By show of hands, who had the Philadelphia Flyers sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division a week before Christmas? Unless you’re Gritty, the answer is probably nobody.

On a football Sunday in mid-December, the rebuilding Flyers are 17-10-3 with 37 points so far this season. After shutting out the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 on Dec. 16, they’ve won four of their last five games to put themselves in early playoff contention.

The Flyers’ rise is a holiday surprise under coach John Tortorella. Having won a Stanley Cup two decades ago in Tampa and a Jack Adams with the New York Rangers in 2011-12, Tortorella has done a great job with a younger roster.

While there are some vets sprinkled in, it’s mostly about core players like Bobby Brink, Joel Farabee, Tyson Foerster, Morgan Frost, Owen Tippett, Cam York, and the goalie tandem of Carter Hart and Samuel Ersson. They’ve evolved into key players on a roster that features captain Sean Couturier, leading scorer Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, and Travis Sanheim.

Having Couturier back healthy has helped the Flyers improve from 2022-23 when they went 31-38-13 with 75 points to finish seventh in the Metropolitan Division.

A blessing is that a few teams passed up on selecting Russian prospect Matvei Michkov in the 2023 NHL Draft. That allowed the Flyers to grab him with the seventh pick. He’s having a good season for Sochi HC with 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Even if his arrival might not be until 2025-26, Michkov will be worth the wait for the Flyers.

Konecny Leading The Way

A player who’s excelled since Tortorella arrived last year is Konecny. Following setting career highs in goals (31), shorthanded goals (3), and points (61) to lead the Flyers in scoring during 2022-23, the 26-year-old right wing is well on his way to besting that output. In 30 games, he leads the Flyers with 16 goals and 25 points and has already matched the three shorthanded goals he had last season.

His strong start comes in a contract year. Konecny is earning $6 million this season with an average cap hit of $5.5 million. If he reaches free agency, he can test the open market. The bigger question is, can the Flyers keep this up? Konecny was expected to be a likely candidate to get moved before the NHL trade deadline on Mar. 8, 2024. There won’t be a definitive answer until things play out. There’s still two and a half months for the Flyers to make a decision on Konecny, who’s their best scorer.

Whatever they decide, Konecny is going to be due a significant raise from what he currently makes. Will it be in Philadelphia or another city? Only time will tell.

Farabee Emerging

If there was a player whose status was uncertain entering 2023-24, it’s Farabee. At times, he wasn’t a factor last season. The one-time 20-goal scorer had 15 goals in 82 games in 2022-23. Despite some frustration, he achieved personal bests in assists (24) and points (39) under Tortorella.

The 23-year-old former Flyers’ 2018 first round pick has come on lately. Following a six-game stretch in which he didn’t have a point with a minus-five rating, Farabee has three goals and an assist for four points over his last five games. The recent scoring has him ranked second on the team with 11 goals. All 11 have come at even strength to place him in a tie with Konecny for tops on the Flyers.

With 19 points in 30 games, the former Boston University product is trending in the right direction. That’s exactly why he’s signed through 2028 at a $5 million AAV. It’s a good sign for the Flyers. Tortorella is starting to develop some of the key pieces who are expected to be a bright part of the future.

Improved Goaltending from Hart and Ersson

Entering the season, there were questions surrounding the Flyers’ goaltending. Hart was coming off a tough 2022-23 that saw him post a 2.94 goals-against-average (GAA) and .907 save percentage in 55 games (54 starts). Despite rumors that he might get dealt, the Flyers kept Hart. It was a wise decision.

The improved goaltending from Hart and Ersson has been a big reason for the Flyers’ improvement in the standings. In 17 starts this season, Hart is 9-6-1 with a 2.42 GAA and .919 save percentage. Eleven of the 17 have been quality starts. Maybe the 25-year-old netminder has finally discovered the form he’ll need to get a new contract. He’s currently earning $4.47 million on a deal that expires following the season. He’ll turn restricted next summer a year away from unrestricted free agency.

Without Hart in the past three games, Ersson has stepped up to help the Flyers go 2-0-1 in that stretch. That included stopping all 33 shots versus the Red Wings for his second shutout of the season on Dec. 16. Although he’s not the starter, Ersson has won seven games. Solid work out of the backup.

If goaltending had been an issue before, it isn’t so far this season. The Flyers’ goalies have kept them in games, which has led to a winning record.

The Kids are Emerging

While the Flyers have gotten big contributions from Couturier and Sanheim, they’ve also received improved play from their younger players. The kids are emerging.

After a slow start, Tippett is up to 10 goals and eight assists for 18 points. The 24-year-old forward is trying to prove last season wasn’t a fluke. Acquired by the Flyers from the Florida Panthers as part of a package for former captain Claude Giroux on Mar. 19, 2022, he scored a career high 27 goals and added a personal best 22 helpers for 49 points in 2022-23. Tippett could emerge as that power forward for the Flyers.

Another player to watch is Brink. The 22-year-old former 2019 second round pick has made some strides in his rookie season. In 25 games, he has five goals and nine assists for 14 points. Not the biggest in stature due to being five-foot eight and 166 pounds, Brink makes up for it with his scrappy effort and skill. Tortorella recently went to Brink in a shootout win over the Washington Capitals on Dec. 14. He rewarded him with the winner.

A key part of the Flyers’ defense is York. A player they took with the number 14 pick in 2019, he’s taken on more responsibility on his third season. The skilled defenseman is a good skater who can create offense. His five goals pace all Flyers’ defensemen this season. York has 12 points and 54 blocked shots while averaging 22:27 of ice time. York will continue to be counted on by Tortorella.

Foerster and Frost are two players to also watch. Both are former first round picks. The elder Frost had a breakout second season in 2022-23 by posting 19 goals with 27 assists for 46 points in 81 games. It’s been a tough start to this season. The 24-year-old has three goals and five assists for eight points over 20 contests. More is expected from him.

As for Foerster, he’s a rookie. In 29 games, he’s totaled five goals and seven assists for a dozen points. He’s also managed to be a plus-seven. Tortorella hasn’t been shy about playing the 22-year-old right wing. He’s averaging 16:50 per game. That’s the kind of patience a coach must have with younger players.

Unexpected Returns from Veteran Defensemen

So far, the Flyers have received unexpected returns from veteran defensemen this season. Both Sean Walker and Nick Seeler have contributed to their promising start.

Walker has three goals and eight assists for 11 points with a plus-eight rating in 30 games. Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings on June 6 as part of a three-team deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the 29-year-old right defenseman has been a staple on the Flyers’ blue line – averaging close to 21 minutes a night. He has 46 blocks and 32 hits. A free agent following the season, there’s the possibility that the Flyers may look to extend him. His current salary is $3.35 million.

Seeler has seven assists and leads the team with a plus-14 rating and 75 blocks while averaging 17:22. He makes only $800,000. Interestingly, he had a good 2022-23 with the Flyers as well. In 77 games last season, Seeler had four goals and 10 assists for 14 points and 161 blocks, which ranked just behind former Flyer Ivan Provorov (162). He also had 126 hits to rank sixth on the club.

With injuries limiting Rasmus Ristolainen and Marc Staal to a combined 23 games, the Flyers have needed those contributions from both Walker and Seeler. They’ve been a big help on the back end.

Flyers visit the Devils

With another day off on Monday, the Flyers will travel down on I-95 to visit the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 19. It’ll be a big game against a classic division rival.

The Flyers lead the resurgent Devils by four points. They’ve played two more games. They’ll want to come out of Newark with two points. In the first meeting on Nov. 30, they rallied from a 3-1 third period deficit to force overtime, thanks to a pair of Foerster goals, including tying it on the power play with 51 seconds left. Luke Hughes won it in overtime for the Devils to hand the Flyers a 4-3 overtime loss.

Following the game, they’ll return home to host the Nashville Predators on Dec. 21. Then, the schedule gets tough, with a five-game road trip beginning in Detroit on Dec. 22 before the Christmas break. They’ll conclude the calendar year with stops at Vancouver, Seattle, and Calgary. The road trip ends with a visit to Edmonton on Jan. 2, 2024.

If they are to challenge for the postseason, that stretch could be critical. Counting the Devils game, that’s six out of the next seven on the road. We’ll find out where the Flyers stand. They’ve been a pleasant surprise so far.