The Flyers are taking a swing on the power play, and it’s a pretty unusual one.
When Philadelphia opens the 2026-27 season, its first unit is tentatively expected to feature Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster, Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale. That group is young, skilled and built for movement, but it comes with a strange wrinkle: none of the forwards projected for that top unit led the Flyers in points last season, and none of them led the club in goals either.
That’s not how NHL power plays usually work. Across the league, the rule of thumb is simple: your best scorer and your best playmaker belong on the top unit.
In almost every case, the team’s points leader or goal leader is there from the start. The exceptions around the league are mostly tied to injuries, like Mat Barzal with the Islanders, Seth Jarvis with the Canes and Connor Bedard with Chicago.
Two other outliers are Pittsburgh and Vegas, where the previous scoring leaders are no longer on those teams.
Philadelphia, though, is making a different kind of bet.
Instead of leaning on Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett as the anchors of the first group, the Flyers appear ready to give this new look a long runway. Rick Tocchet is expected to stick with it for a while rather than yank it after a rough stretch or a few messy games. The thinking from Tocchet, his staff and general manager Danny Briere is that a fresh setup may be the best way to shake loose a unit that has sat near the bottom of the league for years.
It also opens the door for a different kind of combination later on. Konecny, who scored twice on the power play last season, and Tippett, who scored three, could end up on a second unit with Denver Barkey and Alex Bump. That would give Philadelphia a separate group of young forwards with plenty of upside, even if it looks like a departure from the usual formula.
The first unit itself is designed around passing and pace. Zegras, Michkov, Martone, Foerster and Drysdale should be able to work quick exchanges, create seams and force penalty-killing breakdowns. There’s no promise it turns into a fix right away, but with the Flyers finishing last on the power play, the bar for improvement is low.
The staff seems to have settled on this direction earlier in the offseason. Tocchet has already talked about giving certain players homework on the man advantage, including Zegras and Foerster, which points to a more structured approach than Philadelphia has used before. The hope is that the reads are cleaner and the puck movement is sharper, rather than the sluggish looks that have defined too many of the Flyers’ recent power plays.
And if the first unit takes time to click, the second one could still be loaded enough to help. For a team trying to climb out of the league’s basement on the power play, that’s the upside Philadelphia is betting on.
In Other News...
Flyers Opener Will Test How Much Tocchets Second Year Really Changed
Rick Tocchet spent practice day talking less about the novelty of Year 2 and more about what should already feel familiar for the Flyers as the opener approaches. After a preseason loss, the team got back to work with Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny both acknowledging there is still room to sharpen up, even as Tocchet pointed to the groups growing comfort in his system and the added maturity he wants to see carry over once games start to count.
Dan Vladar was also on the ice, which is at least an encouraging sign for a club getting ready to face Pittsburgh in its season opener. His availability is still something to monitor, but the larger test for Philadelphia is simpler: whether a second season under Tocchet looks like a true step forward or just a team that understands the plan without fully executing it yet. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Have A Bigger Question Than Last Years Playoff Return
Looking ahead to the 2026-27 season, there is reason to think the Flyers could finally have a lineup with more finishing talent baked into it. Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone are both viewed as the kind of young scorers who can change the shape of a forward group, and the broader sense around the roster is that Philadelphia may be getting closer to having enough punch to support a real step forward.
The bigger question, though, is how all of that scoring talent fits with the rest of the picture, especially in a league where stability in net and true top-end finishing can swing a season. Joseph Woll is part of that conversation as a possible solution behind the crease, while Tyson Foerster has also been mentioned as a player who could take another jump. The Flyers have spent enough time trying to climb back into the mix that the next test is no longer just getting there, but finding out whether the pieces around their young core can actually hold up once they do. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Opening Night Roster Reveals A Few Surprising Lineup Clues
The Flyers settled their 23-man opening night roster for the 2026-27 season, and the shape of it offered a few early clues about how they plan to open the year. The group breaks down to 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders, with Garrett Wilson among the names on the list and a defense corps that now includes newcomers David Jiricek and Simon Benoit.
The most immediate development is in net, where Dan Vladar and Joseph Woll are slated to form the opening-night tandem. That pairing gives Philadelphia a clear answer at the position for now, while the rest of the roster suggests the team is already leaning on some new pieces as it heads into the season. [Read more 🡒]