When a team hasn’t made the Stanley Cup playoffs in a franchise record-tying five straight seasons, every moment is precious this time of year.
In the Flyers’ case, there’s the late June NHL Draft to consider, along with free agency (starting July 1) and perhaps a blockbuster trade to contemplate.
But even with that hectic schedule going on, Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones was kind enough to give a bit of his time to address questions that some might believe deserve answers.
Such as, what trends have the Flyers observed in these current postseason games and will they affect how the team moves forward with its personnel moves and so forth?
Jones has watched the defending champion Florida Panthers go about their business in becoming only the second NHL team since 1985 to reach the Cup Final three straight seasons.
It’s no mystery how quickly they dispatched Carolina in the Eastern Conference finals. For one thing, the Hurricanes’ just couldn’t break through Florida’s massive backline defense. Time after time, coach Paul Maurice’s crew simply pushed opposing forwards to the perimeter.
That made life slightly easier for goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who started his career with the Flyers and whose quick departure from Philadelphia has been the cause of much lament by local fans for many years.
In its current form, the Flyers’ defense isn’t going to scare too many teams with its size and structure. Jones will be the first to tell you that after observing this postseason action.
“The physicality hasn’t changed,” Jones pointed out. “And that’s something we’re continually reminding ourselves. The big defense corps of these teams have been instrumental with their strong, physical play. Very competitive.
“It’s evident when you watch teams like Florida. Vegas, a few years back. Plus Colorado when the Avalanche won. Tampa before that. It’s a big deal to continue to build teams that way.”
While the Flyers will try to avoid setting an organization record for futility in the 2025-26 season, Jones does his best to advise the team’s fans to remain patient.
“It’s getting closer,” Jones vowed. “I think we’ve done a lot of different things over the last couple years to try to put us in a position to move forward.
“I feel pretty good about where we’re sitting right now. I look forward to continuing to add to what we already have. When the additions happen – I’m not sure of that timeline – we’re in position to be able to do it now.”
Having Rick Tocchet on board as the new Flyers coach should help with the internal communication. In their playing days, Tocchet spent some time with both Jones and with current general manager Daniel Briere.
Coming off a last-place finish in the Metropolitan Division (and fourth-worst record overall), the Flyers needed a bit of a change in coaching philosophy.
Come to think of it, a number of ex-Flyers players/coaches have been bringing what hockey knowledge they picked up in Philadelphia to teams around the NHL.
There’s Stanley Cup finalist Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch, who was an assistant coach in the Dave Hakstol regime. Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour spent a decade as a heart-and-soul player in Philadelphia. St. Louis mentor Jim Montgomery is best remembered for naming the Flyers’ Legion of Doom Line. And former Flyer player and coach Craig Berube has won a Stanley Cup with the Blues.
People wonder if Tocchet can bring some of that magic back to Philadelphia. He’s won one Stanley Cup as a player and two more as an assistant coach with Pittsburgh.
Was there something about coming up through the Flyers system which has helped make them all so successful?
“I guess one of the major things is they care,” Jones said. “They want to be great coaches so they work extremely hard, much like they did when they were Flyers. That’s a great quality to have.
“I think it’s something we should all be proud of.”
