For the last 19 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 20th annual review will appear here on DobberHockey throughout the summer/fall. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are what I take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

Gone – Martin Jones, Oskar Lindblom, Keith Yandle, Mike Yeo (Coach)

Incoming – Justin Braun, Adam Brooks, Tony DeAngelo, Nicolas Deslauriers, John Tortarella (Coach)

Impact of Changes – Philadelphia's current look is awfully similar to last year's. Mind you, I would be tempted to add Claude Giroux's and Owen Tippet's names to the above lists, as their trade, which arrived quite late last season, definitely impacts the Flyers' fantasy value this year compared to the last. Well, mostly Giroux's. Indeed, after a quiet offseason (barring the DeAngelo trade), it can be quite confusing to determine which direction the Bullies are taking. Their roster still has veteran names spread throughout it that could be highly valuable to contending teams, while the blatant lack of depth (especially in their forwards group) paired with an uncertain goaltender tandem makes it hard to envision them finishing higher than they did last season.

Nevertheless, from a fantasy perspective, as mentioned above, only Giroux and DeAngelo cause a real impact within the team. The former captain's departure should certainly shock wingers such as Joel Farabee, James Van Riemsdyk, Travis Konecny or Cam Atkinson. That being said, all of these guys had a terribly underwhelming season, so it would be actually catastrophic if their production was to take an even harder hit.

Anthony DeAngelo's arrival brings a much-needed upside to Philadelphia's powerplay. Indeed, after finishing dead last in the league in PP%, the Flyers are bringing in a quarterback who ranked in the top 15 defensemen in points when in such situations with 20 points in only 64 games. Compared to Keith Yandle's 11 in 77, that upgrade should revitalize the Flyers' offensive unit and help the production from their top forwards.

Ready for Full Time – After spending three inspiring years at the university of Denver, 21-year-old Bobby Brink may finally be ready to take the leap to the big league. He demonstrated what kind of production he can be capable of by racking up four points in ten games last year. That being said, considering his 5.08 height, it wouldn't be surprising to see Brink spend some time in Lehigh Valley (AHL) in order to get used to playing around grown men before getting a permanent spot on the starting lineup. Additionally, the young winger is unlikely to outrank some veteran names on the top two lines and is more likely to play limited minutes as a depth forward, unless he manages to shock everyone with outstanding performances.

At the blue line, California native Cam York is likely done spending time with the Phantoms, and should be a regular all season long moving forward. That being said, while playing behind DeAngelo, Ryan Ellis or Ivan Provorov, he won't be getting powerplay minutes anytime soon. Furthermore, when also including Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen in the mix, the Michigan product is still far from seeing first pair minutes.

It is also worthwhile mentioning Felix Sandstrom's name in this section as it's currently looking like he'll be Carter Hart's backup this season. That being said, considering he's the second goaltender for one of the worst teams in the league, expectations should be kept quite low.

Fantasy Outlook – Despite how easy it is to be cynical regarding the state the Flyers are in, there is reason to be cautiously optimistic regarding the fantasy outlook for some players in the squad for the upcoming season. After all, Philadelphia has been known to be the least consistent team in the league in recent years, so after having an atrociously underperforming year, some names are meant for a bounceback. That optimism is especially alive for the now-main-man Travis Konecny. While he won't be lining up with Giroux anymore, he'll still be able to count on former Selke winner Sean Couturier to help him produce. With DeAngelo on their powerplay line, I could see both forwards getting close to a point-per-game production this year. You can also count on Van Riemsdyk, Kevin Hayes, Atkinson and Farabee to have some respectable outputs.

At the blue line, there's no reason why DeAngelo should have a weaker output than what we're used to seeing from him. Furthermore, don't sleep on Ivan Provorov, who's been a constant producer since his late teens and should be now entering his prime as a defenseman. While guys like Travis Sanheim or Ryan Ellis (depending on injuries) have the potential for 30+ point seasons, the weakened depth in their forward group could certainly affect their output. Same goes for Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York. 

Finally, Carter Hart could be an interesting fantasy option purely due to the overwhelming amount of games he's likely to play. His cap hit also makes him an interesting option for such leagues. That being said, you can certainly expect his team's poor performance to impact his fantasy value as well.

Grade – C+ (last year was a B+)