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If you need an honest, informed assessment of where the Flyers are and where they’re headed, there’s no one more qualified than a Hockey Hall of Famer who once played here.
That would one Mr. Mark Howe, the best defenseman in franchise history, who later served as head pro scout for the Detroit Red Wings dynasty of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
While retired now, the 69-year-old Howe still lives in the Philadelphia region (Jackson Township, New Jersey) and keeps a hockey-educated eye on his former team.
He’s more than willing to share his thoughts on what the Flyers need to get back into contention, the prospects for new head coach Rick Tocchet (a former Howe teammate) and a timeline for when fans should start to feel excited again about their home team.
The first order of business might be next month’s NHL Draft, where the Flyers have three first-round picks, a couple seconds and enough overall picks to think about valuable capital for possible trades.
“Most of the teams that are winning Stanley Cups I believe are building from the defense out,” Howe said in a telephone conversation. “When Tampa, Chicago and even our teams [the ’80s Flyers] were doing their runs, even though we didn’t win a [Stanley] Cup, we had four or five guys that could play every night.
“You need a No. 1 D-man. Once you get that guy, then everyone gets slotted in the right spots.”
Goaltending needs to be upgraded as well, in Howe’s opinion.
“They haven’t solidified that,” said Howe, mindful of the uneven play of Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov.
At center, the Flyers need an overhaul, having traded away Morgan Frost and Scott Laughton.
“[Sean] Couturier was a guy who carried a lot of the weight for a number of years,” Howe said. “But now he’s getting near the end.
“So for me, there are a lot of holes. When I left Detroit five years ago, we were looking for another center to go along with Dylan Larkin. They still haven’t found one. That’s a long time.”
So the Flyers’ help wanted list is pretty long.
“They need a couple defensemen, one or two centermen and solidify their goaltending,” Howe reiterated. “Four or five key spots. It takes time.”
The Flyers do have highly regarded defenseman Oliver Bonk in their development system as well as center Jett Luchanko.
Philadelphia has the No. 6 overall pick in the upcoming draft. A couple possibilities: Center Caleb Desnoyers (the brother of Flyers’ current prospect Elliot Desnoyers), defenseman Radim Mrtka (6-foot-5) and center Jake O’Brien.
Howe and Tocchet played together on those great Flyer teams of the mid-1980s when they butted heads with the Wayne Gretzky/Mark Messier-led Edmonton Oilers.
While Philadelphia came out on the short end of the Stanley Cup Finals both in 1985 and 1987, they put up a gallant fight. That’s when Howe realized Tocchet was made of the right stuff … the same traits which make him such a great coach today.
“He understands the elements, the concept of team,” Howe said. “I remember when he was coaching Arizona, they were playing a game at Long Island. I went down and spoke to him after one of the games. They had lost like eight or nine in a row.
“But he was sticking to his guns. He said, ‘I’m trying to teach these boys how to play and how to play a team game.’ And then eventually it turned around. They made the playoffs the next year.”
If any of the Flyers’ young players don’t know that much about their new coach, they should just go online and look up the numbers. Almost 3,000 penalty minutes, many of them from memorable fights. A 48-goal season. Three Stanley Cup rings (one as a player, two as an assistant coach).
Need we say more?
“He doesn’t try to be somebody else,” Howe said. “He’s as genuine as anyone could get. As a player, I always respected that.”
Tocchet was enshrined in the Flyers Hall of Fame a few years back and some people believe he should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. That still could happen down the road.
“It makes a huge difference when a coach walks in a room and there is a presence,” Howe said. “Especially when you’re dealing with guys who are making 10, 12 million dollars. You knew when a Scotty Bowman, an Al Arbour, a Mike Keenan walked into a room, they made their presence felt right away.
“That definitely has an impact. You’re not going to have success unless you have a good leader behind the bench. All good teams, they carry on the identity of their coach. When a team plays hard and together, you’re going to know right away. He [Tocchet] is going to have his hands full, but I think the organization wants everyone to learn to play the right way.”
From this vantage point, the Flyers have pretty much bottomed out. They finished last in the Metropolitan Division, fourth-to-last overall and haven’t seen postseason action since 2020.
Howe gives the impression the Flyers have to be patient with their rebuild.
“That learning is the most important part,” Howe said. “I think it’s going to be a little bit of a struggle next year. But if they draft well, that gives you hope. Some of their young guys could make a contribution. Maybe by the end of the year, things might be going up.”
Wayne Fish is a freelance writer. Follow his coverage at www.flyingfishhockey.com
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