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Thankful Series 2019-20

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Winnipeg Jets

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We’re in the home stretch in our thankful series where PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for with the second half of the season underway.  We’ll examine what has gone well in the first half and what each team may be looking for at the trade deadline.  Our last team to look at is the Winnipeg Jets.

What are the Jets most thankful for?

A young, controllable core up front that has been quite productive.  Of Winnipeg’s top five scorers (Blake Wheeler being the exception), four are 26 or younger and are signed or under team control for at least three more years after this one.  That gives them a very strong foundation to build off of and for the time being, all are on below-market contracts.  GM Kevin Cheveldayoff faced some criticism early in his tenure with the team for his patience but right now, his commitment to the long-term improvement has paid dividends and should continue to do so for a few more years at least.

Who are the Jets most thankful for?

Mark Scheifele.  The center has just continued to improve year after year and has gone from a middle-six player early in his career into a top-flight producer that is quietly among the most productive in the league.  He’s on pace for a career year offensively and if he can keep it up, he’ll extend his streak of seasons averaging a point per game to four.  When Scheifele signed his current contract (eight years, $49MM) following the 2015-16 season, it was viewed as somewhat of a risky one with only one season of more than 15 goals under his belt.  Now, his $6.125MM is one of the top bargains in the league among top-line players and even better for Winnipeg, it still has four years left on it after this one.

What would the Jets be even more thankful for?

A resolution on the Dustin Byfuglien front.  The blueliner has been involved in a particularly strange situation that saw him leave partway through training camp where it was suspected that he was pondering his playing future and was suspended by the team.  It turns out that he was injured and underwent ankle surgery without consulting the Jets.  The injury brings into question whether or not the suspension is valid and the issue is heading for an arbitrator.  How the ruling goes there will ultimately determine what type of cap room that they have to work with down the stretch.  Getting a healthy Byfuglien back for the stretch run if he’s willing to return would also be huge.  Basically everything that they can or can’t do revolves around this.

What should be on the Jets’ Wish List?

With the Byfuglien situation holding things up, Cheveldayoff will likely have to look for depth options at this time as he won’t want to add any high-cost acquisitions until he knows how much room he actually has to work with.  Their back end has been banged up as of late so adding another option or two there would be beneficial.  Roster size restrictions would likely mean that one of those players would need to be stashed in the AHL though.  They’ve also churned through a few different fourth line options.  They’re not going to get much support in that regard from AHL Manitoba (a lot of their better players have already spent time with the Jets) so looking outside the organization is going to be the next option, similar to what they did when they added Nick Shore.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Washington Capitals

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We’re in the home stretch in our thankful series where PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for as the second half of the season gets underway.  We’ll examine what has gone well in the first half and what each team may be looking for at the trade deadline.  Next up is Washington Capitals.

What are the Capitals most thankful for?

Firepower and plenty of it.  Washington is averaging over 3.5 goals per game which has allowed them to overcome some shaky goaltending at times to sit atop the Eastern Conference in points while being tied with St. Louis for the league lead.  They already have seven players that have reached double digits in goals and the new $9.2MM man Nicklas Backstrom isn’t even one of them (he’s at nine tallies on the year).  They’re a team that is designed to have two high-scoring lines and so far, they’ve been exactly that which has made them tough to beat most nights.

Who are the Capitals most thankful for?

It would be very easy to pick Alex Ovechkin here.  He’s once again among the league leaders in goals and just keeps getting it done.  But the season that John Carlson is having is too much to overlook.  He’s on pace for 98 points which would blow past his previous career high of 70.  He has more goals than the rest of Washington’s back end combined.  He’s once again logging heavy minutes, checking in at 24:49 per night, the team high by a considerable margin.  He plays in all situations.  At this stage, he’s the hands-on favorite for the Norris Trophy.   And they’re especially thankful that he’s signed through 2025-26 on what is looking like more and more of a team-friendly deal worth $8MM per season, well below what he’d be getting if he was hitting the open market this summer.

What would the Capitals be even more thankful for?

More consistency from Braden Holtby.  While there are still some nights where he plays up to the top level he has been at before, there have been more where he has been average at best.  Ilya Samsonov, their goalie of the future, has been the better of the two netminders almost all season long.  With their eyes on a lengthy playoff run, it’s unlikely that they’ll consider trading him by the deadline even though they run the risk of losing him for nothing in free agency in July, an outcome that is looking more probable following Backstrom’s new deal.  Holtby playing like the Holtby of old would make that call much less painful.

What should be on the Capitals’ Wish List?

In a perfect world, a top-four defenseman would be added to serve as an upgrade over Nick Jensen and Radko Gudas.  However, that’s probably not a realistic addition with their salary cap situation.  While Washington is no longer at the point where they can only afford to dress 11 forwards for a game, they’re not near a point where they can say they have a lot of flexibility either.  As a result, they’ll have to set their sights lower.  A veteran third pairing blueliner to give them some injury insurance or matchup flexibility would be a useful addition and if they could find a way to add some more offense in their bottom six group (someone that could move up when injuries strike), that would be a nice added bonus as well.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Vegas Golden Knights

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We’re in the home stretch in our thankful series where PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for as the second half of the season gets underway.  We’ll examine what has gone well in the first half and what each team may be looking for at the trade deadline.  Next up is the Vegas Golden Knights.

What are the Golden Knights most thankful for?

Considering the team’s inability to show any consistency throughout the year, Vegas should be thankful they remain at the top of a stacked Pacific Division. The team remains tied with the Arizona Coyotes with 54 points, and while that might make a competitive division on its own, there are several teams breathing right down their necks. Both the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames each are one point away from the divisional lead with 53 points, while the Vancouver Canucks round out the top five with 52 points, which should make for a exciting finish at the end of the season. However, that small lead in the standings now could be exactly what they need down the road.

Who are the Golden Knights most thankful for?

Max Pacioretty.

Many thought that the Golden Knights might have made a mistake when they traded Tomas Tatar, Nick Suzuki and a second-round pick for Pacioretty last summer. However, the one forward that the Golden Knights have been able to count on this year is Pacioretty, who made the all-star team and is on pace to return to his 30-goal form from his Montreal days. The 31-year-old has 20 goals and 45 points in 47 games and has been one of the few consistent players on the squad.

What would the Golden Knights be even more thankful for?

Some wins at home.

One thing that Vegas could count on in the past is they were dominant at T-Mobile Arena. They had a 29-10-2 record in their inaugural season and a 24-12-5 record last season. That’s just 22 losses in two seasons. This year, the team has already accumulated nine losses through the first half of the season and have lost two straight at T-Mobile. The team needs to get that home mojo going once again if they want to stay at the top of the Pacific Division, something that the team has never really had a problem with.

What should be on the Golden Knights’ Wish List?

As reported earlier, the Golden Knights are on the lookout for defensive help. While the team is loaded on offense, it hasn’t gotten the same consistent defensive effort from their blueline as players like Nate Schmidt, Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore have been a little more inconsistent. Throw in a rookie in Nicolas Hague and an aging Deryk Engelland, the team could use a top-four caliber blueliner who can step in and help the team out. The problem, of course, is that the team has little cap room to work with and very few moveable pieces that it could move out, leaving the team budget hunting to fix the defense at the upcoming trade deadline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Vancouver Canucks

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We’re in the home stretch in our thankful series where PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for as the second half of the season gets underway.  We’ll examine what has gone well in the first half and what each team may be looking for at the trade deadline.  Next up is the Vancouver Canucks.

What are the Canucks most thankful for?

The light at the end of the tunnel.  For years, they were a team that seemed to be perpetually spinning their wheels without really falling down far enough in the standings to land that franchise-changing prospect.  No one’s saying that now.  Their new young core has rapidly emerged and all of a sudden, the light isn’t so far away; they have their franchise pieces in place as two of their recent top picks in Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes have panned out quite nicely. They’re right in the mix for a playoff spot and even if they do come up short, it appears that the darker days are behind them.

Who are the Canucks most thankful for?

Franchise centers are really hard to find.  Teams can go decades between having them and they’re extremely difficult (and expensive) to acquire.  Thanks to Pettersson, Vancouver doesn’t have that problem.  The 21-year-old burst onto the scene last year and while he was initially expected to develop on the wing to ease him in, he was used down the middle right away and made an immediate impact in a top-six role while taking home the Calder Trophy.  This season, he has been even better.  He’s under team control for five years after this one so even though he’ll become a whole lot more expensive heading into 2021-22 when his entry-level deal is up, Pettersson gives them a legitimate franchise pivot to build around for the long haul.

What would the Canucks be even more thankful for?

More bang for their buck from their veterans.  Loui Eriksson is having a season to forget and has all of five points on the season with a $6MM AAV.  Jay Beagle has one goal for his $3MM price tag.  Micheal Ferland ($3.5MM) is currently injured but struggled when he was in the lineup.  Same goes for Brandon Sutter ($4.375MM).  They combine for nearly $17MM in spending and have ten goals between them on the year with Sutter having half of that total.  The lack of secondary scoring from their veterans could ultimately be the difference between them making or missing the playoffs and even one of them turning things around would give them a big boost, especially with their cap situation.  Speaking of which…

What should be on the Canucks’ Wish List?

GM Jim Benning’s top priority on the trade front at this point is simply trying to make a move that will allow him to actually trade for someone that can bolster their roster.  Vancouver has been using LTIR basically all season long and as a result, they’re basically capped out of trading for anyone unless some of their injured players are ruled out for the season.  Finding a way to ship out an overpaid veteran without taking much money back would be a huge help for them.  Sven Baertschi could be a small trade chip but it all depends on how much they have to retain for it to make sense; if it’s 50% or close to it, they may just be better off holding on.

Beyond that, Benning hasn’t hidden his interest in getting an extension done with Jacob Markstrom.  He may come up a bit short of 60 appearances this season but he has established himself as a capable starter and as a result, he’ll be in line for a sizable raise on his current $3.67MM price tag which is all the more reason to try to free up some extra cap space for next summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Toronto Maple Leafs

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We’re in the home stretch in our thankful series where PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for as the second half of the season gets underway.  We’ll examine what has gone well in the first half and what each team may be looking for at the trade deadline.  Next up is the Toronto Maple Leafs.

What are the Maple Leafs most thankful for?

Their high-end group of forwards.  They have more than $40MM tied up in their big four up front in Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander and after a sluggish start to the season, they are firing on all cylinders.  The four have combined for more than 47% of Toronto’s goals heading into action on Wednesday night (75 goals out of 159) and give them two very dangerous lines to work with.  Tying up that much money in a small group certainly has its risk but if they’re producing like this, they’re getting what they paid for.

Who are the Maple Leafs most thankful for?

It would be easy to pick one of Marner, Matthews, or Tavares but they’re most thankful for goaltender Frederik Andersen.  He has shown the ability to handle a large workload in terms of games played.  He faces an even bigger workload in terms of shots faced (and chances) as the team doesn’t have as strong of a back end as some contenders due to what they’ve committed to that forward group.  They’ve shown that they can overcome an injury to one of their big four up front but if Andersen goes down for any significant period of time, they’d be in trouble.  Toronto is also thankful that he’s on a below-market deal with a $5MM price tag but that won’t be the case for long as he’s up for a new deal after the 2020-21 season.

What would the Maple Leafs be even more thankful for?

For starters, going more than a few weeks without any injuries of significance.  At one point, they were looking like they were going to need to carry a roster that was close to the minimum size for salary cap reasons but that has yet to happen with so many regulars missing time in the first half of the season.

Beyond that, getting more from their back end will be crucial.  Cody Ceci hasn’t adapted too well to his new team while Travis Dermott hasn’t progressed relative to his role from a season ago.  Morgan Reilly and Tyson Barrie have both underwhelmed offensively.  Defense becomes even more important down the stretch and into the playoffs and a lot of their players have room for improvement; if they can do that, they’ll be in much better shape for their postseason push.

What should be on the Maple Leafs’ Holiday Wish List?

While the injuries have afforded them some short-term relief in the form of more LTIR room to work with, they’re still going to be somewhat limited in terms of cap space at the trade deadline.  As a result, it’s unlikely that Toronto will be able to add an impact player, even if they get the other team to retain salary.  Depth will be the name of the game for GM Kyle Dubas who would be wise to try to add a veteran to shore up their back end and give them some injury insurance.  Given their cap commitments in place already, it will likely need to be a rental acquisition.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Tampa Bay Lightning

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With the holiday season wrapping up, PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for as we get closer to the halfway point. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

What are the Lightning most thankful for?

The fact that they are still in it.

After a dominant 2018-19 season in which Tampa Bay ran away with the Atlantic Division and the President’s Trophy with a dominant 62-16-4 for 128 points and no significant changes to its team, most expected another dominant season once again. That has not happened with the team, almost luckily, sitting in third place in a challenging Atlantic Division as a recent six-game winning streak has improved their record to a more respectable 23-13-4 record. The team seems to have found its game in the last few weeks and hopefully will force their way back to the top of the standings.

Who are the Lightning most thankful for?

Victor Hedman.

The 2017-18 Norris Trophy winner has had several great seasons, but the 29-year-old is on pace for career highs across the board. Through 38 games, Hedman has nine goals and 30 assists, which would translate to a point-per-game season, something he’s never accomplished in his remarkable career. Of course, with so many strong defensive candidates this year, he might have a hard time trying to get nominated for the award, but the defenseman has been a rock for Tampa Bay in a tough first half.

What would the Lightning be even more thankful for?

Better goaltending.

Andrei Vasilevskiy, the 2018-19 Vezina Trophy winner had a dominant season last year, posting a 2.40 GAA and a .925 save percentage in 53 appearances. However, this year has been a totally different story as the 25-year-old has been less impressive with a 2.83 GAA and a .909 save percentage. Those numbers aren’t terrible, but hardly numbers you’d expect to see out of last year’s Vezina Trophy winner.

Unfortunately, the team isn’t getting better help from the backup position. The Lightning brought in veteran Curtis McElhinney to create a dominant tandem with Vasilevskiy, but the 36-year-old has struggled in his first year in Tampa after an impressive season with the Carolina Hurricanes last year. He currently has a 3.19 GAA and a .904 save percentage in 11 appearances. The team needs both netminders to bounce back and have a dominant second half.

What should be on the Lightning’s Holiday Wish List?

The team hasn’t gotten the dominant individual performances that they did a year ago. Nikita Kucherov has been impressive, but is well below his 41-goal, 128-point season that netted him the Hart, Art Ross and Ted Lindsay trophies a year ago. Kucherov so far has just 14 goals and 43 points, which would be solid numbers for almost everyone else on the team, but not so much for Kucherov. The team has seen a number of forwards slip as Brayden Point, Mathieu Joseph and Yanni Gourde, to name a few, have struggled more this year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: St. Louis Blues

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With the holiday season wrapping up, PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for as we get closer to the halfway point. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the St. Louis Blues.

What are the Blues most thankful for?

The strong goaltending they’ve received from Jordan Binnington and Jake Allen.  Despite finishing second in Calder Trophy voting and playing a key role in their Stanley Cup title, there were plenty of questions surrounding Binnington heading into the season.  His numbers aren’t quite as good as they were a year ago but they’re still above average which has been enough to silence a lot of those concerns.  Meanwhile, after a rough 2018-19 campaign, Allen has the best numbers of his career, albeit in more of a limited workload than he has been used to.  Combined, the two have put St. Louis in the top five in save percentage in the league which has helped them overcome the early injury to Vladimir Tarasenko.

Who are the Blues most thankful for?

Before last season, the Blues were one of the many teams that were in need of a legitimate number one center.  They’re not seeking that anymore.  The addition of Ryan O’Reilly back in the 2018 offseason from Buffalo has worked out swimmingly; he has given them an elite faceoff presence to use in all situations, a capable penalty killer, and a top offensive threat.  That they were able to get him without losing any core players off their roster was a very strong move for GM Doug Armstrong and considering he’s signed for three more seasons after this one, it’s going to pay dividends for a while yet.

What would the Blues be even more thankful for?

Finding common ground on a long-term contract extension with Alex Pietrangelo.  The team quickly got a deal done with Justin Faulk upon his acquisition and Brayden Schenn signed one shortly thereafter.  However, talks haven’t gone as well with their captain as they’re believed to be relatively apart on money.  The 29-year-old is actually on pace for a career year offensively as well which will only increase his asking price.  With nearly $74MM tied up in commitments for next season already, it’s going to take some creative roster management to get something done (plus tagging rules will likely come into play) but they’d be more than pleased to get a contract in place first and figure the rest out later.

What should be on the Blues’ Holiday Wish List?

Some certainty when it comes to Vladimir Tarasenko’s return timeline.  If he’s unable to return for the rest of the regular season, that would give them a chance to add a rental player or two and try to bolster their top six forward group and defensive depth.  However, if he is likely to return, they likely can’t do anything at the deadline as they’re pretty much capped out.

Beyond that, freeing up some cap room for next year certainly has to be on Armstrong’s to-do list.  While a buyout this summer is possible (if not probable) to accommodate a potential Pietrangelo extension, finding a palatable trade to open some cap space or reduce the buyout obligation is something that they could try to do without significantly affecting their current roster.  Beyond that though, don’t expect a lot of activity from them between now and the trade deadline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: San Jose Sharks

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As the holiday season is upon us, PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for as we get closer to the halfway point. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the San Jose Sharks.

What are the Sharks most thankful for?

Considering how disappointing San Jose has been this season, it may come as some surprise that they’ve been one of the healthiest teams in the league all things considered.  Defenseman Radim Simek is the only full-time regular that has missed more than five games and while he’s a regular, he’s also on their third defense pairing.  Most of their core forwards haven’t missed a game this year aside from Tomas Hertl (four games due to a lower-body issue).  Things haven’t been pretty for them in 2019-20 but so far, they’ve at least managed to stay healthy.

Who are the Sharks most thankful for?

Going into the season, the duo of Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns would have been the logical pick but both of them have underachieved mightily.  One player who isn’t quite in that category is Logan Couture.  The long-time Shark has seen his offensive numbers dip a little bit this season (pretty much everyone has) but he continues to lead the way.  He’s the team leader in scoring, on pace for his second straight 65-point campaign, and is logging nearly 19 minutes a night.  The captain is also signed through 2026-27 at an $8MM price tag and unlike the expensive blueliners, he should be able to provide a decent level of return on that contract for close to its entirety.

What would the Sharks be even more thankful for?

More production from, well, just about everyone.  Their high-priced back end has underachieved considerably so far; Burns and Karlsson have combined for just ten goals in 81 games.  For perspective, Burns alone has averaged more than 20 a year over the past six seasons.  The goaltending duo of Martin Jones and Aaron Dell have a combined .895 save percentage which is among the lowest in the league.  Timo Meier may not reach 50 points after scoring 66 last season.  Joe Thornton has just one goal so far.  Kevin Labanc is well off last year’s pace (and there are others in that situation as well).  Some of them returning to form would be a huge boost for them in the second half.

What should be on the Sharks’ Holiday Wish List?

Barring a turnaround over the next few weeks, it’s looking like San Jose is going to be selling which means picks and prospects will be what GM Doug Wilson is looking for.  Defenseman Brendan Dillion should yield a reasonable return while depth pieces like Melker Karlsson and Marcus Sorenson may draw some interest.  This core is probably going to be given another opportunity as it stands though unless they have to move a key player out for a goalie.  That move, if it happens, seems like more of an offseason deal than one before next month’s trade deadline.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Pittsburgh Penguins

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As the holiday season is upon us, PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for as we get closer to the halfway point. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

What are the Penguins most thankful for?

Surviving the first half of the season despite a litany of injuries.  To be fair, that’s underselling just what the Penguins have accomplished.  They’ve had numerous core players go down and despite that, they sit just one point out of second in the division.  They’ve had role players like Bryan Rust pick up their play considerably.  Some of their younger players have stepped up and instead of just holding down a roster spot, they’ve made contributions on both ends.  Even with Matt Murray struggling, they just keep trekking on as Tristan Jarry has taken over the number one job and has been dominant.  Pittsburgh has had a lot thrown at them already this season and they haven’t missed a beat.

Who are the Penguins most thankful for?

There are a lot of viable options here.  Their franchise forwards would each be a safe pick.  Rust and Jarry have been terrific.  Kris Letang is still logging heavy minutes to help that back end.  There’s a case to be made for any of them.

But Jake Guentzel’s continued emergence gives him the nod.  While he scored 40 goals last season, some attributed that to riding Crosby’s coattails.  That hasn’t been the case this season and the production hasn’t gone down.  Actually, it has gone up slightly as he’s on pace to surpass the point per game mark for the first time in his career while he leads the team in scoring.  He’s also locked up on a long-term deal that’s looking like a bargain more and more by the day; he has four years remaining on his contract after this one at a $6MM AAV.  His ability to help carry a line could make their attack even more dangerous when they get back to full health in the coming weeks.

What would the Penguins be even more thankful for?

Simply put, at this point, they’d be thrilled if no one else got hurt the rest of the way.  Beyond that, they’d be really thankful if Alex Galchenyuk became more of a productive player.  Despite having a reasonable track record of offensive success and plenty of opportunities to play up in the lineup with so many others out, the 25-year-old has struggled mightily this season and has just four goals in 29 games.  GM Jim Rutherford has already suggested that it may be tough to keep him in the lineup when everyone’s healthy.  That’s a bitter pill to swallow for someone that was a key part of the Phil Kessel trade over the summer.

With it being Galchenyuk’s final year before unrestricted free agency, there’s a lot at stake for him as well.  Instead of being a prime candidate to land a long-term contract, he’s looking like a reclamation project at this point.  A strong second half would go a long way towards changing that while being a boon for Pittsburgh as well.

What should be on the Penguins’ Holiday Wish List?

In the short term, getting Marcus Pettersson signed to an extension early in the New Year is something they want to get done and they haven’t exactly hidden that.

Whenever that gets done, finding more cap flexibility may be something else that Rutherford is wishing for.  For starters, he always likes to try to make a big addition and creating more cap space would certainly make that possible.  Assuming their forward group gets healthy, an impact defender would be the ideal target.  Beyond that, with Murray and Jarry (among others) being in need of new contracts next summer, freeing up some room for bigger deals for them is something they may look to try to do over the next couple of months.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Philadelphia Flyers

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As the holiday season is upon us, PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for as we get closer to the halfway point. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Philadelphia Flyers.

What are the Flyers most thankful for?

It’s been an up and down season for Philadelphia this year under head coach Alain Vigneault, yet the team remains right in the middle of the playoff race in the Metropolitan Division. Philadelphia is in fifth place in the division, but are just three points out of second place. The team currently boasts a 21-12-5 record and should be right in there.

The team is a mixture of veterans and quite a bit of young talent the team is trying to integrate into the team. In many ways, it’s been a success, but with young players also comes inconsistency. If the Flyers can find some consistency, the team should be a top candidate to make the playoffs this year.

Who are the Flyers most thankful for?

The team has seen quite a few players step up this year, but the team has seen forward Travis Konecny that that next step in his development. The 22-year-old forward has scored 24 goals for two straight years and he’s heading for a similar number, but the rest of his game has opened up as he is two assists shy of his career high already after just 35 games and is heading for a career year. Konecny leads the team in scoring with 34 points as he is on a point-a-game pace, which could lead him to an 80-point season, which is critical for a team that is seeing some of their veterans take a step back in their production.

What would the Flyers be even more thankful for?

The continued improvement of their young players.

The team is loaded with young players, who Vigneault has worked hard to mix in with the team’s core of veterans. Several of them have performed well. Second-year goaltender Carter Hart has seen some of his numbers get better this year. His GAA has improved from a 2.83 to a 2.43, while his save percentage has dropped from a .917 to a .910. Regardless, Hart is continuing to develop his game. Rookie Joel Farabee hasn’t made the impact many were hoping for with just three goals and 12 points in 29 games, but has seen to settled in as a regular in the lineup. The team has gotten flashes from Morgan Frost as well, who has two goals and seven points in 18 contests, although he was recently assigned to Lehigh Valley. Even on defense, the team is getting solid play from Ivan Provorov and many of the young blueliners.

If they can continue to improve on their games, it could set Philadelphia to have a strong second half going into the playoffs.

What should be on the Flyers’ Holiday Wish List?

The health of forward Oskar Lindblom. The 23-year-old was having a promising breakout season for the Flyers until he was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma and will not return this season. The team hopes that he can get the proper treatment as quickly as possible and return to full health, regardless whether he ever takes the ice for the team again. However, consider his young age and recent success, the team is hoping that Lindblom can make a full recovery and be back on the ice, perhaps as soon as next season. However, the team has rallied around their young forward and put him and his health in the forefront.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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