Yeah, I never said anything about coasting. Elliot is not having a strong statistical year and fatigue might be a contributing factor. He's about to be 33 and has been a split time starter for most of his career, so his body isn't used to this workload.
Like I said earlier: it's about discipline and understanding that decreasing your chances for a few wins in December is better than risking losing your starter due to fatigue. Just because you play a backup, doesn't mean the team is doomed to lose. It simply decreases your chances of winning by a few percentage points.
I wouldn't be bringing this up if it was just this season. Dating back to Berube, the Flyers have had problems with overplaying their starters for certain stretches. Mason struggled with nagging injuries that plagued him throughout his tenure here. I remember when he came back from surgery and was immediately given a bunch of games in a row without a night off. I remember Hak riding Neuvirth when he first signed here then Neuvirth getting hurt.
If you look back 5 seasons, the Flyers have had injuries to the starter AND the backup during most seasons. That's not normal.
- PhillySportsGuy
A complete analysis would show data on how other teams use their starting goaltenders. Otherwise stating that the Flyers overplay their starters is just a narrative. One could easily state that since Elliott's game totals have been low in his career, his age is less of a factor.
This is just making an unproven leap and trying to state that the Flyers misuse of their goaltenders is the reason for the injuries. It's all just speculation.
