For another, the layoff should be an energizer for a team that has had a season full of exhausting lows (3-13-1 in a one-month stretch) and highs (8-1-1 after the early-season collapse), along with the firing of its head coach.
Also, in the games before the break, the Flyers showed they understand the nuances of Peter Laviolette's system, and that bodes well for the stretch run.
Will the three Flyers who went far in the Olympics - Chris Pronger, Mike Richards, and Kimmo Timonen - be drained when they return for NHL duty?
Well, for the two older guys - Pronger is 35, Timonen turns 35 on March 18 - that's certainly a concern, especially when you consider the amount of minutes they log. After traveling across country, playing the next two games on back-to-back nights - Tuesday in Tampa, Wednesday in Sunrise, Fla., against the Panthers - isn't the most optimal scenario.
Richards just turned 25, so he doesn't figure to be affected by any fatigue.
Is general manager Paul Holmgren going to make many moves before Wednesday's 3 p.m. trade deadline?
Don't expect anything major.
The Flyers would like to add another offensive threat (Atlanta right winger Colby Armstrong?), but there's not a lot of cap space available.
The Flyers could make a lot of moves within the organization - such as sending Brian Boucher and Riley Cote to the minors - but they would still probably have only about $2.2 million to $2.6 million of cap space.
Because they are guaranteed to have at least one player on the injured-reserve list - defenseman Mike Rathje, who has been injured and unable to play since 2006 - league rules require they have enough room for a new player's entire salary.
