The Flyers have spent the past season-plus trying to prove last year’s playoff run was a turning point, not a one-off. That’s the real test as their season opens Wednesday: can they carry momentum instead of letting it evaporate the way so many previous Flyers teams have?
Philadelphia’s sports scene is in a strong place overall. The Phillies are in the postseason, the Eagles are only two years removed from a Super Bowl and still have a loaded roster, and the 76ers are coming off what the source describes as perhaps their greatest offseason in franchise history after adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. The Flyers, too, have reason for optimism after making the playoffs for the first time since 2019-20 and checking off a pair of milestones last season by hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2017-18 and a second-round game for the first time since 2011-12.
Still, this is where the caution comes in. When the Flyers have taken a step forward over the last 15 years or so, they have too often stumbled right back out of the gate.
That pattern has shown up across multiple eras, whether it was under Paul Holmgren, during Ron Hextall’s tenure, or in the early Chuck Fletcher years. In a deep Eastern Conference, avoiding that same slow start is the next hurdle.
The track record is not pretty. The 2012-13 team never really found its footing in the lockout-shortened 48-game season, opening with three straight regulation losses and six defeats in its first eight games. An attempted offer sheet for Shea Weber, the loss of Matt Carle, shaky goaltending and an immobile defense all fed into a season that never recovered, even with a 10-5-0 finish at the end.
Two seasons later, the Flyers again came in with a mostly familiar group after a first-round exit, but they opened 1-3-2 and then lost 11 of 12 from Nov. 14 to Dec. 3. That season was also shaped by bigger-picture thinking after Hextall took over as GM, but the start still left them too far behind.
The 2016-17 team is often remembered for its 10-game winning streak, but that surge came after a 9-10-3 opening stretch that reflected the group more honestly. Through their first 22 games, they were near the bottom of the league in save percentage and penalty-kill percentage, and even a down year from Claude Giroux didn’t help.
Then came 2018-19, when the losses arrived early and in ugly fashion. The home opener was an 8-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks, with Philadelphia falling behind 4-0 in the first period.
Six of their first 11 games were losses by three goals or more. A 6-0 defeat to the Toronto Maple Leafs the day after Thanksgiving ended Hextall’s run, and Dave Hakstol was fired about a month later after a 5-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
Even the 2020-21 team, which started 8-3-2 in the 56-game season, belonged in the same conversation. Those first 12 games came with a 45.44% expected goal share and a league-worst 44.55% Corsi for at 5-on-5. The underlying numbers pointed the same direction as the results eventually did, and the Flyers were hammered by four losses of at least five goals in March.
That history matters because this version of the Flyers is no longer just a young team learning on the fly. According to Elite Prospects, their average age is 27.13, which ranks 12th in the NHL, and only three other teams finished last season with a lower number. The core is growing up.
The problem now is less about inexperience and more about top-end talent. Porter Martone and Matvei Michkov could alter that picture, but the current roster is still trying to close the gap on the league’s elite.
The Flyers are making progress as a destination, though not enough to be mistaken for one yet. Leo Carlsson signing his offer sheet with them over other suitors is one sign of that movement.
Dylan Larkin’s refusal to even consider a move there is the counterpoint.
Winning is the cleanest way to change that perception. The source points to Brady Tkachuk being traded to the Florida Panthers, who have reached three of the last four Stanley Cup Finals, and to the Carolina Hurricanes being rumored in the Connor Hellebuyck sweepstakes. Larkin’s initial list also included the Minnesota Wild, Florida and the Vegas Golden Knights, all teams with clear championship-level appeal.
That’s the kind of company the Flyers want to join, because that’s the kind of place star players choose when they believe the window is real. As LeBron’s latest decision showed, some generational players are drawn to a place that needs a savior.
More often, though, they want proof that contention is already there. The Flyers can’t afford to give anyone a reason to think otherwise.
And the schedule won’t make life easy early. Six of their first seven games come against 2026 playoff teams, with the lone exception being the New Jersey Devils, who are expected to push for a return as well.
After that, the Flyers get the Seattle Kraken and Detroit Red Wings, then face four more games against defending playoff teams. The final three games in that stretch are against teams that at least reached the second round.
There’s also the travel. Four of the first six are on the road, and the Flyers won’t leave the Eastern Time zone until the second week of November. Their opening month includes three back-to-backs, and all three come with travel attached.
Last season’s 6-3-1 October gave the Flyers a decent start, though the slate was not nearly as demanding. Four of those games came against teams that would become playoff clubs, and only two of those opponents won a series.
The organization has talked about playoff reps helping its core develop. This opening stretch will put that belief to the test.
In Other News...
Flyers Were In The Mix For A Winger Who Couldve Changed Everything
The Flyers were at least in the conversation when Toronto and Columbus swung the winger deal involving Kirill Marchenko and Matthew Knies, a reminder that Philadelphia had some interest in trying to alter its forward group in a meaningful way. Marchenko had enough appeal that the Flyers checked in on the price, but they stopped short of putting together a formal offer that could match what ultimately got the Maple Leafs involved.
What makes the missed opportunity notable is how much of the framework was already taking shape behind the scenes. Discussions reportedly included assets Philadelphia was willing to part with, but the club never pushed the button on a package that would have been significant enough to move the needle, leaving the Flyers on the outside of a deal that changed the winger market and kept them searching for answers on the wing. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Enter A Bigger Season With More To Prove
The Flyers are opening their 2026-27 season with a little more credibility and a lot more to prove after a 98-point finish and a first-round playoff win last spring. Their buildup to the new year was compressed, with a short camp and limited preseason runway, which made the opening days less about polishing details and more about getting everyone aligned quickly. Captain Sean Couturier, general manager Daniel Briere and coach Rick Tocchet all framed the same basic challenge: last season earned the team some belief, but it also raised the standard.
Now the test is whether Philadelphia can turn that progress into something sturdier. The organization has been willing to make bold roster moves, and the tone around the club suggests nobody is interested in treating last year as the finish line. The Flyers enter the season with motivation intact and expectations higher, but the real question is how far this group can push once the games start counting for real. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Still Have One Huge Roster Question After Missing On Carlsson
The Flyers push to solve their center problem took a public hit when Anaheim matched Philadelphias record offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, keeping the young pivot in Orange County and leaving the Flyers still searching for a true No. 1 down the middle. It was the kind of swing that signaled how aggressively the front office views the need, and it also underscored just how thin the market remains for a team trying to climb back into contention.
So the work continues, with Philadelphia still exploring ways to add a top-line center and no trade or signing yet in place. Talks and negotiations are ongoing around the league, and the Flyers remain tied to the broader market as they weigh options, but the big question they set out to answer is still there waiting. [Read more 🡒]