The Friday Forecheck: On Resilience, Leadership and Scoring-by-Committee

Each Friday on
PhiladelphiaFlyers.com
, we will feature a compendium of news, thoughts and analysis written by contributing writer Bill Meltzer. Here's a look at the club through four games played.

1. The "Comeback Well"
By far, the primary storyline of the Flyers' early season has been resilience. A team that went 5-36-4 when trailing first last season -- and winless when trailing at any point by two goals -- is off the 3-1-0 start this season despite having trailed first in every game and trailing by two goals in each of the last three games. Even in the Flyers' 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Wednesday, Philadelphia pushed back from a 2-0 deficit, getting the game to the third period tied.
Needless to say, this model is not sustainable for playing winning hockey. Nor is the team's tendency to get outshot and outchanced. The NHL, as head coach John Tortorella described it is a "find-a-way league." Nevertheless, it's hard to consistently do so when you're leaving your team -- and your goaltender -- no margin for error.
It's also useful to dig a little deeper into the Flyers' four games to date and find what was similar and different among them.
The Flyers' opening night 5-2 win against New Jersey was only a "comeback" in the statistical record-keeping sense. New Jersey grabbed a 1-0 lead on an off-angle power play goal by Alexander Holtz but it took just 13 seconds after play resumed for Wade Allison to bag a rebound goal to tie the game at 1-1. The Flyers never trailed again. In the second period, closely spaced goals by Travis Konecny and Morgan Frost established a 3-1 Flyers lead. Philly played from ahead the rest of the game, and emerged a 5-2 winner.
In Sunday's home game against Vancouver, the Flyers found themselves trailing, 2-0, after the first period. Oddly enough, though, the opening 20 minutes of the game were the most dominant period the Flyers have played all season everywhere but on the scoreboard. Philly dominated every key metric -- including puck possession time, shot volume (14-4) and shot quality -- but they came away empty in that period. Vancouver scored goals on a shot that deflected off Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler's skate and then on a play in which there was borderline goaltender interference that went uncalled.
Hockey being hockey, the script flipped in the second period. Vancouver had most of the puck possession but the Flyers were the team that scored twice to tie the game on a Tony DeAngelo power play goal through traffic and a Scott Laughton breakaway goal after a breakout bank pass from Konecny. With 6:07 remaining in regulation, Konecny scored a rebound goal off a partially blocked shot that resulted in a battle for the loose puck. The Flyers held on to win, 3-2.
The most improbable comeback was Tuesday's 3-2 win against Tampa Bay. The Flyers have gotten stellar goaltending from Carter Hart in all three wins this season but none more so than his 37-save performance in outdueling perennial Vezina Trophy candidate Andrei Vasilevskiy. Tampa took it to the Flyers for the first half of the opening period but Hart almost single-handedly kept the game scoreless until Philly gained some equilibrium in the latter half of the opening frame.
In the second period, the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions built a 2-0 lead on virtually unstoppable power play goals by the scorching Steven Stamkos. The Flyers were able to get the game to the third period still within striking distance -- a 2-1 deficit -- thanks to a crafty offensive zone entry by Frost, an Egor Zamula point shot that produced a fat rebound out the bottom of the left circle, and Laughton pouncing on it to score.
Tampa had basically let the Flyers hang around too long, most due to Hart's brilliance in net. These elements are at the heart of the anatomy of many hockey upsets. In the third period, a James van Riemsdyk deflection power play goal and Noah Cates' highlight reel forechecking work and turnaround shot from the slot past Vasilevskiy made Philly the winner.
With Felix Sandström in net in Florida on Wednesday, the game followed a somewhat similar pattern to the Tampa game. The Flyers trailed 2-0 then tied the game at 2-2. The Flyers got very strong goaltending for much of the game but this one felt even more like borrowed time than the Tampa game. That's because the Flyers coughed up one odd-man rush after another to Florida's deadly transition game but only got burned once on a counterattack play over the first 40 minutes.
Carter Verhaeghe built a 2-0 lead for the Panthers in the first period, sandwiched around a disallowed would-be goal for Konecny. In the latter stages of the first period,Nick Seeler (1st) got one back for the Flyers.
Florida had various chances in the second period to restore a two-goal margin. In the latter stages of the period, a van Riemsdyk power play goal in a scramble near the net made it a 2-2 game.
It was a botched two-on-two coverage in the third period -- stemming from a miscommunication between Seeler and Zamula -- that resulted in a mini-breakaway goal by Rudolfs Balcers. The Flyers nearly duplicated the feat they accomplished in the New Jersey game: an immediate response to an opposing goal on the very next shift. Sergei Bobrovsky bettered Frost with a glove save on a breakaway.
Finally, the Flyers' "comeback well" ran dry. Florida defenseman Josh Mahura made it 4-2 on a knuckleball of a shot from the top of the left circle that DeAngelo partially blocked but eluded Sandström. With the goal pulled for an extra attacker, the Flyers were unable to score on 6-on-4 power play. Finally, Konecn scored a 6-on-5 goal with two seconds left on the clock.
2. The power play factor
Along with the Flyers' goaltending, the team's power play has been a vital element in the team's 3-1-0 start. The team has scored one power play goal apiece in each of the first four games.
All four goals have been scored by the Flyers' No. 1 unit. DeAngelo has been a weapon as a trigger man at the point. Konecny has been shooting the lights out in the early going of the season. JVR has been strong in his net-front "office". Kevin Hayes is a good distributor.
In fairness to PP2, the second unit (as is often the case in hockey) has gotten relatively little time with which to work. They often have to start their shift from deep in the defensive end after an opposing clearing pass and a line change in the final 30 seconds or so.
PP2 has actually looked better than PP1 in several practices: crisp puck movement triggered by Frost in particular has led to several tic-tac-toe goals in the practice environment. In a practice rep, however, a PP unit starts out with possession of the puck in the offensive zone and everyone is set up. There's no need to generate an entry and get set up, as there would be in an actual game.
Entries are an area where the Flyers' PP2 unit needs to improve. Even when they actually have had sufficient time available to get set up and try to generate scoring chances, they've turned over too many pucks at or near the blue line.
3. Konecny's scorching start
Travis Konecny is off to a tremendous start to the 2022-23 season. He leads the club with six points (four goals, two assists) in the season's first four games and has been the team's No. 1 offensive spark plug. Moreover, for the first time in his NHL career, he's receiving extensive penalty killing usage and has embraced the challenge.
A larger sample size is needed before it can be stated that Konecny is back to (or beyond) the form he showed in his NHL All-Star season of 2019-20. He's had quick starts now in four straight season, but his hot early weeks in 2020-21 (five goals and seven points over the first five games) and 2021-22 (four goals, four assists in the first nine games) did not hold up into consistent production over the full season as it did during his career-best season.
However, there is reason to believe that the quick start this time around is the real deal as long as the player is healthy.
One reason is the player's conditioning. Konecny reported to training camp in phenomenal physical condition and was the Flyers' best player in his lone game of the preseason. He sustained an injury in wiping out into the end boards after scoring Philly's lone goal in a 2-1 loss to Buffalo. Thereafter, he was held out of the final four games of the exhibition slate but never appeared in danger of missing the opener. Konecny has been tremendous -- not totally mistake-free but at the center of many more positive plays than negative.
Konecny has clearly put in a lot of work, is relishing his expanded role as an all-situations player and seems to be embracing Tortorella's challenge for players to hold one another accountable. The days when he was a young player who was often an in-and-out resident of Dave Hakstol's doghouse for repeated low-percentage plays seem long ago.
Side note: There weren't many things that made Hak show anything other than his game face during media availability. But he let some dry humor sip one time after a rookie Konecny listed to the media contingent various things he needed to work on in his game. Hakstol grinned, considered his response for a moment, and then said, "Well, it's good that Travis is aware of what we need him to work on." (Left unsaid was an implication that the coaching staff hadn't yet seen the adjustments the 19-year-old player described).
Konecny has always been an ambitious player who wants to do right. It took time and the maturation process -- and then dealing with the adversity of a tough 2020 playoff and back-to-back seasons where he got lesser results than he craved -- but it really does seem like it's something that's now making him stronger.
4. Laughton and the leadership group.
Tortorella has said that he's leaning toward not naming a captain this season. Scott Laughton, in fact, has been the only player wearing an alternate's :"A" on his sweater. Tortorella said that, thus far, Laughton is the only player deserving of wearing a letter. This is without the injured Cam Atkinson or Sean Couturier in the lineup for the Flyers but it is nevertheless a compliment to Laughton and a challenge from the coach to the rest of the team.
The Flyers did not have a captain in the latter stages of the 1991-92 season, following the trade that sent Rick Tocchet to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team also went without a player wearing the C for the duration of the 1992-93 campaign. Kevin Dineen was an obvious choose but his father, Bill, was the Flyers' head coach. Rod Brind'Amour was only in second season as a Flyer. Eric Lindros was a 19-year-old rookie. Finally, when Terry Simpson became the Flyers' head coach for the 1993-94 season, Dineen served as the captain. The mantle was passed to Lindros in 1994-95.
On the current team, in my opinion, there are three viable candidates for the eventual captaincy whether it's selected later this season or next year. Couturier could handle the role and fits the "leader by example" mold. Atkinson, who played under Tortorella in Columbus and has a high-energy personality, would also fit the bill. My personal choice, however, would be Laughton. A case could also be made for Kevin Hayes.
A player does not have to be a team's biggest star to be an effective captain. He has to show leadership in a variety of ways. On a daily basis, Laughton brings an outstanding work ethic to the rink. If you didn't know he was a veteran whose roster spot is safe, you'd think he was a tryout player trying to make an impression at practice. As a well-established player, it's been years since Laughton was playing for a job. He's just conducting himself on the ice the only way he knows how: with gusto.
Secondly, Laughton is a very straightforward type of guy when it comes to giving self-critiques or assessments of team play. He doesn't throw anyone under the bus but he also doesn't sugarcoat things. During the agonizing 2021-22 season, when bluntly honest assessments on the state of the team were in order, the go-to players (in my opinion) to seek out were Laughton or Justin Braun. There are other good interview subjects on the team and a whole lot of likeable people but Laughton and Braun were the two last season who always got right to the heart of the matter.
Additionally, whenever there's a new player on the team, "Laughts" is inevitably one of the first teammates mentioned when it comes to making the new guy feel welcomed and included. This goes for rookies and recently acquired vets alike, but especially the young players. He recalls firsthand what it's like to try to carve out a niche on a team. He's played up and down the lineup from lines two to four, played center and wing, made his NHL debut at age 18 but also went back to junior hockey and later went down to the AHL the year after spending most of a season in the NHL.
Last but not least, Laughton has spent his entire career in the Flyers' organization, from being a first-round pick in 2012 to being a 28-year-old veteran a decade later. Being a Flyer means a lot to him. He takes great pride in representing the club, whether on-ice or off-ice. The team's struggles the last few years are something he takes personally. I wish every player took it so much to heart; not only as a matter of personal pride but also because this is where each player truly wants to be and is emotionally invested in being part of for the long haul.
Dave Poulin was never the biggest name on the Flyers' roster -- although he was a 30-goal scorer and a Selke Trophy winner during his years in Philly -- but he was the second-best captain in franchise history. Only Bobby Clarke surpassed Poulin and that's because he was the ultimate leader on two Stanley Cup winning teams while the mid-1980s Flyers "only" were a two-time Cup Finalist.
Jason Smith was only with the Flyers for one season (2007-08) but, as team captain, he was an important part of the club's instant turnaround -- an Eastern Conference Final run -- one season after the worst year in franchise history. Why was Smith, an old-school defensive defenseman, so important as a leader?
Go back to the 2006-07 season. The Flyers' roster was a revolving door of journeyman veterans and not-ready-for-primetime recalls from the Phantoms. There was a malaise, even indifference that some players tried to fight against (Derian Hatcher, Mike Knuble, Simon Gagne, Sami Kapanen being among the most disgusted at what they witnessed) but did not start to lift until Paul Holmgren jettisoned the players who either didn't care or simply didn't want to be there.
At one juncture of the 2006-07 season, the normally easy-going Gagne, exploded behind closed doors in the dressing room when he saw teammates who were laughing off a particularly ugly loss.
"I couldn't believe it. I shouted, 'We're f-in' last! Show some f-in' pride!'" Gagne recalled to the late Jay Greenberg in Flyers at 50.
Near the 2007 trade deadline, Holmgren asked Hatcher if he wanted to be traded to a contender or if he wanted to stay with the Flyers. The GM pledged that he'd do everything he could to upgrade the roster and to restore a competitive mindset teamwide.
"Homer, I want to be here. I want to win here," Hatcher said.
By the next season, Holmgren kept his promise to overhaul the roster. The additions of Danny Briere, Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell were huge. But so was the change in mindset. Smith was a big part of bringing in some stable leadership.
Apart from what he brought on the ice (shot-blocking, penalty killing, a physical bent to his game, routinely standing up for his goalie and other teamates), Smith also had an insanely high pain tolerance. During the 2008 playoffs, he somehow played through BOTH left shoulder and right shoulder separations. Never conceded anything on tice. Never let anything on publicly until after the playoffs that he was anything other than healthy. Never made an excuse including his team being shorthanded for why a powerhouse Penguins team beat the Flyers in five games in the Eastern Conference Final.
In that one year as a Flyer, Smith embodied an attitude and mindset that the team had misplaced. He wasn't the only one, of course, nor did he have the biggest on-ice impact of the new arrivals. But one look at which guy was wearing the C made it clear what sort of intangibles were being emphasized in addition to the talent upgrades.
The Flyers situation in 2022 is somewhat similar to 2007. Unfortunately, the club doesn't have nearly the cap space it did back then to add high-end free agents such as Briere or to sign new acquisitions like Timonen or Hartnell to long-term contracts. There also isn't a 40-goal-scorer like Gagne already on the roster or clear-cut rising young stars such as Jeff Carter or Mike Richards who were obviously on the cusp of a big breakthrough. There's no Atlanta Thrashers to trade a young defenseman with Braydon Coburn's upside in exchange for the short-term of an Alexei Zhitnik for a single push to get in the playoffs.
On the flip side, there aren't nearly the same character issues on the current team that existed on the 2006-07 team. No one who is markedly out of shape. No one who could hardly have cared less about whether he was a Flyer or went somewhere else. As for some of the younger players, there's higher upside to Cam York than there ever was to Alexandre Picard, more untapped NHL potential in Morgan Frost than in Ryan Potulny (who'd been a top collegiate and AHL producer), a higher possible playoff to Owen Tippett than to Stefan Ruzicka.
With the current team, to be totally honest, I don't know if a one-year turnaround from bottom-feeder to a deep playoff run (and the start of a five-year period of contendership) is possible despite the hot start. But I do know that the team needs to establish a new leadership core and needs to embrace a mentally tougher and more resilient mindset, and that doing so is one of Tortorella's main goals for 2022-23.
5. Atkinson's status
More clarity is needed about Atkinson's situation. Unlike most of the Flyers' injured players, Atkinson did not travel with the team for its current three-game road trip (which concludes on Saturday in Nashville), Nonetheless, Atkinson remains on the Flyers' active roster despite having not played in any of the first four regular season games or any preseason games before that. He was a limited participant in the team's final practice before opening night, skating and shooting some pucks but not taking part in line rushes or drills before a pre-planned early exit from the ice.
Atkinson has officially been considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury since Day 4 of training camp. He played in the camp's first scrimmage (Day 2) but did not scrimmage on Day 4, although he did participate in the practice that followed his group's scrimmage. As camp progressed, Atkinson made a few post-practice appearances with the group that was rehabbing injuries. Thereafter, per Tortorella, Atkinson briefly returned home to the Columbus area for the dual purpose of attending to a personal matter and to meet with a personal trainer with him he's worked in the past. The Flyers head coach expressed optimism that the player would be in the starting lineup on opening night against New Jersey until it was decided that he was not yet ready to play.
Since that time, there have been no formal updates. If the Flyers placed Atkinson on the injured reserve list, it could backdated to the start of the season. As such, he'd be eligible to be activated as soon as he's given the go-ahead to play. However, Atkinson will need at this point several days of full practices with the club before he could realistically play. Even with the Flyers winning three of their first four games and scoring at least three goals in every game, the Flyers miss Atkinson's presence both on the ice and in the dressing room.
Rasmus Ristolainen and Couturier, conversely, traveled with the team on the current road trip.
6. Sedlak joins the Flyers
The Flyers made two roster moves on Wednesday. They claimed veteran checking forward Lukas Sedlak off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche. To be honest, I had not realized beforehand that the player had returned from the KHL to North America this season. The 29-year-old Sedlak played for John Tortorella in Columbus and was used fairly regularly as a fourth-line forward and penalty killer.
Sedlak is the type of role-playing forward that appeals to Tortorella: versatile (primarily a center but can play any forward position comfortably), has some physicality and heaviness, blocks shots, rarely gets caught on the wrong side of the puck, and can play limited minutes without altering how he plays.

7. Tortorella challenges Laczynski.
It has been a strange trajectory through four games this season for Tanner Laczysnki. He was elevated in the second period of opening night (the Flyers' 5-2 win over New Jersey) from fourth-line center to third line right wing. He had a good all-around game including his first two NHL assists. Tortorella praised his two-way play afterwards.
Game two went jOK; nothing especially stood out in a positive way or was glaring in a negative way. Unlike the first game, Laczynski didn't get much accomplished on the forecheck. But he wasn't awful, either. In Game 3 in Tampa Bay, amid a slew of line juggling, Laczynski was moved back down to the fourth line after the first period. He skated 9:13 over 15 shifts. As with the previous game against Vancouver, Laczysnki didn't really stand out one way either, and Zack MacEwen was the one who ended up getting moved up in the line rotation.
The team claimed Sedlak off waivers on Wednesday but, with the player not yet with the team, Laczynski primarily remained as the fourth-line right wing on Jackson Cates' line. Laczynski played quite sparingly on Wednesday, skating 11 shifts (7:26 TOI). He was one of the Flyers on the ice for the first Verhaeghe goal (the right circle shot with Sandström on his knees) and was credited with one hit for the game.
In his pregame comments before Wednesday's game, Tortorella challenged Laczynski to do more to stand out, and directly cited Laczynski as a player whom the Flyers might send to Allentown (he is still waiver exempt) with Sedlak having been claimed off waivers.
8. MacEwen's work was praised by Torts.
After spending the entire 2021-22 season in the NHL with the Flyers, rugged forward Zack MacEwen was a numbers game casualty in training camp. He cleared waivers and was sent to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. MacEwen reported with a positive and upbeat attitude, viewing it as a chance to work on his game in extended minutes (MacEwen played higher in the Phantoms' line rotation than he normally did with the Flyers including power play duties). Over the course of the Phantoms' weekend split with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hershey, MacEwen was one of the relatively few Phantoms forwards who had solid performances in both games.
Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere made a point of noting that MacEwen came with an exceptionally good attitude. Laperriere said that it's not uncommon for a veteran player in MacEwen's position to arrive with a grumpy disposition, and feel sorry for himself initially before getting refocused on working his way back to the parent team. Back in Voorhees, Tortorella had no interest in giving credit to a player solely for having the right frame of mind to handle a demotion. However, he said that he fully expected MacEwen to be a solid professionain his outlook and a good teammate to the other Phantoms.
"His attitude better be right, or he's just not coming back up. I didn't expect [a bad attitude] at all, and that's not what happened. I talked to him; he was great. If we're going to worry about attitude, about players being sent down there, they'll get stuck down there. Mac was great," Tortorella said.
MacEwen wound up playing four games in five nights -- two games with Lehigh Valley and two with the Flyers -- but was one of the few Flyers who skated with consistent energy throughout Wednesday's game against the Panthers in Sunrise. Tortorella kept him throughout the game on Noah Cates' line, and stated afterwards that MacEwen had been one of the best Philly players in that tilt.
For his part, MacEwen said prior to the road trip that he understands that an NHL roster spot is never a guarantee for a player such as himself. Even in spending the full 2021-22 campaign with Philadelphia, he knew that it would be an ongoing battle. He was glad that he was able to remain in the Flyers' organization, where he knows everyone and everyone knows him.
"I have to earn everything I get. Nothing's going to be given to me. I just look at it as a way to go down and work on my game and use it to get better. Obviously, try to build some confidence and take what I can from that experience. Of course, you want to make the team on opening night, but I know where I'm at, and I know I can progress my game," MacEwen said.
After Monday's practice in Voorhees, MacEwen was asked which situation is preferable for a player: going down briefly to the AHL after clearing waivers or bouncing around via waiver claims. Phantoms forward Adam Brooks found himself in the latter situation a season ago.
Brooks, a former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect, bounced around the NHL waiver wire in 2021-22 after he did not make the Leafs' opening night roster. Before the season began, Brooks was waived by Toronto and claimed by the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 11. After dressing in just four games with the Habs (0g, 1a), he was waived by Montreal and claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights Nov. 17. After roughly three months and seven games played (2g, 0a) with Vegas, he was waived and reclaimed by the Maple Leafs on Feb. 16. The Leafs hoped to place the player with the AHL's Marlies and waived the player the next day for purposes of AHL assignment. However, Brooks did not clear. On Feb. 18, the Winnipeg Jets claimed him and dressed Brooks in 14 games over the remainder of the season.
MacEwen said that one situation isn't necessarily better or worse than the other.
"It's all in how you want to look at it," MacEwen said. "One way, you're still in the NHL. There's teams that, obviously, think you might be able to help them. The other way, you're still with the same organization and you get playing time to work your way back up. Whatever happens, you have to view it as an opportunity."
9. More scoring sources wanted
Over the first four games of the season, the Flyers have scored a combined 14 goals: four by Konecny, two apiece by Laughton, JVR and Frost, two from the defense corps (one each from DeAngelo and Seeler) and one apiece from forwards Allison and Noah Cates. Kevin Hayes leads the team with six assists. After Wednesday's game, Tortorella said that the Flyers need to diversify their goal-scoring and playmaking sources. Additionally, he's still not settled on the team's fourth line or center depth. This was the reason the team claimed Sedlak in order to add another candidate into the mix for the latter two facets.
10. Phantom files
Last weekend, Lehigh Valley was significantly outplayed in both ends of its season-opening back-to-back road trip to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hershey. However, they were able to split the two games with a 3-2 overtime win against the Pens and a 2-1 regulation loss to the Bears.
The goaltending work of both Troy Grosenick last Saturday and Samuel Ersson on Sunday was stellar. Rookie Elliot Desnoyers scored goals in each of his first two AHL regular season games including a tremendous breakaway goal on Sunday where he simply blew past the defenders with a burst of speed and finished it off. MacEwen had a deflection goal on Saturday and an assist on Sunday. Louie Belpedio notched the OT winner in Wlkes-Barre. Beyond that, the Phantoms were fortunate they collected one win out of the two games.
The Phantoms return to action this weekend as they open their home schedule. On both Saturday and Sunday, Lehigh Valley will host the Cleveland Monsters at the PPL Center in Allentown.