Five things I think about the Flyers:
1. Special teams
The Flyers had the top power play in the preseason, scoring 33.3 percent of the time. That’s no surprise. They have had a top-10 power play every year Joey Mullen has been here. You know it’s going to be good. But their penalty kill remained pedestrian at 15th best in the league (82.4 percent). It could remain a problem once the real games begin.
2. Even-strength scoring
It was a problem for Peter Laviolette and Craig Berube and it appears it hasn’t changed much under Dave Hakstol, either. The Flyers scored just 12 even-strength goals in the preseason among the 23 overall goals. Their personnel is virtually identical to last season, and there were no 50-goal scorers signed in the offseason.
3. Same-look offense
The only new forward among the 12 starters is Scott Laughton. So it follows that the lines haven’t changed much, if at all. Hakstol seems undecided as to what line he wants Brayden Schenn on and whether Schenn plays left or right wing. If there’s no change among the lines or personnel, how’s the scoring going to improve?
4. New to the blue line
The two new bodies on defense are Radko Gudas and Evgeny Medvedev. From a standpoint of mobility, Gudas is more mobile than Schenn but doesn’t have the overall speed of a Medvedev or Michael Del Zotto. The blue line still lacks for more speed, more mobility and better coverage down the middle. The Rangers had an expressway to the net against the Flyers in the preseason.
5. Practice habits
Hakstol’s daily practices and drills have a common theme: They start, remain and end at a high pace. A lot of “suicides” (end-to-end skating) and constant movement. From Day 1 of camp, Hakstol has reinforced the idea of energy, speed and motion with little rest. The Flyers should be better prepared from a cardio standpoint to play against teams that skate well, including their opening night opponent, Tampa Bay. A number of players say the hard-skating camp will help them avoid a slow start because they are at hyper drive.
