Adversity : a state, condition, or instance of serious or continued difficulty or adverse fortune.
The latest edition of the Philadelphia Flyers have stared down adversity of all shapes and sizes since before this season even began. The players once considered the cornerstones of the franchise, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, were traded on the same day in what many called an unprecedented organizational face-lift. Who would replace their combined production of 59 goals and 132 points? Seven other players departed and fans were left to wonder whether or not this team was rebuidling, or retooling. Last years team averaged 3.12 goals per game at season end; good for 3rd in the league. This years team is averaging 3.12 goals per game, good for 3rd in the league. Suffice to say, the moves made by Paul Holmgren have payed off so far. The production that left has easily been replaced by younger and hungrier players, whether it be "Rookie of the Year" candidate Matt Read or a veteran player acquired in the offseason trades like Wayne Simmonds. Just 4 points out of home-ice advantage in the 1st round of the playoffs with 6 games to go (2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who they are chasing), what GM Paul Holmgren has managed to do is the definition of retooling.
The Flyers have found a way to score and more importantly, they have found a way to win. After the dramatic maneuvering of Paul Holmgren left fans and "experts" wondering if they would even be a playoff team this season, the Flyers have silenced all critics and are one of only 5 teams to have already clinched their spot in the post-season dance. Head coach Peter Laviolette deserves a lot of the credit for his ability to seamlessly integrate new players, a lot of which have been rookies, into his existing system. Adversity faced? Check. Adversity overcome? Check. They say overcoming adversity can turn a good team into a great team. Only time will tell.
The latest edition of the Philadelphia Flyers have stared down adversity of all shapes and sizes since before this season even began. The players once considered the cornerstones of the franchise, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, were traded on the same day in what many called an unprecedented organizational face-lift. Who would replace their combined production of 59 goals and 132 points? Seven other players departed and fans were left to wonder whether or not this team was rebuidling, or retooling. Last years team averaged 3.12 goals per game at season end; good for 3rd in the league. This years team is averaging 3.12 goals per game, good for 3rd in the league. Suffice to say, the moves made by Paul Holmgren have payed off so far. The production that left has easily been replaced by younger and hungrier players, whether it be "Rookie of the Year" candidate Matt Read or a veteran player acquired in the offseason trades like Wayne Simmonds. Just 4 points out of home-ice advantage in the 1st round of the playoffs with 6 games to go (2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who they are chasing), what GM Paul Holmgren has managed to do is the definition of retooling.
Alas, major changes were just the first dose of adversity. The second came in the form of a tidal wave of injuries. The suddenly red-hot Ilya Bryzgalov is just the latest in a long-list of battered combatants. It's unclear as to how Bryzgalov chipped a bone in his foot or how much time he will miss. It may have been from kicking defensemen Matt Carle in his posterior after his costly turnover in the 3rd period of Monday's game against Tampa Bay led to the deciding goal. Andrej Meszaros, the reigning Barry Ashbee Trophy winner (best Flyers defensemen as voted upon by the team) will miss another 5-7 weeks following his back surgery last week. Lest we forget about veteran defensemen and defacto leader Chris Pronger, who replaced Richards as Flyers captain. Just 13 games into his tenure, Pronger suffered a season-ending concussion. His presence was dearly missed for much of the middle of the season. The Flyers fell as low as 26th overall in goals against per game. General Manager Paul Holmgren didn't sit on his hands though. Instead, he went out and acquired Nicklas Grossmann and Pavel Kubina to shore up the defense in Prongers absence. Since then, The Flyers have allowed just 24 goals in 15 games, moving up to 20th overall in GAPG. Blossoming power-forward James van Riemsdyk, fresh off of a dominating performance in the playoffs, was awarded a big contract extension, and promptly suffered injury after injury, limiting him to just 43 of the teams 76 games thus far.
Concussions have been the hot-button topic yet again this season around the NHL. You want concussions? We've got concussions; six different Flyers to be exact. You'd be better off asking which players haven't yet suffered a serious injury this season.
Flyers Total Man-Games Lost to Injury:
- Laperriere 76
- Betts 73
- Pronger 62
- van Riemsdyk 32
- Gustafsson 21
- Schenn 20
- Sestito 19
- Lilja 13
- Briere 9
- Jagr 9
- Meszaros 12
- Couturier 5
- Timonen 5
- Kubina 6
- Giroux 4
- Rinaldo 4
- Read 3
- Voracek 3
- Bryzgalov 2
- Coburn 1
- Talbot 1
If you exclude Laperriere and Betts, who were never in the Flyers plans for this season, you get a grand total of 229 Man-Games Lost to Injury, 11th most in the league. The only teams likely to make the playoffs ahead of the Flyers in this dubious category are Pittsburgh, Florida, and St. Louis.
Turnover in personnel and injuries haven't been the only sources of adversity for the Orange & Black. For the first 5 months of the season, they had to overcome the wildly inconsistent goaltending from Ilya Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky and the media frenzy that exacerbated it. Not only that, but they have been notorious for starting off slowly in games. No matter. They have the 3rd highest winning percentage when being scored upon first.
The Flyers have found a way to score and more importantly, they have found a way to win. After the dramatic maneuvering of Paul Holmgren left fans and "experts" wondering if they would even be a playoff team this season, the Flyers have silenced all critics and are one of only 5 teams to have already clinched their spot in the post-season dance. Head coach Peter Laviolette deserves a lot of the credit for his ability to seamlessly integrate new players, a lot of which have been rookies, into his existing system. Adversity faced? Check. Adversity overcome? Check. They say overcoming adversity can turn a good team into a great team. Only time will tell.
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