Dear Santa: Philadelphia Flyers' 2024-25 wish list – Hockey Writers – Philadelphia Flyers

Like the Philadelphia Flyers around Christmas break and other holiday celebrations, they are 14-13-4. With their playoff chances as good as anyone else's in the wildcard hunt, the Orange and Black will need to improve to establish themselves as a clear postseason team in the Eastern Conference.

In the season of giving upon us, what three gifts should Flyers seek from Santa Claus in their time of need?

First Gift: Drysdale's Continued Success

Since returning from the injury that kept him out for a month, Jamie Drysdale has been one of the best defenders for the Flyers. If you've been paying attention to his tenure with the Orange and Black, it's an out-of-the-blue revelation but a dream come true. All stats below are 5-on-5:

Related: Philadelphia Flyers' Jamie Drysdale Blossoming After Injury Healing

Before his last four games, the 22-year-old had a 42.62 expected field goal percentage (xGF%) since joining the Flyers last January. As a result, he was outscored 32-10 with a field goal percentage (GF%) of 23.81. Of the 13 defensemen playing for the team at the time, the offensively minded blue liner finished dead last in both metrics. Opponents have played him well in his minutes, unfortunately making the youngster a huge liability.

But things have changed. With a 67.42 xGF% since returning to the ice on Dec. 8, Drysdale ranks second on the team among defensemen. He outscored his opponents 7-0 with an impressive 100.0 GF%. Just to give you an idea of ​​how big this dynamic is, he had just five goals in his first 30 contests as a Flyer. He allowed 28.

The top wish on the Flyers' Christmas list should be for Drysdale to continue. He's an important part of their future, there's no getting around it—his early struggles were a tough pill to swallow, even if it was expected of a player his age and injury history. Now that he's on the road, actually, for the first time in Philadelphia, keeping it up could mean big things.

Second Gift: Andreae Staying in the Program

You know how I said Drysdale is second among defensemen in xGF% over the Flyers' last four games? Emil Andrae is the first, and he's been healthy (or maybe not so healthy) in back-to-back tournaments. Getting the Swede in the lineup is also very important to the team's success.

Giving the rookie a break makes sense, but he was on fire. Andrae, just 22 years old, is an important part of the Flyers defense. Among all NHL defensemen with at least 300 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, he is second in relative xGF. This means that, compared to his teammates, he plays more competitively than anyone else on the team. That's an honor he shares with some of the best:

Top 10 NHL defensemen in expected goal allocation averaged at 5-on-5 (300+ TOI):

1. Quinn Hughes
2. Emil Andrae*
3. Thomas Chabot
4. Adam Fox
5. Rasmus Dahlin
6. Victor Hedman
7. Filip Hronek
8. Cale Makar
9. Thomas Harley
10. Noah Dobson

*The Rookie

– Justin Giampietro (@justingiam) December 15, 2024

We can support this figure with an eye test. Andrae excelled on the puck, a key player in the transition from defense to offense. He's not the most dangerous offensive player at this stage with five points in 19 games, but the hope is that he'll get there one day. Whether he's involved on the score sheet or not, Philadelphia absolutely dominates their opponents when Andrae is on the ice. It's that simple.

With a few days between the Flyers' last game (Dec. 14; a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild) and the next (Dec. 18 against the Detroit Red Wings), Andrae will definitely be playing then. But that doesn't mean the Flyers can't wish he could move away from their blue line again, even if it would be in his best interest at the end of the day.

Third Gift: Ersson and Kolosov Form a Faithful Duo

With the third and final offer for the Flyers, they must look to their strong duo now to lead. Even modest play has been raining since Nov. 7 (.890 save percentage; 22nd in the NHL), the team is sixth in total points (23) since that date. Disastrous goaltending has put the Orange and Black in a hole early in the season, but they've held their own with good starts here and there. Can Samuel Ersson and backup Aleksei Kolosov continue to impress? Can they improve?

Ersson was rolling before suffering the injury midway through a game against the Boston Bruins in November. He missed a week, returned, and was placed on injured reserve after two more appearances. He sat out for a month before returning with Drysdale on December 8.

In his last three contests, Ersson has not reached a .865 save percentage once. He's been far from poor, as the Flyers' defense hasn't been the best in front of him, but he's not stealing two points like he was before his illness. He stopped 53 of 54 shots between October 29 and November 2, and his discomfort began.

Therefore, Ersson has the potential to become a world beater. If the Flyers' offense isn't clicking, the 25-year-old is the calm presence he needs to win. He has to be confident that he sees a return to form somehow, but he can't do it alone. This is where Kolosov comes in.

The 22-year-old netminder may not see himself in this position given what happened during the offseason, but he is the one holding the position. To his credit, he has achieved more than just landing that role.

Kolosov's .889 save percentage is far from impressive, but he is the only pitcher on the team who has stopped more shots than expected. Although he has some odors, Kolosov brings a lot of hope to Philadelphia. His athleticism is evident – he has the potential to be a valuable piece this season. He played up to Ersson's level, if not past it.

Also, the Flyers don't need Dominik Hasek-level play from their netminder. League average scoring is enough for them to win games (a theme from last season, too). The last wish for the Orange and Black should be for Ersson and Kolosov to be reliable in net, perhaps going above and beyond to sing a good combined save percentage instead of a passing percentage.

The Flyers got their act together following a strange start to the 2024-25 season. But they are not clear yet. Some of Santa's magic might be needed to end their four-year drought—hopefully, Philadelphia is on a good list.

Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick (unless otherwise noted)