Flyers’ summer additions paying off in playoffs

Let’s take a poll: who had the Philadelphia Flyers up 2-0 over the Pittsburgh Penguins with two wins on the road? Bueller, Bueller.

Well, if you were one of those that did, you should invest into a lottery ticket, because this has been a shocking experience to witness. 

Putting on a defensive clinic through the first two games, the Flyers have outscored (on aggregate) the Penguins 6-2 to open the series. What’s even more impressive is that Philadelphia has held the Penguins to just 45 shots combined in the first two games – 25 of which came in the second and third period of last night’s game. 

A lot has stood out on the Flyers’ side, specifically the pairing of Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen, who have had the task of going toe-to-toe with Sidney Crosby (who has been held pointless in both games). But what has been a common theme all season long – but has now spilled into the playoffs – is the impact of all the offseason additions that were made by Flyers GM Danny Briere.

The easy and low hanging fruit answer is 2025 sixth overall pick Porter Martone, who has tallied a goal in each of the first two games to kick off his playoff career. Martone now has 12 points in 11 games (regular season and playoffs combined) since leaving Michigan State.

Martone is putting up numbers on the scoreboard, but he has also been impactful in other areas, like consistently generating shots on net. In five of his 11 games (including last night), Martone has registered at least five shots on net. Playing a significant role alongside Christian Dvorak and Travis Konecny, his addition to the lineup (along with Tyson Foerster) late in the season completely shifted the outlook of the forwards, providing depth and scoring threats on the top three lines. 

Speaking of Dvorak, the 30 year old pivot’s addition to a shallow center group last summer has been as impactful as any. Logging 18:00 and 17:09 of time on ice in games one and two, respectively, Dvorak has logged more ice time than any other Flyers’ center in the series. With a plus-3 rating and two assists over the first two playoff games, Dvorak has continued to be the most important pivot the Flyers’ have – a theme that has been consistent all season long. 

Trevor Zegras was by far the most sexy addition last summer, coming over from the Anaheim Ducks for Ryan Poehling and a pair of draft picks. Zegras transferred to the middle of the ice later in the winter after starting the season on the wing; it has been a work in progress, but his play has noticeably improved. While Zegras has just one assist through two games in the playoffs, his ability to ‘’hang’’ down the middle has allowed the coaching staff more options up and down the lineup, specifically with matchups and deployment. 

And then there’s goaltender Dan Vladar, who has been a knight in shining armor as the Flyers’ MVP this season. Signed as a free agent away from the Calgary Flames, the 28 year old finally got a real crack at being a number one goalie after playing years behind Tuukka Rask with the Boston Bruins and Jacob Markstrom and Dustin Wolf with the Flames; needless to say, he has not disappointed. After 15 months of the league’s worst goaltending, Vladar’s addition has been a more than welcomed one for a goaltending-starved Flyers team.

Vladar has not had to be spectacular through much of the series, just having to ‘’do his job’’ while the Flyers play suffocating defense in front of him. That was until the third period of Monday’s game, when the Penguins finally broke through and launched 13 shots Vladar’s way. To say he was fantastic in the final stanza of game two would be an understatement, as Vladar lived up to his persona as the Flyers’ most important player by blanking the Penguins for his first shutout of the season. 

But what has made this all come together? Head coach Rick Tocchet, who has silenced a lot of his critics (your’s truly included) the last two months or so after a turbulent first year in Philadelphia.

Per Money Puck, the Flyers were the league’s fourth best defensive team in the regular season based on expected goals against per 60 minutes. That theme has stayed consistent in the playoffs, as the Flyers still rank fourth in xGA per 60 among the 16 playoff teams. Tocchet’s brand of hockey can, at times, not be the most aesthetically pleasing and lacks consistent offense, but he has had this team playing playoff hockey since the Olympics; they now look vastly more prepared for post-season play than the Penguins. 

It is only two games and things can change quickly in this league, but the offseason acquisitions have so far stood out. Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones had a pulse for what this team needed last summer, and it is paying off in spades so far in the playoffs.