Flyers’ Season Ends but Not All is Lost

Sunday marked the end of the road for the 2015-2016 Philadelphia Flyers as they were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Washington Capitals. The Caps stymied the Flyers 1-0 in the game and took the series after winning four out of six.

Many people did not even expect the Flyers to make this year’s playoffs since they’re going through a rebuild. However, due to a late season surge, the team clinched the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. Because they clinched as a low seed, they drew the top-seeded Caps in the first round.

Losing the series wasn’t for a lack of effort. Philadelphia gave it all they had against Washington but came up short. The series looked to be a potential sweep but the Flyers fought back to within one game of tying the series after the Caps won the first three games.

Looking forward, the Flyers have a good thing going. They have a lot of young talent in the mix and those players will be NHL ready within the next couple of years. Players like Travis Sanheim, Sam Morin, Ivan Provorov, and Travis Konecny are just a few of the developing prospects the Flyers have in their system. This year, fans saw a glimpse of what’s to come in defenseman Shayne Gositisbehere. “Ghost,” as he’s often called, is one heck of a player and this was only his rookie season. There’s a lot more talent coming the Flyers’ way sooner rather than later.

Overall, the Flyers exceeded expectations this season. They got further than anyone would have thought and gave the President’s Trophy winners (the Capitals) a run for their money as well. With a regular season record of 41-27-14, there’s not too much to complain about. General Manager Ron Hextall seems to have his team in good hands. With a few more tweaks, the Flyers will be back next season ready to go once again.