The Philadelphia Flyers aren't getting nearly enough goals from their centers, including Morgan Frost and Sean Couturier. That can't continue, says Sam Carchidi.
The Philadelphia Flyers aren't getting nearly enough goals from their centers, including Morgan Frost and Sean Couturier. That can't continue, says Sam Carchidi.
The Philadelphia Flyers have had some good stretches this season – see their recent 4-0-1 surge – but they have basically been around a .500 team.
The reason for their mediocrity? A lack of scoring from their centers is among them.
Two months into the season, the Flyers are 13-12-4, and it’s rather surprising they have more wins than regulation losses when you consider their defensemen have more goals (15) than their centers (13).
That trend can’t continue if the Flyers want to play meaningful games in March and April.
At least the Flyers’ centers showed signs of breaking out of their long slumps in Tuesday’s 5-3 win in Columbus. In that game, centers Morgan Frost (four goals this season) and Noah Cates (two) scored for Philadelphia.
Frost, 25, a first-round pick in 2017 and the Flyers’ second-line center, has great potential. He dominated the junior ranks, played in AHL All-Star Classic and had 19 goals with the Flyers in 2022-23.
Trade Rumors
Frost has not lived up to his expectations, prompting endless trade rumors.
The theory: A change of scenery for him – and the underachieving center the Flyers would presumably acquire if they dealt him – might help both teams.
But trading him is risky. In the past, the Flyers gave up too quickly on promising young forwards, such as Justin Williams and Patrick Sharp, and it came back to haunt them.
So they are sticking with Frost. For now.
The Ontario native got off to a slow start this season, failing to score a goal in his first 12 games. At the time, coach John Tortorella said he was “trying like hell” to stick with Frost, but it was getting difficult.
Now Frost is centering dependable Owen Tippett and rookie sensation Matvei Michkov and has a chance to show he can be a consistent offensive contributor.
“We’ve been together for a fair amount of games now,” Frost said after the win over the Blue Jackets, “and we’re starting to develop some chemistry. We’re all offensive players, and I think we’re all doing a good job and it’s leading to us getting more opportunities in the offensive zone.”
In Tuesday’s win, Frost had a goal and an assist, Michkov had two assists and Tippett had a goal.
“I think all of our skill sets can complement each other well,” said Frost, whose team hosts Detroit on Thursday. “I’m having a blast playing with those guys. I love playing with those guys, so hopefully, we can keep it going and stick together. I know the lines can switch pretty easily sometimes.”
Plenty Of Company
Frost is not alone among the Flyers centers who have struggled to find the back of the net.
Sean Couturier (six goals), who has been inconsistent but has played better lately, Cates, Ryan Poehling (one) and Scott Laughton (three) have had scoring issues. All three of Laughton’s goals were scored as a left winger.
It’s very rare for a team’s defense to have more goals than its centers. To put it in perspective, the last time the Flyers made the playoffs (2019-20), their centers finished with 85 goals compared to their defensemen’s 44.
When the Flyers last won the Stanley Cup in 1974-75, their centers outscored their defensemen, 104-38, with Rick MacLeish (38), Bobby Clarke (27) and Bill Clement (21) leading the way.
Maybe down the road, the Flyers will move the explosive Michkov to center, or maybe promising centers in their system – such as elusive Denver Barkey, speedy Jett Luchanko and powerfully built Jack Berglund – will one day become high-quality NHL players.
That’s the hope, anyway.
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