Flyers eliminated, couldn't overcome injuries to Couturier, Atkinson

The Philadelphia Flyers failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third straight season.

They were eliminated Saturday following a 6-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres combined with the Florida Panthers' 7-0 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
It's Philadelphia's longest skid since missing the playoffs five straight seasons from 1990-94.
Here is a look at what happened in the 2022-23 season for the Flyers and why things could be better next season.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Justin Braun, D; Brendan Lemieux, F; James van Riemsdyk, F
Potential restricted free agents: Kieffer Bellows, F; Noah Cates, F; Morgan Frost, F; Olle Lycksell, F; Ronnie Attard, D; Cam York, D
Potential 2023 Draft picks: 9

What went wrong

Key injuries: Sean Couturier (back) and Cam Atkinson (neck) likely were going to be two-thirds of the top line this season; instead each had surgery and never got to play this season. Couturier had his second back surgery in nine months Oct. 27, and Atkinson had season-ending neck surgery Dec. 21 after sustaining an upper-body injury during training camp. Each forward would have played key roles at 5-on-5 and on special teams; without them younger players were forced into more ice time then they were ready for.
Not-so-special teams: The Flyers struggled on the power play and the penalty kill this season. A constant churn of players on the two man-advantage units was one of the reasons they are 31st on the power play at 16.1 percent. They've won 49.2 percent of power-play face-offs, the fourth-worst percentage in the NHL, hurting their zone time. And when they did get in the zone, they've had 257 shots on the power play, the fewest in the League. The Flyers have scored 11 short-handed goals, their most in a season since they had 13 in 2010-11, but have a 75.1 percent success rate on the penalty kill (25th). Missing Couturier and Atkinson forced the coaching staff to use forwards Travis Konecny, Frost and Owen Tippett when short-handed after they had never played there before in the NHL.
Early deficits: The Flyers have allowed the game's first goal 44 times, tied for the fifth-most in the NHL. Constantly playing from behind can be wearing on a team, especially one that was reliant on younger players for most of the season.

Reasons for optimism

Goaltending: Carter Hart on a night-to-night basis was the Flyers' best player. Prior to sustaining a lower-body injury March 28, he faced an average of 31.7 shots on goal per 60 minutes but had a .909 save percentage that was tied for 18th among goalies to play at least 30 games. Rookie Samuel Ersson, who made his NHL debut Dec. 23, emerged as a strong backup option, going 6-1-0 in 10 games. A goalie tandem of Hart and Ersson next season will give the Flyers a strong foundation for the present and future.

Emerging youth: The injuries to Atkinson and Couturier allowed the Flyers to get longer looks at a number of younger forwards. Frost showed he could be a consistent middle-six forward; Cates leads rookies with five game-winning goals and became their best checking center; Tippett emerged as a top-six forward with 20-goal potential; and
Tyson Foerster
, their first-round pick (No. 23) in the 2020 NHL Draft, made his NHL debut March 9 and had seven points (four goals, three assists) in eight games.
Healthy returns: Couturier, who is in the first season of an eight-year contract, is confident he can return to being the impact player he was prior to having back issues. The 30-year-old was close to playing in a game this season when the decision was made for him to focus on a fresh start next season. Atkinson began skating before the end of the season and the Flyers believe the 33-year-old will be fully healthy before training camp next season. Having two key veterans back with the younger players who furthered their development this season has the Flyers confident they can take a step forward next season.