Rick Tocchet pointed at the Flyers' "young vets" this morning, and the frustration in his words is hard to miss.
The timing matters. Philadelphia lost 4-3 in overtime in Calgary last night, its third straight defeat, and sits at 4-10-5, 29th in the NHL. The road record is 1-6-2.
Tocchet said the players he is most frustrated with are the ones who are supposed to pick up the slack for the young, young guys, and that they aren't doing it often enough.
He didn't name anyone in those words, and we won't pretend to know who he had in mind. But the message is clear: the middle tier of this roster isn't carrying its share.
Charlie O'Connor made a similar case in a post of his own. He described the "young vets" as the experienced mid-20s players, said Trevor Zegras has been much improved since the start of the season, and argued this group has been the most underwhelming and the biggest reason the Flyers are in this hole.
Tocchet's version of the argument is blunter, and it comes from the man who writes the lineup card.
Which Flyers fit the "young vets" label?
Tocchet never defined the term, so the roster has to do it. By age, Tyson Foerster is 24, Zegras is 25 and Owen Tippett is 27. Travis Konecny and Christian Dvorak are both 29 or older, so they sit above that mid-20s range.
Tippett is the number that jumps off the page: 3 points in 13 games and a -5 rating. Zegras is the opposite case, with 14 points, which is the production O'Connor credited him for.
Elsewhere on the list, Foerster has 5 points in 18 games and Konecny has 5 in 9. Dvorak has 8 points, and Christian Dvorak's minutes under Rick Tocchet were already a talking point before Sunday, when he played 20:09 in Calgary.
Nobody on that list is producing like a core piece. A group that is paid and deployed as the bridge between the kids and the stars is putting up depth numbers, and that is the real problem. Tocchet is right to say so out loud.
The young, young guys aren't the issue. Matvei Michkov is 21 and leads the team with 10 goals, though his -11 rating shows how rough the games around those goals have been. That is the offense Michkov and Zegras were carrying before the loss in Calgary.
The Flyers have a chance to answer tonight in Vancouver, against a Canucks team that is 3-15-1, last in the NHL and on a five-game losing streak. If the "young vets" are going to respond to their coach, a game against the 32nd-ranked team is the place to start.
Quick hits
WASHINGTON CAPITALSTarik El-Bashir reports Spencer Carbery is sticking with the same group at Monday's practice, with Alex Tuch's line staying put. Stability is the plan in D.C.
MINNESOTA WILDJoe Smith reports Michael McCarron was on the ice for Wild practice Monday after missing Saturday's game. That's a good sign ahead of the trip.
MONTREAL CANADIENSJosh Anderson is back on the ice at practice this morning in Brossard, ahead of the Wild game. A welcome sight for the Canadiens.
DALLAS STARSBruce LeVine hinted that good news is likely coming on Miro Heiskanen after the Stars loaned Trey Taylor back to the AHL. Stars fans will be watching closely.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFSDarren Dreger gave a timeline on Morgan Rielly, and it's the kind Leafs fans were hoping to hear.
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