Flyers fans could be extremely disappointed this summer
PUBLICATION
Wilson SalaunApril 18, 2022 (2:54 PM)
So here we are. With six games left in this horrible season, the Flyers are going to shift slowly but surely to the draft and free agency, which will both be held during the month of July.
Flyers' GM Chuck Fletcher already unveiled his plan: he wants to pull an "aggressive retool" in order to be competitive and make the playoffs next season. But with the way his team is playing, this type of retool is certainly not going to be enough.
Charlie O'Connor, from The Athletic, listed every single thing that must go right this summer in order for the team to be back on track next season. And if it's not impossible to pull out, Fletcher is going to have to be very lucky for his plan to be successful.
"1. Couturier, Ellis and Kevin Hayes all return in 2022-23 fully healthy and back to peak selves.
2. Fletcher adds not one, but two high-end players this offseason � one to replace Giroux, and one more to be even better than they were with Giroux.
3. At least two of the under-25 players on the roster take big developmental steps forward in 2022-23 and establish themselves as clear core pieces at least close to the level of the two new adds.
4. Fletcher hires a coaching staff on par with the best in the NHL that can turn the Flyers back into a play-driving club at five-on-five with above average special teams.
5. Out of the new mix of players emerges a leadership core that takes charge of the room and institutes a culture of accountability.
6. All this is done while staying cap compliant and not dramatically weakening one area of the roster to improve another, a difficult task given that they still have 3-4 roster spots to fill for 2022-23 with just around $6.4 million in projected cap space to do it," wrote O'Connor.
2. Fletcher adds not one, but two high-end players this offseason � one to replace Giroux, and one more to be even better than they were with Giroux.
3. At least two of the under-25 players on the roster take big developmental steps forward in 2022-23 and establish themselves as clear core pieces at least close to the level of the two new adds.
4. Fletcher hires a coaching staff on par with the best in the NHL that can turn the Flyers back into a play-driving club at five-on-five with above average special teams.
5. Out of the new mix of players emerges a leadership core that takes charge of the room and institutes a culture of accountability.
6. All this is done while staying cap compliant and not dramatically weakening one area of the roster to improve another, a difficult task given that they still have 3-4 roster spots to fill for 2022-23 with just around $6.4 million in projected cap space to do it," wrote O'Connor.
Even with a healthy squad, the Flyers probably wouldn't have made the playoffs this season. There's just too much to fix in this roster to pull this plan off successfully in one summer.
Latest 10 stories
