The 2021-22 season will be remembered as one of the most dismal in Philadelphia Flyers history on the ice — and off the ice as well.

While the coaches and players worked to finish out this lost campaign on anything remotely resembling a high note, news broke Monday of a new wrinkle, involving the health of two longtime trainers, and the alleged impact of the organization’s actions on their recent health-related issues.

It was news that rendered both the team’s five-game losing streak and the looming final six games of the season a footnote.

In a season filled with almost constant negativity and poor on-ice results, the Flyers found a way to reach an entirely new low on Monday. And this time, it wasn’t even on the ice.

Flyers trainers Jim McCrossin and Sal Raffa filed suit against Flyers ownership on April 12, a story that was broken first by Crossing Broad’s Anthony San Filippo, alleging that their multiple rare medical conditions were caused by excessive and unnecessary carcinogen emissions at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, N.J., specifically related to the maintenance and operation of the facility’s Zamboni.

McCrossin, who has been employed by the Flyers since 2000 and is currently their director of medical services (he stands behind the bench at every game and is the first on the scene to treat any injured player), has been diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia (a blood platelet disorder), myeloproliferative neoplasm (a bone marrow disorder) and myelofibrosis (bone marrow cancer), per the official complaint acquired by The Athletic. Raffa (assistant trainer, employed by the Flyers since 2004) has also been diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia, which increases the risk of further blood diseases.

In the complaint, Kline & Specter (the law firm representing McCrossin, Raffa, and each of their wives in the suit) contends that their medical issues are a direct result of the carcinogens contained or produced during Zamboni maintenance at the Flyers’ facility, carcinogens that they allege are not used by all other Zambonis. In addition, the complaint alleges that “the Zamboni room is located immediately adjacent to both the ice rink and the athletic training room,” in which both McCrossin and Raffa work. They contend that the training room lacked appropriate ventilation and/or draining systems that would have prevented the two from exposure to Zamboni-related carcinogens. Finally, the suit alleges that the defendants — 10 for now, all related to Flyers ownership and led by Comcast Holdings Corporation — either “knew or should have known that the Zamboni machine emitted carcinogen(s) inside the Flyers Training Center in the course of its ordinary, foreseeable, and intended use.”

When asked for a statement, Tom Kline, Jim Waldenberger and Elia Robertson from Kline & Specter responded with the following:

“Jimmy McCrossin and Sal Raffa are beloved figures in Philadelphia sports and it is our honor to represent them. Their cancer diagnoses are tragic and their exposure to toxic compounds in the workplace was unnecessary and preventable. We look forward to seeking justice for them in this very important case.”

Per the complaint, Flyers ownership now has 20 days to take action from the date of filing (April 12), which would be May 2. On Monday, the organization released a statement addressing the lawsuit:

“The safety of our employees and guests at the Flyers Training Center and all of our facilities is always a top priority for us. We have looked into the allegations made by Jim McCrossin and Sal Raffa over the course of several months, and, based on that, believe that their claims have no merit. Beyond that, we cannot comment further given that this matter is in litigation.”

In short, Monday’s news does not place the Flyers in a sympathetic light.

McCrossin and Raffa are longtime, well-respected employees of the Flyers organization, and remain employed by the team to this day. Their recent medical issues — revealed by the lawsuit — are tragic enough for anyone involved with the Flyers. For the two to believe so strongly that their illnesses were a direct result of negligence on the part of the Flyers as to file suit against them does not speak highly of the Flyers’ immediate response to the situation, at least as viewed by McCrossin and Raffa. And their choice of Kline & Specter — a well-respected law firm in the region — strongly implies that these are not allegations to be easily dismissed.

Due to the team’s poor play over the past two seasons, the Flyers organization has been under fire from all angles. The bulk of that criticism was limited to management and construction of the team. But others contended that the organization as a whole had failed team alumni, season ticket holders and the legacy of deceased founder Ed Snider. The revelation of this lawsuit — and the direct contention that McCrossin and Raffa were directly harmed by either the action or inaction of the organization — will only further those arguments.

With litigation now in motion, expect the Flyers to stay largely mum about the issue. As for McCrossin and Raffa, they remain Flyers employees. But don’t expect them to comment publicly on the matter, either.

In the end, this is truly just an awful situation all around. At the very least, two dedicated employees of the Flyers are dealing with serious medical issues, and one can only hope that both are able to return to something resembling full health in the wake of these diagnoses.

For Egor Zamula, signing with the Flyers in 2018 and seeing countryman Ivan Provorov as a stalwart on the team’s top pair wasn’t just an inspiration. It was more than that.

“Oh, when I signed a contract here with (the) Flyers, I told him right away, it’s my dream (to) play with you, one time, maybe two times, maybe every time,” Zamula recalled on Friday. “Today, before practice, watching TV and I see my name with Provy together. It’s a dream come true. He started laughing, he told me I’m going to help you to play better, teach you something. Enjoy.”

Zamula’s “dream” didn’t last forever — by the third period of Saturday night’s game against the Sabres, Provorov was back with Travis Sanheim, a pairing that held through Sunday’s game as well. In addition, the duo didn’t thrive statistically, as Provorov-Zamula posted just a 7.64 percent xG share together over 12:37 minutes of five-on-five ice time, and were on the ice for a goal against. The dream, as it turns out, might have been best suited to remain as such.

The more important development for Zamula this past weekend, in truth, wasn’t the pairing with Provorov. It was putting him on the right side in the first place.

Right now, the Flyers’ blue line corps — present and future — is stocked with left-handed shots. Provorov and Sanheim patrol the top two pairs on the left, and are locked into those spots as long as they’re here. Cam York is viewed as closer to full-time NHL ready than Zamula, and York has made it abundantly clear that all things being equal, he’d much rather play on the left. Suddenly, it becomes tough for Zamula to fit at the NHL level — unless he plays his off side.

The Flyers seem willing to oblige. In fact, according to Yeo, they’ve been working him on the right in the AHL in preparation for this very potential transition.

“I would say lately he’s been playing mostly the right side (in the AHL), and in talking to him, he’s very comfortable in that position,” Yeo explained. “And you can probably see why, he’s a guy that’s got such good poise with the puck, puts himself in a good position when he has it. Sees the ice really well. I would think that he would be the kind of guy that could play that position.”

If Zamula can indeed thrive on the right side with the Flyers, it would go a long way toward solving the glut of LHD that the Flyers threaten to have, barring any trades. It sure seems like a worthwhile potential solution; now, Zamula simply needs to get to the NHL permanently.

With six minutes remaining in the first period in last Tuesday’s game against the Washington Capitals, Carter Hart had what at first appeared to be an equipment malfunction, as the lace connecting his skate to his pads appeared to have been cut, sending him over to the bench for repairs.

But during the next two stoppages, even after the lace was repaired, Hart continued to flex his right leg, now appearing to be in legitimate discomfort, to the point where ESPN analyst (and former Flyers goalie) Brian Boucher theorized that Hart might be injured.

When Martin Jones came out to start the second period, it because abundantly clear that Hart was indeed dealing with an ailment. And according to Yeo, it just might end his 2021-22 campaign.

“We haven’t ruled him out for the rest of the season, but I would say it’s pretty unlikely right now, just in talking to him,” Yeo said Sunday. “But you never know.”

If Hart’s season is over, a late stumble made his final stats look far less impressive than they were for most of the year. A .905 save percentage is a dramatic improvement over his .877 in 2020-21, and even is above the league average of .902. But for long stretches this season, Hart was in the .910s, and held a positive Goals Saved Above Expectation mark, per Evolving-Hockey’s shot quality model. His struggles in April — including an .821 save percentage across his final three appearances — torpedoed those metrics, and dropped him to a -6.9 GSAx mark.

Still, 2021-22 should be viewed as a bounce-back campaign for Hart, especially given the quality of play in front of him. Hart showed that he’s a far cry from the goalie who fell apart last March.

Regardless of whether Hart’s injury ends his season or not, the entire sequence raises an important question: Why was Hart allowed to finish out the first period at all?

After all, if Boucher noticed that Hart was hobbled, someone on the Flyers bench surely should have recognized it as well. But in a meaningless game with no playoff implications, Hart was allowed to finish out the period, rather than being removed out of an abundance of caution for the young netminder.

In a normal season, this would be little cause for analysis. But given the number of Flyers players who suffered re-injuries this season or have struggled to return in a timely fashion, it’s a question worth asking. So on Friday after practice, Yeo was asked to explain why Hart wasn’t pulled until intermission.

“I knew that there was something bothering him, we didn’t really know what it was, to be honest with you,” Yeo said. “It was not a matter or a question of him damaging anything further after that. I’m not sure what the communication was, to be honest with you. I put the trust in the people that make those decisions. (I) didn’t think that his play warranted being pulled, and then obviously once we got into between the first and second periods, it was determined that he wouldn’t be playing anymore.”

There aren’t many positives that come with a club’s blue-chip young netminder ending his season prematurely. But there is one: now, Felix Sandström will get at least a few opportunities to start NHL games as the 2021-22 campaign comes to a close.

Prior to the Hart injury, Sandström’s call-up was far from assured. The Flyers have already used three of their four allowed post-trade deadline recalls, and there was no guarantee that the final one was earmarked for Sandström, who is slated to be Group 6 unrestricted free agent this summer. However, with Hart on the shelf potentially for the rest of the year, the Flyers were permitted to use an emergency recall on Sandström, which does not count against the four. The short explanation is this: as long as Hart is out, Sandström can remain in the NHL on emergency status, since the Flyers would have only one healthy goalie without him.

Now, the Flyers can at least get a general idea of Sandström’s NHL readiness, before making a decision on whether to bring him back as a potential backup option for Hart this summer. So far, in three games, he’s been fairly impressive. His 43-save outing in December against the San Jose Sharks remains his best performance, but he held his own against the Rangers last Wednesday (30 saves on 33 shots) and while by his own admission, he struggled a bit in the first two periods on Saturday, his third period was nothing short of stellar, and gave his team at least a chance of executing on a comeback. A .915 save percentage across three NHL starts this season isn’t too bad.

In addition, Yeo noted on Friday that — at least by the Flyers’ internal metrics — Sandström was more than trending in the right direction over his most recent stretch of AHL games prior to the recall.

“I know the analytics, the statistics of what he’s been doing in the American League have him at one of the best if not the best in the American League over the last period of time here,” Yeo said.

Does this mean that Sandström will be the Flyers’ backup next season? In truth, no, it does not — and that it took a Hart injury for him to get a look doesn’t exactly bode well for his chances. But with the schedule packed over the final six games — they’ll be played across just 11 days — Sandström should get at least one more starting opportunity, and probably more than one, unless Yeo plans to run Jones into the ground, and there’s little reason to do so given the lack of stakes. Might as well get a look at the 25-year-old who would come cheap to re-sign.

Given the concerns within the fan base regarding the Flyers’ leadership after such a dismal season, perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that Noah Cates’ postgame comments on Sunday were blown out of proportion on social media. Cates was asked after the 5-3 loss what he felt was missing in Philadelphia with regards to a “winning culture” like the one that existed in his college program at Minnesota-Duluth.

“It’s obviously tough, but just trying to have the energy, the swagger and whatnot that winning teams have, and expecting to win,” Cates responded. “When you’re up or down, you kinda play the same way. It’s kinda hard as a younger guy to say some stuff or whatnot, so I’m just trying to play the best I can in the times I’ve got. It is definitely hard as a younger guy to say something, but I think I’ve just got to keep playing hard, keep chipping away, talk a little bit when I can. There’s obviously great leaders in that room that are doing the same thing, they’re pulling on the rope, too So just trying to be on board with them, listen to them. There are so many good guys in that locker room that want to win. It’s just frustrating that we are not, we’re playing hard. A little extra effort here and there that I think will get it done.”

Some fans on social media took this to be a swipe at the existing leadership culture within the Flyers. As the person who asked Cates the question, that’s not the way I interpreted the answer.

The question, to provide all of the necessary background, originated from a comment Cates made on March 29, right after his first NHL game.

“I think coming from Duluth, seeing how big of a culture is out there, and what a winning culture takes, and trying to start that,” he said. “Getting the trust from my teammates for me personally, and learning how to play as a team and what it takes to win.”

So Sunday’s question wasn’t an out-of-nowhere query — it was a direct follow-up to a previous statement from Cates, with the benefit of nearly three weeks of time with the Flyers. Cates’ answer was honest — surely, the Flyers right now do lack a swagger and confidence that winning teams possess, as that’s what happens when a club is beaten down by a thoroughly disappointing and exhausting season. In addition, Cates made sure to note that he does believe leadership exists in the Flyers locker room, and went out of his way to praise them. Cates’ answer was intriguing, but shouldn’t — at least in my mind — be viewed as a true critique of his new NHL teammates.

Speaking of Cates, he continues to be the Flyers’ best performing new addition to the lineup. This weekend, Cates finished with one goal and two assists, giving him five points in 10 games on the season.

But it hasn’t just been the points. Cates has passed both the eye test and advanced metrics test with flying colors. His hockey IQ is apparent on nearly every shift, as he forces turnovers, wins puck battles and creates space for his linemates. As for the numbers, Cates holds a 56.63 percent expected goals share at five-on-five, over a period where his entire team has posted a 46.51 percent rate. When Cates has been on the ice, good things tend to happen. That certainly bodes well for his long-term NHL potential.

With just six games remaining, the Flyers’ pathway to maximize their lottery odds this summer continues to take shape.

The Devils’ surprise 3-1 victory over Vegas on Monday night now puts them four points ahead of the Flyers with just six games to play for them as well. In addition, Seattle’s win over Ottawa moved them to 56 standings points — just one behind the Flyers at 57.

Currently, the Flyers have the NHL’s fourth-worst record. But falling behind Seattle now seems legitimately possible, which would drop the Flyers to the third-best lottery odds. Any further drop seems unlikely — there’s little chance that Montreal or Arizona could surpass Philadelphia, even if the Flyers fall to the Canadiens on Thursday. But third place is now in sight, and fifth and sixth are slowly moving out of reach.

(Photo of Jim McCrossin: Len Redkoles / NHLI via Getty Images)