NHL Preview: Philadelphia Flyers

Charlie Boccanegra thinks the Flyers will be fine in the regular season but still isn’t convinced about Philly in the playoffs.

The Philadelphia Flyers shocked the world this offseason making some massive trades to shake up the core of the team. But have they improved a team that reached the Stanley Cup two years ago?

Right now I don’t think anybody could say that is the case after Philly lost two of its best players in Richards and Carter. Both are heart and soul type guys who were leaders on the team. However, in the long run these moves may be benefit the organization, because the Flyers acquired a ton of talent in return.

The odds suggest this team is ready to contend right now. Philly is 10/1 to win the Cup and are favorites to win the Atlantic Division. I want nothing to do with either of those numbers. Five new faces among the top nine forwards mean that this team will take some time to gel and create chemistry with one another.

Once they do get going the Flyers have one of the deepest forward groups in the NHL. Claude Giroux has emerged as a top 15 scorer in the league, and is surrounded by young talent him in James van Riemsdyk, Voracek and the key player acquired in the Richards deal, Brayden Schenn.

Combined that with solid veterans Briere, Hartnell and newly signed Jagr and they could become unstoppable. Plus, acquiring grinders like Simmonds and Talbot will be key on a third line that shuts down opposing teams top offensive lines.

Defensively this team stays intact with a solid top five that could match up against any in the NHL lead by future hall of famer Chris Pronger. Last year his injuries late in the season really hurt the Flyers, Pronger needs to stay healthy if they have any chance of being a serious cup contender. Timonen, Coburn, Carle and Meszaros are all capable of playing to pairing minutes and have the ability to play a shut down role and chip in with enough offense.

Last year the problems could be pin pointed to the defense for melting down in the playoffs. That was probably more to do with poor goaltending and the entire team being deflated then the actual skill & capabilities of the players.

The Flyers have addressed this long-term goalie problem by signing Ilya Bryzgaloz to a huge UFA contract in the summer. He is the reason why the Coyotes even made the playoffs the last few seasons, posting stellar regular season numbers while stealing many games. However, I am not convinced he can rise to the occasion in the post season quite yet due to his constant failures and meltdowns in Phoenix.

After a couple of moths of learning to play together I still project a good regular season. Taking a look at over 98.5 points as Philly’s season point total taking a look at the over may be a wise NHL betting idea. Consider four of the past five years they have eclipsed that total, traditionally a strong regular season team. Questions generally arise come playoff time. Not before.