Are the Flyers for real? We asked our beat reporters to weigh in on the team’s surprising start

After a tumultuous offseason marked by injuries to key players such as Sean Couturier (back) and Ryan Ellis (pelvis) and little action in free agency, many observers were prepared to write off the 2022-23 Flyers altogether. Two weeks into the season, the tune seems to have changed a bit. The Flyers are not only off to a surprising 5-2-0 start, but maybe more important, they seem to be forging a much-needed identity under new coach John Tortorella.

Is the team’s quick start an aberration or a sign of even better things to come? We asked Giana Han and Olivia Reiner for their observations so far this season:

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GH: The Flyers can actually bounce back from a deficit. Last year, even if they were down one goal, it felt like the game was over — and it often was. The Flyers mounted a comeback in only nine games. And if the deficit was more than one, the team was done for (0 wins). This year’s team already has four comeback wins. It’s been ugly at times, but they’ve found a way, which fits what Tortorella is asking for at the start of the season as the team continues to find its game.

OR: Tortorella is showing he isn’t afraid to hold players accountable in the thick of a game, a departure from last season. If a player isn’t living up to his standards, from the young ones to the veteran ones, he will glue them to the bench. He showed this on Sunday night against the San Jose Sharks when he sat Travis Konecny and Kevin Hayes for the entire third period, even with James van Riemsdyk already out with a fractured finger. When Tortorella isn’t happy with a player’s performance, it’s evident in their ice time. Everything has to be earned, even for the veterans.

GH: Konecny said he made changes to his offseason training, and it’s shown. He leads the team with four goals and is second on the team with eight points. He’s probably stood out the most next to the now-injured van Riemsdyk, who had been a big reason for the team’s power-play success. The Flyers have otherwise been winning by committee, so no names have stood out among the skaters more than those two.

OR: The Flyers’ goaltending tandem of Carter Hart and Felix Sandström has been impressive to start the season. Hart is undefeated through five games, posting a .947 save percentage and a 2.00 goals-against average (both are likely to come back down to earth as the season progresses). Sandström’s stats aren’t as glitzy (.900 save percentage and 3.14 goals-against average in two losses), but both of his starts have come on the second night of back-to-backs when the Flyers struggled with turnovers and didn’t do Sandström any favors.

GH: Noah Cates stood out the most in camp, but he’s been mostly quiet since. However, he’s also been playing out of position. Tortorella has an idea of how to get things going for him, so we will see if that works. Morgan Frost has also been relatively quiet since scoring twice on opening night. . The young guys are playing big roles, but that’s because there’s no one else to do it, but they haven’t been outstanding despite the team’s surprising start.

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OR: I think Cates and Wade Allison have been fine role players, with Allison standing out for his energy and Cates for his intelligence. I’m eager to see if Cates can contribute offensively again with his move back to the wing. Frost had some good scoring chances in the third period against the Sharks on Sunday, but he hasn’t been all that noticeable through six games. Egor Zamula is probably the biggest surprise, to me, of the group. He also hasn’t been very noticeable, but for a 22-year-old depth defenseman who has played 19 NHL games to date, I think that’s a good thing. He appears to be getting more comfortable with the game from a physical standpoint and hasn’t made too many glaring mistakes. But consistency is key for all of these players — it’s one thing to be good for seven games, it’s another to be good for 82.

GH: It’s too early to tell. My instinct is telling me they’re going to do better than we expected — they might actually win through sheer effort with this new coaching staff — but I would caution against getting too excited. Some of these wins have come against more talented teams that may be able to capitalize on more of the Flyers’ mistakes as the season goes on. The Flyers have also lost the element of surprise — as teams will no longer come in expecting to win as some early opponents might have.

OR: I haven’t been convinced that they are for real. Even though they have a winning record, the Flyers seldom dominate the puck possession game (ranking 30th in the league per Natural Stat Trick in shots for percentage, 43.7%) and have relied on Hart to bail them out frequently. Yes, it’s Hart’s job to play well, but the rest of the team needs to step up, too, if the Flyers are going to sustain their early success.