to add depth to a roster, and others are what the team revolves around. At the end of the season, how the star players on every team play throughout the year mirror the success the team has on the ice.
#5. Noah Cates
Noah Cates had a much better campaign last year than anyone expected, and that comes with new responsibilities. This is what makes him one of the Philadelphia Flyers impactful players entering the 2023-24 season. Cates, who just signed a two-year contract extension with the Flyers, was one of their best forwards all of last year. He transitioned from wing to centre, which could be part of his sizeable success on the ice last year. He seemed to be one of Head Coach’s John Tortorella’s best assets and most trusted players. We should all expect him to continue to develop and play a major role this season.
#4. Sean Couturier
This Philadelphia Flyers player is a no brainer for being impactful. Besides his obviously impressive skill set, it’s Sean Couturier’s leadership that will make him so crucial to the Flyers this year. Couturier hasn’t played in an NHL game since December of 2021, but that should worry no one. The fire and passion he plays with on the ice is second to none in the league. Although he was available for the final games of last year, it was a wise decision for Philly to sit him.
It can be argued Couturier is one of, if not the best two-way forward in the league. That is if he can stay healthy. He hasn’t played in a full hockey season for a few years now, it will be essential for the Flyers to have him healthy for a full year if they intend to have any success.
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Although the Flyers had many injuries last season that killed their playoff hopes, none were more important than Couturiers in a morale sense. Every single night he gives it his all and will play a much-needed role model to the younger guys who are trying to make a name for themselves.
#3. Cam York
The next Philadelphia Flyers player that will be impactful is a young gun on the blue line. With all the off-season moves that have been happening, it is quite obvious Cam York is going to be the leader of the Flyers defence. The question is – is he up for the challenge? York, who was a first-round draft pick in 2019, had a very adequate rookie year when he was thrown into the defensive unit. He showed he is capable of being an anchor the team can count on. If he can keep this up, he will be one of the most impactful players for the Flyers.
It may not be totally fair to put all this weight on a 22 year old, but it comes with the job. York will be the main guy on defence this year and he will have to continue to progress as a player for the team as a whole to succeed. If he can live up to the expectations put on him this year, the Flyers will do just fine. If he can’t, it could be a dreadful season.
#2. Travis Konecny
Travis Konecny was also injury prone last year where he missed 22 games with multiple injuries. If you’re assuming he had a down year because of this, you’d be wrong. Konecny had a career-year in goals and points. He scored 31 goals and accounted for 61 total points, all while missing 22 games.
With other injuries to the team, Konecny became the main scorer for a long stretch of the season. It isn’t surprising having him number two on most important players, since he is seen as one of the star players on the team. He doesn’t have much to prove, but that doesn’t mean the well-being of the Flyers season still doesn’t depend on how he performs. If he can get back to where he was a few years ago, healthy and playing most games, he will have another career-year in 2023-2024. John Tortorella will count on him to be that impact player for the Philadelphia Flyers.
#1. Carter Hart
No surprise here. Carter Hart is the most impactful Philadelphia Flyers player and at the most important position. With a much improved defence, Hart’s numbers can also vastly improve this year. At some points inconsistent last year, but what goalie isn’t. He had very good games and very poor games, the key will be to limit those bad games.
Hart has yet to sign any kind of extension or even talk about one. This leaves the question – will he be here for the long run? The Flyers management seem to have covered all angles. They want Hart to be their guy, but if he isn’t they have prepared extensively. With different off-season moves, trades, and drafts, the Flyers have been stocking up on goalkeepers to prepare for the worst. If Hart is out after this year, the Flyers will have their other goalies groomed to take the net.
Hart also has to stay healthy much like most of the other Flyers important players. Minor injuries at the end of seasons in the past have had him out for the last weeks of the year. This could be because playoff hopes were down the drain, or it could be because he had to take care of his body better. He’ll do no good sitting in street clothes watching the games. As they say, a team is only as good as their goalkeeper.
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