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Philadelphia Flyers 2022-23 State of the Franchise: Team has direction at last in the form of rebuild, but will it work?

September 21, 2023

Dec 18, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers left wing Joel Farabee (86) celebrates with defenseman Travis Sanheim (6) and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (70) and center Sean Couturier (14) after scoring a goal against the Ottawa Senators in the third period at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitchell Leff-USA TODAY Sports

This time last year, the Philadelphia Flyers organization had reached a level of bleakness never before seen in their illustrious history.

It wasn't just the fact that the club had concluded its second straight dismal season. It was that there was essentially no hope that the situation could be salvaged. Longtime star Claude Giroux was gone and Sean Couturier had re-injured his back, leaving the team devoid of anything remotely resembling star-level talent. The front office had passed on the opportunity to bring local legend Johnny Gaudreau back home, instead acquiring Tony DeAngelo, a talented but mercurial defenseman whose fit was immediately questionable.

The real problem was that ...