2026 Season Preview: Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers tried, but couldn’t land Leo Carlsson. Do they have what it takes to build off of last season's success and keep progressing?
After a five year playoff drought, the Philadelphia Flyers surprised many and secured a playoff spot by finishing third in the Metropolitan Division. But with several teams in the Eastern Conference improving this summer, repeating that will be no easy task.
2025-26 Outcome
Regular Season Results: 43-27-12
Postseason Results: Defeated Pittsburgh 4-2, Lost to Carolina 4-0
The Flyers showed tons of promise this season, and while you never want to consider losing in the playoffs a success, the fact that they were able to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 1 was a win in itself. The expectations for this team ahead of the season weren’t very high, at least from an outside perspective. To take such a promising step forward when the pressure to do so wasn't intense is key. Continuing to progress however, will be the real test.
Who’s In and Who’s Out
Judging by who’s in and out here, it may not seem like the Flyers did much to drastically improve ahead of this season. But really, they improve from internal additions.
They’re going to get a full season of Porter Martone, and a full season from Tyson Foerster, who only played in 29 games last season because of injury. Guys like Matvei Michkov and Denver Barkey are only going to get better. And that's not to mention defensemen like Oliver Bonk and David Jirieck could be ready to take the next steps in their careers. With plenty more exciting talent in the depth charts, the Flyers have a future to be excited about but ensuring they remain competitive in the meantime needs to be prioritized.
In terms of what they actually did this summer, Joseph Woll is a huge upgrade over Samuel Ersson in net. It’s fair to have doubts in him or Dan Vladar as a full-time starter, but the two of them as a duo should be very solid. Simon Benoit isn’t an upgrade from Emil Andrae, but he surely fits more of a role on this team than Andrae would have. Lastly, Noel Acciari isn’t an improvement from Garnet Hathaway, but offers more experience and versatility which is extremely valuable in a fourth line role.
