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Philadelphia Flyers Gameday HQ

Metropolitan backyard. The additions of Del Zotto and Nick Schultz don’t exactly make this unit better, and if the Flyers want to have postseason success, they need to upgrade this area throughout the season. Goaltending Okay, so Steve Mason didn’t replicate his remarkable rookie season in Columbus, when he registered 10 shutouts and posted a 2.29 goalsagainst average. But he was pretty steady in Philadelphia, especially playing in net behind a below-par defense. Mason’s .917 save percentage was solid, he allowed 2.50 goals in his 61 games, and he shut out four opponents. Mason finished seventh in the Vezina voting and had an allaround strong year. The question, of course, is can he duplicate it. He was not very good in Columbus after his debut, and with the Flyers’ defense not so sturdy, he can’t afford to become a liability. That goes double since his backup, Ray Emery, is mercurial. He was just 9-12-2 last year, with a 2.96 GAA. That doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence on a team that needs someone reliable between the posts. Emery could be great this year; it has happened before. But he didn’t deliver last season. Power Play The Flyers’ success rate on the power play dropped nearly two percentage points from 2012-13, and that’s not enough to boost a team into Cup contention. Swapping Hartnell for Umberger is a wash in this area, based on their 2013-14 production, but the team needs more people to produce when it has an advantage. Simmonds was a beast on the power play last year, but it’s unreasonable to expect him to deliver like that again, especially since his 15 goals were four more than his previous career high and nine better than his 2012-13 performance. Giroux is steady in this area, as is Voracek. Expect Lecavalier to produce on the advantage, and Streit and Schenn will chip in, but this area has to improve across the board, if Philadelphia is going to move forward. Even though they were eighth in the league, they were still behind division mates Pittsburgh and Washington. Penalty Kill The Flyers’ penalty kill was ranked seventh in the NHL last year, which is kind of surprising, given that the team’s defense was so vulnerable. But having Mason solid in goal was a big reason for the team’s success in that area. Claude Giroux Len Redkoles/NHL/Getty Images Perhaps the biggest reason for the success is that the Flyers just don’t let other teams get shots on goal when they are on the power play. When you subtract blocked shots and shots that go wide or high, the Flyers allowed the fewest enemy power play shots in the league. That’s huge. As for the personnel, Couturier is a particularly strong penalty killer. So are Schenn, Read and Grossman. Although Timonen won’t be there, it’s unlikely the Flyers will slip too far. Under Craig Berube, they have a good system and execute it well on a nightly basis. Three Questions 1. Can the Flyers’ defense get better? This isn’t an easy one, because from a personnel situation right now, the answer would seem to be no. Losing Timonen hurts, and there were no significant off-season additions. Unless the front office makes deals during the year, this area will still struggle. 2. Will Mason continue to shine? Even though the goaltender slumped after his great rookie year, he did show plenty during his seven-game audition with the Flyers in 2012-13 and then was strong throughout the 2013-14 campaign. He has long-term security and feels comfortable in the Flyers’ system, so Mason should be fine. 3. Will a big-time scorer emerge? There is no question Giroux has the potential to pile up 35-40 goals, but he wasn’t able to get there last year. If he doesn’t do it, don’t count on Simmonds, who had a career year last year, or even Schenn, who was supposed to be a star after coming over from the Kings. Prediction The Flyers will again be a team that finishes in the top four among their Metropolitan brethren, but it’s unrealistic to consider this group good enough to win the division or contend for the Stanley Cup. The defense isn’t good enough, and while there is good scoring depth, there aren’t enough big producers.


Philadelphia Flyers Gameday HQ
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