The Flyers’ preseason picture is coming into focus, and the loudest storyline right now is the one they’ve been trying to fix for years: the power play.
Philadelphia spent a big chunk of Wednesday’s practice working on that unit, then carried the work into its preseason meeting with Boston. The new top group featured Drysdale, Zegras, Michkov, Foerster, and Martone, and Rick Tocchet liked what he saw.
“To me, the last two days they've looked actually really good,” Tocchet said. “I mean, I don't want to go too crazy here, but we got to give them some positive feedback, and I think they've been really good.”
Jaime Drysdale put the issue in blunt terms, pointing to where the Flyers have lived on the power play in recent seasons.
“I don't know how else to say it other than we were at the bottom,” Drysdale said. “It has to be better.
We'll win more games, and I think we have the talent. So it's just execution, being in sync and just doing it at the end of the day.”
The preseason action Thursday also brought a heavier dose of the veterans. With two exhibition games already in the books and two still to come, 11 Flyers veterans had yet to appear, but that changed as more of the established group got on the ice. Zegras, Michkov, Foerster, Konecny, and Couturier were among those who saw action, with Michkov scoring once and nearly adding another.
For a team trying to turn offseason work into something usable before the games count, the 2-0 win over Boston offered a clean start.
In goal, Tocchet made the call Thursday morning that Joseph Woll would start the first home preseason game and play the full night. He did exactly that, blanking Boston and stopping every shot he faced. If Vladar isn’t ready when the season opens, Woll could be the one asked to step into the starter role.
The Flyers also gave an update on a pair of injured players. Denver Barkey and Dan Vladar are both day-to-day.
Barkey left the first preseason game with a lower-body injury and was seen skating ahead of Wednesday’s practice. Vladar exited the second preseason game with an upper-body injury and has not taken part in practice.
There’s also a change coming behind the scenes for the organization’s emergency goalie setup. Under the new collective bargaining agreement for the 2026-27 season, every team must carry a full-time traveling emergency backup goalie.
For Philadelphia, Daniel Spencer will fill that spot. He has served as the Flyers’ EBUG for the past three years, and now he’ll travel and practice with the club full-time.
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Flyers Just Made A Behind The Scenes Goalie Move Fans Will Notice
The Flyers quietly bolstered their hockey operations staff with three additions that should help on and off the ice, bringing in Kyle Blackstone as a massage therapist, William Heim as an assistant athletic trainer for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and Daniel Spencer in a role that has become increasingly notable around the NHL. Blackstone arrives with seven years of experience to support player recovery, while Heim comes to the organization after stops in the ECHL and in university athletics.
Spencer is the name most fans will recognize, since he had previously filled the local Emergency Backup Goalie role around the team. Now he is moving into a much larger commitment with the Flyers, with the job requiring him to travel with the club and be part of regular practices, a sign that the organization wanted a deeper layer of readiness in a position that usually stays invisible until it suddenly matters. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Leo Carlsson Push Says Plenty About Their Center Hunt
The Flyers offseason push for Leo Carlsson said plenty about how aggressively they were trying to address the middle of the ice. Philadelphia put together an offer sheet for the Anaheim Ducks restricted free agent, and it was a notable one, built around a salary structure loaded heavily with signing bonuses. It was the kind of move that signaled the Flyers were willing to get creative in a market where top-end center help is hard to find.
Carlssons agent, Ryan Keator, said there was no shortage of interest once the possibility of an offer sheet opened up. He said about eight teams reached out, with multiple serious discussions and two firm offers in the mix before Anaheim matched Philadelphias proposal. For the Flyers, it was another reminder that their hunt for a center has been anything but subtle, and that they were willing to make a real swing even if it didnt end with a new player in orange and black. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Just Got Hit With An NHL Crackdown Fans Will Debate
The preseason is usually where teams shake off rust, but the NHL also uses it to send messages, and the Flyers got a reminder of that against Boston. Trevor Zegras was hit with a penalty for improper wearing of equipment, part of a stricter league push this season on jersey tucking and other uniform violations. Under the NHLs procedure, players can get a warning first, but repeat offenses can draw a two-minute penalty.
Zegras and Travis Konecny argued the call on the ice, giving the moment a little extra edge in a game that already had the feel of a test run with real consequences. For Philadelphia, it was the kind of small-seeming rule enforcement that can still swing attention fast, especially when the league is making clear it plans to police the details more aggressively than before. [Read more 🡒]