Looking at the Flyers’ Projected Lineup for 2019-20
With just over two months until the Flyers faceoff with the Blackhawks in the Czech Republic, the NHL offseason is, for the most part, over and in a bit of a lull.
After a mostly disappointing 2018 campaign, the Flyers went through a much-needed makeover this summer.
While the Flyers retained both their cores: veteran and young, they added some pieces around them in hopes to improve their poor depth scoring from last season.
With Kevin Hayes being the biggest signing upfront, Chuck Fletcher also looked to improve the Flyers’ defense. Hopefully, doing so by swapping Radko Gudas for Matt Niskanen and bringing in Justin Braun in exchange for a third-round pick to replace Andrew MacDonald.
Forwards
First Line: Giroux – Couturier – Konecny
Giroux and Couturier spent much of last season together and produced quite well on the Flyers top line. Once hailed as just a defensive center, Couturier’s evolution into the Flyers top center has come as a bit of a surprise but a much-needed one with Giroux making the move to wing two seasons ago.
Off back-to-back 76-point campaigns and a career-high 33 goals in 2018-19, Couturier gives the first line an annual Selke Candidate while Giroux is still… well Giroux. The captain saw his offensive numbers take a bit of a dive after an MVP-type season the year before but still produced over a point per game.
Couturier and Giroux should be tied at the hip again this season. But it should still be up in the air for who gets the first shot playing alongside Couturier and Giroux. For now, it should be Travis Konecny but both JVR or Voracek make strong cases as well.
Konecny played much of last season on the top line and faired very well (24 goals) as his high-end speed and shot complemented Giroux’s play-driving ability and Couturier’s net-front presence quite well.
Second Line: van Riemsdyk – Hayes – Voracek
The Flyers second line is one loaded with size. With Voracek the smallest at 6’2″ and 214 lbs, this line should excel at being physical and getting pucks toward the net where JVR is one of the best out in front.
The speed on this line, admittedly, is not great, which could be a reason Travis Konecny could find himself moved down to the second line. For now, Alain Vigneault should rely on Voracek to dominate possession with Hayes and JVR getting to the net. If it all goes right, this line should be able to bully other teams smaller lineups on any given night.
Third Line: Lindblom – Patrick – Rubstov/Frost
The third line for the Flyers is a bit tougher to project. We know it will feature Nolan Patrick since the first two center spots are solidified and it’s unlikely he’s going to get 4th line minutes over Scott Laughton but the two wing spots are up in the air a bit.
It’s pretty likely Lindblom gets the nod as he and Patrick showed flashes together last season but overall struggled to find consistency with Lindblom eventually falling out of favor and relegated to the 4th line.
Opposite Lindblom is a complete question mark. It’s likely one of the Flyers’ prospects makes the team out of camp and takes up these minutes but which one? Morgan Frost, German Rubstov, and even last summer’s first-round pick Joel Farabee could be possibilities. Obviously, Frost is the one with the most upside but the Flyers might want to give him a year in the AHL or at least start him out there before throwing him into the mix.
Rubstov went pro last season and was off to a hot start (10 points in 14 games) with the Phantoms before going down with a shoulder injury that would sideline him for the remainder of the year. With an impressive camp, the Flyers could choose to go with him if they opt to stash Frost in the AHL.
While unlikely to make the Flyers over Frost or Rubstov, Joel Farabee will be in Flyers’ training camp looking to impress and earn a roster spot after signing his ELC last spring after a great season at Boston University.
The biggest question about the Flyers’ third line will be if Vigneault is comfortable with it being so young. It’s still to be determined how much trust Vigneault will place into these young Flyers and if he’s comfortable placing them all together.
Fourth Line: Raffl – Laughton – Pitlick
If Vigneault opts for the third line of all “kids”, the fourth line of Raffl, Laughton, and Pitlick would likely be the case.
Scott Laughton looks to have finally found a role with the Flyers as a fourth-line center. The 2012 first-round pick had a career-best 32 points and played in all 82 games last season which earned him a two-year/$4.6 million extension this offseason.
Michael Raffl, who was going to be a free agent this summer, also signed a two-year extension to remain with the Flyers. In Raffl, we know what we’re going to get. He’s not going to wow anyone with his point totals (18 in 2018-19) but he can drive play well enough for him to slot anywhere in the bottom-six.
Tyler Pitlick, who the Flyers acquired in exchange for Ryan Hartman, will likely get the last spot as someone who is more defensively-minded and can lay the body which is something the Flyers could miss with Simmonds and Hartman both gone.
Defense
Top Pairing: Provorov – Niskanen
While still without a contract, Provorov will almost certainly be back and the Flyers’ number one defenseman again this season. Unlike last year, Provorov enters this season with question marks after a season where he struggled on both ends of the ice. Offensively, it was to be expected that his numbers would dip after an NHL-leading 17 goals by a defenseman in 2017-18. What was an unpleasant surprise was that his offensive struggles trickled down into defensive lapses? The Flyers need Provorov to have a strong season if they want to have a chance at the playoffs.
Alongside Provorov, Matt Niskanen would make the most sense as a defensive partner. Not only is he a much-needed right-handed shot which the Flyers have seemed to lack over the past few years, but his defensively-orientated game should help a young player like Provorov.
Even though Niskanen didn’t have the best season last year in Washington but played a pivotal role on the Capitals best pairing during their Stanley Cup run in 2018. If Niskanen can just play well enough to take some pressure off of Provorov, this pairing could provide some needed stability to a Flyers team that was 29th in goals allowed last season.
Second Pairing: Sanheim – Braun
Much like the top pairing, a combination of young star defenseman and a veteran will hopefully give the Flyers some balance. Sanheim was arguably the Flyers best defenseman last season, showing flashes of elite play on both ends and eating up almost 20 minutes a game.
In almost exactly the same situation Niskanen is in, Justin Braun is coming off a down season after a career-best 2017-18 season and will look to provide some stability for an evolving star in Travis Sanheim.
Third Pairing: Gostisbehere – Myers
The Flyers third pairing will likely be more of a 2B as it’s hard to see Gostisbehere, who led the Flyers defense in points, get third-pairing minutes after averaging almost 20 last year. Even after his major struggles on defense, the Flyers still need Gostisbehere to provide offensively in both 5v5 and on the powerplay.
With him, Phil Myers should finally get his shot to make the Flyers out of camp. The 22-year-old Myers played in 24 games last season but registered just 2 points. With the Phantoms, he was impressive with 33 points in 53 games and hopefully his time with the Flyers and another offseason will pay dividends for Myers.
Goaltenders
Carter Hart – Brian Elliott
Carter Hart enters what is hopefully his first season of many as the Flyers starter. Flyers fans were introduced to him a bit earlier than expected last season as the team went through an unfathomable amount of goaltenders, but Hart provided hope for a team that has gone without an elite goaltender for over 20 years.
Backing him up will be Brian Elliott after the 34-year-old netminder inked a one-year deal to stay in Philadelphia. In his two years with the Flyers, Elliott has taken a lot of the slack for the team’s defensive woes but really hasn’t been all that bad, posting a .908 save percentage over the past two seasons. In a limited role where he should get around 25-30 games, Elliott can be an above-average backup if he can stay healthy.
Featured Image: Joe Mahoney/Associated Press
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Categorized:Flyers