Of the four teams that lost in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Philadelphia Flyers may have the toughest time getting that far next season.
The NHL teams that made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs have things to be happy about, but there's no guarantee they get that far next year.
Of the four teams that lost in the second round – the Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks, Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres – the Flyers seem the most likely to take a step back next season.
Now, this isn't to say that good things aren't ahead for this Philadelphia team. To the contrary, Flyers GM Daniel Briere has put together the foundation for his franchise to eventually become a year-in, year-out Cup contender.
But that's the catch – 'eventually.' And as we all ought to know by now, progress isn't linear. So after an unlikely push in the final stretch of the regular season that got the Flyers into the playoffs and helped them win a round, it seems probable that the Flyers make a lateral move or step backward next year.
The Metropolitan Division should be significantly more competitive next season, for starters.
The Flyers finished third in the Metro this year after going 18-7-1 since the Olympic break. But the fourth-place Washington Capitals finished with the same number of wins, and the New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets had poor stretches that cost them playoff spots.
There was a lot of parity in the Metro that likely won't go away. Thus, the prospect of the Flyers losing a couple more games and finishing out of the playoff picture in the 2026-27 campaign is very real, especially if the Capitals bounce back. Even the New Jersey Devils underperformed this season and should be in the playoff race next season.
Anaheim getting into the playoffs with 92 points doesn't really show much promise for the future, but there just aren't as many teams in the Pacific Division that finished below the Ducks and are expected to be significantly better next season. The Flyers aren't predicted to be in that same situation.
Philadelphia got a breakout performance from Dan Vladar this season, with a career-best 2.42 goals-against average and .906 save percentage in 52 games played. He went from being a backup to a clear-cut starter for the Flyers.
Goaltending can be unpredictable and volatile, however, and the Flyers don't have a capable backup right now. The Flyers would need Vladar to be equally as strong, if not stronger, than he was this season to ensure the team has the best chance possible to take a step forward next season. If he regresses, and Briere doesn't bring in an effective backup, the rest of the team doesn't look effective enough yet to pick up the slack.
That may not be what Flyers fans want to hear, but they're the fifth-youngest team in the NHL this season, according to eliteprospects.com, and their offense that averaged 2.93 goals per game doesn't look deep or experienced enough to truly break out next year. So there's legitimate doubt that Philadelphia gets out of the first round – or that they even make the playoffs at all.
There will come a time when Briere's vision for his team comes to fruition. But it's still early days for this group of Flyers players, and even only a brief stumble could be all that's needed to push Philadelphia out of the post-season next year.
The Wild are going to be very good for quite some time. The Ducks are clearly on the rise in a relatively weaker division. And the Sabres are built to win now. So of the four teams that lost in the second round, the Flyers stand out as the team most likely to have serious concerns next season.
It may not be long before the Flyers take that next competitive step and elevate into the top tier of the league. But it's clear Philly has growing and evolving yet to do.
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