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.
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.