PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers have been very a lot a workforce in transition throughout Erik Johnson’s transient stint with the membership. The veteran defenseman, added late within the 2023-24 season and retained on a one-year deal in 2024-25 earlier than he was in the end dealt to the Colorado Avalanche on the commerce deadline, added some wanted depth to an inexperienced blue line.
More importantly, although, Johnson, who performed greater than 1,000 video games over a 17-year profession, was seen by Flyers administration as a revered chief who had been by means of the battles. The No. 1 decide within the 2006 draft, Johnson, who was a part of the Avs’ championship workforce in 2022, may assist present the Flyers’ young gamers how to carry themselves throughout good occasions and dangerous.
Johnson is retired now, a budding media star on ESPN. But even from afar, he can see a few of these fresh-faced guys he performed a task in molding now taking the subsequent steps of their respective careers, on a Flyers workforce that bullied its method into the playoffs with a exceptional 14-4-1 late-season surge.
“I just think it’s the evolution of the young guys,” Johnson advised The Athletic on Friday. “They kind of sat back, were quiet, really respectful, saw how things were done — and now you’re starting to see those guys take ownership of the team themselves. A lot of those guys are key parts of it.”
As the Flyers put together to play the Penguins, no less than a dozen of them will be experiencing NHL playoff hockey for the primary time. Jamie Drysdale, Cam York, Tyson Foerster and Noah Cates are among the many gamers who have been teammates with Johnson and are set to make their playoff debuts, and they’ve all taken noticeable steps ahead. They’re now joined by even youthful guys comparable to Porter Martone (19), Matvei Michkov (21), Denver Barkey (20) and Alex Bump (22), too.
That they’re all going through a playoff-hardened group led by superstars with a number of Stanley Cup rings may be a definite drawback, even because the Flyers enter Game 1 using a wave of momentum.
How they deal with it should possible determine the collection. Travis Konecny indicated they’re prepared for the approaching hearth.
“A lot of the young guys that we have, they’ve been farther ahead than you would expect,” Konecny mentioned earlier than the Flyers-Carolina Hurricanes sport April 13. “And they also play a professional style, where they make the right plays at the right time.”
At the forefront of that recently has been Martone, who posted a exceptional 10 factors (4 targets, six assists) in his first 9 NHL video games. Martone scored a memorable game-winning extra time purpose April 5 in opposition to the Boston Bruins in a 2-1 win, shifting the Flyers into playoff place for the primary time in 84 days and the place they’d stay for the ultimate week and a half.
Martone’s shoot-first, north-south model has given the Flyers’ offense a right away and observable jolt. In the 9 video games Martone performed after one season at Michigan State, the Flyers averaged 3.67 targets. Before that, they have been twenty fourth within the league at 2.84 targets on common. That’s not totally a coincidence.
Flyers coach Rick Tocchet advised that Martone’s model ought to be conducive to playoff-style hockey, too.
“Very rarely do you get tic-tac-toe goals,” Tocchet mentioned. “A lot of straight-line hockey around the net, touching pucks, knocking pucks down, going through people, first on the forecheck. That’s the type of hockey usually in a seven-game series.”
Martone is raring to insert himself into the newest iteration of what has been a fierce rivalry.
“I know it’s going to be a battle,” Martone mentioned after the Flyers’ season finale Tuesday, a 4-2 win over Montreal. “I know the two teams don’t like each other very much. It’s another step, and I know this group is really excited. I think we’re excited (about) what we can show.”
Michkov will enter the collection taking part in his greatest hockey of the season by a large margin. He’s rapidly put his tough first 4 months behind him, surging out of the Olympic break and scoring some essential targets in opposition to the Winnipeg Jets and Hurricanes to assist the Flyers clinch. His mobility and his end have seemingly returned to his rookie-season ranges, which ought to give Flyers administration confidence that he’s nonetheless as pushed as ever to develop into one of many league’s higher gamers. Michkov led Flyers scorers out of the break with 22 factors (seven targets, 15 assists).
But Tocchet revealed Thursday that there could be extra to it than simply his improved conditioning.
“Early in the season — (Michkov was) not a loner, but he was alone a lot,” Tocchet mentioned. “Now he’s around with the young guys. I think it’s (a) huge development for Mich. Even with the language barrier, he’s actually stepped up his English, and he’s more involved. He’s out to dinner with (Martone, Barkey and Bump).”
In his first English-language interview with NHL.com, Michkov confirmed he’s spending extra time together with his Flyers friends.
“We go (out) every time together,” Michkov mentioned. “My first year, it was just me as the young guy and ‘Luchy’ (Jett Luchanko) played (four) games. Now, four young guys, this is fun for me … for life and for the ice, too.”
Said Johnson, who sat subsequent to Michkov within the Flyers’ dressing room: “If he gets more comfortable with the language, he’s just going to be even more comfortable. Once that comes around for him, which it sounds like it is, it’s all going to be better.”
Barkey and Bump obtained to know one another in AHL Lehigh Valley earlier than Barkey was recalled for good Dec. 19, and Bump obtained the call-up March 7 to substitute a traded Bobby Brink. The two of them have been leaning on one another since final month, as they be taught the ropes and how to take care of the inevitable ups and downs collectively.
Their coterie (and group textual content chat) has grown in latest weeks.
“It’s obviously nice to have some young guys around,” Barkey mentioned final week. “We’re all going through the same stuff. Now with Porter here, he’s been added into the group, just supporting each other when we need it. We’re all going through the same things, so a lot of relatable topics to talk about, whether it’s hockey or even in life. Me and Alex have been there for each other, and now Porter here, it’s fun to have.”
Barkey added: “Going through this all together has been cool and beneficial down the road as well.”
That’s definitely what the Flyers hope. One of the first causes the Flyers most popular a rebuild that didn’t embody a full teardown was due to how a lot they valued establishing a successful tradition. It was nonetheless going to take a while, however when third-year normal supervisor Daniel Briere pivoted this offseason with the goal of being extra aggressive, it was as a result of he wished his young core items to expertise what it was like to be in a playoff race — and, possibly even qualify, if every part got here collectively.
That it has ought to assist all of them within the quick and long run, in accordance to Johnson.
“There’s no better experience than playing in the playoffs,” Johnson mentioned. “I can’t even stress it enough how much experience and lessons they’re going to get from this playoff run — you’re going to learn so much about yourself and how to play, and different nuances of the game. It’s going to be so valuable for these guys.”
Their collective anticipation is seemingly by means of the roof.
“Everyone’s kind of like a kid in a candy store right now,” York mentioned. “Things happen fast. Here we are.”
