5 key questions facing the Flyers as they begin an interesting offseason

Coach John Tortorella and general manager Danny Brière will sit at a table, individually, and address the media regarding the Flyers’ 2023-24 season on Friday.

A post-mortem is always good to discuss what went right, what went wrong, and what can be done better. And this season had it all in turns of ups, downs, bumps, holes, and anything and everything you would expect — and some things you wouldn’t — on the road through 82 games.

It was such a roller-coaster of a season that it needed one more wild turn at the very end to decide the Flyers’ fate.

» READ MORE: ‘We’re building something special’: The Flyers view this year’s disappointment as a step to brighter days ahead

So with the page turned and the future looking golden and bright, as the band Bastille said, “Give me the future.”

Here are five burning questions for the Flyers as they head into the offseason.

The Flyers have three candidates for two spots between the pipes next year. After a mostly strong rookie season, where he made 51 appearances and rebounded to close things out, Sam Ersson is all but assured another chance at being the Flyers No. 1 goalie.

He wasn’t expected to be handed the reins this season, but even before Carter Hart was charged with sexual assault, Ersson was pushing Hart for the top spot.

Now the biggest question is who will be his backup?

Ivan Fedotov, 27, finally was allowed to come over from the Kontinental Hockey League after the end of his season in Russia and made three appearances, posting a 4.95 goals-against average and .811 save percentage. Definitely not great, numbers-wise, but you have to view it through the prism of his being off for almost a month, his having to break in equipment with different measurements, and the Flyers’ struggling amid an eight-game tailspin.

At times, he looked to be the guy the Orange and Black were waiting for, and at other times he seemed to struggle with the speed and skill level. Fedotov is an unrestricted free agent, but Brière said that he expects an extension to be signed with the 6-foot-7 netminder.

The wild card is Alexei Kolosov. At 22, the Belarussian is regarded as one of the organization’s top prospects and should battle for a spot on the Flyers roster in training camp. He, too, arrived from the KHL in the last few weeks and made his North American pro hockey debut with Lehigh Valley on April 13. But then the question is, does having a goalie tandem of one guy in his second full season and one guy in his rookie season make sense for a team that is now pushing for the playoffs? Or should the Flyers add a veteran backup who can mentor and ease the burden on Ersson?

The blueliner is an incredibly talented skater with creative flair and a strong hockey IQ. There is no denying that he can be a difference-maker in games with the way he pushes offense and how he sees the ice in the defensive zone.

The question lies in his health. Drysdale said on Wednesday after cleaning out his locker that, while he won’t use it as an excuse, he was dealing with some things all season long and could “potentially” need to get something cleaned up via surgery.

He missed more than a month after his acquisition from the Anaheim Ducks in early January with a shoulder injury and has had well-document injury issues the past few seasons. But the 22-year-old is looking to the offseason as a way to get fully healthy, and for a guy who has only played 42 NHL games since 2021-22, the time is now for him to prove that he is healthy and show that he is the talented defenseman that made him a top-10 pick out of junior.

» READ MORE: Morgan Frost, Sean Couturier among the Flyers heading into the offseason unsure of where they stand

The good news is the Flyers can buy out as many contracts as they want. But will they buy out any? The team has three bad deals hanging over them — Cam Atkinson, Ryan Johansen, and Cal Petersen.

Johansen, the forward the Flyers acquired at the trade deadline to sweeten the Sean Walker deal, is reportedly injured. Because of that, unless he agrees to accept the buyout, his $4 million will be on the books next season for Philly. They could bury him in the AHL, but if he is hurt, he cannot be sent down.

Petersen, the one-time backup goaltender, is owed $5 million in the last year of his deal, and his NHL career with the Flyers is not expected to be resurrected. Whether there is room for him in Lehigh Valley is unknown; there is a possibility of Lehigh Valley having a combination of Fedotov and Kolosov.

Atkinson is owed $5.275 million and, when speaking with the media on Wednesday, the forward mentioned that the team had brought up “going younger” before the season even started. After missing a full season following neck surgery, the 34-year-old was a healthy scratch for 12 games, all after the new year, and posted just 28 points.

“I have one more year on my contract. I know the player I am, and I’ll never lose sight of who I am, and what has made me the player I am today, and what’s gotten me to this level,” he said. “I still feel like I have a lot of juice left in the tank for the right situation.” He sounded like a guy who knows the right situation is not in Philly.

Travis Konecny and Scott Laughton are two guys who bleed Flyers orange. Konecny, the team’s All-Star and top scorer, is heading into the final year of his contract and, when asked about a potential extension, simply replied, “I love Philly.” He fits the mold of the bygone days and sounds like a guy who wants to stick around. It wouldn’t come as a shock to anyone when he, like Owen Tippett back in January, signs a long-term extension.

As for Laughton, he knows that his future is a little bit murkier. The versatile forward has been on the trade block a few times in the past year but did get a boost of confidence when Brière said he would accept only an overpay for Laughton at this year’s deadline. He called him a “rassembler” or “someone that brings people together.”

Indeed. Say whatever you want about his numbers, this is a guy who wears every moment on his sleeve and carries the load. He is the Flyers’ glue guy through and through.

“I want to be here. I’ve made it pretty clear I want to be a part of this,” he said on Wednesday. “I accept my role, wherever it is. I built a life here. I want to see it succeed and I want to be a part of this city when we’re at the top. ...

“I’ll let Danny and Jonesy, and those guys take care of that stuff,” he said, speaking of president of hockey operations Keith Jones. “Whatever they think they need to do for the team going forward. I’ve said it all along and I’ll keep saying it. I love it here and I want to be here. I want to win here and that’s what I want to do.”

It’s hard to gauge what the Flyers do now. Management and Tortorella have said repeatedly that the team is in a rebuild, but they’ve also said they don’t have the talent to take that next step. You’ll expect a few kids from Lehigh Valley to get a chance next season, but the Flyers do not have a game-breaker in their organization — potentially until Matvei Michkov comes.

Could Konecny or Tippett step into that role soon? Maybe. But until they make that jump, the possibility of bringing in guys who can step up and score goals in big moments is something this team needs — and, while we’re at it, that guy could probably help the worst power play in the NHL.

If the Flyers do not want to trade assets, which they would need to do to get a guy like Trevor Zegras from Anaheim, who has been rumored to be on the move, they need to look to free agency. Sam Reinhart, Jonathan Marchessault, Tyler Toffoli, and Jake Guentzel are four veteran guys who know how to put points on the board. Adding a guy like this isn’t the end-all-be-all, as the Flyers could use some other additions, but the core is in place — it’s just figuring out the rest.