The Flyers’ playoff return last season came with 98 points and snapped a drought that tied a franchise record, but the real story heading into 2026-27 is how much of that success rests on a handful of players who still don’t get nearly enough credit.
Philadelphia’s roster has some obvious names, but these four stand out as the kind of pieces that quietly drive everything. They’re not all stars in the traditional sense, and that’s exactly why they can get overlooked. Still, each one matters in a big way if the Flyers are going to get back to the dance.
Noah Cates has become the kind of center every coach trusts. He finished 11th in Selke Trophy voting after posting 18 goals, 29 assists and a plus-26 rating in 82 games while averaging 16:15 of ice time.
The offense is useful, but the real separator is what he does without the puck. He’s described as a slightly below-average offensive driver, yet his defensive impact is elite, and he’s easily one of the best third-line forwards in the league.
At 27, there may not be much more growth coming, but that’s not the point. He’s already the league’s best shutdown 3C, and he still doesn’t get enough credit for it.
Tyson Foerster fits a different mold, but he belongs in the same conversation. On the surface, his numbers suggest a middle-six winger: a career high of 43 points in 81 games, plus 13 goals in 29 games last season, with only four assists and a shooting rate that sat at an unsustainable 21.3%.
But Foerster’s value goes well beyond the box score. His defense at even strength grades out extremely well, especially for a 24-year-old, and his finishing ability has already made him one of the league’s better scorers.
Per Evolving-Hockey, his shooting percentage since 2022-23 ranks in the 92nd percentile among forwards with 1,000 minutes of ice time, with 61 goals on 385 shots. At even strength, that jumps to the 94th percentile.
He may never be a true top-six scorer, and the Mark Stone comparisons shouldn’t be pushed too far, but he should still be worth the eight-year, $7.1 million cap-hit deal set to begin next summer.
Rasmus Ristolainen is another player whose reputation has lagged behind his actual game. For years, he was seen as more of a name than a difference-maker, but that picture has changed.
He’s not an elite all-around defenseman, yet he has been very good defensively in a top-four role over the last few seasons. The biggest issue is availability: since 2023-24, he has played in only 57.8% of all possible games.
When he’s healthy and on the ice, though, Philadelphia is a much better defensive team.
Then there’s Travis Sanheim, who had the kind of season that changes how people talk about a player. The 30-year-old was a major reason the Flyers reached the playoffs, putting up 11 goals, 26 assists and a plus-12 rating in 81 games while logging 24:13 per night.
His 11.6% shooting percentage is almost certainly going to come back down - his career average is 6.4% - but the overall performance was still excellent. Hockey Stats credited him with a 93rd-percentile goals above replacement season among all defenseman seasons with 500 minutes since 2023-24.
In plain terms, he played like a true No. 1 defenseman. Age regression is something to watch now that he’s in his 30s, but for the moment, he’s still performing at a very high level.
The one concern with this group is age. Their average age is about 28.5, which is a little veteran-heavy for comfort.
Ideally, some younger players would be filling these spots. But regardless of that, the Flyers have four important pieces here, and plenty of hockey fans are still underrating all of them.
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Flyers Suddenly Have A Shot At The Franchise-Changing Star
Philadelphia has spent years waiting for the kind of free-agent swing that can change a franchises direction, and the Flyers are at least building the sort of setup that makes those swings possible. Under Danny Briere and Keith Jones, the organization has tried to turn cap space into a real weapon, with a willingness to chase elite talent instead of sitting on the sidelines and hoping the draft alone fixes everything.
That approach has already shown up in the Flyers recent pursuit of high-end names, including a bold offer sheet for Leo Carlsson that Anaheim matched, and reported interest in Kirill Kaprizov this summer. It is also why the idea of a true game-changer landing in Philadelphia no longer feels like pure fantasy, even if the next major opening is still a long way off and the biggest name in the conversation remains out there as a future possibility rather than a present-day target. [Read more 🡒]
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For all of them, the assignment is bigger than just a summer invite. The showcase is where prospects can separate themselves in front of national-team evaluators and push toward future World Junior rosters, and that makes it especially meaningful for players like Amico, who is still working back into form, and Murtagh, who is trying to keep his development moving in the right direction. Nesbitt also arrives with recent international success on his rsum, which only adds to the interest in how these Flyers hopefuls handle another high-level test. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Still Have One Adam Fantilli Question Hanging Over Them
The Blue Jackets have taken care of a couple of their own this summer, re-signing Jet Greaves and Cole Sillinger while also working through the next step with Adam Fantilli. Contract talks with the center are paused for the moment, but the sides had made some progress before the break, and the expectation is that discussions will pick back up next week.
For Flyers fans keeping an eye on the pipeline, KJ Sauers path is starting to come into focus as well. The prospect has committed to the University of Minnesota for the 2027-28 season, which means he is set to spend this coming year with WHL Edmonton before the college route begins, another reminder that Philadelphias future watch extends well beyond the NHL roster. [Read more 🡒]