Philadelphia Flyers preview: James van Riemsdyk revamps lethal offense
The Philadelphia Flyers already had a great offense. However, the addition of James van Riemsdyk this summer makes their offense downright lethal and should turn them into Stanley Cup contenders.
Last season was a roller coaster ride for the Philadelphia Flyers. At one point, they lost 10 consecutive games. But the Flyers still wound up making the postseason on the final day of the season, though they got eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The addition of James van Riemsdyk should make them even better.
Philly has always been a top-heavy team. So perhaps it’s appropriate that their first forward line led them last season. Claude Giroux was in the Hart Trophy race, posting over 100 points for the first time in his career. Sean Couturier was a Selke Trophy finalist and even scored a hat trick in the playoffs with a torn MCL.
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The addition of JVR fills out their top six, giving them one of the most efficient units on paper in the NHL. Especially if Nolan Patrick is close to the second half Patrick fans saw last season. Their defense isn’t too shabby either with Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov leading the way.
Offseason Recap
Additions: F James van Riemsdyk, D Christian Folin
It was a sort of quiet offseason for the Flyers other than the first day of free agency. It’s kind of awesome seeing van Riemsdyk return to Philadelphia, who never should have traded him in the first place. JVR comes back far more mature and is a better player than he was when he was traded for Luke Schenn.
Folin is a sort of quiet addition but should serve as a quality depth defenseman for the Flyers. I’m a bit baffled why they didn’t pursue a third-line center given their unimpressive internal options, but the Flyers certainly have options there.
Projected Lineup
Here’s how the Philadelphia Flyers should look this season.
Forwards
Claude Giroux – Sean Couturier – Travis Konecny
James van Riemsdyk – Nolan Patrick – Jakub Voracek
Oskar Lindblom – Scott Laughton – Wayne Simmonds
Michael Raffl – Mikhail Vorobyev – Jordan Weal
Extra forward: Jori Lehtera
Their top line is one of the best in the NHL. In about 400 minutes at five-on-five together, they were flat out dominant. Konecny adds his unique element of offense to an already great duo. He could be on the verge of a breakout season.
Speaking of breakout seasons, Patrick is on pace for one after an impressive second half. After posting just nine points in 40 games before the All-Star break, he put up 21 points after it. Voracek is one of the best producers in the league and JVR gives the line a lethal goal scorer.
Their third line is a bit of a question mark, mostly because no one knows who the center will be. Laughton will likely get first dibs on the job, though rookie Mikhail Vorobyev, who has made it very hard for the Flyers to send him down, might grab it eventually.
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Defensemen
Ivan Provorov – Shayne Gostisbehere
Andrew MacDonald – Robert Hagg
Extra defenseman: Christian Folin
The Flyers have a great top pairing and a not so great other two pairings. Though I’m curious how Sanheim would do with Gudas, as the two seem to cover for the other’s weaknesses.
Goalies
Carter Hart
Neuvirth is injured, which could make things really interesting if he’s not ready for the regular season. Will the Flyers have Hart, their top goaltending prospect, up in the NHL to start the season if that happens?
Strengths
Top Pairing
Few teams can say their top pairing consists of two top-notch talents like Provorov and Gostisbehere. I’m curious how long they stick with his duo and they’ll even be able to do so given the state of the rest of their defense.
That said, the Flyers should do everything in their power to make sure they can ice Provorov and Gostisbehere together. In 700 minutes together at five-on-five, they were arguably one of the top 10 pairings in the NHL.
Forward Depth
The Flyers center depth is a little sketchy, but don’t overlook their forward group. It’s stacked. Obviously, their top six is going to be pretty dangerous. Patrick’s second half was an encouraging sign. And now he’ll get to play with two of the better offensive wings in the NHL.
Having Simmonds on the third line could give them a poor man’s Penguins three lines of death. Of course, their third line center situation has to be solved. But the Flyers have time and they have the assets to make a move if necessary.
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Power Play
The Flyers had an above average power play last season, converting on 20.69 percent of their chances (15th in the NHL). JVR should help transform into a great one. He scored 11 goals last season on the power play for the Maple Leafs. JVR will either help stabilize the second unit or allow Simmonds to go to the second unit. Either scenario is good for the Flyers.
Best Darn Mascot Ever
Listen, I wasn’t a fan of Gritty, the Flyers new mascot, at first. He looks like a homeless version Looney Tunes monster. Or a crazy version of Youppi. But then Gritty started trolling other teams. How can you not love it?
Sleep with one eye open tonight, bird. pic.twitter.com/wLmGBa0Oyh
— Gritty (@GrittyNHL) September 24, 2018
I’m not sure what Gritty is supposed to be. But whatever Gritty is, I’m a fan of it.
Weaknesses
Goaltending
Stop me if you’ve heard this one – the Philadelphia Flyers goaltending will likely keep the team from realizing their true potential. Elliott and Neuvirth were an extremely ineffective duo last season, as those two (as well as Alex Lyon and Petr Mrazek) posted the ninth-worst team save percentage in the NHL.
Unlike the Penguins, who had the seventh-worst goaltending, they ought to rebound. After all, Matt Murray has a history of being a very good goalie. Elliott and Neuvirth, meanwhile, don’t. And as great as Hart has been in juniors, it’s simply outrageous to suggest he’s ready for NHL duty at the age of 20.
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Penalty Kill
You know what else is a Flyers tradition, other than really bad goaltending (aside from Ron Hextall and Bernie Parent)? A terrible penalty kill. Last season was no different, as the Flyers only killed 75.78 percent of their penalties, the third-worst rate in the NHL.
Now, luckily, Philly commited the third-fewest penalties in the NHL last season, so that’s one way to offset an obvious weakness. But still, the Flyers have a pretty clear Achilles’ heel and it’s not hard to see their penalty kill once again costing them in key situations.
Season Prediction
Last season, the Philadelphia Flyers were an extremely good, but flawed team. That remains the case for the 2018-19 season. Except this time around, the Flyers are going to be an even better team. James van Riemsdyk should score at least 25 goals, possibly 30, and give their second line that dynamic threat on the left side that it lacked last season.
That said, the Flyers have some pretty clear weaknesses. Unless Hart can wow us all, their goaltending is going to remain an issue. While Elliott has twice led the league in save percentage, he appears to be far away from those days. Neuvirth’s injury is going to make things interesting, especially if Elliott struggles early. How quickly would the Flyers turn to Hart, who is still very much a greenhorn?
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Their power play struggled at times last season, but they finished the season strong and, again, the addition of JVR should help there. The Flyers still need to figure out their third line, but that’s something they should be able to do. And it’s not the worst question mark to have. It’s certainly better than having questions about your top two forward lines, both of which have the potential to be great.
I think the Flyers are a year away from seriously contending. But Philly has surprised us before, and likely will again.