Flyers Hockey Is Back: 5 Things to Look Out for in 2021
The NHL and the NHLPA have agreed to start the new season on January 13th, 2021, with the preseason starting on January 3rd, 2021, and the Playoffs will begin on May 11th, 2021.
The season will consist of 56-games for each club, which have been reassigned into new divisions.
The teams who finish the season among the top four in the standings per division will make the playoffs and have a chance at raising the Stanley Cup. As you can see from the division breakdown, the Flyers will have to bring their “A” game EVERY SINGLE night to finish in the top four of their division, which is clearly the toughest division in all of hockey.
Philadelphia Flyers fans couldn’t be happier with the news that we will indeed have a season. A condensed season and playoffs, with a Champion being crowned no later than July 15th, 2021, means there is no room for error or long winless streaks.
With the Flyers’ play in the 2019-20 season, expectations are really high.
Let’s look back at some of the best things to come out of the Philadelphia Flyers 2019-20 season.
The Play of Carter Hart
If anyone had any reservations about Carter Hart being a number 1 goalie at the tender age of 21, he quickly put those reservations to bed. Hart started 43 of the team’s 68 games, compiling .914SV% and a 2.42GAA. What was even more impressive was that he started 14 playoff games and finished with a .926SV% and a 2.23GAA with 2 shutouts. Without a doubt, he was the Flyers’ best player on the ice during their playoff run.
Because of his strong play last season, oddsmakers have given Hart the fourth-best odds of winning the Vezina Trophy, given annually to the league’s top goaltender.
Check out these amazing Carter Hart saves from last season.
The Kevin Hayes Effect
I’ve written ad nauseam about what an incredible signing Kevin Hayes was for the Flyers. Yes, even at $7.14 million per season, Kevin Hayes has been a total steal for the Flyers. No free agent from last summer’s UFA class has had more of a positive effect on his new team than Kevin Hayes has for the Flyers, and it’s not even close.
In 68 games, Hayes put up a very respectable 23 goals and 41 points, both just shy of his career highs of 25 goals and 49 points. He kills penalties really well and even put up 4 shorthanded goals.
More importantly, as the team’s 2nd line center, he took away some of the “Hard minutes” from Sean Couturier, who benefited so much from that, that it contributed to him winning the Selke Trophy given annually to the league’s top defensive forward.
Hayes also put up 13 points in 16 playoff games. Absolute GREAT signing by GM Chuck Fletcher.
Winning the Round Robin and a Playoff Series
Because they ended the regular season in the top 4 of the Eastern Conference, the Flyers were put into the round-robin to decide playoff positioning and the Bruins, Lightning, and Capitals. To the surprise of many, the Flyers made a clean sweep of the games versus those other teams and landed the East’s top seed. What’s the big deal, you may ask? Well, have you ever heard the saying: “Sometimes you need to take a step back to take many steps forward”?
This was an absolutely invaluable step for a young Flyers team. Remember that guys like Konecny, Sanheim, Myers, Aube-Kubel, Farabee, and even Lindblom, amongst others, were playing their very first career playoff games.
The experience and lessons they learned will do wonders for their development and the team’s success in the future.
The Return of Oskar Lindblom
Oskar Lindblom is the perfect example of what a Philadelphian truly is. On December 10th, 2019, Lindblom was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer), and his season was said to be over and his career in jeopardy. Lindblom went through the treatments and worked really hard every day, and wouldn’t you know it, a mere 9 months after his diagnosis, Lindblom took to the ice and played playoff hockey for the Flyers.
The strength Lindblom has and has shown to overcome such a devastating diagnosis is truly remarkable. His new outlook on life will surely be beneficial to the team and the entire Flyers organization.
The Huge Strides the Youngsters took
The Flyers have benefited immensely from the incredible drafting former GM Ron Hextall and his team made for years. Former first-round pick Travis Konecny led the team in scoring and tying his career-high with 24 goals with 13 games to go. Another first-round pick Travis Sanheim proved he is well on his way to being a top-pairing defenseman.
One half of the “Twin Towers,” along with his defensive partner, undrafted free agent Phillip Myers, formed an incredible duo who were really hard to play against. Former second-round pick Nic Aube-Kubel showed he could be one of the VERY BEST bottom 6 forwards in the league.
Joel Farabee, another former first-round pick, showed signs of why he was drafted so high, all while playing in the NHL at the age of 19. And of course, former fifth-round pick Oskar Lindblom, who was leading the team in points when he was diagnosed with cancer, seems to be a gem every other team will regret passing on.
Not to mention the play of Carter Hart.
Ron Hextall left this team with a great future ahead of them, and the time has come for them to be the dominant team they can be, even more so than they were in 2019-20.
Featured Image: NHL.com
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