The Philadelphia Flyers have not made the playoffs in five years. In fact, if they miss the postseason for the sixth consecutive season, they will set a new franchise record —and not the good kind.
On Wednesday, Flyers President of Hockey Operations, Keith Jones, and Flyers Governor Dan Hilferty both said that the Flyers are still being patient with the rebuild. Both of the Flyers’ higher-ups said that success will not be measured by postseason or not; instead, a successful season will show improvement from last season.
While the current brass did not take over until the 2023 offseason, time is running out on the “patient approach”.
Since Jones and Danny Briere took over, the Flyers have been stuck in a constant cycle of subtraction. While the team has added draft capital and prospects in exchange for NHL assets, they have not done much, if anything at all, to improve the NHL clubs’ immediate standing.
During a rebuild, that’s ok. It’s more or less what you are supposed to do. Things have to get worse before they can get better. It certainly does look better for Philadelphia. In the span of three drafts, the Flyers front office added Matvei Michkov–a franchise-changing talent, along with Porter Martone, Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk, and Jack Nesbitt in the first rounds. They have also acquired prospects Carson Bjarnason, Yegor Zavragin, Jack Berglund, and Spencer Gill beyond the first round.
While they were left with a rather messy prospect pool, Jones and Briere gave the group a significant revamp. It was done quickly, but the Flyers have a good prospect pool once again.
You can start to see the foundation of a future in Philadelphia. The Flyers even began adding talent this offseason by trading for Trevor Zegras. However, it’s still not enough.
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Things Look Better for the Flyers, but Time is Still Running Out
Philadelphia is a passionate sports city. The Flyers have quickly fallen far behind teams like the Eagles, Phillies, and even the Sixers. It’s hard to pack stadiums when teams are struggling to be in playoff contention, let alone winning games.
It’s been five years since the Flyers last made the postseason. You can’t blame the current regime for the mess it inherited. Briere, Jones, and Hilferty are not to blame for the five-year drought — but they can’t let it last six.
It’s hard for a fanbase to remain interested in a team if the product on the ice is not there.
I wrote a story about Rick Tocchet’s call for energetic crowds at Xfinity Mobile Arena this season. To close, I left the open-ended question, “What will it take to get crowds back for Flyers games?” The common response: winning.
It has become clear that to re-engage the fan base to its fullest potential, they need to win games again.
That being said, the “patient rebuild” is running out of time. How much longer can the fanbase be expected to be patient?
I, for one, can appreciate a methodical rebuild. What Jones and Briere are doing will help the team in the long haul. I am not here to deny their strategy. All I am suggesting here is that it is time to get this thing moving.
Five years is a long time for a team not to make the postseason. No team ever wants to set its franchise record for the longest postseason drought. So, the Flyers need to pick things up.
I believe that with the current roster, the Flyers can push for the postseason. It’s bold, I get that, but I believe it. It’s time to solidify it.
The “patient rebuild” is running out of time. It’s time to set the new standard for hockey in Philadelphia.
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