Did COVID-19 contribute to Flyers’ downfall? We may never know | Sam Carchidi

The Flyers don’t want to use the team’s COVID-19 outbreak in February as an excuse for their disappointing season. And they shouldn’t. Other teams have been hit hard — Washington, Carolina, Colorado, and Winnipeg come to mind -- and have rebounded and played extremely well.

The Flyers, however, have never been the same since their season was paused and they had 10 days between games as six of their regulars were on the league’s COVID-19 protocol list.

They were 8-3-2, albeit some fortunate wins, and tied with East Division leader Boston in points when their season was stalled. When they returned Feb. 18, they looked out of sync, and that has lasted for two months.

Heading into Saturday, the Flyers had dropped to sixth place and had won just 12 of their last 30 games (12-14-4) since their COVID pause ended.

“It sucks that we did get hit, but at the end of the day, it’s a non-factor,” captain Claude Giroux said.

That said, the Flyers have looked lethargic at times, and you wonder if it had to do with a lack of desire or preparation, or if there are underlying aftereffects from the coronavirus.

We will probably never know, and that means we should put an asterisk on the season and look ahead to the future.

That doesn’t mean this team isn’t flawed. It is, and it needs changes, needs more grit and speed, needs a true sniper/finisher and a top-pairing defenseman.

» READ MORE: Wade Allison makes strong NHL debut for Flyers, while Cam York’s climb is delayed

The truth is, we don’t know how difficult it was for the COVID sufferers to bounce back from a nasty disease while playing a physical, swift-moving game that taxes even the healthiest players.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that while most people with COVID-19 get better within weeks or months of the illness, some do not. The CDC and other experts are still studying the long-term health effects. Among the possible lingering effects: fatigue, muscle pain, and difficulty concentrating.

“It’s on an individual basis,” said forward Scott Laughton, referring to how people recover from the virus. “I know I had it and I feel OK. (But) just the way the schedule has been set up it’s been a different year. It’s been tough for us.”

“The COVID reality is that our schedule was condensed prior to that, and it’s even more condensed now,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “That’s making it very challenging for everyone. The players who came back from COVID, and one practice and (back) in, and the rest of our group was stopped for five or six days and then one practice and back in. It’s been a challenge.”

Again, they weren’t using it as an alibi for a season gone bad. They were answering questions asked to try to figure out the aftereffects of COVID. Questions need to be asked because there’s not enough data (yet) on the virus’ aftereffects.

When looking at the performance of the six Flyers regulars who tested positive during the season, three have dipped a bit since they returned: Giroux (0.85 points per game before COVID to 0.71 points per game afterward); Laughton (0.69 points per game to 0.30); and Jake Voracek (0.92 points per game to 0.78).

Justin Braun and Oskar Lindblom have had similar production before and after COVID, and Travis Konecny’s play has improved (0.67 points per game to 0.81) since he returned. (Side note: Konecny’s goal-scoring rate has decreased, while Giroux’s has increased in the before/after comparison.)

Shayne Gostisbehere contracted the virus before the season and didn’t play until Game 7, and it took him a while to look like himself. The almost 28-year-old defenseman had no goals and one assist in his first nine games. In his next 24 games, he had eight goals and six assists.

» READ MORE: Carter Hart will start as the Flyers try to end misery against Capitals

Here is a look at the Flyers who had the coronavirus during the season:

Claude Giroux

Before COVID-19: 13 GP, 1 goal, 10 assists, 0.85 points per game.

After: 28 GP, 10 goals, 10 assists, 0.71 points per game.

Travis Konecny

Before COVID-19: 12 GP, 5 goals, 3 assists, 0.67 points per game.

After: 25 GP, 4 goals, 16 assists, 0.80 points per game.

Scott Laughton

Before COVID-19: 13 GP, 4 goals, 5 assists, 0.69 points per game.

After: 27 GP, 3 goals, 5 assists, 0.30 points per game.

Oskar Lindblom

Before COVID-19: 13 GP, 2 goals, 2 assists, 0.30 points per game.

After: 24 GP, 4 goals, 3 assists, 0.29 points per game.

Jake Voracek

Before COVID-19: 13 GP, 3 goals, 9 assists, 0.92 points per game.

After: 27 GP, 5 goals, 16 assists, 0.78 points per game.

Justin Braun

Before COVID-19: 13 GP, 0 goals, 1 assist, plus-4.

After: 27 GP, 0 goals, 2 assists, minus-2.

With Lindblom, of course, it’s difficult to read into how much COVID has affected him because his body had endured enough stress before he came down with the virus. He battled a rare bone cancer last season, had some ribs removed. and underwent draining chemotherapy treatments that left him exhausted and nauseous.

“It’s tough to say,” Lindblom said Friday when asked if he had any lingering effects from COVID. “This season has been up and down for me, so I can’t really tell if that’s from COVID or just the treatment I had last year. I still feel I have a lot to do here and a lot to get back to. Like I said, it’s up and down and I try to be positive and be better (on the ice). We only have 14 games left here and we need to push, and I need to help the team get some wins.”

Added Lindblom, whose attitude and drive are far beyond admirable: “You can’t blame it on anything. You just have to keep going and push yourself.”