2025-2026 NHL team preview: Philadelphia Flyers

LAST SEASON

You wouldn’t have heard an overwhelming outpouring of optimism from Philadelphia Flyers fans at this time last year. Free agency additions Christian Dvorak and Daniel Vladar felt like band-aids for the team’s glaring weaknesses at center and between the pipes, respectively. Franchise great Rick Tocchet’s return as coach garnered a collective sigh from a fanbase whose patience with doing things “the Flyer way” was whittled down to a stump over the preceding 25 years.

A 22-12-7 start to the season, thanks largely to the contributions of Dvorak, Vladar, and fun-loving fellow newcomer Trevor Zegras, could only keep all that negativity at bay for so long. A ghastly 3-8-4 run into the Olympic break left the club’s playoff hopes dangling by a thread and the door open to outside noise that was louder and angrier than ever, especially regarding Tocchet’s frustration with the physical and defensive shortcomings of anointed franchise savior Matvei Michkov.

Led by Vladar, top defenseman Travis Sanheim, and, eventually, debuting collegiate phenom Porter Martone, the Flyers rallied around that adversity. Philadelphia roared to an 18-7-1 mark after the break, good enough to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020. Once there, the Orange and Black knocked out the hated rival Pittsburgh Penguins in a mean-spirited six-game stand before falling under the wheels of the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in the second round. The warm reception the Flyers received after their defeat only confirmed they had reinvigorated their long-suffering fanbase. 

Hockey is back on the map in Philadelphia, but keeping it there would have been far easier for GM Daniel Briere had the Anaheim Ducks declined to match his monster offer sheet for star centerman Leo Carlsson. Instead, the Flyers will rely on Tocchet’s stingy defensive scheme and the continued development of a youth brigade led by Martone and Michkov as they attempt to stave off “one-year wonder” status. 

KEY ADDITIONS & DEPARTURES

Additions

Joseph Woll, G
Noel Acciari, C
Zach Aston-Reese, LW
Jack Studnicka, C

Departures

Garnet Hathaway, RW (Fla)
Emil Andrae, D (Tor)
Samuel Ersson, G (Ott)
Noah Juulsen, D (Col)
Rodrigo Abols, C (Swi.)
Luke Glendening, C (UFA)
Philip Tomasino, RW (Ott)

OFFENSE

If the Flyers want to boost Martone’s chances of becoming their first Calder Trophy winner, there’s little doubt who will play across from him. Travis Konecny (68 P in 77 GP) led Philadelphia in scoring for the sixth time in the past seven seasons in 2025-26, and his playmaking (93 A over past two seasons) is crucial for a club that’s high on effort and low on creativity. ‘TK’ can be a bit of a hot dog, as he reminded us with his post-whistle antics during an otherwise quiet postseason, but his dogged determination will give Martone an on-ice example of what it takes to impact every shift at the NHL level. The duo already developed some chemistry near the end of last season.

Whether Zegras completes the trifecta or serves as the primary creator on another top-six unit, he is the Flyers’ de facto 1C. Tocchet acknowledged that the former viral sensation is a fearsome competitor beneath all the goofiness, and the chip left on Zegras’s shoulder after the Ducks unceremoniously discarded him helped him achieve career highs in goals (26) and points (67). Zegras earned a lucrative new contract for his efforts, and his silky hands and underrated one-time threat helped him produce a respectable 23-point output on an otherwise barren power play (15.7%, last in NHL). Michkov fell into a vicious cycle after losing his spot on the top power play to Zegras, neither getting enough ice time to produce (14:50 ATOI, down from 16:41) nor producing enough to get more ice time (51 P, down from 63).

Michkov’s slimmed-down frame is making the rounds on the local blog scene, but competition for prime deployment on the wings remains robust. Owen Tippett’s power (166) and speed (second to Connor McDavid in 22 mph bursts, per NHL EDGE) make him invaluable to a team that can struggle to gain the zone, and his booming, if inefficient, shot found twine a team-leading 28 times. Tyson Foerster missed most of last season after busting his arm on a slap shot, but he is the team’s best finisher (15.8 career S%) and a monster in the corners who just put pen to paper on an eight-year extension. Tippett and Foerster, a rare natural left wing for the Flyers, are miles ahead of the penalty-prone Michkov off the puck, and that matters to Tocchet.

Dvorak will likely center one of the top two lines after collecting a career-high 51 points, manning both special teams, and occasionally donning an ‘A’ in his first year back together with Tocchet, who coached Dvorak for four seasons on the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes, while third-line pivot Noah Cates is a rock-solid play driver who can create havoc around the net (career-high 18 G, 47 P). That each of Dvorak, Cates, and Zegras has apparently pulled ahead of weathered captain Sean Couturier, still an effective player in his own right, suggests the Flyers’ weakness down the middle is perhaps overstated.

I’d need orange-tinted glasses to be as generous in my assessment of the blueline. We’ll get to that group’s defensive strengths below, but no one on the current roster can run a power play. Sanheim produces his points on the rush; slick puck-handler Jamie Drysdale cannot offer enough of a shooting threat to draw attention from defenders; and David Jiricek’s bad feet could keep him from cracking the initial top six despite his howitzer of a shot.

DEFENSE

The Flyers may have looked different after transitioning from John Tortorella’s all-action shot-blocking ‘D’ to Tocchet’s “pucks to the outside” mantra, but their underlying numbers were as strong as ever; the team allowed the third-fewest expected goals and high-danger chances in the NHL. An uptick in their actual results (PHI improved from 28th to ninth in scoring defense) had a lot to do with improved goaltending (more on that later). Still, Tocchet, like Tortorella before him, deserves some credit for making the most of a workmanlike blueline. 

Sanheim is the real standout of the bunch as a Canadian Olympian whose elite speed and timing help quash opposition rushes in recovery, extend Flyer possessions with aggressive O-zone pinches and skate the puck out of trouble. Sanheim led Philadelphia’s regular defensemen in expected goal suppression (2.33 xGA/60) and play-driving (53% expected goal share) despite playing the second-most minutes against “elite” competition of any NHL skater (Mike Matheson, MTL), per PuckIQ. His team-friendly, long-term contract has become one of the very few things Philadelphia fans can thank former GM Chuck Fletcher for. 

They’re not quite there yet with former Fletcher trade acquisition Rasmus Ristolainen, but the big Finn has developed into a reliable stay-at-home defenseman in five relatively consistent, if injury-plagued, seasons with the Orange and Black. ‘Risto’ deserves credit for stepping into a top-pair role that pushed Sanheim back to his natural left side, where the latter played the best hockey of his career (13 P, +10, 25:40 ATOI in 25 GP after Olympic Break) and helped drag Philly into the playoffs. Though trade speculation around Ristolainen and his expiring contract will bubble back up should the Flyers fall off, and the physical righty’s tendency for the odd bonehead play was on full display against Carolina, he and Sanheim give Tocchet a reliable top unit to soak up the toughest matchups.

Sanheim’s return to the left side pushed long-time partner Cam York down to what initially seemed a risky pairing with former youth teammate Jamie Drysdale. York is a willing shot blocker and defensive metric darling, and Drysdale’s puck retrievals and quick feet have made him a reliable two-way defenseman, but going with two smaller rearguards remains an unpopular strategy, especially for the size-conscious Flyers. York and Drysdale withstood tremendous pressure without conceding many dangerous looks. Oddly enough, though, they struggled to clear the zone and create at the other end for all of their combined puck-moving acumen.

With the ever-vigilant veteran Nick Seeler anchoring the third pair, Philadelphia’s defense will enter the season with a familiar blueline configuration. That defense corps should get plenty of support from up front. Cates received Selke consideration (11th in voting) for the second time in his career last spring and comfortably led the Flyers with a +26 rating; Foerster will bring his play-driving acumen to the top six; and Couturier will seek to build off a playoff run where, in his new bottom-six role, he was first to every loose puck on the forecheck (34 hits in 10 GP) and a menace in the faceoff dot (67%).

GOALTENDING

The Flyers signed Daniel Vladar from free agency as a decidedly OK career backup who, they hoped, would force improvement from embattled starter Samuel Ersson through internal competition. Instead, Vladar seized the net with both hands, earning 51 starts (29-14-7, 2.42 GAA, .906 SV%), Hart and Vezina votes, and, deservedly, the Bobby Clarke Trophy as team MVP. The Czech kept Philadelphia in the fight all season with an outstanding .725 Quality Start %, and his .922 postseason SV% led all qualifiers. He’s a lanky shotstopper who uses excellent anticipation to stay out of chaotic scrambles. Vladar’s big season, emergence as a team leader, and comfort in Tocchet’s relatively low-demand system all factored into a contract extension that runs through 2031.

Ersson, meanwhile, struggled more than ever in a true backup role, finishing with an NHL-worst .869 SV% (min. 30 starts), and Briere had finally seen enough. The GM sought an upgrade in goal for the second consecutive season, and Joseph Woll, acquired in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, was the solution he landed on. 

Woll, a stylistically similar player to Vladar who boasted a .910 career SV% before last season, is coming off an uneven campaign (3.34 GAA, .899 SV%) and has struggled to stay healthy throughout his young NHL career. Tocchet teams have a way of juicing their goalies’ numbers, though, and playing second fiddle to Vladar should keep Woll fresh with a ~35-game workload. Woll is young in goalie years at 28, signed to a manageable number for the next two seasons, and motivated by being tabbed as the odd man out in Toronto (one of them, anyway). His acquisition could be an under-the-radar coup for the Flyers. 

COACHING

Tocchet might have stewarded his beloved Flyers back to the postseason, but a long summer has left the “Bob Clarke still runs the team” crowd plenty of time to stew over his low-event style and tight leash on Michkov. ‘Toch’ will catch plenty of flak if Philadelphia is a tough watch without the results to match, and his team’s playoff charge last season will bring heightened expectations and all the additional scrutiny that follows.

Though Briere surprisingly cautioned that his young roster could yet take a step backward, Tocchet will still feel confident in his ability to build on last season’s 98-point finish. His defensive system is one of the league’s most effective. The offense looked halfway decent (3.57 G/60) in the eight games after Martone’s debut and Foerster’s return, too, and, barring an injury, Tocchet should get 82 games of competent goaltending.

If there’s one thing Tocchet could really use to boost his chances of reaching the century mark and winning over his vocal minority of detractors, though, it’s improvement from a dirty, rotten, low-down, no-good power play that has induced bloodshot eyes throughout the Delaware Valley since at least 2020, the last time it cleared the 20% mark. Yogi Svejkovsky, who followed Tocchet over from the Vancouver Canucks, is the latest assistant to try his hand at coaxing effectiveness from the man advantage. Svejkovsky’s efforts have been fruitless so far, but perhaps placing Martone opposite Zegras at the left dot could shake something loose.

ROOKIES

Martone piled up 10 points in his first nine NHL contests before capping off his playoff debut with an early-career signature moment, a gorgeous standing release past Stuart Skinner to salt away a Game 1 victory in Pittsburgh. A rare talent whose willingness to play the body will make him a punishing power forward as he fills out, the 19-year-old has the strength to earn looks on goal (32 SOG in 9 GP) and the guile to try things no other Flyer bar Michkov would even think of. Martone’s not the only rookie the Flyers expect to make an impact. 

Alex Bump broke into 17 regular-season games (5 G, 9 P) after gaining valuable AHL experience, and his plus shot could establish him as an efficient bottom-six scorer. Denver Barkey burned his Calder eligibility by playing 43 NHL games (4 G, 17 P) but, at 21, remains an up-and-comer whose work rate tilted the ice for Philadelphia (55.36% high-danger chance share) despite a diminutive frame. Barkey and Bump often competed for the same lineup spot last season, but both should be locks for the opening night roster.

Defenseman Oliver Bonk, a late-first-round pick in 2023, cracked our lineup projection, but his path to playing time is somewhat more complex than that of his forward teammates. Simon Benoit, a no-frills banger acquired in the Woll trade, is a perfect seventh defenseman, if only because he’s too experienced for the press box to stunt his growth and can play both sides. That could leave just a single roster spot for Bonk and Jiricek to fight over. 

Bonk has plenty of polish as a brainy two-way defenseman, but Jiricek, a former sixth overall pick who’s still raw after four pro seasons, is getting close to sink-or-swim territory. Would the Flyers risk losing Jiricek to waivers? They traded Bobby Brink, a well-liked teammate and decent player, for him only a few months ago.

Local fans will monitor Jett Luchanko as closely as any of the aforementioned rookies not named Martone, but not out of excitement. Two seasons on from being named a surprising 13th pick, Luchanko just can’t score goals, with only seven to show for in an injury-hit season as an overage OHLer. A quick, strong pivot with a decent eye for a pass, Luchanko needs a full and somewhat productive AHL season in Lehigh Valley to get his head right.

BURNING QUESTIONS

1. Is a superstar out there for Danny Briere? You can’t say Briere, his boss Keith Jones, and his boss Dan Hilferty didn’t try. Alas, Carlsson to the Flyers wasn’t to be. Now that Briere fired his shot across the rest of the NHL’s bow, will discontented big-ticket players take notice of the Flyers as a potential landing spot? No one knows what’s going on with Quinn Hughes except the player himself, and the Columbus Blue Jackets would have to be crazy to trade Zach Werenski within the Metropolitan Division. The Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs, meanwhile, are loading up for potential last hurrahs with their respective superstar captains, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, and seem prepared to see how the season plays out. It’s radio silence for now, then, but don’t think Briere isn’t scanning the airwaves for a big fish.

2. And could Trevor Zegras eliminate the need for one? It’s not out of the question that Zegras, who is equal parts effective and entertaining, could yet put it in third gear as he begins a new four-year pact. Zegras is only 10 months older than Foerster; you’ve just known him longer as a former top-10 pick who debuted in his teens. If Zegras can build on a year that seemed to reignite his passion for the sport and produce around 30 goals and 50 assists, perhaps Philadelphia can stop hunting its white whale, a franchise center, for now. Finding a more attainable top-six pivot and rounding out the blue-line with a sorely needed puck mover wouldn’t be as exciting as landing a Carlsson or a Hughes, granted. Still, cost-certain depth will become more important than ever as superstar salaries spiral out of control. I wonder who started that trend?

3. What’s the plan for Matvei Michkov? Michkov is so naturally gifted that a 51-point sophomore season was disappointing enough to split the entire Flyers’ fanbase into warring factions. Were his physical weakness, lazy penalties, and thoughtless giveaways reasonable grounds for punishment, or did Tocchet’s frustration with the mercurial 21-year-old throw the latter off his game? Both things can be true. Their relationship was never as acrimonious as some amateur sleuths concluded, anyway. That doesn’t mean Tocchet will suddenly trust Michkov on a line with other Zegras or Martone, neither of whom is known for his defense. Michkov is in a contract year, and spending it grinding away on the third line with Cates in today’s exploding cap environment could actually put him at odds with the organization.

PREDICTION

Zegras, Vladar, and the since-traded Ersson won the Flyers quite a few extra points as three of the most statistically successful shootout players in league history. Still, any good fortune Philadelphia enjoyed after the extra frame should be protected from regression by the addition of Woll in goal and a revamped top six featuring Martone and a fully recovered Foerster, who struggled through the postseason. Philadelphia’s points total (98) could hold firm, but will that be enough to keep the team in the postseason? 

It wouldn’t have won a Wildcard spot in last year’s Eastern Conference, which sent five representatives from the superior Atlantic Division. After busy offseasons, the rival Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils will be gunning hard for one of the two Metropolitan berths left vacant by the shoo-in Canes. The Caps, in particular, are well situated to leapfrog the Flyers, whose fight to build on their long-awaited playoff return seems destined to set them on a collision course with the Devils and reignite a long-dormant feud with plenty of leftover animus.