from Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer,

Alain Vigneault’s first season with the Flyers was a success: a 41-21-7 record, a second-place finish in the Metropolitan Division, the biggest one-year improvement of any NHL team, and the franchise’s first playoff-series win since 2012.

So what do the genial coach and his players do for an encore? Will Vigneault get to lift the Stanley Cup for the first time in an 18-year coaching career? Will the Flyers be champs for the first time since 1975?

Well, some national oddsmakers have them as the NHL’s fifth-best team, behind Colorado, Vegas, Tampa Bay, and Boston.

That says a lot about this team’s potential. It says even more about how people believe in Carter Hart, the precocious goalie who has the ability and composure to be among the NHL’s elite — at 22.

It also says a lot about this team’s makeup: a solid blend of veterans and youth. The Flyers were one of only three three NHL teams (Boston and and Colorado were the others) to be in the top seven in both goals scored and allowed last season.

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