In Elliotte Friedman’s latest “32 Thoughts” column for Sportsnet, the NHL insider talked a little bit about the Philadelphia Flyers in that John Tortorella isn’t expected to “move upstairs” any time soon, that the club should be announcing a two-year deal for Ivan Fedotov shortly, and that players like Cam York, Tyson Foerster, and Morgan Frost improved their standing within the club. He added that Cam Atkinson could start anew elsewhere in 2024-25 based on his comments and that he “wonders” about Joel Farabee.
Farabee’s inclusion is an interesting one because the former first round pick from the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has struggled with consistency throughout his young career and 2023-24 was no different. After a nightmarish 2022-23 season that saw the youngster score just 15 goals and 39 points in a full 82-game season, he came back and hit career-highs across the board in goals (22), assists (28), and points (50). However when you dig deeper into his season, it was a tale of two halves.
Farabee made a quick but unexpected recovery from his off-season surgery back in 2022. He was expected to miss at least the first month of the season but made it in time for a few exhibitions games before the regular season opener. It was a tough season for the then-23-year-old because offensively he looked out of touch, he wasn’t playing with the same flair as he had shown in the past, and it became very apparent that the injury or the quick recovery was plaguing his season.
Healthy and raring to go, Farabee came out of the gates on fire and looked every bit like the former first round talent that we all envisioned him to be. He had 17 goals and 40 points in his first 48 games to go along with a sublime plus-11 rating in just 16:02 ATOI. He was riding a 7-game point streak with 5 goals and 10 points to his name and had 20 points in previous 16 games with just 3 games in that stretch where he didn’t record a point. He was in John Tortorella’s good books as his ice time had risen to over 18 minutes in that span as well.
(Heather Barry Images, LLC)
For whatever reason, Farabee lost all of that momentum once the point streak snapped and headed into the bye week with a minus-7 rating in the team’s final 2 games before the All-Star break. He finished the season with just 5 goals and 10 points in his last 34 games, held an atrocious minus-24 rating, and scored just 1 goal and 1 assist in his final 14 games – to go along with a minus-10 rating and just 14:49 ATOI.
Overall, it was a good season, especially when you compare it to his 2022-23 campaign. Last year, he endured the longest drought of his career with 0 goals in a 24-game stretch between the 11th of January through to the 17th of March. He had only accumulated 4 assists in that two month stretch, was a minus-7, and averaged just 15:43 ATOI. Tortorella almost had no choice but to play certain players last year despite their struggles with very little man power waiting in the wings.
(Heather Barry Images, LLC)
Surprisingly this season, Farabee was never made a healthy scratch, but he did ride the pine after an egregious mistake cost the Flyers a goal in his first shift of the game. On the 30th of November, Farabee was -1 with just 56 seconds of ice time after he sat virtually the entire game. It was reminiscent of when he saw just 3:56 last year in a game against Calgary. Shortly after that, there was a report that his agent was miffed with how Tortorella was treating his client and rumours began to swirl that he might request a trade. It was eventually squashed and Farabee ended the season with 6 goals and 12 points in 15 games after snapping his goal drought.
However, 2023-24 or even 2022-23 aren’t the only times he’s had consistency issues. In 2021-22, Farabee went through a 14-game stretch with just 1 goal to his name and then finished the year with just 6 goals and 17 points in his final 34 games, which included a final stretch drive of just 1 goal in the last 12 games of the season. In 2020-21, he finished his season with 6 goals and 12 points in his final 29 games with a minus-10 rating. He started off with a blistering 12 goals and 24 points in his first 25 games and formed a formidable trio with Sean Couturier and James van Riemsdyk but couldn’t keep the offense going.
Of course, Farabee is still very young as he just turned 24 back in February. He already has 5 years of experience under his belt and has shown his brilliance in flashes – albeit not at the consistency the Flyers desperately need. Philadelphia has struggled offensively for years and without a bonafide superstar in the midst, the club has relied on it’s balanced attack to try to push them over the edge.
On paper, a team with Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Morgan Frost, Couturier, and Farabee shouldn’t be struggling as much as they have, nor should they have a malignant power play that is historically bad. However, no one outside of Konecny has really taken the strides into becoming the top-six player the organization is hoping to cultivate. Tippett is the closest to Konecny but players like Frost and Farabee have gone quiet far too often, despite their positive stretches.
(Heather Barry Images, LLC)
With 82 goals and 182 points in 334 games since making his debut, Farabee has provided a solid amount of secondary scoring, especially with two 20-goal seasons. However, with the team getting younger, losing some of their bigger names in the last few years, and inputting more prospects into the fray, players like Farabee need to step up. Having just played in his second year of a six-year contract that pays him $30 million, he can no longer skate by as a top-nine player; he has to be a top-six player at the very minimum.
Similarly to Atkinson, Farabee’s end-of-season comments sound like he was unhappy with his role and placement on the team. It should come as no surprise that Tortorella juggled his lineup quite a bit as he tried to rejuvenate the offense and find something – anything – that would work. Players like Ryan Poehling and Garnet Hathaway saw their roles increased while Couturier, Atkinson, and Farabee were directly affected.
All three players struggled, there is no denying that, however based on their skill set and the Flyers needing more goals, players like Couturier and Farabee might have been unfairly treated, especially considering how long they were toiling in the bottom of the lineup:
“Any year after the All-Star break, I think the games get a lot harder. Teams are fighting for playoff spots, so the game changes a bit. I think my role on the team, too, where I was playing…I think I’m one of those guys that can play up and down the lineup, for sure. I think when you’re playing third and fourth line, sometimes you have to give up some of the offense to focus on the defensive game and focus on the D side of things.
“I personally would love to play as much as I can, but like I said, whatever role I’m given that night, I try to just do to the best of my ability.”
(Heather Barry Images, LLC)
Tortorella runs a system that benefits you when you’re playing very well and subsequently punishes you when you’re in a funk or not showing enough effort. Between January 10th and the 1st of March, Farabee averaged 18:20 ATOI and played upwards of 18 minutes 13 times, upwards of 20 minutes five times, and eclipsed 22 minutes twice. After that stretch, he ended the season with 15:22 ATOI in 21 games and eclipsed 20 minutes only once, saw under 15 minutes six times, and played just 9:58 in their all-important game against Buffalo.
Granted, he had just 5 goals and 6 points with a minus-13 rating in that span but the sentiment does reign true, where it’s tough to produce offensively with such limited ice-time and sometimes line mates who are known more for their fisticuffs than playmaking. There’s definitely two sides to this conundrum but at the end of the day, Tortorella wants to see some sort of consistency and an eagerness to learn from mistakes.
Trading Farabee this summer would probably be a mistake just based on his age, potential, and actual ability to put up points – as evidenced by his first 48 games. His $5 million cap hit isn’t too egregious either considering the cap is exponentially rising over the next few years. However, how long can the Flyers wait? They’ve been waiting on Frost, they have a myriad of wingers in Foerster and Bobby Brink who will be afforded plenty of opportunities next year, and they also have Matvei Michkov coming over in a few seasons.
With Foerster, Brink, Tippett, Konecny, and Scott Laughton, the Flyers have far too many wingers and not enough centres. Laughton can shift over to the middle of the ice when necessary but has played his best hockey as a winger. Daniel Brière said he will be exploring the trade market and perusing around for good hockey trades, once again making us believe that there are no untouchables this offseason.
If he does remain on the club, Farabee needs to be afforded a looser leash and a longer look on the top-line or within the top-six. If the Flyers can add a legitimate threat to Tippett, Konecny, Couturier, Frost, and Farabee, they should be in business moving forward. In saying that, the clock is ticking on several players, and Farabee might be the easiest to move on from considering that he does not have any trade protections either.
