Breaking the Habit
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As Flyers hockey approaches us, there are many questions fans are asking. The main one on everyone’s mind is, “are we gonna make playoffs?” It’s been a struggle for the Flyers to gain entry to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, last making it during the 2019-20 shortened season. Last season was the closest the Flyers have gotten since that season, but came up short at the end. How can they break into the big dance? We’re gonna break it down for you right here.
First things first: why did they miss last year? To put it simply, they ran out of gas at the end. Facing a stretch of nine winnable and must win games at the end, they won two total. Stars weren’t scoring, defense was collapsing, and goaltending was worn out and inexperienced. All in all, it was a downfall for the ages. While they exceeded expectations for the season, it was still disappointing to see a team fall as hard as that.
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So, what can they do? Off the bat, they’ve added a potential superstar in Matvei Michkov. Utilizing Michkov the proper way is going to make this team skyrocket. Surrounding him with skilled and smart veterans will allow him to reach maximum potential. On top of Michkov, they have four players coming off of 20+ goal seasons. Hopefully, they can feed off of their success and improve.
This is the main point of this plan. They need to properly condition. We all know Torts is notorious for his “Rope Skates” during camp, on top of being a demanding head coach. Last season, he seemed to manage the end poorly. Overworking goaltender Sam Ersson definitely made a negative impact. Being able to have proper load management between Ersson and Ivan Fedotov is going to be key. I believe if he can do that, this team will be a successful squad.
David Kirouac-Imagn Images
To some fans, expectations are going to be high. Between the results of last year and the arrival of Michkov, they have every reason to. I believe they’ll fall short once again though. It’s still a young and inexperienced team. That being said, don’t be surprised if they do crack the playoffs. The “Youth of Flyers Nation” is really going to prove the league wrong in a lot of categories. Don’t be shocked if one of those categories is a playoff birth.
-Moss Schiano/ Olde City Sports Network