We are currently entrenched in the dog days of summer.
But despite being amidst some of the hottest (and frankly miserable) days of the year, July always reminds me of one thing.
Hockey season isn’t that far away.
On the heels of the Flyers Developmental Camp, it’s time to take an extended look at the roster and some potential line combinations for the orange and black.
First up, the top line.
Left Wing – Joel Farabee
The 2022-2023 campaign was a tough one for Farabee as the 23-year-old spent much of the first half of the season playing catch-up after having disc replacement surgery. Incase you forgot, Farabee suffered a neck injury during offseason training last summer.
Farabee still managed to finish the year strong as he gutted through the season and appeared in all 82 games, collecting 39 points in the process.
Now with a clean bill of health, Farabee is prime bounce back candidate for the Flyers. Additionally, with little in the way of top six potential left wingers on the roster, Farabee should see every opportunity to regain his 2021 form.
Center – Sean Couturier
Following a long and arduous road to recovery from back surgery, Sean Couturier is finally healthy again. This is a great sign for the Flyers but several questions remain of the former Selke winner.
What player will Couturier be when he finally sees game action again?
Can he still contribute at the level he was once could?
These are the most pressing questions Couturier will face this season. He will likely be the team’s de facto first line center due to the current rosters’ lack of center depth. This makes him the ideal choice to play between natural scorers like Farabee and Konecny.
His two-way prowess will be a welcomed addition to a Flyers team that owned a 3.37 goals-against-average and a Penalty Kill percentage that finished below 75 percent.
Right Wing – Travis Konecny
Travis Konecny’s banner season in 2022-23 was one of the few bright spots of an otherwise not great campaign. Konecny’s 61 points led the club but moreover, he was more consistent than he had been years prior. Perhaps a credit to John Torortella’s demand that his top players perform as such.
Interestingly enough, Konecny played 381:25 minutes at even strength this past season with Joel Farabee, according to Natural Stat Trick. The only other player TK played with more was Noah Cates. It’s possible that more continuity will help both players
If the Flyers are to take any significant step forward this coming year, they will need Konecny to at least match his effectiveness from a season ago. On a lot of nights, he was the Flyers best player.
Stay tuned here, as we’ll examine the best options for the Flyers second line this time next week.
MARK RAMOS IS A CONTRIBUTOR FOR HW HOCKEY
PHOTO BY PATRICK SMITH/GETTY IMAGES
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