The good news for the Flyers is that they play in the East and it's wide open. You look at how far back the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres were for a playoff spot months ago and look at where they are now. The Flyers are right there in the mix.
Defenseman Ivan Provorov and forward Travis Konecny are really good rookie players in this League. I like what general manager Ron Hextall has done to assemble this team. He's setting them up for success in the future.
Minuses: It's been a disappointing year based on how the Flyers played last year when they had a nice run and made the playoffs. Both of their goalies, Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth, have not played nearly as well as they did last season. They were both at a higher level. That being said, as a team, Philadelphia isn't always air-tight defensively.
The Flyers were convinced last season that they would make the playoffs and that confidence is something we haven't seen yet. Let's not forget, Philadelphia had a 10-game winning streak earlier in the season. Imagine how far out of the race it would be if not for that?
Having not gotten production up and down from all four lines has been a problem, forward Sam Gagner, who was a key piece for them last season, is now in Columbus. He's not a fourth-line player, but last season, accepted his role and did what he had do to re-establish his NHL career, and provided some production. They have not gotten that this season.
I also have a hard time understanding defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere's situation. He's such a good player and was a great player for them last year (Calder finalist with 17 goals and 29 assists in 64 games). Maybe the Flyers are trying to teach Gostisbehere some hard lessons about being a pro and trying to be a pro by scratching him. I didn't think it would come to this based on what we saw last year despite his struggles (four goals, 21 assists in 53 games).