97.5 The Fanatic Flyers Weekly Roundup: Defining The Rebuild
Training camp is underway, and 97.5 The Fanatic has the Flyers Weekly Roundup to catch you up on everything going on over in Vorhees. Danny Briere and John Tortorella spoke…
Training camp is underway, and 97.5 The Fanatic has the Flyers Weekly Roundup to catch you up on everything going on over in Vorhees.
Danny Briere and John Tortorella spoke to the media about the steps of the rebuild and expectations heading into 2023-24. A newfound sense of optimism based on the long-term future just might help the sentiment around the team under a new organizational structure.
The Philadelphia Flyers certainly have a long way until they’re back to Stanley Cup contention. Will they continue to take the beginning steps this season?
Danny Briere on Season Expectations, Rebuild
The rookie GM has openly admitted the dreaded “rebuild” that was off limits during the Chuck Fletcher era. He spoke about overall expectations for 2023-24, a season with very low expectations on the ice.
“It’s about the future. It’s about the development. It’s about how we come together as a team. That’s how we’re going to judge success...We’re not trying to lose. We’re trying to develop our guys, hopefully in a winning culture, but (in) an environment where they leave everything they have on the ice every single night. I hope and think that our fans will respect that.” -Danny Briere
The city of Philadelphia is all too familiar with tanking. “The Process” hasn’t led to success for the 76ers, and the Flyers plan to handle the rebuild a lot differently.
The plan is to develop young players as part of the future without short-term expectations in the standings, but also without prioritizing a poor final record for the sake of lottery odds and draft positioning.
“It’s a fine line where you want to give the young guys a chance, and Torts did a tremendous job of that last year, but at the same time not putting them in position to fail. That’s the part that we have to gauge. Put them in good position so they can grow and get better.” -Briere
Regardless of how fans feel about tanking, Briere and the organization won’t deliberately use the strategy.
A finish with the NHL’s fourth-worst record (like in 2021-22) or the seventh-worst record (like 2022-23) is more likely than a last-place finish and the highest odds in the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery, for better or for worse.
John Tortorella Setting The Standard
The head coach is a key piece of the rebuild, which isn’t true in most comparable situations. John Tortorella set the standard for performance on and off the ice in 2022-23. He plans to take the next step in 2023-24, and he pointed out on Sept. 21 that young players have a golden opportunity right in front of them.
“It’s a land of opportunity here. When you’re a team that has very publicly stated that we’re starting over and trying to get this right, there is opportunity. It’s always interesting to see what happens in a camp when there is that opportunity.” -John Tortorella
Tortorella employed his expected Herb Brooks-esque strategy with the infamous "bag skate" on the first day of camp. It wasn't his intention to dump the pucks out of the bag. It was time for sprints.
“It’s more of a test. I felt our guys could handle it, and they did,” the former Stanley Cup winner said winner said. “That’s the key. That’s building a standard of what you have to do.”
A coach who has won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL Coach of the Year twice brings a track record that players must respect. He runs as tight of a ship as you’ll find in the modern era of professional sports.
Briere is quick to explain the whole story about a head coach who has a reputation among some people around the NHL for striking fear into players.
“Torts is a demanding coach, no doubt about it. He’s fair and to the point, but he has a knack to let the players know that he cares about (them). He has a knack because it’s genuine. He cares about his players. When you hear him talk about his players, he really cares about them. He wants the best out of them. He doesn’t care what they think of him. He just wants to get the most out of them because he knows how far he can push them." -Briere
Flyers Roster Outlook From 97.5 The Fanatic
One preseason injury will throw pretty much all lineup projections out the window. However, there are a lot of things to watch before the Flyers meet the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 12.
Forwards
Locks: Sean Couturier, Morgan Frost, Noah Cates
In the Mix: Ryan Poehling, Tanner Laczynski, Elliot Desnoyers
Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson will look to regain rhythm coming off long-term injury absences. They’ll need to develop chemistry with emerging centerpieces like Owen Tippett, Noah Cates, and Joel Farabee. Tyson Foerster hopes to mark his claim as a long-term building block.
Defensemen
Locks: Travis Sanheim, Rasmus Ristolainen, Cam York, Sean Walker, Marc Staal
In the Mix: Nick Seeler, Egor Zamula, Emil Andrae, Ronnie Attard, Adam Ginning
Young defensemen like Egor Zamula, Emil Andrae, and Adam Ginning will look to earn spots in the lineup against veterans Marc Staal, Sean Walker, and Nick Seeler.
Goaltenders
Locks: Carter Hart
In the Mix: Sam Ersson, Felix Sandstrom, Cal Petersen
Carter Hart will unquestionably own the crease based solely on performance. No news about the Hockey Canada investigation has advanced the plot on an incredibly murky and unfortunate situation. Sam Ersson, Felix Sandstrom, and Cal Petersen will compete for the backup spot during camp and the preseason.
Get ready to hear about the demands of Flyers training camp over and over "AGAIN!"
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See what Andrew Salciunas found in The Audio Vault today. Every day Andrew dives into the Audio Vault to pull out clips and highlights relevant to the day. And today, with it being the last Flyers home game of the year, the whole Anthony Gargano Show was dedicated to the Flyers. It is a low point for the Flyers. Multiple years of losing hockey. And there is not a ton of hope down the road. But Anthony wanted to remind people that they used to be fun. So he called for a Town Hall to take our Flyers back.
Part of that town Hall was the Audio Vault. And instead of focusing on the horrible times we are currently in with the Flyers, they looked back at the good memories. The times when we actually had fun watching them. Even if those moments did not always result in wins, they were at least fun to watch at the time. So Andrew pulled 9 moments of when the Flyers actually gave us joy.
The Broad Street Bullies era. The run to the Stanley Cup in 2010. Eric Lindros battling without a stick. And so much more. Hockey in Philly used to be a good time. They haven't won it all since the '70s. But even between then and now we at least had times when they were exciting. So in hopes of getting back to at least those times, let's revisit the times when we had fun watching hockey in this city.
Here are the 9 Flyers Moments Andrew played in today's Audio Vault...
1974- The Flyers Win The Stanley Cup
In 1974, the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup. Affectionately nicknamed The Broad Street Bullies for their aggressive style of play, the Flyers from the 70s gave the organization their two and only Stanely Cups. Led by guys like Bill Barber, Bernie Parent, Dave Schulz, and Bobby Clarke. Most Flyers fans are not old enough to remember them. But even for those too young to have seen them play, they serve as a reminder that this franchise used to win.
1975- Flyers Win Second Stanley Cup in a Row
Two championships in a row. The only Philly franchise to accomplish that feat, unless you count Eagles Championships or the Philadelphia Athletics. Quite a feat. though with all that said, guys like Bobby Clarke and Bill Barber have had a large hand in getting the Flyers to this low point. Still, we can appreciate what they did as players and also acknowledge they need to stop having any say in the future direction of the franchise.
1997 - Lindros's No Stick Shift
It would be hard to argue with anyone who said Eric Lindros was the most skilled player to ever wear a Flyers Jersey. And that was on full display in the 1997 playoffs. Lindros lost his stick in a game vs the Penguins. That would usually take players out of a shift. Not Lindros. He held onto the puck, and even finished the shift with a goal after getting his stick back.
2000- Primeau Wins It in 5th OT
Beating the Penguins is always good. Beating them in the playoffs is even better. But beating them in a 5 OT Game? That is what Keith Primeau and the Flyers did in 2000. Game 4 of that Playoff Series was knotted 1-1 through 3 periods of regulation, and 4 of Over Time. But Keith Primeau finally;ly ended the marathon game with this goal.
2010- Shootout Clinches Playoff Berth
2010's run did not go the way we wanted it to. But the ride was still so much fun. But that run almost ended before the playoffs. After floundering down the stretch, they were down to their last game of the season. The Rangers held on to a 1-0 lead over the Flyers, until the final period where the Flyers finally lit the lamp. It went to OT, and then to a Shootout. And even that was close. The shootout was tied 1-1. Giroux comes up and nets it. Leaving the Rangers down to just Olli Jokinen with a chance to tie it back up. But Brian Boucher said No, and the Flyers were heading to the playoffs.
2010- Flyers Comeback from Down 3-0 in the Series and in Game 7
If you thought the shootout was tense though, the series vs the Bruins jacked that up to another level. The Flyers went down 0-3 to Bruins. At the time, only 3 American Sports teams have come back in a 7 game Series after losing the first 3 games. The Flyers made that 4. But not only did they come back from a 3-0 hole in the series, they came back from being down 3-0 in game 7 too. It is something you could honestly argue is the best comeback in Sports history, given it was not only a series comeback but also a comeback in game 7.
After this and the shootout, it felt like the Flyers were destined to win.
2010- Giroux's Game Winning Goal in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals
That magic continued for a moment in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Series vs the Blackhawks. Chicago took games 1 and 2 of the series. And if it wasn't for this Girouz game-winning shot, the Flyers would have been in another 3-0 series holes. But the Flyers were not dead yet. Giroux gave them a little bit of life. While it did not work out for the Flyers, there was fleeting bit of hope after this OT Game Winner.
