Where's the beef? Flyers have zero edge

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

Remember last Spring, when Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet came right out and said it: he hates all the after-whistle pushing and shoving, and would rather his (or any) players square off, just drop the gloves and get over it?

Well, this fall the club has the same amount of young, dynamic players who require protecting. Tocchet hasn’t changed his stance, although his roster has noticeably changed from this year to last.

No more Nic Deslauriers - given a dues-paying veteran’s exit to the Carolina Hurricanes where he won the Stanley Cup. No more Luke Glendening - left unsigned as a free agent and picked up by the Tampa Bay Lightning. No more Garnet Hathaway, either - traded during the summer to the Florida Panthers in a deal where he was the only human body. 

If you bet new acquisition, defenseman Simon Benoit, as the first player to drop the gloves, in Game 4 at Tampa, Atlantic City awaits. If you had him as the only Flyer to engage in a fight over the season’s first 10 games, do not pass go, head directly to Vegas. 

So what’s the plan? Maybe this is one of the Stanley Cup blueprints the organization *shouldn’t* have learned from the Carolina Hurricanes, having four mechanical lines grind down the opposition. Like it or lump it, physicality in its most brutal form is a Flyers trademark. When one of the beats cry "fix the 4th line, pleeeeaze" there's no amount of deck-chair re-arranging that's worth anything unless an element of mayhem is part of the plan.

“It’s gotta come naturally from this team. It’s gotta be part of your DNA,“ head coach Rick Tocchet quizzically said about baked-in toughness on this roster after a 3-2 shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken 8 days ago.

Other than that, not a single question from training camp up through last night’s 3-2 win against Colorado arose from those who closely cover the team. Since I was denied a chance to do so for the season’s first 3 weeks and also denied a pass to the postgame presser last night, I couldn’t ask Tocchet about another element present last year that's clearly missing from this lineup.

According to Hockeyfights.com, the Flyers recorded 25 bouts last season, most since they logged 36 in John Tortorella’s first season as bench boss 4 years ago. Deslauriers and Hathaway both notched 5 fights, while Glendening acted more like a (bleep) disturber and didn’t log any time with the gloves dropped. 

Nick Seeler had a couple scraps, so did Noah Cates. And of course, Garrett Wilson made good on his one chance to prove he could handle himself in The Show. 

As much as there is to criticize Tocchet, this is something he knows well about. It’s been a thing ever since Twitter exploded in 2010, but he is the Flyers’ all-time leader in Gordie Howe hat trick games with 9. 

Depending on what statistician you believe, he was the last NHL player to score 30 goals and record 300 penalty minutes in one season (1987-88). He fought 23 times alone in his 2nd NHL season of 1985-86 and dropped the gloves well over 100 times (regular season and playoffs) for the Orange and Black. Why he's not publicly crying out for more guts, may be an indictment of the man upstairs.

The Flyers really don’t need more guys who can hit and punch and do little else.

Remember, among the franchise greats, Dave Schultz had 3 hat tricks and 20 goals the first Cup year; Dave Brown added seasons of 10 and 12 goals, Donald Brashear an 8-goal, 25-point full season, Dan Carcillo netted 14 goals combined in 2009-10 including a playoff OT marker. Outside of Philly, Chris Simon scored 29 goals and you have to begrudgingly admit Tom Wilson became a complete player riding shotgun with Alex Ovechkin on the Caps’ top line.

Last year, Deslauriers, Hathaway and Glendening contributed all of 3 goals and 96 penalty minutes as the muscle end of the 4th line, so the bar isn’t that high. Among other issues, Briere did not prioritize finding replacements on the market at all. 

Noel Acciari came over from the Penguins. Can fight. Has fought. Never more than 3 times in a season. Acquired primarily for his defensive-zone faceoff acumen. 

Wilson tried to establish himself in the Flyers’ preseason opener at Hershey vs. the Capitals but fought to a draw. It remains to be seen if he possesses any other NHL-worthy skills. Ten days ago in Boston, he got the call again. Even though he drew a regular shift with the Flyers down 3 late in an eventual 5-1 loss, he let that golden opportunity slip away. 

Unless he learns to adapt, Wilson’s another Tyrell Goulbourne – better at damaging press box commodes than punching faces, skating or shooting.

Briere made an early shakeup move to bring in unsigned free agent Michael Bunting less than 24 hours after the loss to Tampa. He’s skated and dived and logged time on the top power-play unit but provided nothing of note. He posted 98 goals the last 5 years (with career bests of 23 in 2021-22 and 22-23 with Toronto) but maxed out at 103 PIMs in ‘23. He only has 2 NHL fights on his ledger.

Nobody did a thing in the second period of a 4-1 loss to Carolina the next night, when ‘Canes forward Jordan Martinook got in two too many punches on a prone Tyson Foerster as they , entangled at center ice. Fans howled for blood and booed the zebras, but there was zero pushback from the Orange and Black.

Pushback actually did happen on Tuesday, with Trevor Zegras getting into what amounted to two slap fights with Seattle goaltender Philipp Grubauer in a 3-2 shootout loss. If only literally any of the roster were as “horny” to shake things up and risk a shift in momentum as they are to make a play once they possess the puck, at least the punters would be distracted enough to miss whatever else has gone wrong.

Nothing but a couple post-whistle scrums happened in a 2-1 loss at Detroit which followed, at the same time the Dallas Stars announced David Perron would return for a 20th NHL season on a 1-year, $850k deal. Even upon breaking the streak on Saturday in a 3-1 home win vs. Ottawa, two wounded clubs couldn't muster the energy to hate quite enough. Then, only some minor scuffling and a dumb retaliation penalty on Monday night in the second period when Avs defenseman Cale Makar decked Acciari with a hard hit near the head.

If a guy with a long-standing connection to the team who's been fighting Stage 4 cancer can't get these guys all fought up, what can?

Last Thursday, Phantoms winger Noah Powell – after scoring the game-winning goal in a 3-1 triumph at

Hartford – made a pretty strong statement to which *someone* in the Flyers front office should pay attention. 

“I feel that it’s the role that I gotta play, embracing it, bringing energy and run with it,” he said when asked by club radio voice Bob Rotruck to talk about his physically-centered role. “It’s definitely not something I’m afraid of, or shying away from. I feel like I’m pretty comfortable.”

Later in the interview, he strongly hinted that he’s taking extra practice to learn how to keep balanced and throw correctly because – wait for it – adding pugilistic skill might just get him to the NHL. 

Powell, unlike Alex Bump, is an overlooked Flyers’ 5th-round draft choice who spent just 2 seasons in D1 hockey, one each with Ohio State and Arizona State. He tallied 43 goals in 61 games 3 years ago at Dubuque in American juniors and fought a little bit.

If he can chip in a goal for every couple fights or majors in Lehigh Valley, why not give him a shot later on?

It's a certainty that, unlike Bump, Powell won't be crushed in the line blender. He's 4th line all the way. What's the tipping point?

Kelly, Gagne to be latest inductees in Flyers Hall of Fame

The Philadelphia Flyers announced on Tuesday that two franchise icons -- one from its classic era and one from modern times -- will be the next enshrinees into the club's Hall of Fame. 

On Feb. 27, prior to the Orange and Black's home game vs. the San Jose Sharks, Bob "Hound" Kelly and Simon Gagne will receive their flowers from the club they called home for the majority of their respective careers as the 29th and 30th members.

Kelly played 10 years in Philadelphia, winning two Cups (1974-75) and appearing in four Stanley Cup Finals (74-75-76-80). Taken in the 3rd round of the 1970 NHL Entry Draft, he spent all but 96 games of his entire NHL career here, posting 362 points and a then-team record 1,285 penalty minutes (since surpassed by both Paul Holmgren and Rick Tocchet). 

Given his nickname due to dogged pursuit of the puck and opposing players, first under Fred Shero and then for two other head coaches, Kelly cemented his legacy by scoring the game-winning goal on the opening shift of the 3rd period in Game 6 of the 1975 Finals at Buffalo, an eventual 2-0 victory. 

However, Kelly's best statistical regular season occurred in 1976-77, when he struck for 22 goals and 24 assists in 73 games, while he turned in his finest postseason performance the following year, when he contributed 8 points in 12 contests for a surprise entrant in the semifinals.

Although Kelly finished his NHL career with the Washington Capitals (1980-82), he returned to the Delaware Valley and never left -- carving out a career with the Flyers behind the scenes -- retiring last year as the longest-serving team ambassador among all alumni. 

Along with Joe "Thundermouth" Watson, if you attended a Flyers Wives Fight for Lives Carnival in the 80s, 90s and into the 2000s and wanted one of the mystery boxes piled 25 feet high at center ice, chances are "Hound" passed it along to you, your parents or siblings. 

"It's an honor to be in everybody's wake," Kelly said about his upcoming honor during a conference call with Gagne on Oct. 15. "It's been a great time for me, I had an absolute great time with great people. The Flyers have never been disappointed when they go out and recruit people. I think the commitment to the team is huge."

Kelly further credited Ed Snider first as a member of the organization who was most responsible for his career.

Gagne was a first-round selection (No. 22) by Bob Clarke during the 1999 NHL draft out of his native Quebec, and made an immediate impact, scoring 20 goals his rookie season then adding 10 points (5G, 5A) to the Flyers' run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. 

Though slowed by serious injuries which cut into his 2002-03 (groin/hamstring) and 2007-08 (concussion) seasons, Gagne was a 2-time 40-goal scorer (2005-07) and hit the 30-goal mark twice more (2001-02; 2008-09) finishing his Flyers tenure with 264 goals an 271 assists across 691 regular-season games. 

Gagne also contributed 32 goals and 47 points over 90 playoff appearances in Philadelphia, none bigger than his power-play goal in the late stages of the 3rd period of Game 7 of the Eastern semis in Boston, which rallied the Flyers from a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 lead, which they kept to win the game and the series in a stunning reverse sweep. 

"It was 3-0 Boston in the first 10 minutes, so to come back and be able to score that game winner on the power play," Gagne admitted. "I remember seeing the crowd back in Philly that was watching the game ... if I have to pick one it would be this one, but I have so many good memories."

During his comments, Gagne also cited his score in overtime of Game 6 against the Lightning in the Eastern finals of 2004 as another memorable moment. 

Arguably just as important in the Bruins series, Gagne kept the Flyers alive with the club down 3 games to none with an overtime score in Game 4 on home ice: 

After contributing 9 goals and 12 points to that memorable, but losing effort which ended in Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks, salary-cap issues caused Gagne to be the odd man out. He was shipped to Tampa Bay for a draft choice, then was sent to the Kings where he won a Cup with former Flyers teammates Jeff Carter and Mike Richards. 

Gagne was brought back to Philly during the lockout-shortened 2013 season, chipping in 5 goals and 6 assists over 27 appearances. He will be the first Flyers player whose career spanned the 2000s to be welcomed as a franchise great. 

As a 19-year-old Francophone, Gagne credited Dan McGillis, Marc Bureau, Eric Desjardins, Eric Lindros, John LeClair and a host of other veterans who showed him the ropes as an NHL rookie.

Other then their impending honor, Gagne additionally mentioned during the conference call that both he and Kelly co-coached a Flyers Pee Wee team for 2 consecutive years at the annual tournament in Quebec City.

Mark Recchi was the last former player to be selected for the Flyers HOF, back in January of 2024.

We might just have to live through this

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

We’re only seven games into this regular season and already the stupids have all come out to play. If I’m being honest, I’m only shocked that normality didn’t last until the home matinee 11 days from now against the Anaheim Ducks. 

It was bad enough with the Flyers starting 0-2-2, outplayed for a majority of those 240-plus minutes and outshot by a margin of minus-82. But there were signs of life. In Ottawa on Thursday, despite a 2-1 setback, the Flyers scored a power play goal. They also controlled the first 8 minutes of action, then a majority of the second period and swarmed the Sens end in the final 95 seconds of regulation.

In Boston on Saturday afternoon, with three regulars missing, how could it be anything other than the same old thing? They lost, 5-1. Then, with the same 3 guys missing, they lost at home on Sunday to Carolina, 4-1. 

At least we could wipe Christian Dvorak’s name from the no-goal ledger. Of course, that only left regulars Travis Konecny, Trevor Zegras, Sean Couturer, Denver Barkey, Noah Cates, Noel Acciari, Nick Seeler, Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, Rasmus Risolainen, Simon Benoit and Carl Grundstrom with goose eggs.

Baby steps to the blue line, baby steps to the goal, as Bob Wylie might say. 

Typical for an old-school head coach, Tocchet laid the responsibility on his charges. 

“It wasn’t great, don’t get me wrong. But it was zero-zero halfway through the game. I think we were hanging in there,” he admitted in Sunday’s postgame. “Then we don’t make a 10-foot pass. We don’t win a wall battle. And then they get the goal and we get dejected. We just didn’t have enough guys pullin’”

After a 3-2 shootout setback to Seattle (where Zegras scored his first of the year), they're losers in a franchise-record 8 straight to start the season. Three points. Just us and Los Angeles without wins. Execution lacking. Confidence tanked. Compete level wavering. By my count online since 10 pm Sunday, there’s been 57 “Fire Tocchet” posts and 34 “Fire Briere” posts. 

Flyers GM Danny Briere was in Boston. In the pregame, he lambasted the club’s lack of compete in the early going. That’s a sign. His presence this early is telling – as was the front office’s visit to Allentown on Sunday afternoon ahead of the Carolina night cap. It’s a first strike,  assessing water-testing call-ups from the Phantoms.

More importantly (and let’s not ask why), Briere has yet to even offer the slightest hint Tocchet is resting his rump on anything above room temperature – a stance backed up on Monday morning by international hockey insider Elliotte Friedman.

The Flyers have, in fact, upped their competitiveness from 0 to 10 all the way up to roughly 30 minutes a night, but have exactly zero points to show for it. Bizarre that their worse-than-professional efforts actually produced the only two points on their ledger.

Oh simple things, where have you gone? Tocchet didn’t have any insight into Keane’s 2004 musical question or one from a media member on Sunday, either.

“I don’t know if it’s a lack of focus, you’re nervous or pressured, I can’t give you that answer,” he said. “At the end of (last) year, you make a mistake, someone would cover for you. Now, they’re making duplicate mistakes. It’s evident for me. It’s a tough thing to correct, other than working every day.”

I’m not here to tell you what you want to hear. Might just have to live through whatever’s coming. Want Tocchet fired? Briere, too? Tough nuggets. It’s gonna burn and sting. There’s nothing you can do about it. Keep screaming on the internet, though. 

The necessary historical context

Twice before the franchise opened up a season without winning for 6 games. 

The first one was a shock: 1999-2000. Eric Lindros’ last season in Philadelphia. Even before all the internal drama hit, they started off 0-4-1-1. No Keith Jones for 6 weeks and no Brind’Amour for 2 months didn’t help. 

They were shut out in back-to-back home games to start the season for the only time in 60 years. Scored 1 goal in the first 3 games. Eventually the ship stopped listing, as the team reeled off 4 straight wins and went 8-1-1 in their next 10 outings. 

The other time was 2008-09. No going back for John Stevens and a small cadre of former Phantoms who won the Calder Cup in 2005 and were elevated to team leaders after a surprise trip to the conference finals. They opened up 0-3-3 including back-to-back wild losses to San Jose beyond regulation. 

That team might have been cursed when Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin dropped the puck before a season-opening home loss to the Rangers. After their initial troubles, they won 4 in a row and hit Thanksgiving on an 11-3-1 run – but hit a trough in between which required some front office action.

You think the chronically online are all over Tocchet like flies to rotting meat now? They would have had a feeding frenzy with Stevens, who unironically called his new forecheck method heading into ‘08 “Dump and Hunt” rather than a dump-and-chase which the Penguins picked clean the previous spring.

By the way, both teams rebounded to make the playoffs. 

So did the 2013-14 squad which tuned out Peter Laviolette, forced the front office to slide Craig Berube behind the bench after an 0-3 start and still couldn’t score for the season’s first 6 weeks. That club set the original dubious record of 8 total goals in the season’s opening 6 games. This year’s team beat that by one. That team also got in gear with a month-long 9-3-1 run after opening at 4-10-1. 

So maybe it’s short-tempered reactionaries treating a 6-month grind in hockey like a 17-week sprint in football and crashing out in a public forum, rather than a horrible start caused by complacency of mid-level talent compounded by chronic front-office systemic rot.

You think Tocchet's really fazed? Other than the pride of not screwing up the team which gave him a career, this is a guy who went through an 0-10-1 stretch with the Coyotes to start the 2017-18 season, dusted himself off and won 39 games the following year.

And if you want to blow out a GM -- it better be on the level of Bob Clarke totally checked out for a year-plus before any Bloody Sundays happen.

Still, there’s a nagging thought already that this season may be a teensy bit different. 

Why we can trust reverse 20/20 vision

The slender thread which held together the Flyers’ success in April and May seems more like an aberration.

After going up 3 games to none on the Penguins in the Eastern quarterfinals, they’ve lost 13 of their last 14 games. The one they *did* win was a fluke long-range overtime prayer which kept them from the record books.

If the Flyers didn’t take Game 6 at home and remove that anvil they placed on their own shoulders by not winning Games 4 and 5, the Pens had 100% of the momentum and tell me they wouldn’t have won Game 7 in Pittsburgh. So, right now, we’d be extra miserable ruminating over the unwashable stain of a reverse sweep as an appetizer to a pair of franchise records for season-opening malaise. 

I was there on Black Friday of 1991 when an angry sellout crowd roared “PAUL MUST GO” with the Flyers losing to the Penguins 9-3 in Game 23 of Paul Holmgren’s 4th season as head coach.  I was there in 2015 when, game after game after the All-Star break, chants of “FIRE CHIEF” rained down loud enough to be heard up in the press box, at home through your TVs and certainly could be read via Steve Mason’s intense 500-yard stare in the locker room.

Firings don’t work the way the screaming mimis want them to. Holmgren was on the leash for 5 ½ more days and 2 more games because the front office couldn’t track down Bill Dineen. Berube wasn’t shown the door until the 14-15 season was over. 

This is new territory. “FIRE TOCCHET” in the waning moments of Game 7 of a regular season, 89 games into his coaching tenure and 89 games into a 5-year contract. In this moment, the paying customers are loud – but wrong. Briere hasn’t yet said a peep about Tocchet. In Sunday’s postgame, Zegras even gave Tocchet a public vote of confidence. 

“He’s an amazing person. He’s an amazing coach,” Zegras said, catching onto a bit more of the media training which struck Porter Martone and Travis Sanheim when asked what the team needs to do to start looking like professionals. 

Martone even used the Lavy-ism “jam” in his comments on Saturday then talked about “dog mentality” on Sunday. There goes the next chief of police. 

Think you can’t fire the players? Wrong. You can’t do it now. Not 13 days into a season. But 3-to-4 weeks? Yeah. 

By Halloween, there are a certain number of NHL GMs whose cell phone bills are going to spike. And Briere’s better be one of them – provided there’s any trade value left in a roster that’s heading for a crash faster than Wile E. Coyote after deploying a defective Acme product.

The earliest significant body-for-body in-season trade in team history which led to immediate improvement was Paul Holmgren shipping grinders Steve Downie and Steve Eminger to Tampa Bay for young, offensive-oriented blueliner Matt Carle on Nov. 7, 2008 – exactly 28 days after Palin-gate. That’s your bar for Briere. 

The only way out is through

Captain Couturier said (to the floor) there’s “no quit” on his club and that a turnaround is a matter of simplifying the game. 

“We’re playing slow, we’re not making the right reads, we’re not winning races,” he said Sunday night. “We’re out of sync. There’s not really any excuses right now.”

Well, if the head coach publicly calls out the team’s inability to make 10-foot passes or win board battles – how “simple” is a recalibration going to be? What’s kindergarten-level practice sets for million-dollar pros? A visit with Hockey Central and a bunch of 10-year-olds?

If Tocchet’s message isn’t getting through, in one-and-one-tenth seasons as coach, the responsibility to compete and execute is squarely on the players. Gun to my head, responsibility shifts onto his shoulders at the end of this season. There’s still 77 games to salvage … something.

The only potential damning public comments so far on his end came before Saturday’s loss. When asked about what was different between last year and this year, Tocchet let the facade slip a bit: 

“We’re not gonna out chance (other teams) most nights … we have to play who we are. Playing good defense, being good in the neutral zone, I think we got a little away with it. That’s why the disparity in shots. Finally, we took the attitude to get pucks to the net. That helped us.” 

He’s basically admitting “low-event hockey” is not just playing hawkish hockey in the neutral or limiting chances in the d-zone. It’s about playing so buttoned-up in the other two-thirds of the ice, that the offense has to constantly make the most of limited o-zone activity. 

Keep an ear out for little slips like this as we go along…

Flyers ink free agent F Bunting

Staring down the barrel of an 0-2-2 start with no end in sight and their young core failing to recapture the magic which defined last year's stretch run to a playoff berth, Flyers GM Danny Briere made a move on Tuesday.

Unsigned free agent forward Michael Bunting was brought into the fold on a 1-year, $1.2 million contract. 

Bunting, who like Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet is a product of Scarborough, Ontario, spent last season split between the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars, collecting 14 goals and 19 assists over 74 games but carrying a minus-24 rating.

The former 4th round draft pick of the Arizona Coyotes has compiled 109 goals and 143 assists across 418 regular season games for the 'Yotes, Maple Leafs, Hurricanes, Penguins, Preds and Stars. Bunting's high water marks in offense came with Toronto in 2021-22 and 2022-23 (23 goals each season) while his career high 103 penalty minutes was also achieved with the Leafs. 

Bunting's arrival hints at several issues that need buttoning up in the early going: one, that a veteran forward with some sandpaper is desperately on order after Briere let go of three veterans who populated the 4th line and two, that a proven veteran presence who has played under Tocchet could relay his message to the young core while also providing necessary competition for players who may be too comfortable.

The signing also removes the possibility of dipping into the prospect pool at Allentown, with the Phantoms' season just underway last weekend. 

Dear Porter Martone

Courtesy of Steph Ricci

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

PORTER!! HELLO!!

It wasn’t even Day One of the new NHL season and I see you’re already aiming to move from the back of the room with all the cool kids to Head of the Class in the Bryce Harper School of Pandering to a Long Suffering Fanbase.

Yeah, I read that whole thing. Cause I’m a crusty old dude who can concentrate for 7 minutes at a clip, rather than zoning out for a 30-minute podcast with pretty pictures.

I love these pieces because it’s as unfiltered a voice from the players themselves as anyone’s gonna get. Just a little polish to smooth out the rough edges. Sticks it to all the award-baiters out there who fancy themselves “story tellers,” because it comes straight from the hearts and minds of the men and women in the arena.

You hit all the major points: hockey mad kid in Ontario. Dad who was a former draftee and never made it. Flyers fan in a region of the province that’s mostly Maple Leafs supporters. Backyard rink. Gassing up the big dogs who came before and carried your hopes and dreams for the Cup. Cute pics with your heroes. Dream fulfillment to wear the sweater for real. First experience with the bloodlust that comes with battling the Penguins.

I get it. You’re a first round draft pick. Big freshman season with Sparty that stopped well short of a natty party. Took the town by storm with a strong stretch run. The hope of nations.

You’re young, dumb and full of … a desire to live up to expectations: your own along with the Flyers’ fans and organization.

The franchise is placing a tremendous amount of faith in ya, bud. First-line winger. First power play unit. 

Remember why you’re here with all the distractions that will eventually find your doorstep with that unblemished face. Do I even want to cite that line where Mickey doesn’t consider Rocky a true fighter until he gets his nose busted?

Just steer clear of any deodorant commercials. And cross-checking dudes square in the back when all four pairs of zebra eyes are fixed on a net-mouth scramble. Also, no interviews with cartoon rabbits, ducks, pigs or Martian conquerors. Eyes on the prize.

This city and its starved hockey fans don’t need someone who gives the team's admin star eyes with the fresh drip every home date. Don’t need an aw-shucks type of dude trying to gain crossover appeal in the Phillies broadcast booth with the National Treasure and his Mets-fan side kick. 

You wanna be in the driver’s seat? Be more like Max Verstappen than Toonces. Harder than it looks, isn't it. Had your first goal of the season wiped out and the team hasn't won a game yet.

We don’t wanna hide our faces anymore. Done with discussions over whether Kate Smith should be out, loud and proud or stuck in a wooden crate guarded by top men. Just win, baby. We need ya to internalize that mindset with every stride of every skate blade on every fresh slice of ice from this day forward.

Harper’s done more to integrate the Phillie Phanatic into high-end off-the-field couture than he’s done to bring us a championship on it. Seriously, son, don’t start.  

Don’t be wearing Gritty socks and Gritty Hawaiian shirts and shooting hoops with the Sixers in Camden or shagging flies across the street with a Gritty headband. No Gritty-themed skates for children’s cancer research. 

It’s been done to death.  

You know your head coach, “Tocc?” He wasn’t expected to be a savior and that’s not what we want, either. His development into a folk hero was a rare and beautiful thing. 

Went from a wild-eyed kid from another borough (Scarborough) who’d do anything to get ice time and do anything to keep it, to a bona-fide threat with his hands on every shift. No Insta posts of the second his fist met some poor unlucky bastard’s face.

You know what this city and its starved hockey fans need more than a wide-eyed kid ready to tell the world how great Philadelphia is? A 30-goal scorer. 

Haven’t had one since Travis Konecny scored 33 a whopping 3 whole years ago. Better yet, they need a 40-goal scorer. Haven’t had one of those since Jeff Carter in 2009 and the only guy who’s been close since, was Scott Hartnell (37 in 2011-12). Only Simon Gagne has done it more than once this century, back-to-back seasons (46 in 2005-06, 41 in 2006-07).

Better still, a 50-goal scorer. Rarest of the rare. It’s a Six-Timers Club: Rick MacLeish. Reggie Leach. Bill Barber. Tim Kerr. Mark Recchi. John LeClair. Last time was 1998. 

The Flyers haven’t drafted and developed a true sniper … EVER. Only traded and signed for their red-light rockers and in two rare cases, sent them right to the NHL after a brief, scorching period in the minors.

We also need a player who executes his role on the power play immaculately. Last season, Trevor Zegras was the first Flyer to hit double digits in PP goals (10) since James van Riemsdyk (10) in the COVID shortened 2021 season. 

So why not shoot for let’s say, 15 goals on the advantage. That hasn’t happened in an uninterrupted season since Brayden Schenn (17) AND Wayne Simmonds (16) did the dirty work 10 years ago. 

Although ticket prices in the 21st century suggest a base who’s been successful enough in life to build backyard rinks for their kids in cul-de-sacs that dot the ‘burbs, the spirit of our suffering is more fundamental. 

City living. Heavy trouble. The small kids and the smart kids needing to look over their shoulder. Abbotts milk crate for a net. Mylec plastic for a stick. Cars parked on one side of a small street for boards. Scatter when the big kids take over the rink or try to roll with ‘em?

Or if you lived in a neighborhood that believed in public outlets for youth with a lot of energy, a rink with 8-foot-high cyclone fencing, two painted blue lines, one red line and 4 empty 20-gallon drums as goalposts. 

Wanna know where you should go?

Scanlon Ice Rink. I and Venango. Recently refurbished in the middle of a once working-class Catholic neighborhood that could use a boost. 

Rizzo Rink. Front and Washington. Check out what’s pretty much the last generation of guys and gals who take it upon themselves to play whenever and wherever there’s an open spot. Fishtown Rec. Girard and Montgomery. Burke Playground. 2nd and Jackson. Same deal. 

Tocchet talked about "connections" on the power play. This is your shot to connect for real. Not Insta real. Real real. With the kids who look up to you and the adults who need you to produce so they don't submit to public embarrassment when they lose their fantasy league in April.

McDevitt Rec Center. Scotts Lane. Little Falls. I would also have said Houston Playground in Andorra, but,

oops … 3 years too late. 

Of course, it’s also gonna be *strongly suggested* you stop by the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. 

You’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be the kind of player who’ll never need to pay a bar tab or pick up a check for the rest of your life. Time to walk the walk. We’ll be in your corner. Until we’re not. 

See ya out there. But we wanna see you here, too.

Sincerely,

Us

Flyers preaching patience (for now) with new power play 'homework'

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

Forgive me if I didn’t rush outside to see if white smoke poured from the roof vents of the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees last Wednesday when I dropped in on training camp, but the Philadelphia Flyers have a power play. 

Six days ago, Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet definitively stated he selected a crew to man the first power play unit. And its construction is interesting – four forwards and one defenseman: Trevor Zegras. Porter Martone. Matvei Michkov. Tyson Foerster. Jamie Drysdale. 

Tomorrow night, when the curtain and the puck drops on the 2026-27 season, they’ll get the first of an indefinite number of chances to fulfill their destiny –- to raise the ailing man advantage out of the dregs of the National Hockey League. 

In the midst of an answer which bordered on glazing, Tocchet did manage to keep his feet stuck to the floor, saying there’s some “special gifts that they have” that pushed this five-man band to the head of the line. 

“The key is connection,” he explained. “I think ‘Mich’ and Trevor’s connection the last 3 days has fast tracked. And Porter’s got a really good brain when it comes to scoring goals. I hope the connection stays.”

Of course, Tocchet said this when the only video evidence of the new unit and its formation was, at first, an individualized side-session with 3 of the guys alone and then a full-unit try against 4 players providing no pushback. 

We can only hope the five neat guys did their summer reading and are ready to put the plan in action. You wouldn’t want to upset the teachers, who worked so hard to prepare themselves.

“I think Yogi did a Hell of a job with Jay of identifying where the goals are scored, how they’re being scored and also the details of (positioning) a flanker, a low player, a bumper,” Tocchet noted. 

The instructions weren’t just on the technical side. They apparently asked each player to view, analyze, digest and provide feedback. The better to read and react in real time, as Tocchet asked the guys to consider the following: “Why is Mark Stone so good low? Why is Jack Eichel and those guys good on the half wall?” 

Find out why Flyers want center prospect Jett Luchanko to "shoot more."

Interesting that their pair of sets shown during the first period in a 2-0 win over Boston last Thursday in their first of two home preseason tilts featured both a 3-1-1 formation and a 2-1-2 formation. No goals, but it was clear there’s something different in store: 

Then, on Saturday, in a 5-1 loss to the Capitals it was another oh-fer but more good motion and reactions. Process over results for now, I guess.

On Sunday, Tocchet strongly hinted that there are other players “competing” for permanent spots on the power play and lightly hinted that the top 5 may not remain a unit with improved play from others.

Without any other context, I think we can assume that all spots on PP2 are up for grabs to start the year. Alex Bump, he of the shoot-from-anywhere ethos -- of whom Tocchet said, cryptically, is a guy who can't receive and process a whole lot of information at once -- is slated for the second unit as well.

“That can kinda amp a power play into getting better, is when there’s competition,” he added. “Sometimes you give (players a no-fault chance to remain in place), they get comfortable. Yorkie (Cam York)  looked pretty good. I think he was one of the better guys moving the puck. He’s in the mix, for sure. And David (Jiricek) and Drysy (Jamie Drysdale).”

You can see York head into uncharted territory just ahead of a power play in Saturday’s game:

Tocchet also emphatically stated the power play, as a function of their whole offensive mindset, needed to generate more open chances and needed to record more shots on goal. 

Part of the improved puck motion appeared to be better reactions by the puck handler, distributor and shooters how to move based on the opposition’s penalty kill. Tocchet said it back in May was the most pressing technical need to solve.

“It’s the one thing we gotta stay on top of,” Tocchet offered. “What’s the read? Is it a box, is it a ‘top-down?’ What happens if the flanker or defensive d is too high, what are we looking to do? We have to get better at that because last year, the reads were a little bit off.”

Accountability doesn’t stop there. Tocchet also expects the improved reads to incorporate better hockey IQ. More than that, he wants off-ice confirmation they’re picking up what they see on ice.

In a move that’s only going to further obsess the chronically online armchair warriors, Tocchet also said he’d be “an idiot” to shake things up if things don’t go well over the first batch of games. For that trust, he’s expecting growth and discipline but also basic hustle and desire even if the process fails.

“They gotta get to the 50-yard-line, too. They gotta do the stuff that we’re asking,” he said. “If they’re not chasing down the puck on a retrieval, that’s a whole different story. I don’t think that’s gonna happen, but there has to be accountability on their side.”

What were the Flyers' 10 Greatest Losses? Find out here.

Yesterday is History

Tomorrow night, the Flyers and Penguins – who are simultaneously celebrating their 60th seasons of operation as two of the six franchises included in the league’s initial 1967 expansion – will face each other in a Philly home opener for the 8th time. 

A recap of the previous ones: 

Oct. 19, 1967 - The very first home game for the expansion Orange and Black saw Bill Sutherland’s third-period marker and 21 saves from Doug Favell stand up in a 1-0 victory.

Oct. 17, 1968 - Brit Selby, a 1966 Calder Trophy winner with Toronto, notched a goal and assist, while Bernie Parent made that margin stand up by halting all 20 pucks he faced in a 3-0 decision. 

Oct. 9, 1980 - The defending Campbell Conference champions began their title defense with a 7-4 decision courtesy of 2 goals from rookie Yves Preston, 2 more from Al Hill and 24 saves from Phil Myre.

Oct. 10, 1991 - The defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins topped their hosts, 6-3, on the strength of 2 scores from future ex-Flyers coach Joey Mullen, a goal and two helpers from future ex-Flyers defenseman Paul Coffey and Tom Barrasso’s 18 saves. Brad Jones netted his first goal in his first game with the Flyers.

Oct. 5, 1993 - Buoyed by 8 straight wins to end the previous season, the Flyers squeaked out a 4-3 win after falling behind by 2-0 in the 1st period. Rod Brind’Amour, Eric Lindros and Slava Butsayev scored to erase the deficit, Dmitri Yushkevich provided the winner early in the 3rd.

Jan. 19, 2013 - The NHL returned after a prolonged lockout and the Flyers were a step slow in a 3-1 loss to the Penguins, whose only interesting tidbit happened after the game. A young man  on a tour of the ice-level facilities broke from the pack, went up to the podium in front of the assembled media and got about 3 sentences out before security exited him off the premises.

Jan. 13, 2021 - The truncated COVID schedule pitted these rivals together again, with 2-and-3-game series scheduled to cut down on travel. Six different players, including the late, lamented Nolan Patrick, Oskar Lindblom and Kevin Hayes in a 6-3 triumph. Carter Hart added 31 stops on his winning ledger.

Vladar suffers arm injury vs. Bruins, listed as day-to-day

Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar will apparently not miss significant time after sustaining an apparent injury to his right arm in Tuesday night's 5-1 preseason loss to the Bruins in Boston.

He's officially listed as "day-to-day" by a franchise which notoriously keeps things close to the vest.

Vladar, who started the Flyers' second exhibition contest in as many nights and was scheduled to play the first 2 periods, was forced to leave the game with roughly 6 1/2 minutes remaining in the opening stanza. During a sequence in the Bruins offensive zone, Vladar appears to be run into by B's forward Tanner Jeannot, after which he visibly holds his right arm at his side.

Seconds later, the Bruins scored the first goal of the contest and Vladar was replaced by Alexei Kolosov for the remainder of the contest. 

Following the game, Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said there was no update on Vladar's status, only that he was "being evaluated" by team staff. 

Obviously they "dodged a bullet," as Tocchet said when he kicked off a post-practice update among reporters on Wednesday afternoon. 

"He's day-to-day," Tocchet admitted. "He's in good spirits today."

When asked if Vladar would be OK to play in next Wednesday's season opener vs. the Penguins, Tocchet deferred to his opening quote. 

"Could be 48 hours or 72. I don't know," he added.

Vladar suffered a similar injury during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins when Pens forward Bryan Rust tried a similar strafing run through the crease in what ended up a 5-2 Flyers win. 

Vladar did not miss another minute for the entire series and a subsequent loss in the East semis to the Carolina Hurricanes, but the nature of the injury was not disclosed by the team during the playoff run, nor did Vladar elaborate during break-up day in May. 

At that time, he only told the assembled media contingent that the injury would not affect his pending off-season routine.

In large part due to the failure of Sam Ersson to make an impression, this summer Flyers GM Danny Briere traded for Toronto Maple Leafs netminder Joe Woll -- who filled in admirably 2 seasons ago with nominal starter Anthony Stolarz on the shelf -- who might be called upon in relief.

"The one thing we're lucky (about) is, he has an intelligent mind," Tocchet said of Woll. "He studies, even our (penalty kill) and stuff like that. I think he knows how important he is and that he's going to play some games for us."

Tocchet also said he'd be "very comfortable" with Woll stepping in should he need to begin the season in net and play more than originally thought, also admitting that former Leafs head coach Craig Berube spoke highly of Woll. 

"We're in good shape with that."

For Woll's part, he was very much understated in his own comments after workouts.

"I think I've proven that I can do that in my career," Woll offered when asked if he was ready to take the reins if needed, from the start of the season. 

"My goal from the start with this team has been to help out wherever I can -- whatever situation that means," he added. "It doesn't really change my process day-to-day or my mindset."

Woll called the acclimatization process with the Flyers "fun challenges" 

The club officially opens the regular season one week from today, at home against the Penguins.

The Flyers have two preseason games remaining, both on home ice, vs. Boston on Thursday night and vs. Washington on Saturday evening. 

'Shoot more:' Why Flyers' want Luchanko to be more selfish

Courtesy of Sportsnet.ca

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

Former first-round pick Jett Luchanko will apparently get to play in one place this year and from all indications, it seems like it will be with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. 

Prior to the Sept. 12 rookie game in Allentown, his presumed new boss, John Snowden, gassed up the AHL as a prime proving ground. He touted the unique benefits of learning how to play on the doorstep of a legitimate pro career with respect to skating, puckhandling and how much time and space can be utilized in a teaching environment.

“For a player like him, who’s got an offensive upside … we want to push the offense with him because we know he’s responsible and makes the right decisions without the puck,” he noted. “Our job is to continuously show him the opportunities he has offensively and keep pushing the envelope on his ability to create.”

Luchanko’s progress, as the No. 1 suspected media leaker stated last week, has not been “uneven.”  Rather, it’s been downright stunted by his wonky path up and down the amateur and professional ladder. 

Since 2023, he’s been with Guelph in the Ontario Hockey League (head coach Chad Wiseman), Guelph (new head coach Cory Stillman), the Flyers (head coach John Tortorella), the Phantoms (head coach Ian Laperriere), the Flyers (head coach Rick Tocchet), Guelph again (Stillman), traded to Brantford (head coach Jay McKee) now presumably back in Allentown.

Mix in that core/groin/pelvic floor injury which apparently affected him for most of the last two seasons – which wasn’t enough for him to slam on the breaks, for which he underwent surgery that prevented him from auditioning at rookie camp the last 2 years – the truth becomes evident. 

It’s not so much that Luchanko bears all the responsibility to prove himself, but the organization bears a good bit of responsibility for providing a stable environment after putting him through the ringer. 

Nonetheless, the messaging at all times has been that a bona-fide speedy puck-handling center should “shoot more.”  Someone got in Luchanko’s ear in the summer of ‘24 and he himself offered up the need to develop that part of his game to team-friendly beat Adam Kimelman. Ian Laperriere, then the Phantoms head coach, first broached the subject in multiple reports two years ago. 

That core injury Luchanko suffered through? It’s one that affects lower-body positioning needed as a foundation before the upper body activates in a shooting motion – something nobody connected with the club has apparently noticed, or cited, as a mitigating factor. 

Just that he needs to “shoot more.”

One theory I floated last summer, was the revelation that the Flyers, through multiple coaching and front office regimes, have never drafted and developed a single traditional pure goal scorer. That means, centers playing wing, wings playing center and of course, pressure put on centers to be more than simple drivers of forward offensive flow to make up for the deficit.

That column focused on the longer-term issues prevalent in constructing poor power plays, but the logic still stands for what the club expects out of Luchanko by himself.

Given just one chance in front of the media before the rookie series opener on Sept. 11, Luchanko was neither specifically asked about the organization’s wish for him to shoot more, nor did he provide an off-the-cuff answer on the issue when asked about offseason prep.

However, the clearest answers arrived from someone looking in from above – Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong. 

During an Inquirer-based podcast episode from Sept. 16, Armstrong hit viewers fairly early on with the money quote: “I definitely think, with his speed, his vision, his playmaking, I definitely think he’s gonna ‘pop’ this season.”

At least nobody in the organization is asking Luchanko to sacrifice what he already has, to make room for shooting. 

Armstrong continued: “The one thing that I loved, he went down on a 2-on-1 and I forget who he was with in the game, and I was yelling ‘SHOOT’ and he did shoot. He didn’t score, but I’m glad he shot the puck because that’s something we’ve been preaching to him. He’s always a pass-first kind of guy so, to see him start to build that confidence and get that mindset, is definitely a step in the right direction.” 

And when asked later whether there’s a “hyper-focus” on shooting while giving Luchanko instruction, Armstrong admitted that there is an awareness in opposing players, who are  committed to studying and knowing each other’s tendencies well before puck drop. 

“When you become a ‘pass-first’ guy, goalies figure you out pretty quick,” he said. “We always talk about being a dual threat. Once you start shooting and have the ability to pass, you keep everybody guessing. That’s something we’re trying to push for in his development.”

Sizing up the Kid

If the Flyers braintrust is insistent Luchanko embrace a skill set closer to a top-six or even top-line centers possess, it’s fair to look at some comparable pivots in franchise history.

Pelle Eklund. Eklund arrived in 1985 direct from the Swedish Elite League at age 22 and eventually set a franchise record for assists (51) and points (66) by a rookie center, despite being essentially a spare part for head coach Mike Keenan for the first half of the season. 

Once he gained Keenan’s trust as a fluid skater, reliable passer and counterpart on the power play for Tim Kerr’s still-standing NHL record of 34 power-play goals in a season, his place on the roster was cemented.

As he grew in responsibility and confidence, Eklund’s forte with the puck was something only seen previously in the North American game from Wayne Gretzky – not just control through the neutral zone and blue-line entry, but a way of dictating the offensive flow for his teammates and against defenders while possessing. 

This is what I envision if the franchise wants Luchanko to possess as long as possible while creating his own scoring chance, this gem in Winnipeg from the spring of 1993:

Over his injury-plagued 9 seasons here, Eklund’s best goal-scoring year was 23 in 1989-90. Especially if that coveted 1C role is filled, what’s wrong with only potting 15-to-18 if 50-or-more-assists are right next to it on the ledger?

Mark Recchi. A more traditional Canadian breed of center, one who was equally adept at positioning to intercept passes or turnovers and reversing flow as he was at digging out pucks along the boards and dishing out to start a rush. 

His 53 goals and 123 points in Eric Lindros’ rookie season and expansion year of 1992-93 still stand as single-season team records for centers. Recchi netted 103 goals over his first 190 games with Philly, then came back after an exile on Ste. Catherine Street by recording 20-or-more goals in his 5 full seasons here (1999-2004). 

These are among the prettiest goals in Recchi’s repertoire, a home-ice hattie vs. the Capitals in 2001: 

Mike Richards. Although more widely recognized as a deadly penalty killer who could turn on the jets and create shorthanded chances, Richards did make some bones as a puck-possessing driver of offense and shooter, particularly on the power play. 

His brand of positioning forced the opposition to be mindful of a pivot who could distribute and collect north-south and laterally, like in this goal scored early in the 2009-10 season against the Capitals: 

As the coveted 1C starting in 2007, Richards netted at least 30 goals twice and had 4 straight 20-or-more goals in his final seasons in Orange and Black – numbers he never even chased over the remainder of his career despite two Stanley Cups. Even so, it took 2 years of NHL-level development before those gaudy numbers appeared. 

Claude Giroux. If not when considering both impact and hardware, but definitely for sheer longevity, the second-best center in franchise history was Ground Zero for any debates about the effectiveness of shuttling a player between center and wing. Eight 20-goal seasons and a 34-goal, 100-point performance in the expansion year of 2017-18. 

Giroux was killer with open space, like in 4-on-4 OTs, using a combination of separation speed and shootout-level mind games to fool goaltenders. My guess is they need Jett to look something like this 2018 extra session winner: 

Heading into his 18th full pro season, Giroux ranks 9th in total points among all players since 2005 and is borderline for Hall of Fame consideration alongside Anze Kopitar and John Tavares. Luchanko's ceiling would need to be sky high and his progression so fast, to come close.

Whatever brilliant idea lurks in Armstrong or Briere’s mind and vision, the dress rehearsal was last night in Hershey, when Luchanko was the 2C. The real story should begin to be written starting Oct. 3 at home vs. Hartford.