Jakub Voracek

Jakub Voracek (93) and the Flyers are just about down for the count. (Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports)

CALGARY — Jakub Voracek kept going back to the same four-letter word Wednesday as he sat at his locker trying to make sense of the Flyers' season.

"To be in this spot, it sucks," the All-Star right wing said after the Flyers practiced at Scotiabank Saddledome. "It sucks. It's annoying."

At 10 points out of a playoff spot with 10 games to play, the All-Star right wing won't sugarcoat reality. He knows they're done.

Heading into the season, Voracek was really hopeful that this would be a special season.

Most of the same players overcame the Flyers' franchise-worst 1-7 start last season to make the playoffs and then take the eventual Eastern Conference champion Rangers to a Game 7 in the first round.

• Raffl jokes he'd be up with Alex Ovechkin in goals if not for injuries

• Cousins in awe of Sedin twins in debut, impresses coach for strong effort

He figured this year's team would be better.

This time, another bad start burned the Flyers, who were 0-2-2 after four games and 8-13-4 in their first 25.

"We dug ourselves such a big hole at the beginning of the season when we didn't play well and we couldn't find a way to win the games when we were up," Voracek said. "We got in such a big hole that we were catching up and catching up since basically November.

"It's really hard in the NHL to get back in the race. We were almost there, but it's really hard when for three-four months you're chasing, chasing, chasing. We just gotta learn from it and make sure next year we have a good start."

As for the rest of this season, he'll be playing for pride and ...

"Just try to play my game the way I did all season," he said. "Be creative, try to play good defense and have fun with it. I mean, it sucks, but you gotta learn from it. It's a tough spot to be in, but you've got to learn from it and next year use the experience."

Inevitably, there will be changes by next season ... changes to the roster for sure and possibly the coaching staff, too, if GM Ron Hextall opts to replace head coach Craig Berube.

Asked if he's worried for Berube, Voracek replied, "No, not at all. ... It's up to Hexy. It's not up to us. We just gotta play the best we can. I mean, whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen.

"We've still got 10 games left. We all like to play for him. Obviously, it sucks to be in this position. I'm sure it sucks for everybody .But it is what it is. It's a learning process."

Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com Philadelphia Sports on Facebook.