The Flyers were the hottest team in the NHL before the league postponed the season as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, with the team set to return to play in Toronto, everyone is wondering if the Flyers can pick back up where they left off.
"I like the way our group is focused right now," said head coach Alain Vigneault on Thursday afternoon when he joined Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie. "I really like our attention to detail and our work ethic. I feel that this leadership group has a lot to prove."
In his first year at the helm, Vigneault helped guide a young roster to the top of the standings. Before taking a loss to the Bruins on March 10, the Flyers rattled off a nine-game winning streak. It was the franchise's best run since 2016 when the team was just starting to build around the core of Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux. Four years later, the Flyers are seeing an influx of young talent that they want to keep for years to come. That sentiment was echoed on Wednesday, the Flyers extended forward Oskar Lindblom to a three-year, $9 million deal just weeks after he completed radiation treatment for Ewing's sarcoma.
"I'm very happy the organization showed the faith and trust in that young man," said Vigneault. "To go through what he went through and basically fight the cancer. He was one of our best players when we found out the news."
The Flyers also have big plans for their net-minder, Carter Hart. The 21-year-old is one of the most talented goaltenders in the league and could be the long-term solution for the Flyers after a rotating cast over the last two decades. Hart was pulled from practice with an apparent injury earlier this week and Vigneault offered an update on the matter:
"He skated today with another group of players. Because we were having a scrimmage today, and him having missed the last two days of practice, we didn't want to put him in. I feel that tomorrow, everything should be good to go and he should be back on the ice."
If there is one man up for the task to reignite this Flyers team after a five month hiatus, it is Vigneault. The first year head coach was named a finalist for the NHL's Jack Adams Award as the coach of the year. It is the fifth time Vigneault has been named a finalist for the award, which is an NHL record. For Vigneault though, his focus is on what's to come:
"This is new circumstances for everyone. Summer hockey, no fans, but at the end of the day I believe, and our group believes, that we are one of the good teams in the National Hockey League. From November 1st till the season was stopped, we were the second best team in the NHL. Boston had 80 points and we had 78 just like Tampa Bay. We were one of the top teams. We are looking forward to the challenge and opportunity and definitely will be ready for it."