There’s a chance we’re not directing enough attention at the Philadelphia Flyers’ futility.
While everyone knows the organization has undergone a reset in the past couple seasons, the scope of the Flyers’ ineptitude is likely larger and longer than many realize.
Philly has missed the playoffs for five straight seasons and hasn’t made the post-season in consecutive campaigns since the 2011 and ’12 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Overall, the Flyers have failed to crack the big dance in all but four of the past 13 seasons. Additionally, the club has just one series win since 2012.
No wonder change is in the air.
John Tortorella’s third season behind the bench in Philly ended with nine games to go on the schedule following a 7-2 loss in Toronto. It was the Flyers’ 11th defeat in 12 outings and the club was outscored 52-22 during that stretch. A reported altercation between Tortorella and Flyers defenceman Cam York after the loss to the Leafs only exacerbated the situation. When he announced the team was parting ways with Tortorella, GM Danny Briere acknowledged how grim the situation had become. “I really hope that this is the bottom,” he said last March. “This is rock bottom for us today, and this is the turnaround.”
The coach tasked with overseeing the rise is Rick Tocchet. The guy who scored 232 goals as a hard-nosed Flyers winger — did we mention he also racked up 1,815 penalty minutes in Orange and Black? — joined his old team on a reported five-year, $25-million contract after his time in Vancouver ended.
Like Tortorella, Tocchet will demand the most from his players. The difference, though, is that Tocchet should provide a better environment for young players like Matvei Michkov to thrive. And, to be sure, if there’s a bright spot in the middle of this bleak landscape, it’s the skilled Russian winger who posted 26 goals and 63 points as a 20-year-old NHL freshman last year.
Even with some things in their favour, the Flyers figure to do their fair share of losing this season. The question is, will it at least feel like the franchise is moving in the right direction?
Our examination of each of the NHL’s 32 teams in 32 days continues with the once-proud Flyers as they try to push a rebuild forward.
Newcomer to watch: Trevor Zegras
After years of rumours, Trevor Zegras was finally dealt by the Anaheim Ducks. The ninth-overall pick in 2019 finished second in Calder voting in 2022 and was a 65-point player the next season. Since then, it’s been two years of injuries and misery.
There’s absolutely no doubt Zegras needed a change of scenery, and he’s got too much offensive talent not to bring something positive to Philly’s group. That said, Zegras has a lot to prove in terms of his 200-foot game, which will go a long way toward determining if he can thrive playing in the middle of the ice as a centre.
Under-the-radar player to watch: Jaime Drysdale
Zegras followed the path of his good pal and former Ducks teammate Jamie Drysdale from Southern California to the City of Brotherly Love. The defenceman has still only played 84 games in a Flyers uniform after landing in Philly halfway through the 2023-24 campaign.
Drysdale has been slowed tremendously by injuries at the NHL level and missed a dozen contests last year with an upper-body ailment. Still, this is a talented, right-shot blueliner who could potentially help transport the puck within the top 4 and contribute on one of the power-play units. Drysdale, the sixth-overall selection in 2020, is still just entering his age-23 season. Here’s hoping he plays a full 82 and gets a chance to show his second team what he can really do.
Top Prospect: Porter Martone
The reward for a rough year last season was drafting a player with unicorn potential at sixth overall. Martone is routinely compared to the likes of Corey Perry — who just happens to share the same hometown of Peterborough, Ont., with Martone — and the Tkachuk brothers, Matthew and Brady.
Martone is a 6-foot-3 winger with both goal-scoring and playmaking ability. He also loves to get his nose dirty and impact the game in ways others either can’t or aren’t willing to.
Quite frankly, he projects as the perfect Flyer.
For now, Martone will jump from the Ontario Hockey League — where he played three seasons — to Michigan State University for the 2025-26 season. He figures to be a huge part of Canada’s 2026 World Junior Championship entry and it’s very easy to imagine him as Canada’s captain.
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32 Thoughts: The Podcast
Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.
Three Burning Questions
1. How much can the goaltending improve?
Philly’s .890 save percentage at 5-on-5 was the worst mark in the league last year, and it’s not like this was a one-season blip: Since the start of 2020-21, the Flyers’ .903 SP at 5-on-5 is the second-worst figure in the NHL.
The team inked veteran Dan Vladar in the summer with the idea that he can push Samuel Ersson for playing time. The latter turns 26 in October and may be ready to take a step in his development, with 110 NHL games now under his belt.
Still, this is hardly a tandem you can hang your hat on and Philadelphia’s fortunes can only improve so much until it gets stronger play in the crease.
2. What happens if Zegras can’t play centre?
Right now, Zegras is slotted as the team’s No. 2 centre. The problem is, the top-line pivot — Sean Couturier — is probably more like a really good third-line centre at this point as opposed to somebody who can anchor a first line.
If those who doubt Zegras can play in the middle are proven correct, Philadelphia will look extremely thin at a very important position, especially given the club finally parted ways with Scott Laughton at last year’s trade deadline.
3. How good can Michkov be?
Recall, some people believed Michkov belonged in the same tier as Connor Bedard at the 2023 draft when it came to pure goal-sniping ability. Of course, he fell to Philadelphia at No. 7 over concerns the Russian kid might be in his native country for at least three years after he was drafted.
from Sportsnet.ca
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