Philadelphia Flyers facing impending doom in next 2 games

The Philadelphia Flyers are staring into the abyss following the 0-6-3 start. And the next two games could determine their impending doom.

The Flyers face the Ottawa Senators at home on Saturday night. That’s a crucial matchup because so much is on the line. The biggest issue for Philly is getting their first win of the season.

A win and all the bad thoughts go away. Sure, nothing will have materially changed. But you have to think that a win would help the club get the monkey off its back. Except this isn’t a cute little cat-sized monkey.

This is an 800-pound gorilla that looks like King Kong.

Now, let’s stay on the doom-and-gloom track. Let’s assume the Flyers can’t get their first win against the Senators. That sets up a potential doomsday on Monday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena against the Colorado Avalanche.

The Avalanche, while they haven’t been quite as dominant this season, have been known to dismantle unsuspecting teams. And if the Avalanche have their way with the Flyers on Monday night, it could be curtains for this season.

Two more losses, particularly a blowout, could pretty spell disaster for this Flyers team.

What could happen to the Flyers in worst-case scenario plays out?

There are a lot of end-of-times prophecies online surrounding the Flyers. Things have ranged from coaching changes to massive trades. But assuming the Flyers lose to the Senators and Avalanche in less-than-close games, two things could happen.

First, a massive self-off should begin. While Daniel Briere has been disciplined enough to avoid a panic move, the optics of this season may be too much for him to ignore. So, a major move or series of moves should ensue.

No, we’re not talking about trading Matvei Michkov or Owen Tippett. But you have to think that someone like Travis Konecny may be the sacrificial lamb. Potentially, Rasmus Ristolainen could be another casualty. How about Tyson Foerster?

The point will be a move to send a message to the rest of the locker room.

The second situation will be a coaching change. No, Rick Tocchet won’t be getting the ax. But there might be a willingness to make a move in the assistant coaching ranks. The Flyers might want to make a soft coup like the Toronto Maple Leafs did last season. Instead of firing Craig Berube, they fired Marc Savard, their power-play coach.

The move sent a message, and it provided a momentary lift. But it wasn’t enough to salvage Toronto’s season. Granted, that move occurred in December, not October. Nevertheless, it’s getting hard to ignore that something has to change.

And if that means making a change somewhere behind the bench that isn’t Tocchet, Briere will definitely look into it.

Ultimately, this entire conversation could be moot with at least one win. Two wins would ideally buy the entire organization enough time to figure out what to do.