The Philadelphia Flyers at times have had a great power play. We can’t recall exactly when given how badly things have gone the last few years. But there was a time (seasons even) when the Flyers could have a man advantage, make smart passes or plays, and eventually see the puck find its way in the net. It happened more than once a week, sometimes more than once a game.
Since the start of the 2023-24 season, Philadelphia have scored two or more power play goals in one game on 13 occasions. That’s 13 times in 207 games prior to Monday’s game against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning. By comparison, the Edmonton Oilers this season through 45 games have scored two or more power play goals nine times.
The Flyers sit 30th overall with a 15.6 percent success rate. They’ve been on a downhill slide the last few weeks, and don’t seem to have much of a well-rounded solution to their woes. By this point, Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet and his coaching staff should be throwing any conceivable idea to the test, regardless of how it looks, how far off the grid in terms of analytics it might be, or just how nonsensical it might seem. Here then, in no particular order, are four “out of the box” ideas which could temporarily get the Flyers to a point where 16.5 to 17 per cent efficiency is a reality.
Trevor Zegras at the point
Trevor Zegras is responsible for the Flyers power play. He has either scored or assisted on 13 of Philadelphia’s 19 power play goals this year, or over 68 per cent. In short, Zegras is the reason the power play has had any semblance of success. Without him, it’s possible the Flyers have a net power play percentage that’s a negative. But having Zegras positioned on the side hasn’t really done the trick. And while it was more of a one-off approach than anything else, Zegras found himself quarterbacking the power play from the point recently. The position usually given to Jamie Drysdale, Cam York, Emil Andrae or some other blueliner was Ziggy’s briefly. And while the sample size is extremely small, Zegras appeared to have more jump near the blueline, while also seemingly throwing off the penalty-killing unit.
He doesn’t have the biggest shot, nor does he have the defensive acumen you’d want being the last Flyer between the opponent and the Philadelphia goaltender. Yet having Zegras moving the puck from up high could create an odd-man opportunity down low quickly. It might not be prudent to have such a talented forward so far away from the slot or crease. It could serve as a means to draw one or two of the penalty killers out of the diamond or box should Zegras find a quick seam pass to create an effective scoring chance.
Put a big body in front
There’s nobody on the Flyers currently that will be mistaken for Wayne Simmonds or Tim Kerr. Nobody has that been that effective in screening the goaltender, getting deflections, or scoring a glut of garbage goals. Philadelphia have tried a few guys in the front this season, including Sean Couturier. Would it be so daft to perhaps put a grinding, bottom-six forward like a Rodrigo Abols or Garnet Hathaway in front for a few games? Neither seems to have the softest hands around, especially with Hathaway scoring his first of the season the other night. However, having that kind of grinder in the dirty areas could be enough to tie up one or two defensemen. And thus open up the same dirty areas for players like Matvei Michkov, Noah Cates, or Bobby Brink to bury the rebound or put the loose puck in.
We wouldn’t go so far as to suggest Rasmus Ristolainen or Nick Seeler being that big body. Ristolainen would probably take one shot off his recently repaired triceps tendon and be back on injured reserve if not out for the year. And Nick Seeler has been hit enough with the puck the last few seasons. No need for him to endure any more friendly fire.
This might not be so unorthodox or abnormal on a man advantage, but it seems that way when we look at how the Flyers decide to do things.
Two units: One over 25 years of age, one under 25 years of age
We’re not against players who are a bit longer in the tooth than some of the youngsters the Flyers continue to develop. Yet could it be a stretch to think that maybe a unit that is relatively free of John Tortorella and Rocky Thompson’s approach to power play effectiveness might actually work? A first unit could see Michkov, Zegras, Drysdale, Bobby Brink, and Denver Barkey. Or some other combination with Emil Andrae, Nikita Grebenkin, and Cam York added to the mix for the Under-25s. When watching the younger Flyers, it seems they are eager to make quicker passes, faster decisions, use the bumper a bit more than usual, and generate a few more scoring opportunities. The passes might go astray, but there is very little deliberation with their passes and shots.
Nothing against those over that magic number, but it seems that those who have had more than a season and a bit of Thompson’s philosophy are just conditioned to not score. Pass the puck around the perimeter? Yes. Pass it deliberately while killing the power play? Yes. Wait for the perfect scoring chance to manifest out of thin air? Absolutely! But in the end, it is not being very effective. Unless scoring on a change up like Owen Tippett did on Saturday night, the elder statesmen on the Flyers power play have been the one constant. And they have not been ideal. New blood might make for more mistakes. However, it could also result in a little bit more magic.
Abolish the slingshot
Whatever gauge is used for power play efficiency and the slingshot needs to seek counselling. At least when it comes to Philadelphia. For the past few seasons the blueprint has been almost identical. A Flyer skates up the ice with the puck, gets beyond the Philadelphia blueline, then passes it back to another Flyer who is picking up speed through the neutral zone. Sometimes it works, a lot of time it doesn’t. Yet with such a bad power play, could it hurt to try something else? Perhaps tossing the puck in empty spaces and trying to win puck battles or out-man the opponent. As of now, when they set up, the end result isn’t pretty. And a few clears result in more slingshots, and roughly another 10 to 15 seconds where the puck is still nowhere near the offensive zone.
Rick Tocchet preaches puck possession. And obviously tossing the puck away when you have it would probably drive him clinically insane. However, winning one-on-one loose puck battles on a power play should enable the other four Flyers to find a way to generate offense against the three penalty killers. Nobody is suggesting for a second it would have 100 per cent effectiveness. Yet when a power play is going downhill this fast — and with both units having less and less confidence in it with each passing week — a breath of fresh air as foolish as it might sound can’t really hurt can it?
In the end, we could toss out creating first and second units according to their blood type, astrological signs, or dietary habits. Nothing should be off the table. For a team that has been in the playoff talk this season with such an anemic power play, the only thing more ridiculous than these ideas is still doing the same darn thing night after night. Nothing has worked. Change something. Anything!
