Our columnist offers a rink-side preview of the Philadelphia Flyers season. By Ahmad Graves-El
The Philadelphia Flyers enter the 2026-2027 National Hockey League season hoping to improve on last year’s surprising turnaround. Their mission is to win the team’s first Stanley Cup since 1975.
After years of futility, the Flyers finished the 2025-2026 regular season with a record of 43-27-12. Led by a mix of grizzled veterans and exciting young talent, the team, with head coach and former Flyer Rick Tocchet at the helm, made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
They even defeated their heated cross-state rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-2, in the first round.
Although they ended their season with a dud, getting swept out of the second round of the playoffs by the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes, 4-0, Flyers General Manager Danny Briere has put together a team that appears to be on the verge of elevating its game to the next level.
“We’re looking to improve; you want to see another step. Like a lot of guys played better last year [and] it was really exciting to see that,” Briere said, during a recent interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia.
“The players got a taste of the playoffs last year and I’m hoping that got them excited,” he continued. “They were excited about what it felt like, the energy from the city and from the fans. So, you hope that makes them even hungrier.”
Steady center Sean Couturier and pesky winger Travis Koncecny, who have been with the Flyers for 14 and 12 years, respectively, are back to lead the team.
Over the summer, Trevor Zegras—a free agent signing last year who quickly became a fan favorite—inked a four-year $36.5 million contract that will keep him in Philly until at least 2030. The 25-year-old center achieved career highs in goals, 26, and 67 points.
Owen Tippett, who led the orange and black with 28 goals last season, is back and fully recovered from multiple injuries. The 6-foot-1 210-pound winger was forced to sit out against the Hurricanes in the playoffs due to suffering internal bleeding and a sports hernia that occurred during the Penguins’ series.
Tippett is a force to be reckoned with when he’s on the ice.
“We’re a hungry group, obviously that was just the start of what we did last year, and, you know, there’s more to that. And obviously the end goal is to win everything,” he said, during an NBC Sports Philadelphia interview.
“I like the group we have now and, you know, we all work together on and off the ice to make sure we’re going to be at our best every day.”
Another player to watch is Tyson Foerster. The 24-year-old winger was a valuable player for the Flyers until he suffered a devastating shoulder injury that led to him missing four months.
Foerster showed his toughness and grit when he returned in time for the playoffs from what appeared to be a season-ending surgery. He will be looked upon to produce high volume scoring for the Flyers this season.
Rookie sensation Porter Martone is another player the Flyers will count on to score goals in bunches. Martone was called up at the end of last season and immediately made a positive impact on the team.
In the 19 games he played, regular season and playoffs included, Martone scored a total of 15 points. At just 19 years old, the rookie displayed a maturity well beyond his years and was a perfect fit right in the clubhouse.
Matvei Michkov, the 2023 seventh-round draft pick, will look to bounce back from a somewhat subpar season. Yes, he scored 20 goals and added 31 assists for 51 points. However, he spent time in Tocchet’s doghouse for being out of shape at the beginning of the season and seemed to be at odds with the coach throughout the year.
This offseason, it appears Michkov put in a lot of work. He not only looks leaner and meaner, but he also worked on his English. It appears he no longer needs to use an interpreter for his interviews.
Young players, Denver Barkey and Alex Bump, will also be counted on to make critical contributions to the team.
The most important player on the Flyers might be Goalie Dan Vladar. The 6-foot-5 Czech solidified a position that has been problematic for the team for years.
Vladar, another impactful Briere free-agent signing, posted impressive numbers last season. He had 29 wins with a 2.42 Goals Against Average (GAA). Although the Flyers were ousted, Vladar’s GAA was even better in the playoffs at 2.18.
Briere also noted that Vladar was not only an important player on the ice, but he was also a good leader in the clubhouse. This summer, the GM rewarded the goalie for his positive efforts with a $27.5 million contract-extension.
One aspect of the Flyers’ game that must improve to reach their ultimate goal is the power play.
The orange and black have been last in the NHL in power play percentage in four out of the last five years. Last season, they only had a 15.7-percent success rate on the power play. In comparison, the Edmonton Oilers finished in first place at 30.6-percent.
A potential first-team power play unit of Zegras, Martone, Foerster, Michkov and Defenseman Jamie Drysdale, may help the Flyers put more points on the scoreboard moving forward.
This season the Flyers will attempt to win a Stanley Cup for the first time in 51 seasons. This may be the best shot in years they’ve had to bring the championship back to Broad Street.
