Grading the Philadelphia Flyers' Stars Through the First Few Games of 2014-15

Obviously, grading players based on just four games is not going to be a widely impactful study. But by looking at the performances of the Philadelphia Flyers' stars thus far, we can get a better idea of where the team is heading.

So far, the Flyers' best players have actually been playing pretty well, which is disappointing in the sense that the team still hasn't been able to win a game.

The biggest problem with Philadelphia is evident on this list, as only one defensive player makes the cut and receives a solid grade.

Here are grades for the Flyers' five biggest stars through the first few games of the 2014-15 NHL season.

Grade: B

There's a lot of pressure on Giroux this year. After a bad start to last year, he proved himself down the stretch as a top-five star in the league and was a finalist for the Hart Trophy.

Now he needs to continue on that pace, and so far, so good for the captain. He has a goal and four assists so far while playing pretty tough minutes.

He's averaging over 21 minutes of ice time per game, the most for any forward on the team. Four of those points have come on the power play as well, reinforcing his status as a dynamic special-teams weapon.

But if the wins don't start coming, it will fall on the captain's shoulders (rightly or not), and so his grade in the future will be largely dependent on that.

Grade: B

Voracek is a stud, and he should be held to high standards in 2014-15. There's a lot to like about his offensive game, and he's been good, but not great, thus far.

His tying goal against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night was a dandy. And whenever he scores a goal like that, I always wonder to myself why that doesn't happen more often.

But it's hard to argue with his early point-per-game pace, and he's got the third-most shots on goal on the team as well.

Grade: B

This makes it three "B" grades in a row, enforcing the early-season narrative of good, but not good enough, for the Flyers.

Streit has been solid thus far in replacing Kimmo Timonen as the offensive leader of the defense. He's been steady with the puck and consistently starts good rushes with his passing and skating ability.

He's also tied with Voracek for most points on the team with four, pitching in a goal and three assists. Most promising is all of that, save for one assist, has come on the power play, which is his primary role now on a Timonen-less squad.

He also has provided some solid leadership in his second season with the Flyers as a new permanent assistant captain. He seems more confident and vocal on the ice, which is always a good thing.

Grade: A+

Through the first four games of the season, Simmonds has been the Flyers' best player by a wide margin.

The newly named assistant captain has proven himself worthy of such a leadership role, and that goes beyond his scoring (although the scoring is nice).

He has five goals and two assists thus far, sporting a plus/minus of plus-two, but his two-way play has been exceptional as well.

Simmonds has been feisty around the goal, pesky in the defensive zone and gives non-stop energy on every shift. He's a star in the making.

Grade: B+

As usual, Couturier's value this season has come from his two-way game. He has just one goal on the year thus far, but the points will come with time.

And the Flyers don't need Couturier to score. They need him to be a shutdown defensive center, and so far he has been exactly that.

For the observant fan, Couturier's defensive work is phenomenal; his positioning is perfect, his instincts are incredible and his hustle is relentless. It also doesn't hurt that he's 6'4" with a long reach.

He gets the second-highest grade because of his two-way game. With such a lackluster defensive corps, the Flyers will need that help from their forwards.