Right now, the Philadelphia Flyers have a conundrum with their forward lines. Head coach John Tortorella has been mixing up things on a shift-by-shift basis, but nothing has really stuck—his team is 1-4-1 as a result.
Related: Flyers Line Combinations
From here, what can the Flyers do to help salvage their season? Below, I’m proposing four offensive lines that might work moving forward.
First Line: Joel Farabee, Jett Luchanko, Matvei Michkov
For the first line, there are a few things that Tortorella seems opposed to. Both Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett got trials alongside rookie Matvei Michkov which had mixed but mostly poor results—it’s Joel Farabee’s turn. Though the 24-year-old winger has been stapled to the third line over the past two seasons, he is far more valuable than his usage would indicate. With the potential to be a true first-line forward if he just gets the opportunity next to someone of Michkov’s caliber, there isn’t a good reason to avoid using those two together.
Without question, Farabee is the most intelligent winger on the team behind Michkov. The latter needs someone who can think the game at a high level and be able to use the neutral zone to his advantage. Farabee is an excellent creator of rush chances and could have a connection with his 19-year-old partner in crime. At the very least, it’s something to look at over the course of a full game.
As for the center, I think 18-year-old Jett Luchanko works quite well. Whether it’s been rookie games, the preseason, or the regular season, there has been a connection between the two teenagers. Michkov and Luchanko have seen limited time alongside one another, but there are stylistic reasons to think it could work. They can both play at a nice pace and have shown the ability to make quick, smart plays transitioning from defense to offense. Farabee also has a skillset in this department, so this trio could work as a line.
Second Line: Tyson Foerster, Morgan Frost, Travis Konecny
As for the second line, I have Konecny being the lead horse and main play driver. In my eyes, he thrives the most when he has the puck on his stick. Instead of trying to play to someone like Michkov’s strengths, he can play to his own with this layout. To me, that is the key to getting him producing at around a point-per-game level, something he has shown flashes of in the past. His linemates here can help him reach that, though he’ll be doing most of…
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