1991–92 record 32–37–11 Road record 10–26–4 | Conference 8th Wales Home record 22–11–7 Goals for 252 (17th) | |
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The 1991–92 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers 25th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers hosted the 43rd NHL All-Star Game. They missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
Contents
Regular season
Prior to the 1991–92 season, the Flyers acquired Rod Brind'Amour and Dan Quinn from the St. Louis Blues for Murray Baron and team captain Ron Sutter. Brind'Amour led the Flyers in goals (33), assists (44), and points (77) in his first season with the club. Rick Tocchet was named team captain to replace Sutter. As the Flyers continued to flounder, Paul Holmgren was fired in December and replaced by Bill Dineen, father of Flyer Kevin Dineen. On February 19, the Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins made a major five-player deal which featured Tocchet — who never grew comfortably into the role of captain — heading to Pittsburgh and Mark Recchi coming to Philadelphia. Recchi recorded 27 points in his first 22 games as a Flyer, but the team missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year, due in large part to an awful road record (10–26–4).
With Brind'Amour and Quinn in the fold to create more offense, plus a healthy Hextall in net, the Flyers still got off to an 0–3–1 start. After a 4–2 win over New Jersey, the club awakened, trading roughly two wins for every loss and climbing to 8–8–1 following back-to-back 3–1 wins over Edmonton and in Montreal in mid-November.
From there, injuries and poor play from regulars began to doom Paul Holmgren's tenure behind the bench. An eight-game winless streak (0–7–1) effectively put an end to his tenure. Murray Craven was traded to Hartford for the younger Dineen during the run, which included horrible home losses to the Whalers (7–3 on November 27) and the Penguins (9–3 on November 29). In both home games, the Spectrum crowd loudly chanted "Paul Must Go" during multiple stoppages in play. They got their wish on December 4, with the Flyers at 8–14–2, as Bill Dineen took the helm.
The team began his tenure at 4–1–5, but still slipped into last place by late January. A 7–1–2 string brought the club within striking distance of a playoff spot by mid-February, but an inability to win on the road within the division sabotaged their comeback effort. After the three-way deal between the Flyers, Penguins and Kings was completed, the club had an infusion of scoring with Recchi, but it was too late to make up ground in the standings.
A five-game win streak from March 12–22 yielded a 7–6 comeback win over the Capitals in Landover, in which the Flyers scored four times in the third period - but the momentum didn't last as a 2–5–0 finish, compounded by a 12-day NHLPA strike, sent the club into the Patrick Division basement for the second time in three years.
The Flyers struggled on the power-play in the regular season, finishing 22nd in power-play percentage with 16.55% (68 for 411).
Season standings
P - Clinched Presidents Trophy
Divisions: ADM – Adams, PAT – Patrick
p – Clinched Presidents' Trophy
bold – Qualified for playoffs
Skaters
Goaltenders
Transactions
The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 26, 1991, the day after the deciding game of the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 1, 1992, the day of the deciding game of the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals.
Trades
Free agency
The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency.
Re-signed
The following players were re-signed by the Flyers.
Draft picks
The Flyers signed the following of their draft picks.
NHL Expansion Draft
The 1991 NHL Expansion Draft was held on May 30, 1991. It featured one expansion team, the San Jose Sharks, and one current NHL team, the Minnesota North Stars, selecting players from the other 20 NHL teams. Each NHL team were allowed to protect 16 skaters and 2 goaltenders and all first and second-year players were exempt. The two selecting teams were provided a list of players who the two teams could select. Each NHL team could lose only one player.
The Flyers made the following players available: Don Biggs (free agent), Mike Bullard (free agent), Rod Dallman, Brian Dobbin, David Fenyves, Mark Freer, Mark Howe, Willie Huber (free agent), Chris Jensen, Tim Kerr, Dale Kushner, Normand Lacombe, Pete Peeters, Shaun Sabol, and Glen Seabrooke.
Waivers
The Flyers were involved in the following waivers transactions.
Departures
The following players left the team via free agency, release, or retirement. Players who were under contract and left the team during the season are marked with an asterisk (*).
NHL Entry Draft
Philadelphia's picks at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, which was held at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York, on June 22, 1991.
NHL Supplemental Draft
Philadelphia's picks at the 1991 NHL Supplemental Draft.
Farm teams
The Flyers were affiliated with the Hershey Bears of the AHL.