The NHL free agency flurry of roster movement from the beginning of July has predictably slowed down. As we’ve reached what could be called NHL Midsommar, it’s time to assess where the Philadelphia Flyers stand at this point.
The Flyers ended last season as a team with potential, but with a number of structural weaknesses.
General manager Danny Briere was active in addressing the team’s major areas of need, while considering opportunities for their young core group led by Matvei Michkov, the NHL’s rookie goal scorer leader.
Prior to free agency, the Flyers signaled a change in their approach and structure with the hiring of Rick Tocchet as their head coach.
Tocchet had a highly successful 2023-24 season with the Vancouver Canucks, winning the Jack Adams Trophy as Coach of the Year. However internal problems between top stars Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller caused the team to miss the playoffs last season, leading to his decision to leave Vancouver and join the Flyers.
If you are looking for a deep dive into Tocchet’s coaching philosophies on defense and breakouts, you should check out colleague Bill Meltzer’s “What You Need To Know” series.
With my first official Flyers Thoughts column for HockeyHotStove, we’ll take a look at the new head coach’s options in deploying that roster. This will be the first part of a multiple part preview.
With that in mind, let’s take a look how new additions like Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak, along with current Flyers in Noah Cates and Owen Tippett could affect their fortunes in the Tocchet Era’s first year.
How Will Zegras Mesh With Current Forward Group?
The Flyers weakness at the center position by the end of the 2024-25 season was a target area for improvement.
Zegras, acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for center Ryan Poehling and two draft picks, represents a grand experiment in that area.
In many ways, he essentially replaces the traded Morgan Frost as the latest audition in the quest to find that essential scoring line piece.
The former 2019 ninth overall pick has long stated his desire to return to his original position, but injuries and different coaching philosophies haven’t helped his case.
Briere acknowledged that players under age 25 with Zegras’ offensive pedigree aren’t normally acquirable unless the previous team has concerns about their future in those areas.
“This is why (Zegras) was available in the first place,” Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said to reporters. “Top-six talent is very rarely available around the NHL. We felt that was a risk worth taking for us. We’ve seen him in the past. He had those really good seasons at 20 and 21 years old.”
In reality, the Flyers are essentially buying a lottery ticket with a chance in hitting in different way when it comes to Zegras. The best outcome is that he shows that he can handle the 200 foot responsibility expected of him, while maintaining his offensive creativity.
But it’s important to remember that they’ve brought in a top six talent for relatively low cost. So if the center experiment doesn’t work, he has a chance to maintain value as a scoring threat as a winger.
Zegras could be a puzzle piece that fits the Flyers plans in multiple ways.
Dvorak’s Versatility Essential for Flyers
In looking at Zegras and Dvorak, it’s fascinating to see how much they hold in common. Injuries that have taken away opportunities to show what they are capable of.
In the same light that Zegras can be seen as a replacement for Frost, then Dvorak can be seen as one for Scott Laughton, especially when it comes to being a versatile lineup piece.
The 6’1, 209lb center comes to the Flyers from the Montreal Canadiens following their 2024-25 playoff run. By the end of the playoffs, Dvorak was their second line center. With a market thin at the position, Dvorak had no shortage of interested teams. But he chose to rejoin Tocchet, his first NHL coach with the Arizona Coyotes, in Philadelphia.
Like Laughton, his two way game can play anywhere between a second line role to a checking unit. He has a pedigree as a penalty killer. One of Dvorak’s biggest strengths is his work in the face-off circle. Last season, he ranked third on the Canadiens in face-off wins with 591 (a 55.8% rate).
And, as an NHL veteran, he can also act as a stabilizer for young linemates.
“I want to build off of last year, the momentum I had late last season and in the playoffs,” Dvorak said. “I felt it took my game to another level and I want to start this year at the same level.”
At first glance, the one year, $5.4 million contract he signed was seen by some as an overpayment. But with a healthy season, Dvorak’s ability to play up and down the lineup could be essential to the Flyers’ fortunes.
Newly Re-signed Cates A Key Piece
For all of hand wringing at the end of John Tortorella’s tenure with the Flyers, Noah Cates’ development into a legitimate NHL center was one of his triumphs.
Cates finished last season with 16 goals and 37 points in 78 games played which could be seen a modest statistic. But his overall defensive game and attention to detail work was something the Flyers desperately needed at the pivot. With his value in such a vital spot, the Flyers signed him a four-year, $16 million contract in early June.
“The work he has put in, the patience he has had being out of the lineup, having to work his way up the lineup — I just think he has let his play do the talking for him,” former Flyers interim coach Brad Shaw said in April. “He’s a guy that doesn’t do it with flash; he’s a guy that does it in the trenches and in the 1-on-1s. A great example guy.”
Cates’ line with Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster were called upon regularly to match against other team’s best lines. At times, he was called upon to play top six minutes, especially following Frost’s trade to Calgary.
While Tocchet may be a different coach in some ways to his predecessors, a responsible standard setter like Cates is someone to build upon. One of the more interesting things to think about is: Cates has proven that he is just as effective on the left wing as a center.
Will the new head coach keep him at pivot over the long term?
Tippett Needs Finishing Work
Owen Tippett represents what the Flyers want out of their team in the future when he is at his best: play big, play fast, score regularly. He has the makings of a game breaking talent with his frame, hands, skating, and shooting ability.
Getting that on a consistent basis is one of the biggest items on Tocchet’s “to-do” list this season.
Tippett completed the first season of a eight year, $49.6 million contract ($6.25 mil AAV) in underwhelming fashion with 20 goals, 43 points, and a minus-12 rating. He struggled with consistency offensively and his defensive detail was also lacking.
Punctuating the struggles was an upper body injury that Tippett suffered from a hit from New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Dillon. While the timing of the injury recovery bled into the Four Nations Tournament break, it seemed as if he couldn’t find that additional step through the end of the season
“It was one of those tough ones,” Tippett said of his injury in April. “Frankly, it was a little worse than we thought it was originally, so the break came at a good time. It’s still lingering a little bit with certain things. Any time you miss that amount of time, it’s going to be tough coming back.”
That stated, Tippett took ownership of a difficult campaign and acknowledged that expectations are higher now.
“I think it’s a matter of being consistent and taking that next step into a higher role. I think that everything that happened with moves or whatever, it kind of made me realize that maybe I’m a little bit older than I feel.”
Considering his new head coach’s ability to relate with top talent, it’ll be fascinating to see if Tocchet’s methods will extract that higher level of play on a regular basis.
Off The Post Radio
After taking a week off, the flagship podcast of HockeyHotStove.com returns on Wednesday at 4:30pm ET.
Michael Augello, Russ Cohen, and I will welcome Haley Taylor Simon to discuss the latest with the Flyers, the St. Louis Blues, and tell us about her new podcast “Flyers Pulse.”
In addition, I’m pleased to announce our partnership with Cover All Exteriors LLC, who will be powering our shows going forward!
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