The Flyers would have been a whole lot worse in 2022-23 had it not been for the strong play of their top netminder.
The Flyers would have been a whole lot worse in 2022-23 had it not been for the strong play of their top netminder.
There's no denying the 2022-23 Flyers were frightfully terrible.
The Orange & Black finished with a 31-38-13 record for 75 points — good for seventh-worst in the NHL — and sported some of the worst special teams play in hockey. Their penalty kill ranked 26th in the league, and they had the most inefficient power play in hockey with a conversion rate of just 15.6%. Only three other teams (the Columbus Blue Jackets, Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks) averaged fewer goals per game than the Flyers. They consistently struggled to generate high-danger scoring chances throughout the season, and when they did get golden scoring opportunities, they often failed to convert on them thanks to their 27th-ranked team shooting percentage.
In just about every facet, the Flyers were dreadful this season.
Except when it came to goaltending.
Without the stellar play of Carter Hart throughout the campaign, the Flyers very realistically could have contended for the worst record in the NHL. But Hart regularly stood on his head to steal games for the Flyers, and his efforts (rightfully) earned him a trio of end-of-season awards, including the Bobby Clarke Trophy (the team MVP award).
Season In Review
The Flyers took the hockey world by surprise when they began the season winning four of their first five games, including victories over the New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Florida Panthers. But those victories should be credited more to Hart as opposed to the team at large.
Hart made 99 stops on 105 shots against to win the Flyers their first three games of the season, but his fourth start of the campaign was his first of many sensational performances.
The Panthers peppered Hart with 51 shots in the tilt, but he stood tall to limit the Cats to just three goals, helping the Flyers earn a 4-3 victory on the road in Sunrise, Florida.
Hart's dominant start to the season didn't last, though. That type of production was simply unsustainable over a full campaign. He had his off nights from time to time, but for the large majority of the season, Hart was far and away the best player on the Flyers' roster.
All in all, the 24-year-old finished the season with what appear to be just passable statistics — a 22-23-10 record, 2.94 goals against average, and .907 save percentage. And according to MoneyPuck.com, Hart ranked 15th out of all NHL goalies with 10.3 goals saved above expected.
Given the team he was playing behind, those numbers are actually quite remarkable.
With Hart in the fold, the Flyers' foreseeable future isn't quite as bleak as many think it is.
But there's just one problem. Hart will become an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent next summer, and it's likely he'll command a significant pay raise. With the Flyers preparing to begin their rebuild, will Hart still fit in their timeline to contention?
At this stage, no one's future in Philadelphia is certain.
"I'm still only 24, but I want to win as well, and I love playing for this city. I love playing for this organization. I'm very grateful for everything they've given me and the opportunity that I've had here," said Hart during his exit interview.
"I think with the young guys we have coming up and the promise they started to show toward the second half of the season, I think it looks bright, our young core of guys. I think (interim general manager) Danny Brière is gonna be the guy to turn things around and get this ship going the right way."
Without a doubt, righting the ship will be a much easier task if Hart is sticks around for the long haul.
Standout Moment
Hart had a number of standout performances during the 2022-23 season, but his efforts against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl's Edmonton Oilers in February were simply impeccable. Hart finished the night with 34 saves (including five on McDavid), and denied both McDavid and Draisaitl in the shootout to earn the Flyers a 2-1 victory on home ice.
Beating the Oilers and their two-headed monster is never an easy task, but Hart was up to the task against a pair of the league's best players.
There's a reason he was given the Gene Hart Memorial Award at the end of the season for having "the most heart."
Bottom Line
The Flyers have been looking for a bona fide No. 1 goalie since the departure of Ron Hextall in 1999. Well, after much turnover in net over the last two-plus decades, it appears they finally found their answer.
It just came at the worst possible time.
For the benefit of both the Flyers and Hart, a quick turnaround to contention would be perfection. But that also isn't realistic.
Hart will resume his role as the Flyers' No. 1 goalie next season. But it's anyone's guess where he will be playing beyond that.
Verdict:
Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and NHL.com.