Is it crazy to be a happy Flyers fan this week?

They\'ve lost seven in a row. They currently sit outside of a playoff spot. They had over an 85 percent chance of making the post-season as little as two weeks ago. They have not won a divisional game in 2024. Their captain is injured. Their power play has yet to find a proper non-expletive adjective for its description. They can\'t put the puck in the net. They can\'t keep it out of their net. They need about as much help in remaining in the race now as they did the previous three weeks somehow maintaining the third seed amid this fall. Other than that stuff, things are fine. So can any sane, cynical, jaded Flyers fan still somehow find a reason to smile given they might end the season with an 11-game winless streak? Well, it\'s not easy, but hear me out.

As of Sunday (April 7) the Flyers were in the bottom half of the league with 83 points. In a span of three or four days the following teams surpassed them in the standings: Penguins, Red Wings, Islanders, Blues and Wild. The Capitals blew a 2-1 lead to Ottawa and got a loser point Sunday evening to tie the Flyers with 83 but, with one game in hand, gives them the leg up based on percentage points. Minnesota also has 83 points and have more regulation wins. That\'s seven teams overtaking the Flyers in the standings, making what once was a top-half or mid-round selection in the first round this coming NHL draft possibly being a top 10 lottery pick.

If that wasn\'t enough, there\'s more. New Jersey and Buffalo have played 78 games and both have 79 points. If they both win out, took three of four or even split their last four games to tie the Flyers with 83 points, they both move ahead of the Flyers based on both teams having more regulation wins. So that would make it nine teams overtaking Philadelphia. Seattle have 77 points but have six games remaining. Finally, if the Flames were to go on a bit of a tear and tie the Flyers in points, they too would move ahead based currently on having one more regulation win. So that could see the Flyers with the eighth pick in this year\'s NHL draft.

To put it as simply as possible, you watched a much more exciting, fun, fast, young Flyers team for 75 per cent of this 2023-24 season and can have the Flyers possibly draft one spot later than they did when they took Matvei Michkov seventh in 2023. Watching a much better product than 2022-23 for a good chunk of the season and the cost being the eighth overall pick versus the seventh? Yes please. The fact a blue-chip prospect could end up in their lap after this better than anticipated year should make the collapse a little easier to take. More lottery balls to possibly move up into top three or even land Macklin Celebrini would be a huge coup.

Granted, to fall off a cliff like the Flyers have of late is rightfully leaving a sour taste in many mouths. A winless streak against what on paper looked like inferior competition when it mattered is bad. But as Danny Briere, Keith Jones and John Tortorella had hoped to start the season the goal was see the Flyers play meaningful games after Christmas and that they have. They are still mathematically in the hunt (despite ESPN \'s tragic number set at 7 and a 22.2 per cent chance of getting in) as game 79 takes place in Montreal Tuesday night. They could be officially eliminated Thursday night with a loss to the Rangers. These are meaningful games even if the Flyers are defecating the bed in them. Not playoff games but games with playoff implications, something again that wasn\'t in the realm of possibility when they were 10, 20 or even 30 games into this season.

Would I have loved to see them in the playoffs this year? Yes. Am I still hoping they get in despite the odds of turning around a trainwreck? Yes. A total eclipse is happening this week so anything is possible. But knowing this collapse could see them getting a tenth overall (or higher) draft pick in the first round makes this fall a lot easier to handle.

Talking Points