The 2023 Flyers may be bad but unlike last year, there are a few reasons for optimism

If we are being completely honest, the 2023 season was always going to be a long slog for the Flyers under first-year coach John Tortorella. One look at the team’s opening-night lineup would have told even those wearing the most orange-colored glasses as much. Frankly, the Flyers just didn’t have nearly enough good players to be a contender, and despite what general manager Chuck Fletcher or Tortorella said publicly, this was in fact always going to be a rebuilding year.

There have been false dawns, namely, three straight comeback wins to open the season and an almost unimaginable 7-3-2 start. But the team’s luck was always going to revert to the mean and the Flyers’ glaring lack of high-end talent was bound to be exposed. It was clear as day to see with your own eyes, even without diving into the advanced analytics that painted an ominous picture.

» READ MORE: Flyers fight back late but come up just short in 4-3 loss to the Maple Leafs

The Flyers may have been winning but they were being severely outplayed and it wasn’t going to be sustainable. Tortorella admitted as much, saying the team was “just terrible” at points in some wins, and “really good” at points during losses.

Exasperated by a few key injuries, reality hit, and hard, beginning on Nov. 10 in the form of a 10-game losing streak. The Flyers have really never recovered and are currently in the midst of a stretch in which they have lost 18 of their past 22 games. In the famous words of late NFL coach Dennis Green, “They are who we thought they were.”

While the Flyers’ 11-16-7 record is just about where you would have pegged them to be, there have quietly been some real positives.

After back-to-back shaky seasons, Carter Hart (.911 save percentage, 2.87 goals-against average) has looked every bit of a No. 1 goaltender despite being under siege most nights behind a young and overmatched group. The resurgence of Travis Konecny has also been a welcome sight. The winger, who is still only 25 years old, has 14 goals and 30 points through 28 games, after scoring just 16 goals in 79 games last season.

Some young players have also started to take positive steps. Owen Tippett (10 goals), the 23-year-old who was acquired in the Claude Giroux trade, looks to have found his confidence and footing at the NHL level and has been using his size and terrific shot to great effect. The tantalizing Morgan Frost, 23, also looks to be having a moment with goals in three straight games and seven points over his last six contests. Add in Noah Cates, also 23, who has impressed Tortorella with his defensive play, and the recent call-up of 21-year-old defenseman Cam York (four points in seven games), and there are a few young pieces to work with.

» READ MORE: As confident as ever, Flyers’ Morgan Frost working to prove he can be a consistent NHL threat

The team has been more competitive for the most part, with 11 of its 23 losses coming by a solitary goal, including seven in either overtime or a shootout. The Flyers have shown no quit amid the struggles, clawing back to earn nine comeback wins, a total that already matches last season’s 82-game output. There is no salvation in moral victories, but the effort and pride have been there this season even if the results have not, and that wasn’t always clear last season.

For a team that had no shot of contending for a Stanley Cup this year, being in games but not winning them is probably the ideal scenario. The Flyers currently have the league’s sixth-worst record, and a year after landing Cutter Gauthier at No. 5, they will likely be near the top of the lottery hoping to land another premium draft pick. In a strong draft that features a generational prospect in Connor Bedard and other potential stars in Adam Fantilli and Matvei Michkov, losing while being competitive is the best plan of action for the long run.

The Flyers are not going to be a playoff team for the third consecutive season. As frustrating as that is for fans to hear, it’s undoubtedly for the best. The second half of this season isn’t about wins and losses, it’s about continuing to build an identity under Tortorella, giving on-the-job experience to young players in key situations, and determining which players are part of the long-term solution and which players the team should move on from. It’s long overdue but the Flyers need to stop playing the middle and commit to rebuilding from the ground up. That process is underway.

It might be hard to believe — and there is still lots of work to do — but throw away the record, the Flyers are in a better position than they were at this time last year.