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.

'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.

NHL putting Flyers, league behind eight ball with shortened preseason

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

As part of the exchange for adding two games onto each team’s regular-season schedule from 82 to 84, the National Hockey League has reduced the preseason from 6 games to 4 for each club.

With the Flyers training camp set to commence two days from now, there’s only a maximum of 4 full days of preparation on tap before the first exhibition game, Sept. 21 in Hershey against the Washington Capitals.

From there, another road game the next night against the Bruins, before the truncated slate ends with home dates vs. Boston (Sept. 24) and Washington (Sept. 26). Then, the curtain falls for good on Sept. 30 at home against the Penguins.

Forgive the metaphor, but that puts the entire coaching staff and roster-ready players under the gun. Aside from what can be immediately gleaned from the skating and drills and eventual scrimmages that are pre-scheduled, there’s the question of instruction. How changes to whatever system needs tweaking will be approached in a limited window.

And yes, where oh where and when oh when will they get to practice the power play? Rick said they were going to have to figure out how to do it beyond the boundaries of the daily practices…

There’s a whole lotta undue pressure coming for all 32 coaching staffs, so don’t bother complaining specifically about what the Flyers staff did or didn’t do, or didn’t do well enough. What has a better chance of distinguishing a solid start to the NHL regular season vs. an NFL model where the starters are up to speed in the first couple weeks, will be the amount of pre-camp prep from on-and-off-ice personnel. 

Note, we don’t actually know what that is because, at least the Flyers coaches would consider this type of info “state secrets” so we’ll have to act surprised whichever way things turn out.

I think there’s actually a technical term in German for what’s coming: Scheisseschau.

Nothing is ever going to be the same, but there was an element of looseness and fun in what was each team’s exhibition schedule, up until about 20 years ago. Camp lasted 2 1/2 weeks or more. Teams played anywhere from 8 to 10 games, often back-to-back multiple times, sometimes in far flung neutral sites or on rinks of American Hockey League affiliates, and mayhem often ensued. 

It was a long-form, low-pressure chance for coaching staffs to take what was written on the whiteboard and practiced in solitude and execute it in real time with a variety of lineups. There used to be guys who had their roster spots cemented who played half the games. Guys on the bubble who played the other half. And the rink rats, the dudes on the fringes still holding on in the AHL or IHL who provided a sideshow with fisticuffs if it proved to be the last time they’d wear an NHL uniform. 

It was often structured like Spring Training; off day on Thursday where coaches formulate game plans, play in Orlando against the Red Wings on a Friday night and have a scrappy lineup led by the head assistant register a couple fights and 100 penalty minutes in a 7-4 game, then return for a local TV engagement Saturday on home ice with a hungry squad and the head coach presiding in front of 10,000 ticket holders and send ‘em home happy with a crisp 5-2 win over the Islanders. 

Then, on Sunday, play a full-squad match against the Devils, or Rangers to best simulate real-game situations. Lather, rinse, repeat. Monday, rest or light workouts with instruction. 

Split the squad again for games Tuesday in Providence against the Bruins and then Wednesday at Rochester vs. the Sabres and expect a touch of anarchy. Maybe mix in a full-roster game vs. the Bears or Phantoms in Philadelphia so the kids get a full and fair chance to see what NHL-level talent requires.

Surprises abounded without such strict controls. In 2005, the Flyers rallied from a 5-1 deficit against the Capitals – including 5 goals in a wild third period – to win, 7-6, in overtime and nobody complained. Where has that been, like, ever since? 

The next year, Pens rookie Evgeni Malkin made his NHL debut, tried a body check in Halifax and ended up slamming into John LeClair. How can we forget Steve Downie making like an ICBM and blowing up Dean McAmmond in 2007? 

Well, the league has rightfully cleaned up a significant amount of that clownery, but what’s emerged over the years has taken on the form of a sanitized appetizer to the 6-month regular season grind. Games shifted from “exhibitions” to “preseason” when used largely as real-time gauges for roster spots and proof that tweaks to systems introduced at the start of camp worked or not.

Under the current system, veterans are restricted to participating in 2 games maximum.

You watch. Maybe the Flyers would have a 5-4 game thrown into the mix, but my guess is “low-event” hockey will result in low-score games for those that don’t count before the games that do. 

Besides, there’s no indication otherwise until I see it with my own eyes either on Thursday or Saturday in Voorhees. Tocchet hasn’t spoken publicly yet, and Danny Briere went on Nasty Knuckles podcast over the weekend and offered nothing in terms of what to expect during camp or the limited preseason competition. I hope the plan is for a good mixture of each rather than just basic blocks of 2 and 2.

You know who could benefit from the old, less pressurized system? Current NHL and AHL guys on whatever fringe exists, like Zayde Wisdom. Garrett Wilson. Oliver Bonk. Devin Kaplan. Cole Knuble. Jett Luchanko. Denver Barkey. Alex Bump. Porter Martone.

Give the NHL hopefuls a long, 60-minute look against their impending competition instead of locking them into a softball two-game series against equal skill and experience level meant to goose pre-camp content levels and prospect promotional opportunities.

When asked on Saturday in Allentown if he was trying to make a point to the front office about his abilities in the rookie game, Bump certainly gave a canned, NHL-ready response: “For sure. It’s kinda getting to that time where you gotta make an impression. Don’t overcomplicate (things). Don’t overthink it. What’s best is to go out and play my game.”

And, in light of the follow-up question about whether Bump could draw from what he knew about playing in the NHL at the end of last year and apply it to the rookie series I have to ask – what is he doing back with the kids, anyway? 

Here’s where the Flyers front office – with a little foresight – can create a ramp to success: if you’re a prospect who plays in more than one rookie series, you’re automatically promoted to competing for a spot in any of the four NHL-level preseason games. 

That certainly fits in Bump’s case, and for Barkey, who admitted after Friday’s rookie opener that he’s been there long enough the first-timers are leaning on him like a veteran to get the hang of it all.

Due to the compressed timeline, I'd really hate to think the first few days at Skate Zone will be nothing more than teachers expressing pleasure or frustration once they find out which of the students did or didn't attend to their summer reading list - with attendant rewards or punishments.

For the rest of the squad, some grace. And the less you think about the success of the preseason depending on their actual game record, the better. Or, if you can’t help it, I can get ya into an Eagles support group. 

Flyers coaches long on philosophy, short on answers for floundering power play

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

On breakup day for the coaching staff, May 14, Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet provided his most expansive thoughts, philosophy and plan to date about how to shake the club’s consistently dreadful power play out of the doldrums.

The second-to-last question from that media session revolved around the media-driven revelation of defenseman Jamie Drysdale’s “frank admission” following a Game 3 loss to the Hurricanes on May 8 that players often would disregard – though not willfully – what was planned on the power play, with the messaging and its lack of resonance with each unit contributing to its failure.

“I think when it comes to the power play, you gotta see things. Sometimes, it’s gonna take people longer to see things,” he admitted. “I can name 5 or 6 players where, to get technical, you’re playing against an aggressive diamond where the top guy is aggressive, he’s out of position, well, you gotta see that there should be a 2-on-1 in front of the net.”

“If that particular play happens, sometimes we’re not seeing it,” he added. 

Tocchet also referenced that disastrous 50-second, 5-on-3 advantage from Game 3’s 4-1 setback as a prime example of the confusion. He and the coaches instructed the unit that Carolina plays a “2-up” system, which to them, indicated an easy solution to puck movement. 

“Where do you want the puck to go? Down low,” he said. “It’s gotta be a 3-on-2 in front of the net. Well, we did a ‘high’ play. That’s what I think Jamie’s talking about, we’re missing the reads.” 

"Accountability" from the Top

Tocchet offered a general mea culpa, admitting the coaching staff could impart the lesson in a way more conducive to success. But he had no idea, at that point, how the nuts and bolts would work so all involved could understand the correct reads. He wondered aloud where they could find the proper time and space to accomplish a proper regroup and re-teach. 

“Is it better to do on the ice than in video? I’ve already talked about it with the coaches. We might just have a dedicated half an hour power-play practice on one rink, before the (main) practice even starts,” he said. 

The Flyers managed to wrest defeat from the jaws of victory in the regular season, finishing dead last overall with a 15.7% efficiency. In the playoffs, they were 14th, firing at an 8.3% clip. That was after ranking 30th the year before under John Tortorella and Brad Shaw with a *worse* percentage (14.95%). Before that, it was last (12.2%), last (15.56%), last (12.55%) and 18th (19.16%) in the COVID bubble season.

"I think it’s something we’re gonna have to dive into because it’s been a long time here (since the power play worked),” Tocchet said. “We’re really gonna have to do some really out of the box thinking to fix this.”

The mind truly wanders at this prospect. 

When pressed on how, exactly, the skaters involved on the power play could “get better,” Tocchet put it squarely on the players: “If you wanna be on the power play, you’re gonna have to get these reads. How do you get these reads? Study. Live it. Practice it. Rinse and repeat. That’s really what it comes down to.”

We’ll get to this later in the piece, but the class had a whole summer to do the reading, hope they aren’t cramming the last two weeks before camp.

On August 24, the Flyers released a team-friendly, video roundtable with Tocchet and three assistant coaches during which, in their words, “no state secrets” were revealed. Instead, the on-ice braintrust offered a general wide-ranging philosophical take on how the coaches instruct the players to function in all three zones. 

As for the main man responsible for the power play, Yogi Svejkovsky offered a hint of how an internal issue, like, oh … maybe a failure to adhere to the power play system or making a failed read might be remedied in the moment or during a break in play.  

“As a head coach, you have to trust your assistant coaches that, if the system is not followed, it would be my job, specifically, to deal with the player,” he said. “And then, at the same time you have to deal with (the fact that) every player will be different.”

Whole Team Concept?

Symposium facilitator Jason Myrtetus later spoke of having an “alpha” in the offensive zone to set up a power play, like an Ovechkin or Kucherov to which Svejkovsky replied that there is a whole-team concept which relies on the entire unit understanding their roles, rather than a point person with different responsibilities. 

“You look at in the Eastern Conference as a whole, there’s way more diamonds, way more aggressiveness,” he noted.

“The process was understanding how to beat the structure of the opposition. The only way to see how you do, is to see what you create. Out of that, (you analyze later) are we creating?”

And, then, as Svejkovsky explained, with the help of the off-ice assistants who crunch numbers while watching the post-game video, players have a readout of how their o-zone entries affect their play. 

“We were top 10 in ‘Grade A’ chances, it tells you we should probably not be the last team in the league (in PP percentage),” he added, without explaining exactly what stats or metrics comprised such opportunities.

Svejkovsky proceeded to explain there is an overlap of communication from the top down, as Tocchet previously had control of the man advantage in both Colorado and Pittsburgh, as far as receiving guidance on what to address.

“So, what we’re looking at now is, how can we help our players in different ways, over the last 3 months, to give them the tools to improve,” he continued. “And, let’s say you’re the quarterback, that you understand how to get your lanes open, that you have more time to take shots.”

From here, the idea of summer homework from the coaching staff to the players emerged again, with the expectation that this off-ice study was intended as a primer ahead of whatever they do to practice to Tocchet’s specifications. He gave the strongest indicator yet that nothing is set in stone. 

“It’s going to be a fight for them to see who’s gonna be on that first unit, second unit,” Tocchet said. “This year’s one of the year’s (the slots on each unit) is open.”

New Boys for the New Year

On a July 20 video call with local media to announce his new contract, Drysdale provided the only hint at what skills he might further develop to help the cause. 

“I think there’s a lot of little things I can work on, when I get the puck (make a) head fake … a little bit more deceptiveness, obviously the main kicker is shooting more,” he said. “I’ve been pretty continuously working on my shot the last year and throughout the summer, so it’s something I’m going to come in confident with and use it as a weapon.”

Back at the ranch, assistant Jay Varady, whose umbrella also includes the power play, offered the following when discussing the difference between thinking and reacting when a new system is introduced. 

“I think when you’re teaching new concepts, sometimes a player has to think. And then as you develop and start to get comfortable, they stop thinking and they just start playing,” he explained. 

Again, communication is hammered as a key concept, but at least Varady diplomatically acknowledges the players’ responsibility in absorbing the information, then internalizing it as they practice and play. 

“It’s a process you have to stick with as you’re implementing things. You have to know there’s going to be a little time where you see a little hesitation - have a little meeting, have a conversation and as (learning) starts to grow and progress, it naturally becomes the way you play.”

Ok, but that attitude only works with the internal belief that *this* staff with *this* certain set of skills and system can override the mistakes of the past. We’ve seen the failure up front for the fourth regime and counting.

If that’s the prevailing wisdom, maybe one of the “out of the box” suggestions for fixing things should be keeping the longer-termed players (Tippett, Couturier, TK, Risto) away from PP1 and PP2 to avoid the brain rot that comes from veterans having to fully internalize *another* system.

Who among the newer puck-hungry players might be able to provide a remedy? 

Three likely lads are Trevor Zegras, Alex Bump and Porter Martone. For the former, it needs to be beaten into his brain “shoot first, distribute later,” unless he’s the distributor or quarterback for the unit, then, like Drysdale, he's got to focus on the initial read while carrying the puck. For the middle man, a known shooter, he needs to seek the puck, collect the puck and shoot the puck inside 30 feet. For the latter, if he’s the plumber down low, he needs to muscle defenders in front and be quicker to rebounds and loose pucks. 

Following Up

How does this all mesh with the actual nuts and bolts required to make the power play function in real time? 

We didn’t get an answer here, and we won’t have any semblance of an answer until the units have been determined through camp scrimmages and preseason development, then put on display for the first 10 regular-season games or so. 

Given Tocchet’s assertion that coaches review everything from the previous season to detect what needs to be tweaked – and given that zero time was devoted to an answer about the power play when discussing offensive-zone entries – here’s a short list of questions that should be asked, by anyone who covers this team in any capacity:  

• How do you plan on practicing the power play?
• When would you practice it?
• Do you simulate game conditions? If not, why not? 
• If you do simulations, do you approximate any of the other 31 NHL teams’ PK strategies? 
• What time and space will you devote to meshing o-zone philosophy with power-play entries?  
• When practices did occur, how were changes and corrections made? 
• Now that players have had a year’s familiarity and the head coach has uncovered issues per above, how will you approach it this year beyond the timing and length of practice? 
• How, if at all, will the general five-man-unit offensive-zone philosophy impact the actual power play? 
• How will you deal with addressing these issues given the reduction of preseason games from 6 to 4?

Stick with the Phanatic as we ramp up our season schedule, beginning Sept. 15.

The 10 Greatest Losses in Flyers History

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

The latest edition of Phanatic Biweekly delves into the times the Orange and Black came up short throughout their first 59 years, but where the setbacks made some kind of noticeable impact on the direction of the franchise.

Touch some grass, soak up the sun. Grab a beverage and turn off your mind. Here’s the 10 Greatest Losses in Philadelphia Flyers history.

10. Dec. 22, 2023: Red Wings 7, Flyers 6 (SO) - Little Caesars Arena. The countdown begins with a major comeback in Motown. Defense was optional throughout the contest, the first period in particular. Permanent nemesis Patrick Kane scored twice and the Wings were up 5-1 after 20 minutes. Curiously, head coach John Tortorella opted to keep starter Carter Hart in goal for the remainder of the night and from there, he was noticeably better than his Detroit counterpart, James Reimer.

The rally began on strikes from Sean Couturier and Morgan Frost in the 2nd, followed by Garnet Hathaway, Scott Laughton and Owen Tippett with 5:07 left to give the visitors the lead. A late tally from Dylan Larkin and shootout winner from Kane put Detroit in the win column but also put Flyers fans on notice that a big leap forward for this young roster was possible.

9.  March 2, 2002: Rangers 6, Flyers 5 - Madison Square Garden. Although Eric Lindros reintroduced himself to the Philly faithful as a Broadway Blueshirt less than 2 months prior, this was his true New York debut. 

Still firing on all cylinders after a year away from the game, Big E rifled home 3 goals in a span of less than 10 minutes of play between the 1st and 2nd periods, staking the hosts to a 4-0 lead and posting his first post-Philly trifecta.

But Simon Gagne, working through his 3rd NHL season and counted on to be the brightest young gun in a youth movement, answered twice, Eric Desjardins and Jeremy Roenick followed early in the 3rd and Gagne added his hat trick score with less than 8 minutes to play. Lindros’ career soon faded due to the after effects of repeated concussions, while Gagne went on to record nearly 300 goals in his 11-year Flyers career.

8.   May 6, 2011: Bruins 5, Flyers 1 - TD Garden. You name it, it ended that night in an awful conclusion to a brutal 4-game sweep authored in revenge by the club on the wrong end of a reverse sweep a year before. 

The goalie carousel which saw 3 different players (Brian Boucher, Sergei Bobrovsky, Michael Leighton) man the nets in 11 playoff outings over 2 rounds. The off-ice rampage of Messrs. Carter and Richards. Dry Island. Kris Versteeg.

Ordered to dredge up a franchise goaltender from the highest of heights, then-GM Paul Holmgren sacrificed the club’s two young leaders 48 days later to snag one Russian space cadet. Their leftover cash also managed to lure Jaromir Jagr back to the NHL and, apparently, off all team pictures in CONSOL Energy Arena. The ensuing 93-game regular and postseason was certainly one for the memory banks. We’re still waiting for Claude Giroux to officially take the mantle of “Best Player in the NHL” from Sidney Crosby, though.

7.   Nov. 29, 1991: Penguins 9, Flyers 3 - The Spectrum. Three words: “PAUL MUST GO”

Baby, if you ever wondered when there was a time Philly fans didn’t either blindly follow Mister Snyder or simply wandered away in apathy, it was Black Friday during Paul Holmgren’s 4th year as head coach.

Mired in the midst of an 0-7-1 string which included a 7-3 home loss to Hartford less than 48 hours prior, Flyers fans didn’t exactly come loaded for bear when this one started, but were screaming for vengeance by the end. When it was 6-0 Pittsburgh late in the 2nd period, two separate, competing three-word chants began at the end seats, repeatedly and loudly clashing at center ice in a distorted symphony of discontent.

The Sniders, with much face to save, certainly heard the angry herd. Because their choice for a replacement bench boss (Bill Dineen) was incognito somewhere south of the Adirondacks, it took 2 more losses and 6 more days before Homer was officially sent packing. Dineen’s avuncular manner would be a factor in Lindros’ development as a rookie the following season. Holmgren wasn’t a significant player within the front office until well after an exile of 3-plus seasons as coach and GM with the Hartford Whalers.

6.   Apr. 16, 2024: Capitals 2, Flyers 1 - Wachovia Center. Who cares whether Tortorella knew or did not know, threw or did not throw, the club’s final game of the 2023-24 season, one in which they needed to win to keep their slim hopes for a playoff berth alive? 

It was the most compelling terminal regular season game for the franchise in almost 30 years. Needing a goal and a win to improve their standing, Torts opted to pull the now-dearly-departed Sam Ersson with roughly 5 minutes left in regulation. T.J. Oshie nailed that coffin shut. 

At the same time, the fates of the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins were held in the balance and more conspiratorial minds made like Charlie Kelly and started stringing 2 and 2 together with a lot of wishes as connective tissue to come up with a conspiracy theory. Problem is, nobody could really put it past the crafty and mercurial head coach. Lose, but never be boring.

5.   March 25, 2025: Maple Leafs 7, Flyers 2 - Air Canada Centre. The exact minute everyone – including Flyers upper management – was done with John Tortorella. Typical for the disappointing Leafs to pile on an inferior foe, but when John Tavares, Auston Matthews and William Nylander all do the Happy Dance on your squad at the same time, someone’s ass had to be grass.

Before this loss, Torts was on record as unwilling to coach a full-on rebuild. After it, the fight between Torts and Cam York was publicized. With assistant Brad Shaw given carte blanche, it was an entertaining 9-game stretch to end the season, giving fans a glimpse of what their young players could do with time, space and a velvet hand at the reins. It was “high-event” hockey at its finest ahead of the sweeping changes that led to the current Tocchet Era.

4.   Apr. 2, 1989: Penguins 6, Flyers 5 (OT) - The Spectrum. After failing to win in Philadelphia for 15 straight years, Pittsburgh scored a pair of victories twice in less than 2 months. This one, in the final regular season game loaded with meaning and playoff seeding, happened thanks to the Pens rallying from an early 2-0 deficit then blowing a 5-2 advantage. 

Desperate for a win which would vault them up to 3rd place, Holmgren’s decision to pull Hextall and try for a winning goal in overtime, resulted instead with Mario Lemieux notching his personal record 85th goal, 114th assist, 199th point and locked the Orange and Black into 4th place and a date with division-winning Washington.

Historically, it was the last of a still-standing franchise record of 17 consecutive seasons reaching the playoffs. It also unwittingly set up a mammoth division finals series once the Flyers upset division-winning Washington, the first postseason meeting between franchises which were welcomed into the NHL in 1967. 

The eventual seven game set to decide Patrick Division supremacy was rife with drama. And while we can make a case that Lemieux’s 8-point night in a 10-7 win in Game 5 of that series might have been a greater catalyst for the Flyers, it doesn’t happen without this Game 80 defeat.

3.   November 19, 1985: Islanders 8, Flyers 6 - Nassau Coliseum. What happens when your defending Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender is dead, his countryman and teammate is back in Sweden to attend the funeral and  your No. 1 blueliner is out with a lower-body injury while the team is riding a franchise record 13-game winning streak? Push the four-time Cup champions to the final second of regulation before their victory is secured.

Keenan’s Kids defied all logic in the wake of Pelle Lindbergh’s death. They won their 11th straight against the defending Cup champion Oilers on an emotional night whose impact has been dissected for decades. After breezing past Hartford, they were down 4-1 to the Islanders late in the 2nd period the next night and you’d think that luck would have run out. Instead, they rallied for 4 straight goals and a miracle OT win.

Two days later, the Isles – whose then-league record of 15 straight wins was on the line – looked like they would crash the party with a runaway as the North Stars did in January 1980 to stop The Streak. Instead, the visitors, down 5-1 after just 22 minutes, roared back with 4 power-play goals and 1 shortie.  Ed Hospodar recorded the only 2 goal game of his entire NHL career. His tally with 2:29 left made it 7-6. Bryan Trottier’s empty netter at 19:59 finally put things to rest, keeping the Isles’ mark secure.

2.   Apr. 2, 1972: Sabres 3, Flyers 2 - The Aud. Maybe the most important quote ever uttered (not written on a chalkboard) by anyone associated with the franchise, what Ed Snider repeated to his players on the flight home, as he said to head coach Fred Shero immediately following the worst loss in team history: “Nobody would lose his job over one disastrous goal.”

That one disastrous goal was scored by Buffalo’s Gerry Meehan with 4 seconds left in Game 78, with the Flyers needing just one point to leapfrog the Penguins and into 4th place in the East Division. 

Twenty-three days earlier, Shero’s team was in solid playoff footing, 3 points ahead of the Golden Seals with 11 games to go. They went 3-4-3, including a 4-4 home tie vs. the Penguins the day before which put them 2 points up with 1 remaining. Pittsburgh would win the head-to-head season series tiebreaker with a win and Flyers loss. Meehan beat an unscreened Doug Favell with a 45 footer to win the game, Philly’s only defeat in their last 6 contests.

“It was like getting shot,” said Bill Clement in Jay Greenberg’s Full Spectrum.

“I feel dead inside,” admitted Bobby Clarke in the same chapter.

The mercurial Snider decided to take the long view for once, as Greenberg related: “It was unbelievable what happened. But once I got used to it, I realized we had made great strides. I was still totally and completely confident.”

The only move of significance the front office made in the wake of the unreal setback was to secure Bernie Parent from the Blazers in the WHA, which had nothing to do directly with Favell’s error. 

Just 777 days later, the Stanley Cup came to Philadelphia.

1.   May 31, 1987: Oilers 3, Flyers 1 - Northlands Coliseum. Until the day they win it all, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Edmonton will stand as the high-water mark for the franchise regarding playoff prowess.

More than any other loss, it stands as a model by which all future Flyers playoff teams will be judged; outmanned and injured, a team with 4 or 5 star players at best took the greatest offensive machine in league history which boasted a half dozen potential Hall-of-Famers down to the final 2 ½ minutes before the championship was decided. 

What if Brian Propp’s shot in the 1st period, minutes after Mark Messier tied the game, actually made it all the way through Grant Fuhr’s pads? What if Ilkka Sinisalo didn’t throw an absolute brick on net from 15 feet away with nobody in sight with the game tied, 1-1, early in the 2nd period? What if the puck hadn’t skipped over Ron Sutter’s stick at the Oilers’ blue line with clear ice ahead early in the 3rd period in a 2-1 game?

Legend has it Keenan brought the Cup into the locker room pregame to goose the ultimate visualization for a roster mentally and physically wiped from 26 games in 53 days and 117 since September. Maybe he should have bribed arena staff to poison a few Edmonton pregame meals instead.

Hextall made 40 stops in his 26th playoff game and 92nd appearance of the season, rightfully earning a Conn Smythe Trophy he’d rather not have won. Wayne Gretzky called him the greatest goalie he’d ever faced.

“I’ve never been shot with a bullet,” said Norris Trophy runner up Mark Howe “But it couldn’t hurt any more than this.”

It will be 40 years next spring, and the bullet holes in thousands of fans have healed but never faded.