Today we discuss Gritty….just kidding…today we discuss the Flyers and this is a fun deep dive with several surprising facts.
What Went Right Last Season:
The Flyers surprised some by making the playoffs on the strength of a brilliant coaching move of putting Couturier at center and Giroux on the wing. Giroux being set free from the defensive responsibilities of center thrived and put up a 100 point season that sort of came out of nowhere…The Flyers also saw the beginnings of a potential superstar in Provorov, who really deserved more attention and one day will get plenty.
What May Keep That From Happening Again:
Provorov will have to keep up his high level of play and Couturier must manage to stay healthy…that and of course the goalies…
What Went Wrong Last Season:
This team had its worse season ever on the Penalty Kill...something at which the Flyers have historically been exceptional. The Goaltending situation was also very tenuous come playoff time, but Brian Elliott was much better than expected in the regular season.
What They Did to Address Their Issues:
Ghost has looked awesome in the preseason…They really didn’t do a lot to fix their PK, but they did add more scoring by adding JvR…The goalie situation will be the one to watch…Neuvirth is already hurt again an Elliott is a question mark to be sure… They have Stolarz as a young goalie who may be ready for some time, but he projects to be more of a backup…Alex Lyon was great for the Phantoms in the playoffs, but is he an NHL goalie? Of course all of this is really just a placeholder for Carter Hart who will be starting with the Phantoms, because the Flyers are unwilling to rush him…I have a hard time believing he ends the season with the Phantoms however…the Flyers have a good blend right now and with a dominant goalie in place they would be a definite Cup contender…
Goals Per Game
3.06 (13th)
Goals Against per Game
2.96 (16th)
Power Play
20.7 (15th)
Penalty Kill
75.8 (29th)
Face Off
53.3 (3rd)
How old are they?
The average is 26.6, which makes them the 11th youngest team in the NHL.
How many ELC’s do they have making impacts?: FIVE
Six is the most we have seen so far when it comes to ELC’s making an impact, and they are making HUGE impacts: Provorov, Patrick, Konecny, Lindblom, Sanheim, all on ELC.
Potential UFA’s/Trade Bait: again, a huge number…Six.
This of course starts with Wayne Simmonds…But also includes Raffl, Weal. and Christian Folin, Elliott and Neuvirth….
How many homegrown are in their top 20? These are players who have really only been on one team in their career
11….12 if you count the fact they did draft JvR…
In what rounds were their top 20 drafted?
First: 9 (including their top 6 forwards)
Second: 3
Third: 4
4th or higher: 2 (Brian Elliott 9th round)
Not Drafted: 1
Where are their top 20 from?
Canada: 10
Czech: 3
Sweden: 3
USA: 2
Russia: 1
Austria: 1
It's the best fantasy game every created. Of course, we're a little biased. The HBSL is a hybrid between a salary cap game and a head-to-head fantasy game. Each week you create your 20 man roster based on the actual NHL salary cap and the actual salary cap hits. You then face-off with a fellow hockey fan. At the end of the regular season, we throw the best 128 teams into a 7-week playoff.
There is a Season Ticket Holder bracket and a Free bracket.
HBSL STH Bracket
Entrants who were season ticket holders at the start of the NHL season are eligible for the following prizes:
Grand Prize: HDTV
Runner-up: Replica Stanley Cup
Semi-Finals Losers: Customized NHL Jersey
Quarter-Finals Losers: HockeyBuzz Shirt & $25 Amazon.com Gift Card
HBSL Free Bracket
Entrants that were NOT season ticket holders at the start of the NHL season are eligible for the following prizes:
Grand Prize: Customized NHL Jersey
Runner-up: HockeyBuzz Shirt & $25 Amazon.com Gift Card
Semi-Finals & Quarter-Finals Losers: HockeyBuzz Shirt
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