Mike Brophy

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy writes Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday on Sportsnet.ca and appears regularly on Hockeycentral.

It's tempting to suggest the Philadelphia Flyers have finally turned a corner.

The temptation is to suggest the Philadelphia Flyers are finally on their way to becoming the team many thought they’d be prior to the start of the season.

But with the memory of Sunday’s embarrassing 7-4 loss to the Senators still fresh, it is probably best to resist committing for now. Nevertheless, if you are a fan of the orange and black, you must be relieved to see this ship finally turning around.

The Flyers were considered one of the league’s most improved teams last season, so when they added veteran defenceman Chris Pronger in the off-season, many assumed he’d put them over the top and right into contention for the Stanley Cup.

Pronger did, after all, take the Edmonton Oilers to within a game of the Stanley Cup in 2006 and then was a significant force in the Anaheim Ducks championship season a year later.

But it hasn’t quite worked out that way in Philadelphia so far.

The Flyers have been mostly a disaster on and off the ice this season, but they finally appear to be turning a corner. Their poor play cost John Stevens his job and his replacement, Peter Laviolette, did not have an immediate positive impact on the team.

Slowly but surely, however, the Flyers are looking like a team that could make some serious noise in the second half. And that’s when it really matters.

It started with four straight wins between Dec. 23 and Dec. 30, but even that wasn’t convincing given that the teams they beat were the Lightning, Hurricanes, Islanders and Rangers.

A 2-1 loss to Boston in the Winter Classic was palatable, but last Sunday’s 7-4 drubbing to the Senators suggested all bets were off.

However, Philadelphia bounced back with a 6-2 win over Toronto – another team they should be able to beat – and followed that up with last night’s impressive 7-4 win over Pittsburgh. I know, I know, the Penguins have been slumping so this victory comes with an asterisk.

So are the Flyers for real?

Although they currently reside in 21st place overall and are only 5-3-2 in their past 10 outings, I am inclined to believe better days lie ahead.

A championship? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

What is most encouraging at this stage is the fact captain Mike Richards and sharp-shooter Jeff Carter are starting to find their stride. Also, Danny Briere has four multi-point games in his last six outings.

It is no secret the Flyers youngsters were accused of not being focused and dedicated enough off the ice to be at their most effective on it through most of the first half.

That, more than anything else, caused a rift in the dressing room between that particular group and the veterans who have a better grasp of what it takes to be a winner.

Richards and Carter are leading the team in scoring, as you might expect, but both players have had a noticeable improvement in their game in recent weeks.

Richards, who was branded a natural born leader right out of junior only to have that called into question earlier this season, is back to playing a solid two-way, physical game while Carter has 10 points in his past seven games. Perhaps not being named to Team Canada was the wake-up call he needed.

Pronger, meanwhile, has been money in the bank for the Flyers.

With six goals and 30 points in 43 games, he ranks third in team scoring. One of the most dedicated athletes on and off the ice in the league, he is on pace for 11 goals and 57 points and those totals should go up if his young scoring forwards continue to put up better numbers.

Of course there are still some significant concerns for this team.

Goaltending, the age-old bugaboo in Philadelphia, remains a worry. I thought the addition of Ray Emery in the off-season was a calculated risk that would favour the Flyers given the fact he is on a one-year contract after having been exiled to the KHL last season, but it hasn’t exactly worked out that way.

I figured Emery would be on his best behaviour while trying to earn a long-term deal. Instead, his play was only so-so before he was injured. He still has half a season to prove his worth.

Backup Brian Boucher is not capable of carrying the team for long stretches and third-stringer Michael Leighton, while solid for the most part since joining the team from Carolina, is still, uh, Michael Leighton.

There is nothing on his resume that would suggest he’s capable of being a No. 1 goalie in a Stanley Cup run.

Also, the Flyers still take too many undisciplined penalties. They can’t continue to take dumb minor penalties – Scott Hartnell seems to pride himself on the fact he leads the league in minors – and hope to compete for a title.

Finally, I worry about this team’s depth. It is fine to have abrasive players such as Daniel Carcillo, Ian Laperriere and Arron Asham, but does the team need all three of them? Perhaps switching one of them for a player with a little more skill might go a long way in pushing the Flyers over the top.

Clearly the Flyers are a work in progress.