Philadelphia Flyers’ 2023-24 Team Awards

When Konecny is hot, he has the ability to take over a game. He is a pretty dominant player on the rush when that part of the game isn’t neutralized for Philadelphia, which has proven to be an important trait. He has been the only player who has consistently held a top-line role with a forward-high 19:49 average ice time versus 17:49 for the next highest.

Konecny has been trusted in all situations, evidenced by his NHL-high six shorthanded goals. Without him on the team, the Flyers’ suddenly lethal penalty kill isn’t quite as scary anymore. The penalty kill has been fairly solid whoever has been on the ice, but he is the X-factor of it. When he gets breakaways, he rarely makes a mistake.

Konecny is the only true star forward that the Flyers have at this point, so he has been essential to their roster this season. The 27-year-old hasn’t necessarily taken his play to new heights, but he has still been the best that the team has to offer.

Barry Ashbee “Best Defenseman” Award: Cam York

In the early stages of the season, the Flyers’ best defenseman appeared to be Travis Sanheim or potentially even a player like Sean Walker who was traded to the Colorado Avalanche at the trade deadline. However, Cam York has taken a big step up in terms of ice time and play recently. Since March 9, a day after the deadline ended, York has the 11th-most ice time among skaters in the entire NHL.

In that time frame, York has a 51.1 expected goals percentage (xGF%) at even strength, which is a pretty impressive mark for a 23-year-old playing first-pairing minutes. This is a season-long award, though, but he still passes that test. He has a 50.3 xGF% with 30 points and a minus-12 rating through 81 contests. He has shown durability and the skill to play wherever head coach John Tortorella wants him to, which suggests he could be a top-pairing defender for years to come.

York’s on-ice numbers might seem pretty mediocre, but his stats have drastically shifted when he isn’t on the ice with some of the team’s worst on-ice players who happen to play a lot of minutes. Four of the more egregious candidates for this have been Sean Couturier, Scott Laughton, Cam Atkinson, and Nicolas Deslauriers.

Without those four on the ice at even strength, York has a plus-5 rating and a ludicrous 59.9 xGF% in 503 total minutes. For reference, that last number would put him in the 97th percentile among defensemen with 100 or more minutes of ice time this season.

It wouldn’t be fair to ignore all of his minutes without those players, but the difference is definitely worth noting. When dissecting York just a tad, it is clear that he has excelled in certain situations. He is the glue that keeps the Flyers together, making him their best defenseman for 2023-24.

Yanick Dupre “Classiest Player” Award: Cam Atkinson

There are a few candidates for the Flyers’ classiest player since it’s a pretty subjective award, but Atkinson has always done his part both on and off the ice as a classy player. For one, the 34-year-old has typically stayed out of trouble on the ice as he doesn’t get into that many fights or scrums. Off the ice, though, he has done some great community work.

Granted, Atkinson was more known for the work he did while he was with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but he has always shown class in everything he does. He was a big supporter of local businesses in Columbus and has contributed a decent chunk of his career earnings toward giving back.

This season has been an undeniable struggle for Atkinson, but he hasn’t lost any motivation. The veteran, coming off of a season-long injury in 2022-23, has given it everything he has, and has done so with class.

Pelle Lindbergh “Most Improved Player” Award: Sam Ersson

It might seem a bit strange for a goaltender with a .890 save percentage (SV%) to be the most improved player for a team that went from the seventh-worst in the NHL last season to a potential playoff club this go around, but Sam Ersson has in fact seen significant improvement nonetheless. In 2022-23, he had 10 starts in total. This time around, he has 48 and has been the starter for most of the season.

Ersson has seen his ups and downs this season, but he has remained strong through a pretty remarkable workload. Through the Flyers’ last 35 contests, he has started 29 of them. For a rookie netminder who was meant to be the backup, that’s a lot to ask. Even through his skids, he has kept the Flyers alive.

Ersson has the ability to steal hockey games. His poor efforts are usually combined with the same from the skaters on the roster, which might make the fact that the Flyers are near a playoff spot hard to rationalize for an outsider. In reality, Ersson has gotten the job done when he needed to. Appearing in 61.7 percent of Philadelphia’s contests, that’s a very large number — he deserves praise.

Gene Hart Memorial “Most Heart” Award: Nick Seeler

For the player that displays the most heart on the Flyers, nobody other than Nick Seeler could really have this award. All season long, the 30-year-old veteran has been sacrificing his body as if it’s a natural instinct with 199 blocks in 70 contests. Inevitably, one of those blocks lost him some time due to injury, but he has come back as if nothing ever happened.

To block as many shots as Seeler has, there must be extreme dedication. The 6-foot-2 defender can fight, hit, and provide a little bit of offense when necessary with 13 points. He might not be the flashiest player on the ice, but he is most certainly the bravest. Mastering the craft of the blocked shot is undoubtedly a physical skill, but it is also a mental one, too. No matter what shot is coming his way, he will make an effort to turn it aside. Even if it means hurting himself, Seeler will always be there.

While they aren’t the real-deal NHL awards, the Flyers’ team awards have been a great tradition for quite some time now. This season, there have been a lot of players who deserve to be recognized for their efforts.