Quick Hits: August 13, 2024
1) Flyers left wing Joel Farabee set new career highs in 2023-24 with 22 goals and 50 points. Most of his scoring came at 5-on-5. At the NHL All-Star break, he was also among the NHL leaders in scoring the first goal of a game. For the second straight season, Farabee dressed in all 82 games.
Unfortunately, he struggled to produce after the All-Star break, particularly in the final two months of the season. He was dropped from the first line and yo-yoed up and down the line rotation, particularly in March and April. His ice time dropped roughly a half-minute per game from March 1 to the end of the season and his linemates frequently changed along with it.
The lack of stability makes it hard for a player to emerge from an offensive slump but it's kind of a chicken-or-egg proposition. Was Farabee's slump prolonged because he saw less favorable usage or did his usage become less conducive to increased production because he was struggling beforehand for several weeks?
For those who focus only on the bottom line and recency bias, the lasting impression on Farabee's 2023-24 season was that he he had just 10 points (5g, 5a) in the season's final 32 games, including a mere two points (1g, 1a, minus-12) in the season's final 14 games.
The bigger picture is that MOST of the team struggled after the so-called gauntlet, especially during the team's eight-game losing streak. It wasn't just Farabee (or Morgan Frost or Tyson Foerster or Owen Tippett or Jamie Drysdale or the goaltending or the sudden PK drop after consistent excellence beforehand or the ongoing struggles since mid-January by Sean Couturier). It was most of the team that dropped off dramatically in the heart of the stretch drive, especially during the eight-game freefall. I also thought that the head coach left himself open to second-guessing with decisions he made and the manner in which he conducted himself down the stretch.
To me, the big takeaway on what happened from mid-March to the end was a COLLECTIVE meltdown. It was a shared responsibility. With the exception of key wins over the Rangers and Devils to still have a mathematical chance at a playoff spot on the team's final night of the regular season, it was a nightmarish finish. To search for one or two scapegoals to blame is to lose sight of how so many things fell apart.
At any rate, it was a very unpleasant surprise how much Farabee's season dropped off after the All-Star break because he'd been so consistently good in the first half. Even after the night Tortorella benched him the rest of the game after a mere two shifts, Farabee bounced back immediately. He had no prolonged droughts and several significant point streaks over the first four months.
The real questions: How and why was he so consistently good from October to the end of January? He didn't suddenly forget how to play or lose his ability at age 24? So what specifically did he get away from doing? What does he need to do to get back to where he was at mid-season and sustain it for something much closer to a full season in 2024-25?
In the latest edition of the Offseason Spotlight series, I recapped Farabee's 2023-24 season with an eye toward what created his first-half consistency and his second-half spottiness. Rather than being an exercise in finger-pointing, I think it's more helpful to look at things from an analytical point of view. To read the article,
click here.
2) Flyers franchise icon Bob Clarke celebrates his 75th birthday today. The Hockey Hall of Fame center, who remains the Flyers franchise leader in games played and points, won the Hart Trophy as league MVP three times (1972-73. 1974-75 and 1975-76). In January 1973, he became (at the time) the youngest captain in NHL history. He captained the team to the Cup semis or beyond in six straight seasons, including three straight Cup Finals and back-to-back Cup Championships in 193-74 and 1974-75.
3) Last night, the Flyers, Flyers Charities and the Flyers Alumni joined local preteens Natalie Van Druff and Lilly Walters to celebrate the grand opening of The Rink at Community Park in New Hanover, PA.
The rink revitalization was made possible by Flyers Charities’ $200,000 donation.
On hand to celebrate was Blair Listino, President of Flyers Chariries and Flyers Alternate Governor, Cindy Stutman, Executive Director of Flyers Chariries and Flyers Alumni including Brad Marsh, Bob Kelly, Chris Therien, Riley Cote, Terry Carkner and Doug Crossman.
4) Chris Therien posted an important message yesterday for anyone (or a friend or loved one) dealing with substance abuse and/or mental or behavioral health issues. Chris and I have been friends for many years and I know it's something he believes in from the bottom of heart. Whether you seek help through recovery center Chris co-founded or elsewhere, he will assist anyone in need who reaches out to him. To Bundy, it's all about paying forward the second chance he got at putting his life back together.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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