Three Areas Where The Flyers Should Be Better In 2022-23 Season

The Philadelphia Flyers completed their offseason housekeeping on Monday, bringing their last remaining unrestricted free agent under contract.

Hayden Hodgson, a 26-year-old winger who played his first six NHL games with the big club last season, inked a two-year deal. It carries a cap hit of $800,000 per season, per CapFriendly. It’s a two-way deal in the first year, with a salary of $175,000 at the AHL level. It becomes a one-way contract in Year 2.

Hodgson will need to clear waivers to be assigned to the AHL, but is expected to start the year with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He earned his first-ever NHL deal last season after a strong showing in Allentown. In just 46 games played, he finished second on the Phantoms with 19 goals and fourth with 31 points.

Barring any unexpected blockbusters, the Flyers’ roster is now basically set for the new season. The ‘aggressive retool’ promised by general manager Chuck Fletcher and Comcast Spectacor chairman Dave Scott last January has turned out to look more like coloring around the edges. And while the Flyers have a big climb ahead of them if they hope to contend for a playoff spot this season, here are three areas where the club should be improved.

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Better Health

It can’t get any worse. Can it?

The Flyers are due for a break when it comes to team injuries. Only one player appeared in all 82 regular-season games last year — James van Riemsdyk. According to Man-Games Lost, the Flyers were the third most injured team in the NHL last season, with 585 games lost. That’s fewer than only the Montreal Canadiens and the Arizona Coyotes.

NHL injury visualization. Man games lost to injuries and health protocols versus team wins. Bubble size represents cumulative quality of players lost for games (Lost-ps metric) https://t.co/lRequqYI1r pic.twitter.com/WC1SLpm6dR

— Man-Games Lost NHL (@ManGamesLostNHL) May 2, 2022

First, let’s get the bad news out of the way. Last week, new coach John Tortorella told Adam Kimelman of NHL.com that he doesn’t expect defenseman Ryan Ellis to be ready to start the season. “If you’re asking me right now, I doubt it,” he said.

“I’ve had several conversations with Ryan Ellis as far as how he’s doing,” Tortorella continued. “That’s been an up and down process for him. He’s doing everything he possibly can to get ready for camp, [but] I’m doubtful that’s going to happen.”

Given how Ellis’s issues stretched through all of last season, this update is disappointing, but probably not unexpected.

Now, the good news. Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now staked out an informal pre-season skate in Voorhees on Tuesday.

Good sign: Lots of #Flyers are in Voorhees early … about three weeks before training camp officially starts. pic.twitter.com/KW5t5JuTNn

— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) August 30, 2022

Among the participants, per Carchidi: winger Joel Farabee — barely two months after he underwent disc replacement surgery in his cervical region on June 24. Farabee’s original recovery timeline was set at three to four months. It will be a big boost for the Flyers if he’s ready to skate in their top six when the new season begins.

Of course, Sean Couturier should also give the forward group a boost when training camp opens. He missed the last four-and-a-half months of last season and underwent back surgery in mid-February, but is expected to be 100 per cent this fall.

Put The Power Back In Power Play

Ellis was expected to quarterback the man advantage last season. And while his minutes were extremely limited, he was pretty effective when he did so, with two power-play points in his four games played.

This year, that task will fall to new arrival Tony DeAngelo. With the Carolina Hurricanes last season, he averaged a team-high 3:03 per game with the man advantage and collected 20 points on a power play that clicked with 22 percent efficiency. And that’s not an anomaly. Nineteen of DeAngelo’s 53 points came with the man advantage during his breakout season with the New York Rangers in 2019-20.

Last season, the Flyers finished dead last in the NHL, with a power-play efficiency of just 12.6. per cent. DeAngelo’s skillset should help bring that number up. So should the addition of new assistant coach Rocky Thompson. The power play is his specialty.

The Torts Factor

John Tortorella has been a divisive figure during his time as an NHL coach. But there’s no denying his passion for bringing out the best in his players, and his spark is burning bright after a year away from the bench.

Knowing that this is likely his last kick at the can, the 64-year-old is invested in making a difference in Philadelphia. And he’s looking to build a tenacious team that will endear itself to what’s currently a disenchanted fanbase.

“We make our own bed,” Tortorella told Kimelman. “When you’re a 61-point team (25-46-11 last season) in the National Hockey League, you’ve got to understand you’ve got to eat some of this stuff here.

“But in my mind, as I hear it, and I hear it again and I hear it again, and I’ll hear it many more times when the season starts, I know what it does for me as far as the fuel for me. More importantly, it’s the players. … If you keep on hearing that, and you’re putting that [jersey] on and they’re talking about you and your organization, if that doesn’t give you a little bit of extra [fuel], then you’re not going to be on the bus. Because it’ll eventually show in camp.”

Tortorella says one way he drives himself is by looking for things to hate. “You can always be good,” he said. “If you want to be great, you need to find those extra motivations, and we’ve got one staring right in our face. Everybody thinks we [stink].”