from Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer,

The Flyers’ defense hasn’t just been bad lately. It has been historically bad.

And it’s been a team effort because their goaltenders, defensemen, and back-checking forwards have all been guilty parties.

No one has any solutions.

“If I could,” coach Alain Vigneault said after Saturday’s 6-1 beatdown by the Islanders, “I would have fixed it already.”

The overall team defense has been weak all season, but it has become unwatchable lately. The Flyers have dropped to 30th in the 31-team NHL in goals allowed per game --3.55 -- which is nearly a goal more than at a corresponding point last season....

This year’s team started 8-3-2, but has dropped dramatically since six regulars came down with the coronavirus and their season was paused. Since then, the Flyers are 7-8-1 and in danger of falling out of the playoff race unless they rebound quickly.

General manager Chuck Fletcher, whose inability to find a reliable replacement for the retired Matt Niskanen is at the root of the Great Defense Dilemma, is now faced with a difficult question: Does he become a buyer or seller before the April 12 trade deadline?

read on