The 2026 Winter Olympics will make life a little tougher for the Flyers and their schedule this upcoming season but, hey, everyone’s in the same iceboat.
Brian Boucher, former Flyers goaltender now working as a TV analyst for both NBC Philadelphia channel locally and TNT network nationally, pointed this out in a recent telephone interview.
If anything, even though the Flyers have to play four-games-in-six-nights an incredible 24 times, at least they play many of their games in the Eastern time zone and don’t have to contend with thousands upon thousands of air miles like some of the western teams do.
And Boucher knows all about that. When he isn’t traveling with the Flyers, he’s busy shuttling back and forth between coasts for national broadcasts.
To coin an overused term, it is what it is.
With the Olympic Games in Italy shutting down the league for 20 days (Feb. 5 to 25), it will take some adjusting across the board.
“It’s a challenge, no doubt,” Boucher said. “Depth is going to be important. As will be goaltending depth. I think that’s critical. With the schedule being condensed, it can be tough.”
There shouldn’t be too much whining because everyone knew this compressed schedule arrangement was coming for some time and all players, whether they’re in the Olympics or not, have had sufficient time to get mentally prepared.
“Players know it’s coming,” Boucher agreed. “The ones who aren’t going to the Olympics know they will have a break come February. There’s no doubt you have to be ready for it.”
This is the first time the NHL has participated in the Olympics since 2014 at Sochi, Russia, so a lot of players haven’t experienced this sort of schedule. But it looks like the NHL will be doing this quite a bit in the future, with the inception of the 4 Nations Faceoff tournament added to the non-Olympic years.
As for the travel schedule, teams like the Flyers, Rangers and Devils have a distinct advantage over a team like the Colorado Avalanche where nearly every trip is like a thousand miles or more.
“Travel on the East Coast is far easier, no doubt,” Boucher agreed. “A lot of times you’re in your own bed (after a road game) by 1 a.m. Quick flights, not changing time zones really helps.
“Even teams like Chicago and Dallas, even when they’re traveling west or east, they’re changing time zones. For the Flyers, there’s no doubt the travel is an advantage.”
Being a former netminder, Boucher has been following the Flyers’ current situation in goal with a bit of extra interest. The Flyers will be playing three games in four nights a rather demanding 19 times. So the acquisition of free agent Daniel Vladar to back up Samuel Ersson was pretty much a no-brainer.
Boucher has only seen Vladar play a handful of times when he was with Calgary. At 27, Vladar kind of wants to play more than his biggest year of 30 games with the Flames.
“I know last year he got some tough starts,” Boucher said. “A lot of the back end of the back-to-backs. There were challenging spots to get thrown into as the No. 2, which doesn’t always lead to success. If given the opportunity to be in situations where you’re set up for a little bit more success, who knows?
“But I like his size (6-foot-5, 210 pounds), he seems to move well. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can go.”
Boucher goes believe Vladar thinks he has a chance to challenge for the No. 1 job.
“Well, for him to sign here and wanted to sign here, he must have looked at the situation and thought, ‘I can compete here.” To me there’s no question he’s looking at it that way,” Boucher said. “Sam, I think, is a good goaltender and he shows qualities of being a No. 1.
“But I think the one thing about Sam that has kind of hurt him a little bit is that when the games come fast and furious, he does seem to have a dip in play because of that. He shows qualities of being a No. 1 but is he there quite yet? No. Is this a tough year to prove you’re a No. 1? Because of the condensed schedule, I think this is an important year for Sam.”
Boucher was a teammate of Flyers new coach Rick Tocchet in that special 1999-2000 season and was excited when he got the news ‘Toc’ was headed back to Philly.
“He’s a quality person,” Boucher said. “A quality team guy. This guy has worn so many different hats. From being a star player, competing in international tournaments to an assistant coach with Pittsburgh’s championship teams.
“So he’s done it all. If there’s someone who knows how a player is feeling in a particular situation, it would be Tocchet. He stands out in the top five of all the teammates I’ve ever had in my career. Just because of the type of guy he is. He brings people together and I think he’s going to do a great job.”
No doubt the building – and specifically the bench – will be energized by Tocchet’s presence.
The Flyers are looking to get bigger and faster through trades and the draft. Hopefully for the team, it all fits together, sort of the way it’s done for Stanley Cup champion Florida the past two years.
“I think it’s just a real good blueprint,” Boucher said. “In a way, they (the Panthers) are almost a new version of the old ‘Broad Street Bullies.’ They do bully teams around. They can push you out of the building or beat you with skill.
“The true Flyer fans who have been around a long time knows what the Flyer brand brings. I think ‘Toc’ is going to bring that. If you’re a Flyer fan, how can you not be excited about Tocchet coming back and what he brings?”
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