The Biggest Question for the Flyers as Calendar Flips to 2022

The Flyers made their return from the Christmas break out west, with losses in three of four games while you were sleeping.

The Flyers came back on Dec 29, beating the Seattle Kracken, but followed that up with losses in San Jose, LA and Anaheim, leaving them 13-14-6, fifth in the Metropolitan Division.

The team is just four points out of the Eastern Conferences' second wild card spot, and currently ranks 22nd in ESPN.com's latest Power Rankings.

So what is the biggest question for the Flyers as the Calendar turns to 2022? According to ESPN NHL writer Kristen Shilton, the Flyers need to decide on a direction. Are they in the playoff race or is it time to start looking towards the 2022-23 season.

Philadelphia has a few choices to make, and most depend on where the team sees itself going. As a middle-of-the-pack club in the Metropolitan Division, Philadelphia could push their chips in and try to make a go at the playoffs. That likely means not moving pending free agent Claude Giroux for prospects and picks before the trade deadline. Or the Flyers could call this season a wash and gather pieces for years to come. It's a lot to figure out in not a lot of time.

The biggest issue with this is Clause Giroux has a no-trade clause and has given no indication that he would be willing to waive that, nor has the team shown any interest in moving him.

The Flyers season continues with a three-game home-stand starting on Thursday night, when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins (on 97.3 ESPN), San Jose Sharks on Saturday and the Carolina Hurricanes (On 97.3 ESPN) on Tuesday.