from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

The Philadelphia Flyers begin a season-long, six-game road trip Monday night, a moment in their season that will answer questions about a club that has sent mixed messages about its status in the Eastern Conference.

Are they indeed still the contenders some people believe they are? Or a team in transition that needs a bit more growth of its youngsters before taking the next step?

The next 10 days will tell the tale.

"We’ve got a six-game road trip and we haven’t had a lot of success [on the road], so this is a big road trip for us," Flyers GM Paul Holmgren told ESPN.com Monday morning at Air Canada Centre.

continued