NHL predictions: Will the Flyers bounce back under John Tortorella? Who will win the Stanley Cup?

The Flyers are coming off a thoroughly disappointing season, as they compiled a 25-46-11 and finished rock-bottom of the Metropolitan Division. Gone is longtime captain Claude Giroux, while in comes new coach John Tortorella to try and right the ship.

Can Tortorella turn things around? Ahead of the Flyers’ season, which begins on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils, we asked our beat reporters, Giana Han, and Olivia Reiner, to make their 2022-23 predictions for the Flyers and the NHL as a whole.

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GH: 31-42-9 (71 points). They’ll be better than last year, but still at the lower end of the pack.

OR: 31-38-13 (75 points). A step in the right direction but not enough of a step to get out of the division’s basement.

GH: No. If they were healthy (which they are not), they still don’t have enough elite players to propel them past their stronger, star-studded division opponents.

OR: No. Tortorella and his assistants will push these players to be aggressive on loose pucks and to be defensively responsible first, which could frustrate opponents and help the Flyers keep games close. But this roster lacks the bona fide NHL players, let alone the high-end scoring talent, necessary to even brush shoulders with the top teams in the Metro.

GH: It’s a weird year where the most obvious answers are hurt, but I’m going to go with Travis Konecny with 57 points. He led the team last year with 52 points in a down year, and he went into the summer determined to figure things out. With his new approach and (hopefully) steadier lines, I think he’ll have an improved year.

OR: Kevin Hayes with 52 points. Despite only playing 48 games last season while still dealing with groin issues, Hayes put up 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists). Hayes looks like he’s moving better on the ice than he was last year and has high expectations to meet under Tortorella. Plus, he will be playing in an elevated role to start the season with Sean Couturier (back) out.

GH: This is a risky answer since he got injured in training camp, but I think Cam Atkinson will score a team-best. 29 goals.

OR: Konecny with 27 goals. Even though he only scored on 7.3% of his shots last season (his career-worst shooting percentage), he still finished fifth on the team in goals (16). If he can just get back to his career-average metrics (11.5% shooting), he could approach the 30-goal plateau this season.

GH: I think Atkinson will lead the team on and off the ice.

OR: Hayes. As Tortorella has said, there’s more there for Hayes, but he has to prove that he can rise to the expectation.

GH: I think his save percentage will improve from .905 to .914 with a better defense in front of him. His GAA will also subsequently drop from 3.18 to around 2.50.

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OR: 3.02 GAA, .908 SV% thanks to a slight defensive improvement over last season.

GH: Over. He hit 23 goals last year in a disappointing 2021-22 season.

OR: Under. The fact that Atkinson, 33, finished last season banged up and missed the entire preseason with an undisclosed upper-body injury doesn’t make me feel warm and fuzzy about his availability throughout the season.

GH: Over. He scored at a 0.645 point per game rate in 48 games (on pace for 53 points), and that’s while far from healthy.

OR: Over (See above).

GH: I’d lean yes towards being ejected, but I’m less certain about him being suspended. He said he learned a lot in his time as an analyst about responding to losses better, but also — look at the situation he’s stepping into.

OR: No, but I would imagine this team is going to make him show his feelings in an expressive manner very, very often.

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GH: The young guys surprise with how well they do, and GM Chuck Fletcher trades away several veterans to keep building around the youth.

OR: The penalty kill finishes in the top half of the league after finishing seventh-worst (75.7%) last season.

GH: No. While I think they’ve added some good pieces, that division has some serious competition. I could see them being the first team out.

OR: No. I like the additions of Giroux and Alex DeBrincat, but the Senators lack forward depth and their defense and goaltending are poised to be pretty average.

GH: The Colorado Avalanche will make it again but this time will fall to the Carolina Hurricanes.

OR: Avs repeat, over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

GH: Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs

OR: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

GH: Roman Josi, Nashville Predators

OR: Cale Makar, Avalanche

GH: Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers

OR: Shesterkin

GH: I’m excited to go to Seattle for the first time, and I think it would be really cool to see the league’s newest team start to find some success.

OR: How the teams in the midst of their respective rebuilds progress (especially the Detroit Red Wings), as they could be case studies for the Flyers if the organization ever decides to burn it all down.