It is not too early for Flyers to be concerned after fifth straight loss to open season

Even though the NHL season is a grind, a slow start can still be a cause for some concern. Especially when it is a start as bad as the one the Philadelphia Flyers are off to at the beginning of the 2026-27 season.

After their 2-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night, the Flyers still winless through their first five games, making them the only team in the Eastern Conference that has yet to win a game this season.

That's a problem, and recent NHL history is not kind for teams in that position. 

It is not too early for the Flyers to be worried about this season

Since the start of the 2005-06 season (the start of the salary cap era) the Flyers are the 26th team to open a season with five consecutive losses.

Of the previous 25 times, only one of them managed to overcome that start and actually qualify for the playoffs that season.

It also happened to be the Flyers, who were able to bounce back in the 2008-09 season following an 0-3-2 start. They went 44-24-9 over their remaining 77 games that year to earn a playoff spot. 

They ended up losing in the first round that season to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Flyers took a big step forward in their rebuild a year ago, not only reaching the playoffs for the first time in five years, but also advancing to the second round after beating the Penguins in the opening round. Despite that success, they were still viewed as a potential regression candidate this season due in large part to a quiet offseason.

After signing Leo Carlsson to a restricted free agent offer sheet, and then watching as the Anaheim Ducks matched the offer, the Flyers didn't really do much of anything to add to its roster outside of addressing the backup goalie spot. It was underwhelming, and even led to general manager Danny Briere saying a step backwards would be a possibility, and that they were prepared for it. 

That is not exactly what a playoff team wants to hear from its general manager before the season. 

Philadelphia has been a good defensive team for a couple of years now, but there were big questions around whether or not their offense could continue to develop and if the goaltending would be as strong as it was a year ago. 

The big concern so far is the stunning lack of offense. 

After Thursday's game the Flyers have scored just six goals on the season, and have yet to score more than two in a single game. 

Even worse than the lack of goal production is the fact they are not even doing a good job of generating chances. After Thursday's game, the Flyers are generating just 1.74 expected goals per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play, a mark that ranks 31st in the NHL ahead of only the San Jose Sharks.

With forwards Trevor Zegras, Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone on the roster there is a young core that the Flyers are hoping to build around offensively, but they still have to show they can be top-line scorers. From a big picture perspective, it is too early to be concerned about them and their careers on an individual level. But when it comes to the chances for the 2026-27 Flyers and the playoffs, there is at least some reason to be worried even if it seems like it is still really early in the season. Recent history is not on their side.