2015-2016 Fantasy Outlook: Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets
Eric Daoust
2015-05-12

What kind of fantasy value and production can the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets have next year?
While many teams continue to battle for the Stanley Cup, more than half of the league has been eliminated and is in the offseason. Even though each team will undergo many changes this summer, we can still look at their rosters and get an indication of things to come next year. As we continue our march through the Eastern Conference starting from the bottom, today we will now take a look at the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Philadelphia Flyers
For the second time in three years, the Flyers failed to secure a playoff spot. This overall decline follows many years of wacky decision-making to find quick fixes which has left a roster with many holes and a lack of NHL-ready prospects to come to the rescue. The team has done better of late adding quality prospects to their stable but lack guys that can turn heads immediately.
One of the biggest surprises of the year was Jakub Voracek's breakout campaign where he had 81 points, just six shy of the league lead. While he produced at a similar rate during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, Voracek had never achieved more than 62 points over a full schedule. The big question is whether or not Voracek overachieved or reached a new level that will be sustained moving forward. After all, he did slow down significantly down the stretch with just 23 points in his final 32 games.
One typical red flag that are found when analyzing potential overachievers is shooting percentage. A player that finds the back of the net more often than he normally does given his shots on goal is bound to regress. Over time, his shooting percentage tends to return to the player's career average. In Voracek's case, there was no inflated shooting percentage. In fact, his 22 goals and 221 shots were nearly identical to his totals in 2013-14.
Voracek was more of a factor passing the puck as his 59 assists ranked second in the league. This is where he could suffer a bit of a setback next year as he has not been anything close to a premier playmaker in the past. Plus, there will be a new coach in Philadelphia next year and while he should be paired with Claude Giroux most of the time, it is not guaranteed that they will be tied at the hip.
With Giroux being seen universally as an elite player, you have to think that he will out-produce Voracek most years. With that said, do not be surprised if Voracek falls short of the 73 points Giroux posted this year. There is always the contract year factor to consider with Voracek, but repeating point-per-game numbers is very difficult in today's NHL.