Let’s get it out of the way right off the bat: if you’re expecting the Philadelphia Flyers to win a bunch of games this season, it’s probably best for you to take a big step back.
It seems that very few people will need to hear or read that warning. In The Athletic’s recent Hope-O-Meter Poll — that reached nearly 600 Flyers fans — just 1.7 percent of them were optimistic about the team this season. Dom Luszczyszyn’s ModelThe Flyers were ranked as the NHL’s fifth worst team, projected for 76.5 points; Micah Blake McCurdy’s model at HockeyVizThey were ranked fourth worst.
It’s obvious to the fans. It’s something stat geeks are well aware of. After three weeks of practice camps and preseason games, John Tortorella, the new head coach, seems to have realized it too: This team doesn’t look like a contender.
As camp progressed, Tortorella’s comments regarding the roster became more and more telling. He noted that the team lacked “high-end scorers,” and that they would have to “score by committee.” While Tortorella regularly praised to work ethic and effort of his players in camp, he quickly came to the realization that this wasn’t going to be a quick fix. His answers to questions in the days before opening night were a clear indication of this.
“A lot of thinking I have is more long term and developing,” Tortorella said. “And we have to go about it that way, no matter what people think. Win now We’re going about it in a process-type way.
