Previous entries in the series
For the start of February, I received two comments which I found quite interesting.
The first of these came from a comment on part 3 article, and suggested putting Dylan Larkin on the wing in order to boost his production. I had mentioned that Larkin hadn’t gotten off to the best start as a Flyer, with only 11 points in 24 games. Perhaps getting him more comfortable on the wing would be a solution to that problem. I simply then swapped Larkin with Kevin Hayes, altering their roles to make Hayes a two-way forward and Larkin a speedy forward, as I don’t want to overload the line with perimeter shooters.
Secondly, Twitter user @Drakar44 suggested the following:
Dont know if it’s a move you make, but in my EA NHL I’ve traded JVR straight up for Silfverberg at the draft a couple of times (I don’t settle in to a long term run until after the deadline)
— Bob Clifford (@Drakar44) March 18, 2020
Now that would certainly be spicy, however, I don’t think I’m going to do this trade. Here is Silfverberg’s player profile:
Silfverberg functions best as a two-way forward or as a backchecker, and as much as I would love a defensively good forward on the roster, I think I’d miss JVR’s scoring ability more. Sure, it would clear cap space, but I already did that with the Voracek-Larkin move.
Anyways, on with the show yet again!
February
Well what a month this was for the Columbus Blue Jackets…
Talk about a leap…22 points to take them top of the Metro!
As for the Flyers, we still sit in 3rd place in the division, one point above the Penguins who occupy the WC1 spot. There’s a considerable gap between the top four teams in the Metro and the WC2 spot currently taken by Florida, so at this point I’m confident that we’re playoff bound.
There was a particularly exciting game against the Washington Capitals on the road, where an Adrian Kempe shorthanded goal managed to tie the score at 3-3 with just over four minutes left to play in the third period. In overtime, it was thanks to a Lars Eller penalty that Claude Giroux was able to unleash a one-timer from the circle. fed by Sean Couturier, to win the game for the Flyers.
Claude Giroux is now the leading point scorer, just beating out Filip Forsberg and James van Riemsdyk. Just as in real life, the scoring is quite spread out and depth has been a huge strength.
Unfortunately, towards the end of the month, Oskar Lindblom picked up an injury to his achilles, and team doctors estimate he will be out for two weeks.
March/April
Very early into March, we were gifted with a little surprise…Nolan Patrick is back!
His stock has dipped slightly, as his current ability ratings took a hit from not being in action, though he is still listed at 3.5 stars for potential. I am going to put him in the line up for the rest of the coming games, but with some potential moves to be made in the offseason, I am not going to throw away the idea of trading Patrick (I’m sorry Steph). In the end, Patrick will play at 4C between Laughton and Farabee.
With only 10 games left to play, as the Flyers were cruising towards [redacted] place in the division, another injury hit as Adrian Kempe was to be sidelined with an ankle injury. Oskar Lindblom, now healthy, took his place on the third line. Fortunately though, he will be back in time for the playoffs.
In the end, after a full 82 games….
DRUMROLL……….
The Flyers won the division!
Earlier in the episode the Senators had one of the three Atlantic division spots, but I’m quite happy they fell off and were in fact, terrible.
Also, we have campaigned for Sean Couturier to win the Selke trophy, but…folks, what if Scott Laughton?
That would certainly be an interesting reality.
In terms of Flyers stats, Claude Giroux nearly missed out on a point-per-game, but nonetheless takes the scoring title. There were quite a few players who scored fairly decently, and I was very pleased with the depth on display!
In the end, the Larkin move to wing worked out fairly well as he ended with 30 points in 55 games in Orange and Black. The move unfortunately didn’t benefit Kevin Hayes, who only scored 39 points in a full 82 games. Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier were the highest performing forwards in Corsi, with each garnering 60.00% or more. Woah.
NHL wide, David Pastrnak scored 123 points to take the Art Ross trophy, and overall just crushed it. Interestingly, Claude Giroux was tied with both Sidney Crosby and Brad Marchand for most assists.
That will conclude today’s episode, and next up will be the playoffs!
A seven game series against the Capitals is in store for us next time we return.
Also, I want to pose a question to you:
I am currently using the NHL’s 1-3 and WC playoff format, but have changed it to the old 1v8 format in other saves. Do you think after this year I should change formats or keep it as is?
Poll is below, and ends Sunday.
Change playoff format?
| Yes, 1v8 | 33 |
| No, keep it as is | 64 |
