The last time the Philadelphia Flyers made the playoffs, I was an 18-year-old high school senior who missed graduation because of COVID. Now I’m 24 and finishing my master’s degree – and I’m sick and tired of watching the Flyers lose.
I know there are probably many of you who are much older than I who have been waiting for a Stanley Cup to come down Broad Street for a lot longer than I have – and for that, I’m sorry. It’s frustrating watching your favorite hockey team struggle to be a contender, so that’s why I’m choosing to be delusional.
I have been on the “tank for a better draft pick” train for a while now, and to be honest, it’s pretty exhausting. For six years now, the Flyers have been two to three years away from being two to three years away – everyone’s favorite quote. At some point, they’re going to have to turn the corner, right?
The last two Flyers games – their 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals and their 3-2 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild – have made me realize that I miss when this team won games and was competitive. It’s so refreshing to talk about positive storylines like Owen Tippett dominating the Capitals or Emil Andrae impressing in his return to the lineup.
Even on Twitter or X – whatever you want to call it – being able to talk about the incredible work that defenseman Jamie Drysdale has put in, or how Trevor Zegras is looking great at center.
There is so much negativity on social media – not just Flyers social media – but all social media, so it’s refreshing to look at things through orange-tinted glasses every once in a while.
Why I’m choosing to be delusional
There are plenty of reasons to be delusional about where the Flyers currently stand. For starters, they’re only five points back of a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, and only six points back of third in the Metropolitan – after having an abysmal January.
Now obviously they’ll need help if they’re going to squeak in, as there are still two teams ahead of them pushing for that last Wild Card spot, but it’s a lot more fun to play meaningful hockey in March and April than it is being out of the race.
Another reason to be delusional is that the Flyers have a really solid core.
Trevor Zegras is having an incredible year and is on pace to score a career high in points. Jamie Drysdale is establishing himself as an incredible top four defenseman – if not a first pair guy – and his defensive game has taken a complete turnaround since coming over from Anaheim.
The young guys on the team are establishing that they can play at this level. Forwards Denver Barkey and Alex Bump have looked like quality NHL players, and they are 20 and 22 years old, respectively. Even Ty Murchison, in his short NHL stint, looked like a solid defenseman who could fit on the third pair, in the future since his season ended early due to injury.
Owen Tippett is showing that he can be more consistent – even when he’s not scoring goals – by playing more physically and using his body away from the puck.
Travis Konecny is looking like Travis Konecny – leading this Flyers team in points for the fifth season in a row, and Dan Vladar looks like a star.
And on top of all that, they’re hoping to add a healthy Tyson Foerster, a highly skilled Porter Martone, and a Matvei Michkov who is in better shape and hungry to prove the doubters wrong.
Rooting for the team to make the playoffs just feels better. Stressing about whether or not the Flyers will pick 12th or 14th overall just isn’t worth the time and energy – in my opinion. This draft doesn’t seem particularly deep at center anyway, and the last thing the Flyers need is another winger, and there are plenty of defensemen available throughout the projected first round. So, the options are either reach for a center who might just top out as a third-liner, or root for the players who are already part of this core to learn how to become winners and still get a solid prospect wherever they pick.
And it’s also okay to feel negatively as a fan – you’re allowed to have those feelings. Trust me, I get it, there are plenty of things that frustrate me – from reaching on draft picks, to signing a head coach I’m not a fan of – but I love the Philadelphia Flyers, and I can’t sit back and root for them to lose anymore.
I have too much fun when they win to care about whether or not these wins might push them from picking 10th in the draft to 17th.
So screw it – I’m choosing to embrace the delusion. Maybe the Flyers sneak into the playoffs. Maybe they don’t. Maybe this entire blog ages horribly in two weeks. But at least I’ll actually enjoy watching the games again instead of refreshing Tankathon like I’m trying to buy tickets to a Creed concert. Hockey is supposed to be fun, and rooting for wins is a lot more fun than trying to figure out the Flyers’ draft lottery odds.
If you’re with me, welcome aboard the delusion train! And if you’re not, that’s okay too! Either way. Let’s go Flyers!