A slow start doomed Philadelphia, which won 33 games and finished 12th in the Eastern Conference, 14 points behind Pennsylvania's number one team the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild card spot.
Changes were made after the season, none bigger than at coach. Craig Berube was fired and replaced by Dave Hakstol, who will coach his first NHL game when the Flyers open the season Oct. 8 at the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hakstol, 47, spent the past 11 seasons as coach at the University of North Dakota. Hakstol, the 19th coach in Flyers history, won 289 games with North Dakota and helped develop Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews and Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie, among others. Under Hakstol's guidance, North Dakota advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four seven times, including last season when it reached the semifinals. Hakstol was named National Collegiate Hockey Conference coach of the year twice and was a finalist for national coach of the year eight times. Hakstol is the first coach since Bob Johnson in 1982 to jump directly from college hockey into his first job in the NHL. The Flyers were disappointed to miss the playoffs last season, but they were thrilled with the play of right wing Jakub Voracek. He tied for fourth in the NHL in scoring with 81 points (22 goals, 59 assists) in 82 games and signed a multiyear extension on July 30; TSN reported the contract is for eight years and worth $66 million. Voracek is unquestionably a key component of the Flyers roster, which Hextall tried to improve this offseason with the signing of backup goaltender Michal Neuvirth, who, with starter Steve Mason, gives Philadelphia a formidable one-two punch, and the acquisition of forward Sam Gagner from the Coyotes. Considering the Flyers haven't failed to qualify for the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since a five-year hiatus from 1990-94, Voracek is confident Philadelphia will be back in the postseason.
Philadelphia thought the forward had a lot left in the tank when he signed a five-year contract in 2013. Lecavalier, now 35, went from 20 goals in 2013-14 to eight last season. Flyers general manager Ron Hextall would trade Lecavalier if he could, but with three years remaining at an average annual value of $4.5 million, that's going to be difficult. Instead, the Flyers likely are going to have to hope Lecavalier can have a bounce-back season. If he does, the chances of them getting back to the playoffs will increase.
With the exception of forward Sam Gagner, the Flyers essentially have the same roster returning from last season. Several teams around them in the Metropolitan Division, particularly the Columbus Blue Jackets (Brandon Saad) and Penguins (Phil Kessel), added key players this offseason. It will be important for the Flyers to get off to a good start if they hope to keep pace in what should be a pulsating race. Philadelphia won 12 of 30 games against division opponents last season. It's hard to fathom it can be a playoff team if the results are remotely similar.
The Flyers have less than $600,000 under the NHL's $71.4 million salary cap for 2015-16, according to war-on-ice.com, mainly because of their expensive, veteran defensemen. The defense is anchored by Mark Streit, who turns 38 in December and has two years remaining on his contract at an AAV of $5.25 million. Streit is still a valuable asset offensively (he had 52 points last season), but it may be unfair to ask him to average the 22:22 of ice time that he did last season.
Andrew MacDonald, who struggled last season, has five years remaining on his contract at an AAV of $5 million, and Michael Del Zotto signed a multiyear contract worth a reported AAV of $3.875 million July 16. Luke Schenn, Nick Schultz and Yevgeni Medvedev, who is 32 but has never played in the NHL, should play key roles for a defense that allowed 234 goals last season, a statistic that must improve if the Flyers hope to compete for a playoff spot.Flyers fans might be nervous that coach Dave Hakstol has never worked at the NHL level, but general manager Ron Hextall said Hakstol is ready for the challenge. Hasktol, 47, coached the University of North Dakota to the Frozen Four seven times in 11 seasons.
The Flyers have talent among their forwards, led by right wing Jakub Voracek and captain Claude Giroux. Voracek, who signed a multiyear extension July 30 (eight years, $66 million, according to TSN), was among the NHL scoring leaders last season with 81 points; Giroux has 159 points over the past two seasons. Right wing Wayne Simmonds is coming off another impressive season; he had 28 goals and 22 assists in 75 games and has become one of the better power forwards in the NHL.
It's been an issue more often than not in Philadelphia, but the Flyers should be solid in goal this season. Mason started 48 games last season and finished in the top eight in the NHL in goals-against average (2.25) and save percentage (.928). He'll be backed up by Michal Neuvirth, who signed a two-year contract as a free agent July 1. Neuvirth had a .918 save percentage in 27 games for the Buffalo Sabres before finishing the season with the New York Islanders.
The No. 6 pick in the 2007 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, Gagner will play for his third NHL team after they acquired him from the Coyotes this summer. It could be the charm for Gagner, who has good vision and solid hands. The 25-year-old, who'll likely be moved from center to wing, has 336 points (116 goals, 220 assists) in 562 games.
With the exception of forward Sam Gagner, the Flyers essentially have the same roster returning from last season. Several teams around them in the Metropolitan Division, particularly the Columbus Blue Jackets (Brandon Saad) and Penguins (Phil Kessel), added key players this offseason. It will be important for the Flyers to get off to a good start if they hope to keep pace in what should be a pulsating race. Philadelphia won 12 of 30 games against division opponents last season. It's hard to fathom it can be a playoff team if the results are remotely similar.
The Flyers have less than $600,000 under the NHL's $71.4 million salary cap for 2015-16, according to war-on-ice.com, mainly because of their expensive, veteran defensemen. The defense is anchored by Mark Streit, who turns 38 in December and has two years remaining on his contract at an AAV of $5.25 million. Streit is still a valuable asset offensively (he had 52 points last season), but it may be unfair to ask him to average the 22:22 of ice time that he did last season.
Andrew MacDonald, who struggled last season, has five years remaining on his contract at an AAV of $5 million, and Michael Del Zotto signed a multiyear contract worth a reported AAV of $3.875 million July 16. Luke Schenn, Nick Schultz and Yevgeni Medvedev, who is 32 but has never played in the NHL, should play key roles for a defense that allowed 234 goals last season, a statistic that must improve if the Flyers hope to compete for a playoff spot.Flyers fans might be nervous that coach Dave Hakstol has never worked at the NHL level, but general manager Ron Hextall said Hakstol is ready for the challenge. Hasktol, 47, coached the University of North Dakota to the Frozen Four seven times in 11 seasons.
The Flyers have talent among their forwards, led by right wing Jakub Voracek and captain Claude Giroux. Voracek, who signed a multiyear extension July 30 (eight years, $66 million, according to TSN), was among the NHL scoring leaders last season with 81 points; Giroux has 159 points over the past two seasons. Right wing Wayne Simmonds is coming off another impressive season; he had 28 goals and 22 assists in 75 games and has become one of the better power forwards in the NHL.
It's been an issue more often than not in Philadelphia, but the Flyers should be solid in goal this season. Mason started 48 games last season and finished in the top eight in the NHL in goals-against average (2.25) and save percentage (.928). He'll be backed up by Michal Neuvirth, who signed a two-year contract as a free agent July 1. Neuvirth had a .918 save percentage in 27 games for the Buffalo Sabres before finishing the season with the New York Islanders.
The No. 6 pick in the 2007 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, Gagner will play for his third NHL team after they acquired him from the Coyotes this summer. It could be the charm for Gagner, who has good vision and solid hands. The 25-year-old, who'll likely be moved from center to wing, has 336 points (116 goals, 220 assists) in 562 games.
The Flyers are experienced on defense, with three of their six regulars 28 or older. But an influx of young, talented defensemen is on the way. Led by Ivan Provorov, the Flyers are about to get younger and quicker on defense within the next two years. Provorov, drafted with the No. 7 pick of the 2015 NHL Draft, hopes it won't even take that long.
Ivan Provorov, D
How acquired: 1st round (No. 7), 2015 NHL Draft
Last season: Brandon, WHL: 60 GP, 15-46-61
Provorov (6-foot, 201 pounds) was the youngest member of Russia's silver medal-winning team at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship. The 18-year-old then helped Brandon reach the Western Hockey League championship series, scoring two goals with 17 assists in 13 playoff games.
Travis Sanheim, D
How acquired: 1st round (No. 17), 2014 NHL Draft
Last season: Calgary, WHL: 67 GP, 15-50-65
Sanheim, 19, made a huge jump in his second season at the junior level with Calgary, more than doubling his offensive production. The 6-foot-3, 181-pound defenseman likely will need another year of seasoning in the WHL, but Sanheim has a bright future and could be a mainstay in Philadelphia once he is NHL-ready.
Shayne Gostisbehere, D
How acquired: 3rd round (No. 78), 2012 NHL Draft
Last season: Flyers: 2 GP, 0-0-0; Lehigh Valley, AHL: 5 GP, 0-5-5
Gostisbehere (5-11, 170) is coming off a tough season; he tore his ACL in November and did not return. The Union College product participated at development camp, where he deemed himself ready to play this season. Flyers brass is hopeful that watching as many games as Gostisbehere did after having knee surgery will be beneficial in the long run.
Scott Laughton, C
How acquired: 1st round (No. 20), 2012 NHL Draft
Last season: Flyers: 31 GP, 2-4-6; Lehigh Valley, AHL: 39 GP, 14-13-27
Laughton, 21, split last season between the Flyers and Lehigh Valley. He was demoted in February after being unable to produce despite centering Philadelphia's second line. But the Flyers remain high on Laughton (6-1, 190), who is projected to be a solid two-way center for years to come.
Samuel Morin, D
How acquired: 1st round (No. 11), 2013 NHL Draft
Last season: Rimouski, QMJHL: 38 GP, 5-27-32
Morin (6-6, 202) impressed at training camp last September before being sent to junior for another season. He helped Canada win a gold medal at the 2015 WJC but missed five weeks because of a broken jaw. The 20-year-old returned in time to help Rimouski win the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship, scoring one goal with 10 assists in 19 playoff games.
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