Flyers
A preview of the 2025-26 NHL season for the Philadelphia Flyers, including predictions from VSiN NHL Expert Jonathan Davis. For all other NHL team previews, check out our NHL page.
Key Additions: Rick Tocchet (head coach), Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorark, Dan Vladar
Key Departures: Brad Shaw/John Tortorella (head coach), Ryan Poehling
Overview
Flyers GM Daniel Briere is preaching patience, but the patience wore thin for head coach John Tortorella and led to his eventual firing with just nine games left in the season. Rick Tocchet takes over as the new head coach after parting ways with Vancouver in the summer, signing a five-year deal to return to the team that drafted him in 1983 and where he played 11 of his 18 NHL seasons.
The Flyers 21 regulation wins were the fewest in the conference and placed them ahead of only Chicago (20) and San Jose (14).
Offense
Philadelphia ranked 24th in goals scored and 30th on the power play. Only Anaheim and the Islanders (both with 26) scored fewer goals with the extra man than the Flyers who finished with 32.
It was a solid rookie season for Michkov who did not disappoint the Flyers or their fans, leading the team and all NHL rookies with 26 goals. Michkov finished the season strong with 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in the final 25 games.
Travis Konecny’s 76 points led the team in scoring for the fourth consecutive season. The 2024-25 season was a breakout season for Tyson Foerster that saw him score 25 goals. Owen Tippett’s 20 goals in 2024-25 marked his third consecutive twenty goal season but it was a dropoff from his 27 and 28 goals in the two previous campaigns.
Defense
Only four teams gave up more goals last season than the 283 the Flyers surrendered, and their 31 Puck Line losses, trailed only Pittsburgh (32) in the Eastern Conference. Another area where the Flyers struggled defensively was their penalty kill. One season after finishing with the league’s fourth-best penalty kill and leading the league in shorthanded goals (16), their penalty kill fell to 20th and their four shorthanded goals ranked 22nd.
Offensively, the Flyers didn’t get a lot of support from the blue line, finishing 30th in points scored by defenseman. Nick Seeler’s 200 blocked shots led the team and were third-most in the league last season.
Goaltending
For the second consecutive season, Flyers goalies finished dead last in save percentage. With the suspension of Carter Hart early in the 2023-24 season, Samuel Ersson was pressed into the starter’s role earlier in his career than anticipated. Ersson has picked up wins in just 45 of his 94 starts.
Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov combined for just 11 wins in 37 starts last season in the backup role and Fedotov was traded to Columbus just prior to the start of training camp. To help bolster their goaltending situation, Philadelphia signed free agent goalie Dan Vladar, who spent the past three seasons in Calgary. Vladar is by no means the answer, but he is an experienced backup who signed with the Flyers where he feels he has a chance to be their No. 1 goalie.
Player to Watch
New head coach Rick Tocchet was able to get the best out of Phil Kessel in Pittsburgh when Tocchet served as an assistant coach for the Penguins. The hope is that he can do the same with Trevor Zegras, who lost his way the past two seasons in Anaheim. Tocchet has shown the knack for unleashing players’ offensive capabilities. We shouldn’t forget that Zegras scored 23 goals in each of his first two seasons with Anaheim.
Outlook
I am on everything for Matvei Michkov. I will jump on his Over 67.5 points (-125), which would mean he needs to finish with five more points than last season. I also like Michkov to notch his first career hat trick this season (+110) and I have a “pizza money” bet on Michkov to record at least two hat tricks at +650.
Team Futures
Regular Season Points: 84.5
To Make the Playoffs: +260
To Miss the Playoffs: -350
To Win the Metropolitan Division: +4000
To Win the Eastern Conference: +7500
To Win the Stanley Cup: +15000
2024-25 Recap
Record: 33-39-10, 76 pts (8th in the Metropolitan)
Over/Under: 40-40-2
Home Favorite: 12-4 // Home Dog: 7-15
Road Favorite: 3-2 // Road Dog: 9-25
Win Score 4 or more: 19 of 33 // Lose Give Up 4 or more: 32 of 49
Puck Line Wins: 17 of 33 // Puck Line Losses: 31 of 49
Front End Back-to-Back: 6-7 // Back End Back-to-Back: 1-12
Points Leader: Travis Konecny – 76
Goal Leader: Matvei Michkov – 26
Assist Leader: Travis Konecny – 52
Shots on Goal Leader: Matvei Michkov – 199
Blocked Shots Leader: Nick Seeler – 200
Depth Chart
Forwards
Matvei Michkov / Sean Couturier / Travis Konecny
Tyson Foerster / Noah Cates / Bobby Brink
Alex Bump / Trevor Zegras / Owen Tippett
Nic Deslauriers / Christian Dvorak / Garnet Hathaway
Defense
Cam York / Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler / Jamie Drysdale
Egor Zamula / Noah Juulsen
Goalies
Samuel Ersson / Dan Vladar
Power Play Unit 1
Travis Konecny, Trevor Zegras, Bobby Brink, Jamie Drysdale, Matvei Mitchkov
