I'm gonna quote myself to track some of the deep reasons why hockey has trended this way back towards skill and finesse and favoring the attack over teams that can murderize and grind down opponents.
It starts with hits like Richards liquefying Booth's brain, and the aftermath that saw headshots finally cracked down on. Youth leagues led the way and put hard bans in place. Prior to that, with kids emulating Lindros and Stevens and Pronger, skilled kids had to spend a shitload of time learning to protect themselves over learning how to attack the opposition defense. Fine offensive skills took a backseat. When kids no longer had to worry about keeping their heads on their shoulders, offensive skill began exploding. Look at the sheer talent and creativity coming in with McDavid and the guys after him. That's a result of a new era of hockey that lets guys experiment and take those chances instead of wondering if they'd have their brain removed. And the modern-thinking teams are doing all they can to take advantage of that skill.
The advantage does not lay with defense anymore. Not just because goalie gear was cracked down on, but because kids have grow up building more effective toolsets than we've seen since the 90s and early 00s. These players have the means to force defensive teams on their heels. Use initiative to make them react, and once they're reacting they're more likely to make mistakes.
The Flyers are not moving in this direction with all the other good teams trying to get the most out of what new players are bringing to the table. The Flyers are obstinately trying to fly backwards in time to the Dead Puck Era. An age that doesn't exist, and which puts them at a disadvantage. They are not growing the skills in players that are seeing success around the league, especially on Cup winning teams. They're obsessed with making guys into 1999 style grinders with simple, safe games. And thanks to their defense-first mentality, they're forever yielding initiative to their opponents.
They've actually vastly improved this year by being less passive and not sitting in shells on defense. But serious aggression is still absent on offense. They are not truly attacking or pushing the opposition. They don't force mistakes. Goalies aren't challenged off their angles, defenders aren't forced to make choices. It's all based around making safe plays to limit the possibilities of attacks against, but those attacks are going to happen. Having 3 fewer of them against a game isn't worth turning down all the potential pressure you can generate. The Flyers are stuck in a dead era built on a style of play that matches retiring players who aren't flowing into the league now. Rather than what IS entering the league. Look at how they're squandering and suppressing Michkov!
All in service of a defense-first mindset, when in this league environment built on aggression and offensive attack, defense-first means you're just holding on and trying to delay drowning.
