Michigan State's Porter Martone celebrates his empty net goal against Notre Dame during the third period on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at the Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Flyers Top Prospect's Debut Increases Playoff Hopes

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Tyler Miller | Last updated Mar 31, 2026 5:19 PM ET

Head coach Rick Tocchet and the Philadelphia Flyers are suddenly surging as they have gone 13-4-2 in their last 19 games and find themselves right on the edge of the playoff picture. The Columbus Blue Jackets currently hold the last wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.

But with the Flyers' recent emergence, they are right there and have as good of a chance to get in as say the Blue Jackets, the Red Wings, and the Senators among others. And amidst the winning that the Flyers have done, they are calling up their top prospect.

Porter Martone, who was drafted with the 6th overall pick by Philadelphia in this past year's draft, will be joining the team for the stretch run. Getting someone of his caliber on the roster is only going to help their chances of making the postseason.

IT'S DEBUT DAY @NHLFlyers top prospect Porter Martone will play his first NHL game TONIGHT in Washington!

Welcome to the League! pic.twitter.com/S1M5iO6S9u
— NHL (@NHL) March 31, 2026

Martone had a real good season for the Spartans, as he was scoring at over a point-per-game pace. He joins a Flyers roster that includes players like Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, and Owen Tippett.

The Flyers are going to have an uphill battle to making the postseason, as there are teams in front of them that can finish with more points than them. But with the addition of Martone, it is clear this is for their playoff push and that Tocchet believes in his team.

If Martone wants to make a good impression on his team now is a good time

At this past year's NHL Draft, it seemed like the Nashville Predators and general manager Barry Trotz were going to be the ones to select Martone, but ultimately Martone fell into the lap of Flyers general manager Danny Briere.

And now with the Flyers being as close as they are to contention and Martone making his debut now, it might be a good time for the kid to light up the scoreboard. The Flyers have gotten a lot of contributions this season from Konecny, Michkov, and Tippett and now adding Martone is scary for other teams.

The Flyers have not made the playoffs in a few seasons now and seem to have aspirations to get there this season with the recent run they have been on. And with that being the case, Martone debuting now is at the perfect time.

Martone should slot into the Flyers' top six forward group as he plays with that kind of skill level. And if Martone can truly make an impact soon, the Flyers could be postseason-bound.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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