Philadelphia Flyers 2014-15 Season Outlook

[pilldoc]

Surprised no one has started a thread yet regarding this topic.  Of course it is a moot point since most of what I am going to type has probably been addressed somewhere in all these discussion threads.  So here it goes....if I repeat any, then forgive me.  I'm going to put this all in one tidy thread. I hope.

 

http://thehockeywriters.com/questions-facing-flyers-heading-into-camp/

 

Last Season:  Finished 3rd in Metro Divison and lost to the Rangers in the 1st Round

 

Key Acquisitions: RJ Umberger (acquired via trade for Scott Hartnell), Michael Del Zotto, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Ryan White, Nick Schultz

Key Departures: Scott Hartnell (traded to the Blue Jackets for RJ Umberger), Kimmo Timmonen (lost for probably the entire season due to medical reasons), Steve Downie (not resigned)

 

So when we last seriouosly talked about the Flyers, they just got eliminated by the Rangers in Round #1 of the playoffs.  So what went right?  After a horrific start, this team showed some grit and played their way into the playoffs.  Giroux also bounced back from his wretched start (off season wrist injury), to show why he is the heart and soul of this team. Played well enough to be at least mentioned as a Hart Trophy finalist.  Steve Mason showed he could carry the load and the Flyers, finally after what seams an eternity, might have finally found themselves a goaltender.  Coots continued to play way as a defensive specialist.  Simmonds showed why he belongs in O&B and after that horrible start, the players seem to buy into the system that Berube, aka the Chief, is asking them to play.  They had one of the top 10 PP units units and showed that they can score goals.

 

So what went wrong?  One word. Defense.  The blue line is older and slower.  Help is on the way for this unit, but they are all at least 2-3 years away.  The defense was simply overmatched at times.  Either being too slow or exposed being out of position.  I need not go into details as most of you know who the whipping boys are.  No need to rehash that.  The other issue...VLC.  Where does he truly belong on this team.  Some are trying to give him a free pass because of his back injury last year.  Others are not so forgiving.  He plays an invisible defense and is blocking potential roster spots for younger players.  Berube has already addressed that Vinny will at least start on the 3rd line.  Gulp!  Hexy tried to move him during the offseason, but to no avail.  (Can you say impossible contract handed out by our lovely ex-GM, Homer himself.)  Injuries did not help either.  Giroux start slow and therefore the entire team started slow enough to get Lavy canned.  Some on here argue it could have been conditioning that caused some issues.

 

So what to expect this year?  I figure much of the same as last year.  A team that is not really all that bad and not really in the top echelon of NHL teams.  There will be nights we will explode on them and will want to rip them to shreds.  Then there will be stretches that they can do no wrong and we could be praising everybody including Coburn and Vinny!   So.........

• Can Mason play like last year? 
• Who plays on the line with Roo and Jake?
• What do we do with Vinny? Will he / can he be traded sometime during the season, before the trade deadline?
• Can Coots be asked to be more offensively minded and will he produce? 
• With Giroux out for the entire preseason, how does that affect him at the start of the season?  
• How will this team respond to having Berube at the start of training camp?
• What do we make of MDZ.? It is either put up or shut up time for him. How does he factor into the defense? Kimmo's leadership will surely be missed.
• Will we see Laughton or Ghost at all this season? or maybe Alt, due to the inevitable injuries that are bound to happen.
• I am sure there are many more questions surrounding this team.

It is way to early to see where this team falls in the Metro Division.  Quite honestly, I really have no clue to what to expect from this team. Really the only thing I ask, as most of you would agree with me, is that this team plays for a solid 60 minutes of hockey of every single game.  I don't want them to take a period or two off.  That type of play will irritate us more than one having a severe case of prickly heat on your rear. 

 

If they play hard, then let the chips fall where they fall.