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What Your Team Is Thankful For: Philadelphia Flyers

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As the new year approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Who are the Flyers thankful for?

John Tortorella

The dominant storyline of this Flyers season has been the team’s unexpected competitiveness. The team is currently 18-11-4, which places them third place in the Metropolitan Division but only one point behind the New York Islanders with a game in hand.

Tortorella’s fingerprints are all over the Flyers’ unexpected strength this season.

Tortorella has long been highly regarded for his ability to get the most out of teams who enter most nights at a talent disadvantage compared to their opponents.

He keeps his teams highly accountable, extremely hard-working, and generally maintains a fierce commitment to a hard-to-break-down defensive structure.

The 2023-24 Flyers have been exactly that sort of team. While they’re among the league’s lower-scoring teams, they rank inside the top 10 in terms of the fewest goals surrendered per game and surrender the fifth-fewest shots against per game. In addition, their penalty kill is a bright spot as it ranks fifth in the NHL, killing penalties at an 87.5% rate.

Tortorella is accomplishing all this with the help of talented defensive players such as Sean Couturier and Scott Laughton, though he has also overseen significant player development for specific Flyers. Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost went from first-round “bust” conversations to scoring 27 goals and 46 points, respectively, while blueliners such as Sean Walker and Rasmus Ristolainen have each notably improved under Tortorella’s watch from where they were before.

The Flyers are attempting a large-scale, long-term rebuild with the hope of building a contending team that can compete for Stanley Cups on a legitimate basis for a long period of time. Part of that strategy has been acquiring high-end players through the draft, and it’s true that Tortorella’s success has made it less likely that the Flyers will have a top pick at the 2024 draft.

That being said, the development of the existing players in the Flyers organization is also of paramount importance to the Flyers’ rebuild, and much of the Flyers’ recent winning under Tortorella has come off the back of the development of numerous players.

What are the Flyers thankful for?

A weaker-than-expected Metropolitan Division.

Remember how the Flyers are within striking distance of second place in the Metropolitan Division? Let’s look at how they got there. While the Flyers’ climb in the standings has been in large part due to their own improved play, the sputtering form of many teams who were expected to be division heavyweights this season has helped them along.

Porous goaltending and an inconsistent offensive attack has cost the Hurricanes this season, and while they are comfortably in a Wild Card spot they do not appear to be the contenders for the division title that they have been in recent years.

The Capitals have recovered from a slow start under new head coach Spencer Carbery, but their offensive attack does not have the juice it has had in recent years, and they do not have a single player currently on pace to score 55 or more points.

The Devils have fought through poor goaltending and poor defensive play all season, and those issues combined with injuries have led to a far slower-than-expected start. And in Pittsburgh, team-wide inconsistency has led to a squad capable of decimating a team 7-0 on one night (as they did yesterday) and then losing by the same margin on another.

While each of those teams could reasonably re-enter the playoff picture over the course of the rest of the season, so far their struggles have paved the way for Flyers fans to have legitimate hope for playoff hockey. Is that something that could be reasonably hoped for just a few months ago? Probably not, which means Flyers fans have quite a bit to be thankful for.

What would the Flyers be even more thankful for?

An improved power play.

The Flyers’ blueprint for success this season has been mixing hard work and a stringent commitment to defensive hockey in order to grind out wins against teams who frequently boast more talented lineups. While that blueprint has brought the Flyers into playoff position in this early portion of the season, there have been some costs attached.

First and foremost, the Flyers’ power play currently ranks as the NHL’s worst, converting on just 10.6% of its chances. Even the St. Louis Blues, who suffered through a historically poor start on the man advantage, have now surpassed the Flyers.

In part due to the Flyers’ inability to put together consistent offense on the power play, several of the team’s offensive players have either failed to take meaningful steps forward or taken steps back in terms of production.

Morgan Frost scored 46 points last season but instead of vaulting into the 50-60 point region, he is now on pace to score 32 points. It’s a similar story for Noah Cates, who scored 38 points as a rookie but scored only four this season before going down with an injury. There was hope Tyson Foerster would make an instant impact after scoring seven points in eight games down the stretch last season, but his adjustment has been slower than anticipated and he is on pace to score 33 points.

The Flyers’ defensemen, goaltenders, and select forwards are enjoying positive campaigns for their development. But unless the power play can get on track, the Flyers won’t be operating to their maximum capabilities from a player development perspective.

What should be on the Flyers’ holiday wish list?

An answer to Sean Walker’s future in Philadelphia.

One of the breakout players for the Flyers this season has been Walker, a 29-year-old defenseman acquired this past summer from the Los Angeles Kings. He has seen his ice time leap up from just 14:50 per game last season to 20:49 in this campaign. He’s helped anchor one of the league’s better penalty kill units and is even seeing some time on the power play.

But although Walker has emerged as one of the Flyers’ top blueliners, the reality is that he’s already 29 years old and his improved play will likely mean he’ll command a pay raise over his $2.65MM cap hit this season. For a Flyers team still building for a contending window a little bit more distant in the future, (for when Matvei Michkov is able to sign from Russia, for example) it’s fair to wonder if Walker fits into that timeline.

Any Walker extension would likely deliver the most return on investment in its first few years, and with Ristolainen and Travis Sanheim already on hefty contract extensions, there may not be room for another veteran addition.

This leaves the Flyers in a difficult spot. Do they dangle Walker on the trade market, where he would potentially be a top right-shot option and net the team valuable future assets? Or do they retain him as their own “rental” player to help them keep hold of the playoff spot they currently sit in, even if that means allowing Walker to leave in free agency?

The Flyers’ play moving forward will likely dictate which route they choose to go down, but more than anything else Flyers fans should be hoping to receive some sort of clarity on the future of one of this season’s bigger breakout players.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Noah Cates

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  • According to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, Philadelphia Flyers forward Noah Cates skated today as part of his recovery from a lower-body injury that was originally slated to cost him six to eight weeks. Cates was not having the strongest sophomore campaign before his injury, and his offensive production had declined sharply compared to last season. But in his rookie year he showed himself to be a promising defensive forward, so regardless of his struggles so far this year the Flyers have to be hoping that he’ll return to full strength relatively soon.

Flyers Recall Rhett Gardner

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  • The Flyers recalled center Rhett Gardner from AHL Lehigh Valley after assigning him to the minors last Saturday. Gardner was rostered for the Flyers’ final three games before the holiday break but was a healthy scratch in all of them. The 27-year-old has yet to appear in a contest for Philadelphia after signing a two-year, two-way deal worth $825K in the minors and $1.5MM in the NHL in free agency and has just three goals and one assist in 21 games for Lehigh Valley this year.

Massimo Rizzo To Play At Spengler Cup

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  • While not a direct loan from an NHL affiliate, the Flyers will also have a prospect in this event as forward Massimo Rizzo will be suiting up. The 22-year-old is in his junior year at the University of Denver and leads all Division I players with 31 points in 18 games.  He’s the only NCAA player suiting up for Canada in the event.

Flyers Assign Cal Petersen And Rhett Gardner To AHL

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After a wild game against Detroit on Friday, the Flyers have reached their holiday break.  Accordingly, they’ve made a pair of transactions this morning, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned goaltender Cal Petersen and forward Rhett Gardner to AHL Lehigh Valley.  Since both players were recalled after December 11th, they were allowed to be sent down even though the roster freeze is in effect.

Petersen has been shuffled back and forth in recent days with Carter Hart briefly missing time but Hart did return to action last night meaning Petersen’s presence on the roster is no longer needed.  Petersen was acquired as a salary cap dump from the Kings over the offseason and after clearing waivers for the second straight year, the 29-year-old has spent most of the season with the Phantoms where he has a 3.20 GAA and a .898 SV% in 11 games.  He made a pair of starts with the Flyers back in November, stopping 60 of 67 shots.

As for Gardner, he was recalled back on Tuesday but didn’t get into any game action with Philadelphia.  The 27-year-old is in the first season of a two-year, two-way deal but has struggled with the Phantoms.  After putting up 40 points in 70 games with AHL Texas last year, he has just three goals and one assist in 21 contests with Lehigh Valley so far.

The Flyers aren’t back in action until Thursday so if they are going to recall Gardner or another forward, they can wait until then to do so.

Cal Petersen Recalled

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The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled netminder Cal Petersen back to their NHL roster, indicating that netminder Carter Hart isn’t quite ready to return and back up Samuel Ersson for the Flyers’ game tonight against the Nashville Predators. Petersen was the Flyers’ backup for their last game as well, though he has spent most of the year with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Tortorella: Cam Atkinson "Hasn't Shown Enough Energy"

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  • Moving from coast to coast, another established winger seeing a gradual decrease in ice time is Flyers veteran Cam Atkinson. The 34-year-old played a season-low 13:48 in Tuesday’s game against the Devils and has no points in his last three games. Head coach John Tortorella said this morning that Atkinson “hasn’t shown enough energy and quickness recently,” a thinly veiled statement that Atkinson could be sitting in the press box for a game or two soon – a move Tortorella isn’t afraid to execute (via veteran Flyers reporter Sam Carchidi). After missing 2022-23 with a neck injury, Atkinson has played in all 31 contests for the Flyers this year, recording eight goals and eight assists. The two-time 30-goal scorer has spent most of his career playing under Tortorella, spending six seasons with him in Columbus from 2015 to 2021, and by all accounts, has a positive relationship with the outspoken coach.

Nolan Patrick Walks Back Reports That He’s Retired

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3:00 PM: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has reported that Nolan Patrick has not officially retired from the NHL, despite previous reports. Friedman shared that Patrick declined to comment further.

11:00 AM: Former Flyers and Golden Knights center Nolan Patrick has officially retired from the NHL, multiple sources reported Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The 25-year-old was an unrestricted free agent and has not played since March 2022 due to a migraine disorder. The Flyers’ 2017 second-overall pick and son of former NHL winger Steve Patrick has been hired as a skills coach by The Power Play, a hockey coaching program run by former NHL forward Jayce Hawryluk.

It’s been challenging to watch Patrick’s consistent migraine issues for all hockey fans. After a 2015-16 season in which Patrick finished fifth in WHL scoring with 41 goals, 61 assists and 102 points in 71 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings, he was viewed as the slam-dunk first-overall pick in the upcoming 2017 draft.

However, Patrick’s significant injury issues began during the 2016 WHL Playoffs. He sustained a sports hernia injury late in the postseason and, despite having prompt surgery to repair the hernia, complications would arise from the surgery early in the 2016-17 season. Those complications limited him to 33 games with Brandon that year, and although he still excelled with 20 goals and 46 points, his point-production pace took a small step backward from the year before. He also missed the chance to play for Canada in that year’s World Junior Championship, leading eventual Devils captain Nico Hischier to usurp him as the first-overall selection in 2017.

Patrick signed his entry-level contract with the Flyers promptly after the draft. However, the team quickly announced Patrick would miss their offseason development activities as he was recovering from a second abdominal surgery performed just days before the draft. Thankfully, it didn’t stop him from being a full-time player at age 19 during his rookie season with the Flyers, in which he logged 13 goals and 30 points in 73 games while averaging 13:43 per game. The season didn’t result in any Calder Trophy recognition, but it did seem like his development into a future star in Philadelphia was back on track. Unfortunately, his 73 games and 13 goals would both be career-highs.

He was able to stay the course and avoid injury issues in the 2018-19 campaign, but his point production didn’t break out like most expected. Playing in 72 games, he matched last season’s goal total and added one more assist, essentially putting up the same stat line despite an increase in ice time.

However, during the following offseason, the Flyers announced Patrick had been diagnosed with a migraine disorder, which the diagnosing physician believed to be genetic and not related to a hockey injury. While he would begin skating with the team months into the season, the COVID pandemic started shortly after that, and he could not participate in the league’s Return to Play protocol, keeping him out for the entirety of the 2019-20 campaign. That was the first of two seasons Patrick would be held out entirely due to migraine issues.

A restricted free agent after the expiration of his entry-level contract, Patrick signed a one-year qualifying offer to remain with the team and cleared medical protocols to begin the 2020-21 season on the active roster, playing his first NHL game in nearly two full calendar years. He was still feeling the effects of his migraine disorder, however, and it reflected in his performance. By any metric, Patrick was one of the worst players in the league that year, posting four goals and nine points in 52 games with a staggering -30 rating, the worst on a Flyers team that failed to make the playoffs but still finished above the .500 mark.

Logically, that season led both the Flyers and Patrick to want an amicable departure and a fresh start for the former high-flying prospect. In July 2021, the Flyers traded Patrick to the Golden Knights in the ill-fated three-way trade with the Predators that saw high-end defenseman Ryan Ellis end up with the Flyers. Ellis played just four games in a Philadelphia sweater before a poorly-handled injury to his psoas muscle ended his career.

After acquiring his signing rights, Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon, who had presided over Patrick’s junior tenure in Brandon, signed him to a two-year, $2.4MM contract. With his migraine disorder still ongoing, however, Patrick would play just 25 games for Vegas in 2021-22, recording two goals and seven points while averaging 11:30 per game. He was one of many Golden Knights players who missed significant time that season, leading the franchise to miss the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

While Patrick was under contract with Vegas last season, he remained on long-term injured reserve for the whole campaign and did not suit up in any games en route to the Golden Knights’ run to the 2023 Stanley Cup. Vegas did not tender Patrick a qualifying offer last summer, and thus, he became an unrestricted free agent. The Winnipeg-born center finishes his NHL career with 32 goals, 45 assists, 77 points, and a -36 rating across 222 games.

All of us at PHR wish Patrick health and fulfillment in his post-playing career.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Philadelphia Recalls Rhett Gardner and Cal Petersen, Send Olle Lycksell Down

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4:00 PM: Carter Hart is slated to miss Tuesday night’s game with illness, despite optimism around his return. Samuel Ersson will start for the Flyers, with Cal Petersen backing him up.

3:00 PM: The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled forward Rhett Gardner and goaltender Calvin Petersen, sending rookie Olle Lycksell down to the minors. These moves come in the wake of Carter Hart’s expected return to the lineup, with the goaltender coming back from a string of illnesses that held him out of the team’s Thursday night matchup and two games last month.

Petersen is joining a crowded goalie room that’s already home to Hart and Samuel Ersson. This is likely in preparation for the NHL Holiday Roster Freeze, which goes into effect at 11:59 P.M. local time on December 19th. The Flyers play three games before rosters unfreeze on December 28th. Teams are able to exceed the 23-man roster limit during this freeze, so long as they have the cap space to do so. Philadelphia is cutting it close, with just $730K left in cap space after these recalls – thanks to Petersen’s hefty $5MM cap hit.

Petersen has served as the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms starting goaltender for much of the season, recording a 4-6-1 record and .898 save percentage in 11 appearances with the team. He’s also appeared in two NHL games this year, splitting the matchups and setting a .896 save percentage. The Flyers acquired Petersen as part of a six-player trade in June, acquiring Sean Walker, Helge Grans, and three draft picks in addition to the 29-year-old goaltender.

Lycksell is being sent to the minors after making one appearance with the Flyers this season. He failed to record a point in the matchup but did receive one penalty. Lycksell has already appeared in 21 AHL games this season, scoring 12 goals and 19 points. The Flyers are swapping him with Rhett Gardner, who has yet to make his debut with the Flyers after spending the last five seasons in the Dallas Stars organization. Gardner has appeared in 21 AHL games this season, scoring four points and receiving 39 penalty minutes. The 27-year-old centerman has totaled 40 career NHL games and scored a pair of points.

Flyers' Travis Sanheim Back At Practice

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The Pittsburgh Penguins tweeted today that forwards Rickard Rakell, Noel Acciari, as well as defenseman Chad Ruhwedel will all be game-time decisions when the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Minnesota Wild this evening. The news was announced by Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan who has been trying to manage a litany of injuries up and down the Penguins lineup.

Pittsburgh has been mired in a cycle of inconsistent and sloppy play that has been a constant throughout the first third of the NHL season. They are currently sitting in seventh place in the Metropolitan division and are five points out of a wild card position.

The Penguins put forward Bryan Rust on IR just a few days ago, which left them with two big holes in their top 6, however, with the potential return of Rakell it seems likely that he will have an opportunity to fill one of those holes. Rakell has been practicing on a line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel and given his history with the duo it seems likely he return to that spot either tonight or later this week.

Acciari had been centering the Penguins’ fourth line before his injury and seems likely to take up that spot if and when he does return, while Ruhwedel will likely get a look on the Penguins’ third defensive pairing, presumably with youngster John Ludvig who has emerged on the backend for Pittsburgh in recent weeks.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • Kevin Kurz of The Athletic is reporting that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim was back at practice today and should be good for tomorrow night’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Sanheim was dealing with an undisclosed illness and missed Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. The 27-year-old had been heating up before getting sick as he had posted two goals and three assists in his previous five games. Sanheim has been a huge part of the Flyers’ surprising start to the season as his 21 points in 29 games has him second in team scoring behind Travis Konecny.
  • Carolina Hurricanes reporter Walt Ruff is reporting that Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov was a full participant in today’s practice and even was seen taking power play reps with the team. Ruff goes on to add that the 23-year-old could be back in the lineup as soon as tomorrow night against the Vegas Golden Knights. Svechnikov has missed the last six games with an upper-body injury and struggled the week prior to getting hurt. On the season, the former second-overall pick has just a single goal in 16 games, although he does have 10 assists as well. Carolina has underperformed so far this season but currently sits in the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Getting Svechnikov healthy and productive once again could be a big boost for Carolina as they close in on the mid-way point of the season.
  • Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News is reporting that New York Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom missed practice today with an illness. The 23-year-old was unlikely to play in tomorrow night’s game even if healthy as he has been a healthy scratch for the Islanders in seven straight games. Wahlstrom has just two goals and three assists in 17 games this season and has been averaging less than 12 minutes of ice time a game when he has been in the lineup.

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