Can The Flyers Be A Cup Contender? Part 1
One thing we’ve all learned since mid-April while watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs is that aside from the questionable reffing calls, there is absolutely no satire anywhere to be found when climbing up the ranks to the Cup Finals in June.
Three months ago, every single one of us predicted a San Jose/ Tampa Bay final and let’s be honest, most of us didn’t even realize St. Louis was in until they made it to the second round. By then, Not only were The Lightning trading in their gear for golf clubs, but Pittsburgh were swept by the Islanders while Columbus, Carolina, and (now) St. Louis were proving to us all that the underdog will always claw, bite and chew their way out of mediocrity from the regular season to prove all the beat writers and fans across the league in every major hockey market completely wrong.
Brackets have been destroyed, water cooler talk has been louder than ever, and expectations have become extinct in the NHL.
So where does this land the Flyers in the next 2-3 seasons?
For obvious reasons that are almost impossible to answer, and that should give every single team in the league a glimmer of hope when the regular season begins in October. However, what can be controlled is learning what type of players are needed to help complete a cup contender.
Unlike the regular season, from the first drop of the puck in the postseason, it’s all about blocked shots. Controlled possession in the neutral zone and offensive zone. Winning puck battles in the boards. Effective zone entry. Special teams making every opportunity count on the Power Play and Penalty Kill. Last but not least, having the pedigree of a winning mentality, sacrificing the body while attempting to stay healthy in the lineup for the next game and doing whatever it takes to make it out of that building with the win one game at a time.
When dissecting the current roster and projected 2019-2020 roster for the Flyers, there are a lot of question marks when squinting our eyes in hopes of seeing a team built to win a few rounds. This two-part article is going to detail the Flyers questionable blue line, acquisitions in the offseason, pending UFA’s, prospects waiting in the wings to carve out a spot in training camp, and the ever-so-controversial Center position when piecing together a 1C-4C within the lineup.
With only a few more days left to see who will raise the Cup for St. Louis or Boston, We’ll dive deeper than advanced analytic metrics and player stats to help determine what intangible roles need to be added and subtracted to compete next season.
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Categorized:Flyers