Tensions Rising For Flyers As Disappointing Start Puts Michkov's Future In Question

For a time last season, the Philadelphia Flyers looked like they were on the right track to building a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

That didn't last long.

After five straight seasons where they missed the playoffs, the Flyers finished third in the Metropolitan Division and earned their first post-season series win, beating their arch-rival Pittsburgh Penguins team before they were swept in the second round by the eventual Cup-champion Carolina Hurricanes.

Flyers GM Daniel Briere pointed to that success when he decided to add to his roster this summer, acquiring Joseph Woll to form a legitimate goaltending tandem with Dan Vladar while adding some depth pieces in Noel Acciari and Simon Benoit.

In sum, the future was looking bright for Philadelphia, until the current regular season began. The Flyers came out of the gate looking listless and lost, and that was reflected in their abysmal 0-6-3 start to the year.

A subsequent three-game win streak brought some much-needed relief to the organization, but since that time, Philly has gone 2-4-2, and one of those two wins came against the sad-sack Vancouver Canucks.

They have the worst point percentage (.373) in the Eastern Conference, and the third-worst point-percentage in the league, ahead of only the Canucks and the equally-awful Chicago Blackhawks. 

To say the Flyers are a disappointment would be a major understatement. And all the losing is causing tensions to boil over, as seen in the heated exchange between young star Matvei Michkov and veteran blueliner Nick Seeler on the Philadelphia bench last night against Vancouver.

You can find a good explanation for what may have caused their run-in through this breakdown by Steve Peters, but the bottom line is that the Flyers are turning on each other, and coach Rick Tocchet has no solutions as to what will turn this season around.

Meanwhile, ESPN's Kevin Weekes is reporting that Michkov "would likely want a new start elsewhere" and would welcome a trade. So, the Flyers' most potent offensive force could be a on his way out in the near future. The word 'yikes' is appropriate here.

20 games into the season, the Flyers do not have even a single point-per-game player. Their top scorers are Michkov and Trevor Zegras, who each have 14 points, and veteran center Christian Dvorak has 10 points. Other than that, Philadelphia does not have any other players who have reached double-digits in scoring.

Tocchet can do his best to instill some structure for his team on the defensive end, and in that regard, he's not horrible, as the Flyers are ranked 19th with a goals-against average of 3.25. But Tocchet cannot teach the high-end offensive instincts that made him one of the game's premier power forwards. And that's what's held his team back.

In the Flyers' past eight games, they've been outscored 29-25, a much better statistic than they had in their initial nine-game losing skid, when they were outscored 33-11. But the end result is very much the same – far more defeats than victories.

Their next seven games aren’t going to be a cakewalk, as they have two games against the mighty Edmonton Oilers, and one game against each of the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals. 

While a generational talent won't be arriving in Philadelphia anytime soon to change their fortunes, continued struggles could force Briere and Flyers brass to make some changes of consequence before this season is completely lost.

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