The Flyers’ early-season slide has been hard to miss, and the numbers back it up. Through 18 games, Philadelphia sits at 4-10-4 with 12 points, parked in 8th place in the Metropolitan Division. The club has scored 39 goals and allowed 60, leaving it with a minus-21 goal differential that tells the story pretty clearly.
There has been a little bit of movement in the right direction after that brutal 0-6-3 start through nine games. In the last 10, the Flyers have gone 4-5-1. That’s not exactly a surge, but it is at least a sign that the season hasn’t stayed stuck in neutral.
The biggest issue is the same one that keeps showing up on the scoreboard: the goals just aren’t coming often enough. Philadelphia is averaging 2.17 goals per game, which puts it near the bottom of the league. Outside of Matvei Michkov, the offense has been too quiet, and when Noel Acciari and Simon Benoit are the ones scoring to tie games or give the Flyers the lead, it says plenty about how thin the scoring has been.
Michkov has been the one steady source of offense, posting 13 points in 18 games. Even so, he’s carrying a minus-11 rating, a reminder that he’s been on the ice for a lot of goals against as well.
Trevor Zegras leads the team with 14 points, including four goals and 10 assists, but the Flyers still need more finishing from him. Tyson Foerster has struggled, Sean Couturier has gotten off to a slow start, and the group the Flyers expected to carry the attack hasn’t done enough yet.
The power play has been another sore spot. The looks have been there, and both units have created chances, but the production hasn’t followed.
Philadelphia is 27th in the league at 16.4 percent on the man advantage, with nine goals on 55 opportunities. Michkov has scored five of those nine, which only reinforces how much the unit has leaned on him.
That area of the game has also been reshaped behind the bench. After the 2024-25 season, the Flyers made several coaching changes, including the hiring of Rick Tocchet and assistants Jay Varady, Todd Reirden, Jaroslav Svejkovsky, and Dylan Crawford. Svejkovsky is handling the power play now, but the results have still been uneven.
Injuries have made everything tougher. Ten players were sidelined at various points in the first couple of months, and while most have returned either to the Flyers or the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen and forward Nikita Grebenkin remain out.
Ristolainen made the five-game road trip, though it’s still unclear whether he’ll play. Grebenkin is expected to be out until at least mid-February.
Owen Tippett’s speed, Travis Konecny’s speed, and Tyson Foerster’s shot have all been missed, and those players still don’t appear to be fully back to 100%.
Goaltending has also drawn attention, though it may not be the main culprit. Dan Vladar is the Flyers’ No. 1 goalie and is under a five-year extension worth $5.5 million AAV. In nine games started, he has a 3-4-2 record, a 3.21 goals-against average, and an .883 save percentage.
Philadelphia also made a major move on July 16, 2026, trading Emil Andrae, Samuel Ersson, and a 3rd-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit. Woll has started nine games, going 1-6-2 with a 3.12 GAA and a .899 save percentage. As Ersson’s replacement, he’s viewed as a clear upgrade.
Still, the bigger picture here is that the Flyers’ problems go well beyond the crease. The soft goals sting, but both goalies have also made their share of big stops. The issues up front, the power play, and the injuries have all played a part in the rough start.
The Flyers head to Calgary next, with their next game set for Sunday, Nov. 8, against the Flames.
In Other News...
Flyers Suddenly Face A Bigger Michkov Problem Than One Loss
The Flyers late collapse against the Rangers was frustrating enough on its own, another rough night in a season that has already offered too many of them. But the bigger issue around the team is starting to feel less about one blown lead and more about how the organization handles young talent when the fit turns awkward, especially with David Jiricek drawing the kind of roster scrutiny that can quickly become a front-office decision.
Matvei Michkov has only added to the conversation. After the loss, the winger signaled his frustration with his ice time in a way that did not exactly stay behind closed doors, and it comes at a moment when the Flyers are already being measured against other teams handling of young players. Around the league, trade chatter is also swirling in other places, from Evgeni Malkins future in Pittsburgh to ongoing discussions involving Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson in Detroit, but in Philadelphia the immediate question is how long this tension can simmer before it forces a harder choice. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Fans May Be Focusing On The Wrong Michkov Concern
Matvei Michkov has already become one of the Flyers most important offensive pieces, and his usage reflects that. He is averaging 15:54 of ice time per game, which ranks sixth on the team and third among forwards when centers are removed from the comparison, and he has also been getting meaningful power-play minutes while leading the club in goals and sitting second in points.
The concern for Philadelphia is not whether Michkov can produce, because he clearly can. The bigger issue is the other side of the puck, where his giveaways have piled up and the Flyers have struggled defensively when he is on the ice, a reminder that his growing role comes with some messy stretches that the coaching staff still has to sort through. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Shake Up Top Lines As Scoring Pressure Builds
Rick Tocchet spent practice reshuffling his forward groups ahead of the Flyers matchup with the Calgary Flames, a sign the coaching staff is looking for a spark as the offense searches for more consistent rhythm. The changes put Noah Cates in the middle of a line with Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone, while Christian Dvorak is set to skate with Travis Konecny and Tyson Foerster, giving Philadelphia a different look at the top of the lineup.
The move comes with scoring pressure building and the need for better puck control becoming harder to ignore. Tocchet is trying to find combinations that can generate more chances and settle the group down in the offensive zone, and the next game will offer an early read on whether the new alignment can help the Flyers create more than they have lately. [Read more 🡒]