The Flyers scored a league-leading 16 shorthanded goals last season and they probably wouldn't mind scoring more in 2024-25.
Some of the best penalty kill units put pressure on the opposing power play with speed and instincts. Cam Atkinson did it for years with the Blue Jackets under John Tortorella and Brad Shaw. Travis Konecny and Scott Laughton are doing it now for the Flyers, effectively killing penalties by making plays up ice.
Since 2022-23, Konecny leads the NHL in shorthanded goals with 10 and Laughton is first in shorthanded points with 16.
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One forward who could augment the shorthanded scoring punch is Owen Tippett. It was noteworthy that the 25-year-old winger was on the ice for the Flyers' first penalty kill of the season Friday night. He ended up playing 1:53 shorthanded minutes in the team's 3-2, season-opening shootout win over the Canucks. That's after he played 1:52 shorthanded minutes all of last season.
Tippett has the strengths to be a threat on the PK. He plays with great acceleration and anticipation. Last season, Laughton mentioned Tippett's ability to single-handedly make things happen starting from the defensive zone.
"The way he uses his speed, especially from our own zone, I think he creates so much offense for us," Laughton said in January. "He creates a ton of offense out of nothing."
Philadelphia Flyers
In 2021-22, Rangers forward Chris Kreider started killing penalties as a 30-year-old and his overall game simultaneously took off. He's a winger with similar size to Tippett and has been up there with Konecny as one of the game's top shorthanded goal scorers.
At 25 years old, Kreider's offensive production was identical to Tippett's from last season: 28 goals, 53 points. Now, at 33, he's one of the better power forwards in the NHL.
As one of the Flyers' highest-paid forwards, Tippett is poised for another step. Adding penalty killer to his repertoire sure is intriguing for a guy who flirted with 30 goals the past two seasons. He had career highs playing 16:35 minutes per game last season. Imagine what he can do playing in all situations.
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