The Top 5 New Year's Resolutions for the Philadelphia Flyers

With the new year arriving, many people are making resolutions to improve their lives. Some people will try to lose weight, some to stop smoking and others pledge to spend more time with their families.

The Philadelphia Flyers are no different. Here are the top five New Year's resolutions the Flyers should make for the year 2015.

Keep in mind this list is what the Flyers should do, not necessarily what they will actually do. If the franchise follows these five proposed resolutions, it will be headed in the right direction for 2015 and beyond. If it fails to take action on these suggestions, it could be a long road ahead for the Flyers.

Feel free to comment on any of the items listed here or to suggest another of your own. As always, please indicate why you feel the way you do.

The first resolution is directed at general manager Ron Hextall and is more of a long-term problem than an immediate one: The Flyers need to reduce the number of natural centers on their roster.

According to the NHL.com, the Flyers presently have eight natural centers on their roster: Claude Giroux, Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier, R.J. Umberger, Vincent Lecavalier, Scott Laughton, Chris VandeVelde and Zac Renaldo.

Blair Jones, who is presently in the AHL but played four games with the Flyers earlier this season, is also listed as a natural center.

Obviously, some of these players have been moved to the wing, but that is not an ideal solution for any team. Just like you don't want a roster full of natural left wings or seven defensemen who all shoot left-handed, this imbalance is bad for the club in the long run.

At some point, Hextall is going to have to clear out one or two of these natural centers and use them to acquire players who can help fill in some of the team's other glaring needs.

This won't happen overnight, but at some point in 2015, Hextall has to start addressing this imbalance and improving his roster.

The Flyers need to work at improving their overall team defense right away if they hope to salvage this season.

As of December 30, the Flyers were ranked 23rd in the league in shots allowed per game with 30.8 and 23rd in goals against per game with 2.89.

But the problem goes beyond just the number of shots allowed. Because of excessive giveaways in their own end, the Flyers tend to give up too many quality scoring chances. Goalie Steve Mason bails them out as often as he can, but the law of averages catches up to him eventually.

Sure, as a group, the defensemen lack elite skill and speed, but this problem goes beyond that. It includes the need for forwards to get back and play well in the defensive zone, cover their men and carry out their assignments.

Unless the Flyers resolve to improve their overall team defense, it could be a long second half to the season.

As of December 30, the Flyers are dead last in the NHL on the penalty kill this season. The Flyers have allowed 32 power-play goals on 123 opportunities, a paltry 74.0 percent success rate.

Simply put, a big improvement in the standings is unlikely if this problem isn't fixed quickly.

Last season, the Flyers ranked seventh in the league with an 84.8 percent success rate at killing penalties. Seven of the top eight penalty-killing teams last season qualified for the playoffs.

Since the "new NHL" came into existence in 2005-06, no team that has finished last in the league in penalty-killing percentage has qualified for the playoffs.

Whether it's a change in personnel, strategy or some combination of the two, the Flyers have to find a way to improve their play when the other team has the extra attacker.

General manager Ron Hextall has admitted the penalty kills is an area that the team must address. "We’ve gotta do a better job," Hextall told Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly.com. "If you want to break it down, it’s all areas. You’re talking pressure, blocking shots, passing from the seams, goaltending. Every area has to be better."

The penalty kill is clearly costing costing the Flyers some winnable games. In their last two contests, for example, the Flyers gave up four power-play goals in seven tries. They lost both games.

This is a resolution that requires the utmost urgency. 

It's probably easier said than done, but the Flyers do need to create some salary-cap room if they hope to upgrade their roster for the future. The best way to do that is to clear out some of those bloated contracts that too many players just aren't playing up to right now.

The trade deadline is usually a good time to accomplish this. Desperate general managers each compete with each other to add that final piece to their roster that could help their team win a Stanley Cup.

If Hextall can find a taker for Vincent Lecavalier, R.J. Umberger, Andrew MacDonald or Braydon Coburn, he should unload these players for whatever he can get.

In the long run, it would be addition by subtraction.

These players will be difficult to move because of their contracts and their performance. CapGeek.com indicates some of them also have no-movement clauses in their contracts, which creates yet another obstacle to a possible trade.

Still, the long-term prospects of the team will not get brighter until Hextall has the cap space to make some maneuvers to improve this club. He must resolve to do this between now and the start of training camp next fall, and obviously the sooner the better.

The most important resolution the Flyers can make for 2015 is to stay patient. That does not mean doing nothing in the short run to improve this team, but it means not sacrificing the future for a quick fix that really won't help this team become a Stanley Cup contender in a few years.

Before this season, owner Ed Snider said the team would be more patient and admitted to reporters that this approach was "probably long overdue." "I was very patient when I was young, when we built the winners. We let the other five teams trade away their draft picks and some of their top kids, and we didn't do that," Snider added.

The Flyers need to stay patient, no matter how painful and difficult that may be right now.

So don't rush the team's prospects to the NHL and don't trade high draft choices away for a veteran who may help the Flyers squeak into the playoffs this year but won't help the team down the road.

The flaws on this team are substantial and will take at least a couple of years to fix. Stay patient and work toward that long-term goal. If anything, trade away veterans and even useful players for picks and prospects.

The most vital resolution the Flyers need to make is to remain patient and build for the long term.