2016-17 record: 39-33-10 (88 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: Claude Giroux
The Philadelphia Flyers are team that is seemingly stuck in the rut of mediocrity. Not bad enough to be dead last (yet somehow still managed to pick second overall in this year's draft), but not good enough to be playoff contenders. Yes, it's that weird middle ground that the Flyers will continue to occupy until something major happens. Until then, it's anyone's guess where the Flyers will be when it comes to the playoffs.
For all the talent up front, the Flyers still finished in the bottom third of the league offensively. It's not good when three of the four leading scorers were the only ones to score above 15 goals. It gets more complicated, as one of them, Brayden Schenn, was traded in the off-season. The good news was that Nolan Patrick was the prize for landing the second overall pick in the draft, and he may very well land a spot on the second line. The bad news is that not much else was done up front other than swapping Schenn for Jori Lehtera. Defensively, the team was merely okay, although there is a good chance that the Flyers could see one or two rookies make their debuts. Ivan Provorov leads the way, and any of Travis Sanheim, Robert Hagg, Samuel Morin, and/or Philippe Myers could join him alongside veterans Shayne Gostisbehere, Radko Gudas, and Brandon Manning. In goal, the Steve Mason/Michal Neuvirth experiment didn't work, so now they are planning to pair Neuvirth with Brian Elliott, who himself is coming off an average season in Calgary. It may just be a matter of time before Anthony Stolarz stays with the Flyers for good, as he's been knocking at the door for a couple of years now. The special teams were a reflection of the team's inability to be anything besides average, as the power play was middle of the pack and the penalty kill was bottom third of the league.
Prediction: 6th in the Metropolitan Division
The Flyers may do just enough to make things interesting in a crowded Metropolitan Division, but until something dramatic happens, there is no denying that they are going to be nothing more than just your average NHL team.
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