The Philadelphia Flyers came into the current campaign with high expectations from fans and media alike, looking to make up for failing to qualify for the playoffs last season. Two years ago, they had reached the second round of the postseason and were a game away from the Eastern Conference final, but saw their season completely fall apart in 2021.
The team haven’t kicked off the current campaign much better than they ended last season though and they have really struggled to pick up momentum. However, that hasn’t stopped team captain Claude Giroux from believing his side can still turn things around.
“We know in our locker room that we can turn this around,” Giroux, the Flyers captain, said, via NHL.com.
The veteran is in the final season of his eight-year contract with the Flyers and is free to join any team he likes next season. He has made it abundantly clear though, he is only focused on the Flyers for the time being as he still likes his chances of winning in Philadelphia.
“I’m not worried about that right now,” Giroux said about his contract expiring. “I’m just worried about games coming up. We’re in a hole right now and thinking about that stuff is not going to help the team get out of this. I’ve got a lot of confidence in this group.”
Giroux was drafted 22nd overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Flyers and he has spent his entire career in Philadelphia, being named to the All-Star game a total of six times. He has yet to win the ultimate prize though with the Flyers, and his heart seems set on winning the Stanley Cup in Philadelphia.
He also understands that the team needs to get better and improve though if they have any chance of making that dream a reality. The team has had serious issues on special teams – in particular their power play.
“Our power play needs to step up,” Giroux said. “We’ve lost multiple games this year because the power play couldn’t step up for us. It starts with me, I’m the one who has the puck most of the time on the power play, so I’ve got to make better plays.”
The season is still young, but the Flyers are quickly running out of time to turn things around if they have a realistic opportunity to get back into the playoffs. They currently find themselves on the outside looking in and will need to start stepping their game up. While questions are starting to be asked about the quality of the team, the front office believes in the abilities of the current squad and doesn’t seem very interested in making any moves soon.
“I’d really like to see what we have before we start making changes,” Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher told members of the media, via NHL.com. “I don’t feel like I’ve been able to see that to this point in time. But we’re always looking, I’m talking to teams every day. If there’s ways to make us better, we’ll look at it.”
It remains to be seen whether the Flyers will be able to reach their objectives, but players must be happy with the fact that the front office at least seems willing to give them the chance.
