Flyers report card: Grading the Orange and Black just beyond the midway point

The Flyers just passed the midway point of the season.

Entering the year, expectations were low as the team’s rebuild rolled on with a young and uncertain roster that looked destined to endure its fair share of speed bumps and growing pains on the way to landing another high draft pick. But that was the outside noise. Head coach John Tortorella has gotten his squad to buy in to great effect.

Through 44 games, the Orange and Black are sporting a 24-14-6 record, rank seventh in goals-against per game, are averaging the fourth-highest total of shots and the fifth-fewest against, and are playing high-octane transition hockey.

» READ MORE: Takeaways from Flyers’ 4-2 win over Blues: Scott Laughton breaks through, Noah Cates returns, and more

It’s been an interesting first half that has showcased adversity, cross-country road trips, controversial benchings, injuries, and illnesses. Despite that, the club still sits pretty in a playoff spot — and not far removed from the top spot in the Metropolitan Division, thanks to a current four-game winning streak.

So, like any school year that hits the halfway mark, it’s time to hand out some grades.

Sean Couturier: Impressive doesn’t even begin to describe the veteran forward who hasn’t missed a beat after two years lost to back surgeries. Although he has missed the last two games with a “minor injury,” according to general manager Danny Brière, Couturier’s return to the lineup has brought stability and 29 points in 40 games. But it’s the other special things he does — puck possession, takeaways, and the play away from the puck — that could have him in contention for a second Selke Trophy.

Travis Konecny: He’s an All-Star for a reason. In 44 games, the winger has 21 goals, 40 points, five shorthanded goals (tied for No. 1 in the NHL), and is a team-best plus-17. Konecny has become a threat across all strengths for Tortorella while being a veteran voice in the locker room.

Brad Shaw, associate coach: Shaw has overseen a defense that has allowed the seventh-fewest goals, and the league’s No. 2 penalty kill, which also has become a weapon with 10 shorthanded goals. He has rolled seven defensemen effortlessly at times because he has them all on the same page. No notes.

Sam Ersson: Since Nov. 1, the rookie netminder ranks first in the NHL in goals-against average (1.90), third in save percentage (.927), and is tied for second in shutouts with three (minimum 15 games). His only blip is the start of the season, but the Swede has settled down and put those three games far in the rearview mirror.

Carter Hart: It’s been a long time since the Flyers have had such stability in net. The 25-year-old Hart has struggled with some health issues but has been a rock between the pipes when available with a 12-8-3 record, 2.67 GAA, and a .912 save percentage.

Travis Sanheim: Playing on the right side as a left-handed shot has elevated the blueliner’s game. Another guy who has developed into a true leader and a workhorse, he plays at all strengths and leads the team in ice time at almost 25 minutes a night. Although it has been nine games since he has notched a point, with 25 points in 43 games, Sanheim is still on pace to smash his previous career high of 35. He also has become a key shot on the second power-play unit from the right circle.

Nick Seeler: Rumors are swirling that the Flyers are looking to re-sign the defenseman — and that should not come as a surprise. Skating alongside Sean Walker for the majority of the season, the pair have become a reliable shutdown duo. Among the Flyers pairings that have been mainstays until the arrival of Jamie Drysdale, according to Natural Stat Trick they have the No. 1 Corsi For Percentage (51.57%) and the No. 2 Expected Goals For (20.92). Seeler, who has dropped the gloves a few times this season, puts his body on the line every night and leads the team in blocked shots with 120 (almost 40 more than Cam York, the next player).

Owen Tippett: The winger has fully emerged as a power forward. He’s putting up goals (16) and points (27) and is ranked third in hits (66) behind the team’s two heavyweights. Tippett also reached the fastest skating speed of any NHL player this season (24.21 mph), according to NHL Edge, and has quickly developed one of the top backhands in the game. His only flaw is he still misses the net an awful lot. Tortorella recently said he’d have several more goals if he hit the net. Tippett ranks fourth in the NHL with 78 off-target shots.

John Tortorella: The players play the game, but Tortorella and Co. create the strategy, and this season he has pushed all the right buttons with his tight-knit group. Not afraid to take risks with a high-tempo transition game, he has taken a team that was 14th in the Eastern Conference last season to four points shy of the top spot in the division. There’s a reason his name is being dropped everywhere in the Jack Adams chatter.

» READ MORE: Flyers doing it John Tortorella’s way, and the players are buying in

Joel Farabee: The season is 44 games old, and Farabee is just five goals shy of equaling his career high of 20 (set in 2020-21), and five points off his career high of 39 points (2022-23). Needless to say, Farabee has arrived. On Nov. 30, Farabee played one shift. Before that game, he had 15 points in 22 games. Since then, he has been elevated to the top line, has rejoined the power play, and has 19 points in 21 games. He is consistently in the right position to not only score but set up goals and even recently dropped the gloves with Calgary’s Elias Lindholm in defense of York.

» READ MORE: Joel Farabee’s promotion to the Flyers’ top line has been long overdue

Garnet Hathaway: Speaking of players who step up for their teammates, Hathaway is a wrecking ball on the ice night in and night out. While his reputation may result in a few odd calls, he creates space for his linemates. Hathaway’s work ethic has impressed Tortorella, and the bench boss has moved the forward up and down the lineup to help add some grit, tenacity, and forechecking where needed. He’s also a key penalty killer and has two shorthanded points.

Sean Walker: Walker is an extremely steady defenseman. He is a great skater and closes out opponents at will. Walker and Seeler have become almost symbiotic. But while Seeler extension talks are stirring, so is the chatter about Walker getting traded. The Flyers added a stud right-shot defenseman in Drysdale, putting Walker’s future in jeopardy. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if the pending unrestricted free agent is traded before the March 8 deadline.

Danny Brière: The team needed an overhaul inside the room, and the GM did just that, helping to create this tight group. But there’s plenty of work to be done between now and March. The trade for Drysdale and getting rid of a disgruntled Cutter Gauthier, was a great start.

Rasmus Ristolainen: The Finn missed the first 20 games of the season because of a lower-body injury but has seamlessly fit in. A mainstay on the third pairing before the addition of Drysdale, he has been a supportive partner to Egor Zamula while he has hit some bumps along the way. His future also is a question mark, but while he is still with the Flyers, he is a steady hand on the blue line.

Egor Zamula: The first half of the season can be further bisected for Zamula. There’s the guy who constantly was a healthy scratch, was making defensive mistakes, and was not playing a quick game. And then there’s the guy who has recently become a power-play specialist, who is making quick decisions, and is walking around holding his head high. The second guy has become more dominant as he exudes more confidence on the ice and in the room. It’s impressive how the young Russian has responded to adversity.

Tyson Foerster: The 21-year-old rookie broke his goal drought with a snipe on Friday in Minnesota. But it was just his sixth of the season — not what a guy with a high-end shot is expected to have by this point. He is doing everything else right by blocking shots, taking pucks away (ranks third on the team), and, according to Evolving Hockey’s even-strength defense model, which measures defensive goals above replacement, he ranks No. 1 among all NHL forwards this season at 4.9. That’s all great, but the Flyers also need him to start putting pucks in the net.

Cam York: The talent oozes out of the young American defenseman. He has finally become the top-pair blueliner the Flyers were hoping for when they drafted him 14th overall in 2019. York is a reliable two-way player who can shut down opponents, block shots, and put up points — something he needs to do more of in the second half. Moved to the second power play, he showcases his elite vision and skating ability but needs to bring it across all strengths.

Ryan Poehling: Who is Ryan Poehling? He has looked good when moved up in the lineup, showing signs of the player who was a first-round pick by the Montreal Canadiens in 2017. But he also has disappeared at times, resulting in a return to the fourth line. When Poehling is on his game, he creates space and offense thanks to a 6-foot-2, 204-pound frame and high hockey IQ. He’s also got wheels that can turn defenses around. That’s the guy the Flyers need down the stretch.

Marc Staal: The defenseman recently turned 37 and was brought in more to be a mentor than a lineup regular. He has done an admirable job when asked to play, and has even shown flashes of vintage Marc Staal. It has to be hard for him to sit as much as he has after playing 82 regular-season games and 21 playoff games last season for the Stanley Cup runners-up, the Florida Panthers.

Cam Atkinson: Up until a few days ago, this grade would have been lower, but only because Atkinson hadn’t been scoring. He finally potted two against the Winnipeg Jets and threw the monkey off his back. Before his breakout, Atkinson was getting his chances but just couldn’t convert. But he was struggling in other aspects, including taking some bad penalties that led to backbreaking goals (i.e. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ game-winner for the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 2). The hope is he can get his game back on track. As Atkinson and Tortorella have said, he can be a streaky goal scorer — see his eight goals in the first 15 games this season — and the Flyers would love to see him get on another hot streak.

Bobby Brink: He’s just 22, so you have to take that into mind, but Brink’s game has dropped in recent weeks. The result was a stinging healthy scratch in his home state of Minnesota. The forward has the skill to be a high-end offensive talent, but he tends to overhandle the puck and shy away from the physicality of the game. Tortorella said while he loves Brink, he needs to check. He has 18 points in 38 games.

Morgan Frost: The first half of the season has been quite an interesting one for Frost who was a healthy scratch in 10 of the first 20 games. He then didn’t miss a game after that until he banished to the press box on Jan. 4. It seemed to light a fire under the young center — that and an in-depth chat with Tortorella he requested — as he has five points in his past six games after notching just 11 in his first 27.

Noah Cates: Welcome back. It’s hard to gauge where Cates is right now. He played his best game of the season on Nov. 25 against the New York Islanders; it just happened to be the same game he broke his foot. Cates looked steady in his first game back on Monday, albeit at center with Couturier out. He can play wing or center, and it’ll be interesting to see how Tortorella uses him once the lineup is fully healthy.

» READ MORE: Flyers’ Noah Cates to return from broken foot, play first game since Nov. 25

Nic Deslauriers: A rugged forward, Deslauriers knows his role is to bang away, create energy, and drop the gloves when necessary. Doing all that has created turnovers and long forechecks, and while he has gotten some chances to score, he hasn’t been able to bury one. Adding a couple of more points definitely would help to raise his grade for the final report card.

Scott Laughton: Laughton knows his game has struggled this year, but his “power kill” work is elite. Usually skating with Konecny, the pair have ridiculous chemistry, and although they’ll joke that the other cost them some assists, the fact that they consistently get chances allows the penalty kill to spend less and less time defending in their end. As the only player sporting a letter, Laughton brings a veteran presence to the room and has surely played a role in building team unity. But he has been short of the form that saw him post career highs of 18 goals and 43 points last season; he has only four goals thus far.

Rocky Thompson: Thompson is the assistant coach in charge of the power play. The power play is last in the NHL and is flirting with historically low numbers. The only reason this isn’t an even lower grade is that there have been signs of life — five straight games with a power-play goal before Monday night.