We’ve reached the home stretch.
In looking back, there wasn’t a whole lot of enjoyable hockey during the first 72 games of the Philadelphia Flyers’ 2021-22 season. But that doesn’t mean the last 10 games have to be a complete bummer.
If you’re a hockey realist, you probably accepted the fact that the season was going nowhere fast and were actually hoping maybe the Flyers slid down the standings far enough to garner a good draft pick this year. And to some point, they did, as the Flyers will likely pick in the top 10, barring any miracle of something like a 10-game winning streak combined with an absolute collapse of a few teams above them.
And it’s too late to completely tank for one of the bottom-three spots in the league. So where does that leave us? Most calculations have the Flyers finishing with somewhere between the fourth- to eighth-worst record. And at that point, it’s a matter of a few percentage points in trying to win the lottery.
For instance, the fourth-worst team has a 9.7-percent chance of winning the lottery whereas the eighth-worst record has a 5.8-percent chance. In all likelihood, the Flyers will have the opportunity to draft a solid NHL player who could help the team in a year or two. And forget about draft positioning in the second round, as that pick was sent to Arizona as a sweetener to take the contract of Shayne Gostisbehere, who has 50 points in the desert.
So here’s the recommendation from our hockey fan headquarters: Enjoy the last 10 games. Root on the Flyers. And enjoy stress-free hockey fandom. Be a fan again.
For some of us, it’s been hard to do just that. Hockey viewing this season has been mostly plagued with heartbreak, disappointment and anger. It’s time to look at developing young players like Cam York, Noah Cates and Ronnie Attard and hopefully be excited for what they might bring next year.
It’s time to focus on Owen Tippett and see if the Flyers have a complimentary scoring piece for the future. It’s also time to shake up the league’s worst power play and try some new combinations. The Flyers have 10 games to play with and six of them are against teams that will also not be participating in the postseason this year. They might not be able to build a championship team in that span, but they could take a few small steps and entertain a few fans along the way.
Lindblom honored
The American Swedish Historical Museum will honor Oskar Lindblom on April 30 at 6 p.m. during a Spring Ting Dinner and Auction fundraiser.
The museum will honor 6ABC meteorologist Adam Joseph along with Lindblom as its 2022 Outstanding Achievement Award Honorees.
Lindblom, a native of Gävle, Sweden played three seasons for Brynäs in the Swedish Hockey League after he was drafted in the fifth round by the Flyers in 2014. The 25-year-old made his Flyers debut in 2018 and was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma a year later. After taking time off for treatment, he returned to the Flyers lineup in September 2020 and won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for best exemplifying the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey for the 2020-21 season.
Guests interested in attending the dinner will enjoy entertainment by the Penn Glee Club and a three-course dinner by Jeffrey A. Miller Catering. The event features a silent auction with Philadelphia experiences, Scandinavian glass and antiques, artwork and signed memorabilia from the honorees. Honorees will receive their awards during dinner, and remarks will be given by City Representative Sheila Hess. Seating is limited. Dinner tickets start at $95. ••
