The Olympic break could not have arrived at a better time for the Philadelphia Flyers. With losses in 12 of the last 15 games entering the break, everyone could use some time away, players and fans alike.

That won’t be the case for three Flyers players, who will have the chance to go for gold at the Olympics, but everyone else gets the chance to reset, recharge, and prepare for the stretch run. That is, once everyone figures out what the goal of that stretch run will be.

It wasn’t too long ago that the Flyers were sitting in a great spot in the standings. After 41 games, they were in third place in the Metropolitan Division, one point out of second and four back of first. A playoff run seemed to be in store. Then came the losing streak, first one lasting six games, then another lasting four with a couple of additional losses scattered in. The Flyers have fallen to seventh in the wildcard standings and are eight points out of a playoff spot.

When the Flyers return on Feb. 25, they will have 26 games remaining. And sure, the players in the locker room are not going to dismiss the time that’s left and just consider it a waste. It’s not how they’re wired.

But it sure feels like a longshot for the Flyers to make the playoffs and end a five-year drought. And if that’s where the Flyers’ season is ultimately going, they don’t have much time to try to salvage it the way teams in this position do.

The NHL trade deadline is on March 6, just eight days after the Flyers return to the ice to face the Washington Capitals and open the final portion of the schedule. That leaves precious little time to turn to selling.

And that’s if the Flyers even have anything worth selling.

Christian Dvorak was likely going to be to the top trade chip the Flyers had in this scenario. But now that Dvorak is locked up on a five-year extension, his name is off the market.

The Flyers have toyed with the idea of trading Rasmus Ristolainen, one of the Flyers’ three Olympians, for several seasons. But his health is a question mark that may have potential suitors looking elsewhere.

Nic Deslauriers, Carl Grundstrom, and Noah Juulsen are on expiring contracts, but play minimal roles on the team and are often in and out of the lineup. Getting anything in return for them would be a win for the Flyers.

So when you hear Danny Briere say the deadline is probably going to be quiet, this is why. It won’t be the time to trade away veterans with term and larger cap hits, and there’s little worth selling beyond that.

That places more attention on what the rest of the season may really be about, setting the foundation for future seasons. That starts with Matvei Michkov.

The Michkov saga has been an ongoing one since training camp. It starts in the same place: Michkov wasn’t in shape when camp began. But from there, you can certainly question how everything else has been handled, whether on-ice usage or any off-ice activity that should be kept in-house.

The Flyers have already tried to put that to bed with their words. Danny Briere spoke in the week prior to the break just to calm the waters about the relationship between Michkov and Rick Tocchet. That now has to be put into action.

Briere is about to face a critical offseason. That’s another crossroads for another time. Right now, the one the Flyers face is strictly about this season, and making sure not to stray from the long-term vision they have preached. It’s the starting point to reaching the destination that has always been the goal.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.

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