Flyers' biggest surprise, disappointment to start 2024-25 season

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The Philadelphia Flyers were one of the National Hockey League’s big surprises in 2023-24. Philly occupied a playoff spot for most of the season before suffering an epic collapse, losing nine of 11 to finish just outside the postseason picture in the Eastern Conference.

Considering the success the team had, the expectations were a little bit higher to build on that in 2024-25 — especially with rookie phenom Matvei Michkov in the fold. But it’s been a campaign full of disappointments for the Flyers, who are 8-9-2 and fighting to stay out of the basement both in the Metropolitan Division and in ClutchPoints’ weekly NHL Power Rankings.

The year started horribly; the Flyers defeated the Vancouver Canucks in their season-opener before proceeding to lose six games in a row. The entire month of October was a struggle, although Philadelphia has started to turn things around in November.

Flyers starting to improve after brutal start to 2024-25

The squad began the season’s second month at 4-6-1. But there’s been a marked improvement since then; the Flyers have won four of their last six, picking up a point in five of the tilts. Although a three-game winning streak was snapped in a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night, it looks like John Tortorella’s club has started to turn things around.

This roster badly needs a capable starting goaltender to continue the surge; Samuel Ersson remains day-to-day, with Aleksei Kolosov and Ivan Fedotov handling netminder duties. Both Russians are yet unproven, and Ersson has shown he can excel at the NHL level. He should play a ton of games once he returns to health, and the Swede will be a catalyst if the Flyers begin to make up some ground in the standings as the season goes on.

Philadelphia has boasted a couple of pleasant surprises in the early going despite the discouraging record. One of them is the scorching play of Travis Konecny. Him being the team’s leading scorer is not a surprise, but his 11 goals and 23 points in 19 games certainly is. That’s nearly a 100-point pace for the 27-year-old, whose career highs — which were set last season — are 33 goals and 68 points.

Konecny looks poised to shatter his career bests across the board, and his phenomenal play at both ends of the rink has been a pleasant surprise for Flyers fans. After breaking the bank to the tune of an eight-year, $70 million contract extension back in July, the London, Ontario native is playing his part as the future of the franchise well.

Another great surprise in the City of Brotherly Love has been the play of Michkov, who looks ready to dominate the league for years to come.

Matvei Michkov has been as advertised despite healthy scratches

Although there have been some growing pains with Michkov — he’s been healthy scratched twice this year already — it’s undeniable that the kid has skill. The 19-year-old has managed six goals and 15 points in his first 17 NHL games, which leads all rookies through nearly a quarter of the season.

Michkov is the early Calder Trophy favorite, and although it was expected he would make his mark immediately, his nearly point-per-game pace is surprising. He looks lethal on the top powerplay unit, and should begin to get more ice time under Tortorella once he starts to fully acclimate to the North American game.

In a campaign that hasn’t had too many encouraging moments, the play of Konecny and Michkov has been key. Those two will need to continue carrying the offense if the Flyers have any chance to be hanging around the postseason conversation next April.

On the flip side, the play of Morgan Frost continues to be concerning.

Morgan Frost continues to disappoint for Flyers

Once again, Frost is in the dog house in Philadelphia. The 25-year-old has managed just one goal and six points through 16 games in 2024-25. The underwhelming start has earned him a place in street clothes for three of the team’s last four games.

Frost just can’t seem to figure it out, despite being given a top-six center role and exposure to the top powerplay unit. And along with the offensive struggles, his defensive game leaves a ton to be desired, with awareness and compete level the main areas of concern. Despite his brutal play, the Flyers are still hoping he can turn his game around. But if that doesn’t happen, it might make sense for GM Danny Briere to give the player a change of scenery.

Frost’s trade value is probably as low as it’s ever been due to his consistent struggles, and Briere would want to get a reasonable return in any potential trade. But it looks like Philly will give the Aurora, Ontario native a chance to rectify his play before it comes to that.

Along with Frost, Rasmus Ristolainen continues to struggle outside of Buffalo, and he’s another disappointing player in 2024-25. The difference between the two is, the latter could already be on the trade block.

Rasmus Ristolainen reportedly likely to get traded

Despite playing first-pairing minutes in Philly, Ristolainen has managed just one goal and three points. The 30-year-old is a minus-seven on the campaign, and he is just not looking like he’s having a good time playing for the Flyers. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli believes it’s only a matter of time before the Finn is traded.

“The defense market is thinning with each and every extension,” the hockey insider wrote on Wednesday, including the defender at No. 3 on his first Trade Targets board of 2024-25. “Ristolainen’s name has circulated through the rumor mill and the Flyers are hoping he will generate enough buzz between now and March to net a solid return. Teams are still drawn to his size, though his ability to defend is still a question mark and his point production has slid. Staying healthy and on the ice will help everyone's cause.”

At this point, it seems a sure thing that Ristolainen will get moved — especially if the Flyers continue to struggle. Along with Frost, he has been a huge disappointment in 2024-25.

Although there have been no shortage of those, the last couple of weeks have been encouraging. If Ersson can come back strong and a couple of players begin to figure things out on both sides of the puck, this team should at least be battling for a wildcard spot next spring.

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