10 NHL Teams To Watch This Season
7. Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers were one of three teams this past summer to luck into lottery wins securing a top pick in the 2017 NHL draft, using the number two overall selection to draft promising forward Nolan Patrick, but that’s not the only reason Philadelphia make the list as a team to watch.
The Flyers’ roster has been in the works for several years now and looks more and more ready to finally reap the rewards of that careful construction. The talents of Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov on the blueline look to be buttressed by the emergence of Travis Sanheim, developed since 2014 and moving up from an impressive season in the AHL.
Philadelphia’s main threats remain the talents of their captain Claude Giroux, likely to bounce back after something of a down year, and winger Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds. With increased roles for Provorov and Travis Konecny, the Flyers look to make an increased impact in a Metro division featuring a Washington Capitals team that looks weaker than in years past.