That's normal, no team plays their best for 82 games, especially in a game like hockey where there's a lot of energy expended. Talented teams beat bad teams even when they bring their C+ game. Flyers aren't a talented team, when they're not flying around the ice, their lack of talent is exposed. Good hockey teams don't play Johnson, and have Poehling and Hathaway on their 4th line and so on.
Fortunately, Briere understands this, which is why he traded Walker when he could maneuver to garner a 1st rd pick. They need to draft 3-4 starters the next couple years and package some of those picks and prospects in a major trade or two for young, upcoming players.
Fedotov and Kolosov coming over will help to some extent this year, if they can sign Fedotov for next season (and give Kolosov a full season in the AHL, with Bjarnason coming out of the CHL in 2025-26) they can fill that goalie gap.
