Last Word On Hockey 's Puck Drop Previews are back for the 2026-27 season! As the regular season approaches, Last Word will preview each team's current outlook and stories to watch for the upcoming year. We'll also do our best to project how things will go for each team throughout the campaign. Today, we're previewing the 2026-27 Philadelphia Flyers .
May 7, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Carolina Hurricanes centre Seth Jarvis (24) celebrates a goal against Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (80) scored by right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37) (not pictured) during the third period in game three of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The Flyers finished third in the Metropolitan Division at 43-27-12, good for 98 points and their first Stanley Cup Playoff berth since 2020. It was a genuine step forward for a rebuild that had spent years promising better days, and it delivered a signature moment along the way. Mainly, a first-round dispatching of in-state rival Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. The good times ended in the second round, where Philadelphia was swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes , a reminder of the gap that still separates the Flyers from the league's true contenders.
Rick Tocchet, hired in his first season behind the bench, oversaw a group defined by growth at nearly every position. Travis Konecny led the team with 68 points, Owen Tippett set new career highs with 28 goals and 51 points, and Trevor Zegras impressed after arriving via trade, posting 67 points in 81 games while showing the two-way habits that had eluded him in Anaheim . Daniel Vladar emerged as a legitimate starter, going 29-16-7 with a strong .914 save percentage.
The season's most polarizing storyline belonged to Matvei Michkov , who battled constant noise around his relationship with Tocchet but still produced 51 points in 81 games with markedly improved defensive numbers. Add in stretch-run and playoff contributions from 22-and-under talents Porter Martone , Alex Bump , and Denver Barkey , and the story of Philadelphia's emergence was, above all, about its kids arriving ahead of schedule.
General manager Daniel Briere 's offseason will be remembered more for what didn't happen than what did. A high-profile offer sheet to Anaheim's Leo Carlsson fell through, leaving the big splash Flyers fans hoped for on the table. What Briere did accomplish was a quieter, but meaningful upgrade in net. He acquiring Joseph Woll from Toronto in exchange for Emil Andrae and Samuel Ersson , giving Philadelphia a true 1B behind Vladar after Ersson struggled to a sub-replacement season. Simon Benoit came over in the same deal, adding size and physicality to the backend.
Elsewhere, Briere focused on retention and depth. Tyson Foerster signed an eight-year extension and Vladar was locked up for five years and $27.5 million total. Noel Acciari arrived on a two-year deal to replace the traded Garnet Hathaway 's physical presence on the fourth line, while depth pieces Nolan Foote and Danila Klimovich were added on modest one-year deals. The subtractions were mostly graduated role players, including Andrae, Noah Juulsen , Rodrigo Abols , and Luke Glendening all moving on.
With roughly $90.2 million committed and nearly $14 million in salary cap space remaining, Philadelphia enters the season with real flexibility, but its core question is unchanged, from the perspective can internal growth outweigh what a tougher Metropolitan Division throws at it?
| LW |
C |
RW |
|---|---|---|
| Tyson Foerster |
Trevor Zegras |
|
| Porter Martone |
||
| Alex Bump |
||
| Denver Barkey |
Noel Acciari |
|
| Carl Grundström |
Zegras steps into a full-time centre role for the first time as a Flyer, flanked by an extended Foerster and a steady Konecny. If Foerster's shot and Zegras's playmaking click the way the front office is betting on, this trio should carry the offence early. The second line is where the real intrigue lives. Porter Martone, fresh off a stretch run that made him a Calder Trophy favourite, gets a real look between Tippett's improved two-way game and Michkov's still-considerable upside, assuming last year's off-ice noise stays in the past.
Noah Cates and Matvei Michkov reunite on the third line, a pairing that produced strong underlying numbers before Michkov's midseason shuffling. The fourth line gets a genuine upgrade with Acciari's arrival, pairing well with Couturier's steady defensive center play and giving Barkey a spot to keep developing without being overexposed. Grebenkin and Grundström round out the extras, with Grebenkin the likelier of the two to earn everyday minutes as the season wears on.
| LD |
RD |
|---|---|
| David Jiříček |
|
| Simon Benoit |
Sanheim and Ristolainen return as the top pairing that carried Philadelphia through its playoff run, an unlikely but effective partnership for two players who each battled inconsistency in years past. Cam York and Jamie Drysdale form the second pair, with York looking for the next gear that's mostly eluded him and Drysdale positioned for a genuine breakout if a new contract gets finalized before camp.
Nick Seeler anchors the third pairing once again after another steady season, joined by either David Jiříček or new addition Simon Benoit, both replacing the departed Emil Andrae and Noah Juulsen. Neither graded out as a full-time NHL regular last season, but both offer serviceable depth minutes, and top prospect Oliver Bonk looms in the AHL if injuries or ineffectiveness create an opening.
| Starter |
Backup |
|---|---|
| Joseph Woll |
This tandem may be the single biggest reason for optimism in Philadelphia. Vladar's new five-year extension reflects the front office's belief that his breakout was no fluke, and Woll's arrival gives the Flyers a legitimate 1B rather than the replacement-level insurance Ersson provided a year ago. Few teams in the league can claim as much combined value between the pipes.
Porter Martone– The 19-year-old enters the season as a top Calder Trophy candidate after a dominant late-season and playoff showing. How quickly he adapts to a full-time top-six role will say a lot about how far this core has actually come.
Jamie Drysdale– Still unsigned as a restricted free agent, Drysdale is the swing piece on this blueline. If he takes the leap the front office expects, Philadelphia's defence corps looks considerably deeper than its reputation suggests.
The Flyers return most of the group that surprised the league last spring, with real upgrades in net and continued internal growth from a genuinely talented group of 22-and-under players. That's the case for optimism. The case for caution is just as real. The Metropolitan Division got tougher, not easier, with rivals in New York and Washington making aggressive moves of their own, and Philadelphia still lacks the kind of top-end firepower that separates true contenders from good regular-season teams.
Expect the Flyers to be competitive throughout, hovering around the playoff bubble in a crowded Metro race. Whether they get back in depends on health, Drysdale's development, and whether last year's breakout performances were the floor or the ceiling for this young core
Main Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
