The Philadelphia Flyers are in a particularly desolate place at the moment. They're a rebuilding team, but for the most part, lacking young players and prospects to be excited for. One such player is Joel Farabee, but even his season hasn't been one to be excited for.
Farabee's struggled this season, especially offensively. In his previous three seasons, Farabee was thought to be a threat for 20 to 30 goals over a full year, but at this point in the season, has only produced 9 goals and 26 points.
Over the last offseason, Farabee had an artificial disc-replacement surgery. Once asked if this affected Farabee's performance, head coach Tortorella responded with a typically dismissive comment suggesting he thought Farabee was hiding behind his injury.
Regardless, whether it was the injury, Tortorella's coaching, or the roster quality, Farabee's struggles this season may alter the Flyers' future plans. Tortorella has long stated that in the current phase of the Flyers' rebuild, he's acting as an evaluator and relaying feedback to management about who should be long-term pieces.
If Farabee's struggles continue, and he isn't able to land in the good graces of Tortorella, Farabee could potentially be on the move out of Philadelphia. As reported by Frank Seravalli, Farabee's camp has made it clear to management that they're unhappy with the season, even particularly stating they're unhappy with Tortorella. At the moment, there's been no trade request, but it will be something to watch for in the coming weeks, as well as the off-season.
