3 Flyers New Year’s resolutions for 2024

New Year\'s Eve is upon us, and the Philadelphia Flyers, just as everyone predicted, are firmly in contention for a playoff spot. They currently sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division standings with 43 points behind only the New York Rangers (51) and Carolina Hurricanes (44). With a 14-4-4 record over their last 22 games, the Flyers are one of the NHL\'s hottest teams and are playing their best hockey since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many try to reinvent themselves at the start of the new year. The Flyers don\'t really need to do much reinventing, though they certainly should have their eye on fulfilling some key goals in 2024.

Here are three New Year\'s resolutions for the Flyers going into the new year.

Do something — anything — to fix the power play

The Flyers\' power play is a complete abomination, and it\'s been that way for quite a while. The Flyers have ranked dead last in the NHL in power-play efficiency in each of the last two campaigns, and they\'re on pace to keep that trend alive this season.

The Flyers currently boast the league\'s 32nd-ranked power play, scoring just 12 power-play goals on the season in 110 opportunities for a conversion rate of just 10.9%. To put those numbers into perspective, the Flyers\' penalty kill has scored nine (!) goals in 110 shorthanded situations.

The Flyers are literally almost as good at scoring goals with one fewer player on the ice as they are on the man advantage, which is nothing short of mind-boggling. With a power play so abysmal, it\'s a small miracle the Flyers are currently on pace to make the postseason.

How can the Flyers solve their power-play woes? The most obvious solution would be to add players with high-end talent. Of course, doing so isn\'t exactly easy — or affordable. However, it may not be totally out of the realm of possibility that the club could look to add a cheap, but capable power-play quarterback at some point this season. They\'ve let just about everyone man the point on the power play. Travis Sanheim? Not the solution. Cam York? Not quite. Sean Walker? Hard pass. Egor Zamula? Maybe! But probably not. Perhaps a player on another team could help improve the power play, so long as it doesn\'t take a wealth of assets to acquire them.

Let the youth movement continue

It\'s hard not to be pleased with the play of the kids 34 games into the season. Bobby Brink, after an outstanding training camp, forced his way onto the Flyers\' roster and has done nothing but impress with six goals and 17 points in 30 games. Tyson Foerster, while not the regular point producer many expected he\'d be going into the season, has been one of the Flyers\' top play-drivers with a stellar 54.73 Corsi For percentage and 57.32 Expected Goals For percentage at 5-on-5. Even Cam York has taken strides in his third season as a regular NHL defenseman.

The Flyers\' youngsters have played a key role in the team\'s upward trajectory, and as 2024 progresses, the club should not be shy about giving more kids opportunities with the big club. That may not come until the start of next season, but it isn\'t totally out of the realm of possibility that blue-chip prospect Cutter Gauthier could make an appearance in the NHL even sooner.

Depending on when his season concludes, there is a possibility Gauthier could opt to ink his entry-level contract and help the Flyers solidify a playoff spot in the spring. Gauthier has registered 13 goals and 23 points through 17 games with the juggernaut Boston College Eagles this season, which ranks 10th out of all players in college hockey. The 19-year-old is currently representing the United States at the World Juniors, where he has logged a goal and eight total points and trails only Servac Petrovsky for the most points in the tournament.

If not this within the next few months, Gauthier is expected to join the Flyers next season along with — potentially — a few other young prospects. Several veterans will see their contracts expire at the end of the campaign. Sean Walker, Marc Staal and Nick Seeler are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents, and assuming all three of them do not return to the Flyers next season, the door will be open for young blueliners Emil Andrae, Adam Ginning and Ronnie Attard, and possibly even Oliver Bonk, to make the leap to the big club.

Stick to the plan

It\'s easy to get caught up in the thrill of chasing down a playoff spot. Anything can happen in the postseason, and the average general manager would be out of their mind not to acquire grizzled, but effective veteran players at the trade deadline with hopes of gearing up for a lengthy playoff run.

Danny Briere, however, cannot have that mindset.

The Flyers, while playing fun, competitive hockey, need to remain focused on their rebuild. Swapping future assets in exchange for short-term stopgaps won\'t solve the team\'s clear lack of high-end talent, and it would best serve them to roll through the remainder of the campaign with the players they currently have on hand.

In fact, the best possible course of action would likely be selling some of their veteran players on expiring deals at the trade deadline in spite of their desire to clinch a playoff spot. The Walkers, the Seelers and the Staals — all players who don\'t fit within the Flyers\' long-term timeline of Stanley Cup contention — could fetch a solid return at the deadline, giving the club more ammunition to load up on young talent in preparation for when they truly are ready to make a Stanley Cup run.

Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and NHL.com .

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