Rick Tocchet didn’t sugarcoat it: the Flyers’ power play didn’t get nearly enough attention last season, and the numbers backed him up.
Philadelphia enters the new season trying to build on a playoff run that carried it into the second round, but the club is still hearing plenty of doubt around the NHL. The roster is largely the same as last year’s group, and the Flyers are aiming to get back to the postseason again - with a bigger goal in mind, too: a return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2010.
If they’re going to keep pushing forward, one problem has to get fixed fast. The power play was a mess in the regular season, and it only got worse in the playoffs.
The Flyers finished last in power play percentage during the regular season, then managed just three power play goals on 36 chances over 10 playoff games. That kind of production is hard to survive with.
Tocchet made clear that the details have to sharpen up, especially when it comes to reading what the penalty kill is doing in real time.
"And then the reads, that's the one thing we have to stay on top of as we start September. Is it a box, is it a top down, what happens if the flanker defensive D is too high, what are we looking to do?
We have to get better at that, because I think last year the reads were a little off," said Tocchet. "And I blame myself a little bit, i'm going to pound a lot of this at them early on.
I don't think we did it as much last year, I don't know why I didn't maybe the new guy on the block and I was worried about five-on-five but we really have to hone in on the details of the power play."
Jamie Drysdale, who works on the top unit, echoed the same blunt assessment.
"I don't know how else to say it, we were at the bottom, it has to be better, we'll win more games and I think we have the talent, so it's just execution and being in sync and doing it at the end of the day," said Drysdale.
Training camp is where that kind of correction has to happen, and the Flyers know it. A 15.7 percent success rate on the power play last season dragged them down and made every extra-man opportunity feel like a missed chance to bank wins. Teams like the Carolina Hurricanes and Golden Knights finished with top 10 power plays during the regular season and carried that strength all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.
Philadelphia is hoping this year looks different. Porter Martone made an impact in a short time with the team, and there’s plenty of excitement about what he can bring over a full season.
Matvei Michkov is also expected to be a major factor if he can put a down 2025-26 season behind him and take a step forward offensively. If both players deliver, the Flyers’ power play could finally start to look like a strength instead of a liability.
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Flyers Have One Big Christian Dvorak Decision Still To Make
Christian Dvorak gave the Flyers exactly what they needed last season, settling in as the top-line center for much of the year and turning in the kind of all-around production that made him look like a fit for a bigger role. His first year in Philadelphia ended with a career season across the board, and the team responded by committing to him long term as it starts sorting out what the center depth chart is supposed to look like next.
The bigger question now is how the Flyers want to arrange the middle of the ice around him. Dvorak is in place, but the club still has to decide which combinations give it the best balance, and whether his most natural usage is still at the top of the lineup or in a different setup as camp and the season approach. [Read more 🡒]
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For Jiricek, the first glimpse of that evaluation looks fairly defined. He is expected to begin on the third defensive pairing and handle the second-unit power-play quarterback duties, giving the Flyers a chance to see how his skill set translates when the games count. It is a useful landing spot for a player whose next stretch should tell Philadelphia a lot about where he fits, and the clubs final moves over the next few days should only sharpen the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Opener Confidence May Hinge On Dan Vladar
The Flyers got a little more clarity on Dan Vladar as the regular season draws closer, with the goaltender taking part in a skate while continuing to recover from an upper-body injury. Rick Tocchet said Vladar is progressing daily and described him as day to day, a sign the team has at least some optimism around the crease as opening night approaches.
Philadelphia still has a wait-and-see feel to it with a few pieces of the roster, and Vladars status is one of the bigger ones given how much the Flyers want stability in goal to start the season. Forward Denver Barkey is also day to day with a lower-body injury and could be in the mix as well, but for now the focus is on whether Vladar can keep trending the right way in time for the opener. [Read more 🡒]