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The range is interesting and varied: top of the Eastern Conference to early playoff exit.
One common thread, however, is the difference between this season and last. After being the worst team in the NHL in 2006-07, the Flyers were picked by most of these same experts to be better but not good enough to make the playoffs.
They advanced to the conference finals, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
So expectations for this new season, which begin Saturday night against the visiting Rangers, are elevated. Throughout the league, the Flyers are going to be seen as a team to be measured against, and a team that can contend. But nowhere will the expectations be higher than in the locker room in the Wachovia Center or the management and coaches' offices in Voorhees, N.J.
"We sent all our players away last spring with a message in mind that we expect more, we expect better and they should expect the same," general manager Paul Holmgren said. "Judging by their fitness results and their intensity, effort and dedication in camp, I think they took it upon themselves to make sure that we are ready for that."
Given that the Flyers are basically the same team that they were last season, with the exception of some changes on defense and a tweak or two up front, the question is what makes this team different.
Last season, they stormed out of the gate and went 6-1 to start, went into the Christmas break in a funk, regrouped and flirted with the conference lead before going on a 10-game losing streak.
They managed to become the sixth seed in the last two games, and their playoff run gave them confidence and provided a level of experience for their young players that could make a difference.
And now they have to live up to heightened expectations and do it in the face of a league whose teams will want to measure themselves against them.
"We're not going to surprise anybody," Danny Briere said. "At the same time I would rather be the team that is in the position where everyone expects you to be one of the top teams than expecting [you] to be a bottom team.
"It's good to have those expectations. And even though last year the outside world didn't know us or expect much, inside the dressing room we expected to make the playoffs and we expected to be one of the top teams in our conference.
"Obviously the bar has been raised this year, but we're fine with that. We're actually excited about those expectations."
The pieces of the team are in place. Goaltender Martin Biron proved last season that he can anchor the team, the forwards proved they could score goals, the young players grew and got better as the season went on and the chemistry among them fortified the effort.
Injuries played a part in where they finished, and who knows what would have happened if Kimmo Timonen had not developed a blood clot in his ankle or Braydon Coburn had not been hit in the eye with a puck during the playoff run.
So they are back - Mike Richards, coming off a career year is captain; Jeff Carter is playing with a long-term contract fitting of his development; and the key forwards they added last season, Joffrey Lupul, Scottie Upshall, Scott Hartnell and Briere, have had a full season to develop as Flyers.
R.J. Umberger is gone, but Steve Downie is ready to be the utility guy, says coach John Stevens. Jim Dowd did not make the team, but they have new forward Glen Metropolit.
And perhaps the biggest addition cost the Flyers nothing. Simon Gagne, who missed all but 25 games last season with concussion and neck problems, is back, revived and ready to go.
He's a big-time, versatile, two-way forward who has the potential to score big goals.
Gagne knows what's at stake.
"We kind of found our identity last year," he said. "We finished strong and we showed what kind of team we can be in the future. After going to the final four, we need to expect that people are going to expect good stuff from our team this year.
"We still have the same team without any big changes and the expectations are definitely going to be higher this year."
The most significant changes are on defense. Gone are Jason Smith, who was not re-signed as a free agent, and Derian Hatcher, who is lost on long-term injury with a bad knee that might force his retirement.
That's a lot of lost muscle and toughness in front of the goal. New are Steve Eminger and Ossi Vaananen, who are capable of a combined measure of tough play and the ability to move the puck.
An injury already has dealt a blow to the plans to become a more mobile, offensive-minded blue line. Ryan Parent, a rookie who was looking to take on a significant role, has been lost for up to 14 weeks with a torn shoulder labrum.
But Coburn and Timonen are back and Coburn just keeps getting better.
So the expectations are there. But as far as Stevens is concerned, they are no different than they were last season.
"I don't think anymore that you can sneak up on any team," Stevens said. "I don't think anyone takes anyone else lightly even if a team didn't do well a year ago.
"There is parity across the league and not only do you have to play well, you have to play hard every night. You can't play at 70 percent and expect to win anymore.
"We're looking for consistency and we're looking to get better in certain areas of our game than we were last year, and bottom line is we're looking to go further than we did last year." *
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