If it just came down to coaching, the Flyers probably would be on a lot of prediction charts to make a return to the Stanley Cup playoffs this upcoming season.
After all, new head coach John Tortorella has been to the postseason 12 times in 20 seasons and three of those misses were “build-up’’ years to his 2003-04 championship with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
But the problem with the Flyers’ chances for 2022-23 stems from a lot of uncertainty and lack of depth at key positions.
You could start with center Sean Couturier, arguably the team’s best all-around player, who is shelved indefinitely with recurring issues from his February back surgery.
Not having potential No. 1 defenseman Ryan Ellis out for possibly another season due to an injury to his pelvic area won’t help either.
The loss of Patrick Brown (also back surgery) makes the Philadelphia middle even thinner, with the possibility of Kevin Hayes and Morgan Frost starting the season as the numbers 1 and 2 pivotmen.
Even the goaltending picture looks a little shady, with Carter Hart missing the entire preseason due to injury and no clear-cut candidate for the No. 2 spot.
The Flyers finished 15th in the Eastern Conference last season and a lot of folks are picking them to finish in that same spot – or worse – this year.
But with Tortorella on a mission to prove he can still get the most out of a team’s players by putting them in top condition, installing a system with tight structure and holding everyone accountable, the Flyers might be able to get as high as the 11th or 12th spot in the Eastern Conference.
Here’s how we see the season shaping up:
>EASTERN CONFERENCE
*Contenders:* 1. Carolina Hurricanes, 2. Tampa Bay Lightning, 3. New York Rangers, 4. Toronto Maple Leafs, 5. Florida Panthers, 6. Pittsburgh Penguins, 7. New York Islanders, 8. Boston Bruins.
Carolina still looks like a team on the way up, with Rod Brind’Amour pulling the right strings behind the bench. . .Tampa Bay showed its mettle with a gritty performance against Colorado in the Stanley Cup Final and most of the key pieces are back. . .Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin will keep the Rangers in contention for a second straight season. . .The Maple Leafs haven’t won a Stanley Cup in 55 years but who’s counting?. . .Florida Panthers were a big disappointment in the playoffs last season but sometimes teams learn from that kind of thing and come back stronger the next year. . .Penguins GM Ron Hextall did a good job bringing back Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, keeping Pittsburgh in contention. . .The Islanders could get a jolt from a new coach, Lane Lambert, and this year not having to play their first 13 games on the road waiting for a new building to be completed, as was the case last year. . .Boston will be without top winger Brad Marchand (hip surgery) for a while but the Bruins always seem to find a way.
*Pretenders:* 9. Columbus Blue Jackets, 10. Washington Capitals, 11. Ottawa Senators, 12. Detroit Red Wings, 13. Philadelphia Flyers, 14. New Jersey Devils, 15. Buffalo Sabres, 16. Montreal Canadiens,
>WESTERN CONFERENCE
*Contenders:* 1. Colorado Avalanche, 2. Edmonton Oilers, 3. Los Angeles Kings, 4. St. Louis Blues, 5. Minnesota Wild, 6. Calgary Flames, 7. Nashville Predators, 8. Vegas Golden Knights.
Even though the Avalanche lost starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper and slick forward Nazem Kadri to free agency, the Rocky Mountain crew is still loaded. . .This might be the year Connor McDavid & Co. finally get it together (at least that’s what the oddsmakers say). . .The Kings came on strong last year and could surprise a few people out west. . .Coach Craig Berube always will have the Blues in a position of strong contention. He just needs total commitment from his veterans. . .The Wild play a tough brand of hockey and will be a hard out in the playoffs. . .Calgary lost Johnny Gaudreau to free agency but picked up Jonathan Huberdeau from Florida so the Flames should still have a strong attack. . .The Preds have top talent in Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi and Matt Duchene – goaltending is the question mark. . .Vegas missed the playoffs for the first time last year but a healthy Jack Eichel could get the Knights back in the mix.
*Pretenders:** 9. Dallas Stars, 10. Vancouver Canucks, 11. San Jose Sharks, 12. Winnipeg Jets, 13. Chicago Blackhawks, 14. Anaheim Ducks, 15. Arizona Coyotes, 16. Seattle Kraken.
