Rookie left winger Joel Farabee was among a handful of Flyers at their small-group, on-ice workouts Monday in Voorhees, preparing for the restart of the NHL season – whenever that happens.
“Right now, we’re just kind of going with the flow and trying to get back in shape," said Farabee, who returned to the area and started skating Thursday. "We have a few guys at the Skate Zone working out every day, so it’s good to see that. I know when the season does resume, we’ll be ready.”
The NHL hasn’t announced when it plans to hold its 24-team tournament – it is expected to begin in early August if some safety and testing issues surrounding the coronavirus are resolved -- and it is giving players plenty of time to regain their form.
The season was paused March 12 by the coronavirus outbreak, and players have been allowed in small groups at their training facilities for the last week. That’s on a voluntary basis, and most players are continuing to stay close to their families and working out near their homes in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Mandatory training camps will begin July 10. If the NHL and the players association resolve their issues and the coronavirus is deemed under control, the season might resume around Aug. 1 at two still-to-be-named hub cities.
Without fans in the stands.
“I definitely think it will be an experience that is very abnormal, but I think it’ll be kind of cool,” Farabee said after Monday’s workout. “Obviously you have to create your own energy and you have to get up for games, and I think the best team that is able to do that will come out on top. Obviously we want fans there and want to be playing in front of fans, but we want everyone to be healthy and be safe. If that’s what we have to do, then we’ll go with that.”
Restarting the season after such a long layoff, Farabee said, will be challenging.
“Usually you have a whole summer to prepare and have a plan,” he said. “... But we’ll be ready.”
Assuming the season resumes, the Flyers will compete in a round-robin tournament with Boston, Tampa Bay, and Washington. Each team will play each other once in the mini-tournament, which is for seeding purposes only.
The round robin will determine the Eastern Conference’s top four seeds, and they will face the winners of the play-in series.
When the season was halted, the Flyers had won nine of their last 10 games and were the NHL’s hottest team.
“You play however many games we played [69] and you get that chemistry, you get that flow, and then the season goes on pause,” said Farabee, who had eight goals and 21 points in 52 games. “I think the biggest thing is trying to get that chemistry back, get the flow going again. I’m pretty confident in all our guys that we can do that pretty well.”
Farabee, 20, likes the round-robin setup.
“Personally, I think it’s a good idea,” he said. “It’s tough with everything going on to make everyone happy, but I think it’s a good format and I’m excited to go through it.”
The Flyers would have been seeded fourth in the East if there wasn’t a round-robin. They could still be No. 4, but they have a chance to advance to one of the top three seeds and, theoretically, get an easier first-round playoff matchup.
“It would be huge if you can acquire that first seed,” Farabee said. “That’s obviously your goal, but I think we’ve put ourselves in a pretty good spot already, and hopefully with a few good skates and we get those games under our belt, I think we’ll be rolling once things actually start.”
When the season was stopped, Farabee was on the second line, which included center Kevin Hayes and right winger Travis Konecny. James van Riemsdyk is now healthy – he had been sidelined by a broken right index finger – and his return crowds the Flyers’ left-wing picture. Claude Giroux, Farabee, Scott Laughton, and Michael Raffl had been at left wing.
Once camp starts, Farabee will probably battle for a left-wing spot unless Laughton is shifted to center and veteran Nate Thompson comes out of the lineup.
Farabee is playing, by far, the longest season of a career that includes time in the USHL and a year with Boston University, so the NHL’s pause may benefit him.
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