Trevor Zegras is being handed a heavy lift in Philadelphia, and the Flyers need him to answer it fast.
The season had opened with real hope around the organization. The Flyers had made the playoffs the year before and pushed into the second round, a step forward that made the rebuild feel like it was finally moving in the right direction in 2025-26. But that good feeling has vanished quickly.
Philadelphia’s start to the 2026-27 season has been rough from the jump. After a 2-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night, the Flyers had dropped nine straight to open the year. They did snap that skid against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night with a 3-1 win, but the damage from the early collapse is already staring them in the face.
Now the margin for error is tiny. If the Flyers are going to claw their way back into the playoff picture by next spring, they need their best players performing like it every night. Zegras sits near the top of that list, and he’s the biggest X-factor on the roster right now.
His start has been slow, too. Through 10 games this season, the 25-year-old has two goals, two assists, and a minus-5 rating.
For a player the Flyers depend on as one of their top forwards, that’s not nearly enough. It also stands out more because Philadelphia just re-signed him in the summer to a four-year, $36.5 million deal.
That contract came after a first season in Philadelphia that looked a lot more like the player the Flyers believe they have. Last year, Zegras scored 26 goals and finished with 67 points in 81 games, production that played a major role in getting the team into the postseason.
That’s why there’s still reason to think he can snap out of this early-season funk. The Flyers have been struggling across the board, and that has clearly dragged down his numbers. Even so, Zegras has the kind of skill that can change the direction of a game, and Philadelphia needs that version of him now.
He’s already shown the offensive ceiling is real. Zegras has topped 60 points three different times in his NHL career, proof that he can be a difference-maker when everything is clicking. The Flyers don’t need him to be perfect, but they do need him to start looking like the player who can pull them out of this mess.
If the losses keep piling up, though, this could turn into a very long season in Philadelphia.
In Other News...
Flyers Youth Just Changed The Feel Around This Losing Streak
The Flyers finally broke through Tuesday night with a 3-1 win over the Ottawa Senators, and the mood around the room shifted with it. A nine-game losing streak can make every shift feel heavier than it should, but this one was built on the kind of energy the club has been trying to lean into, with Matvei Michkov supplying offense and rookie Oliver Bonk seeing meaningful ice time as Philadelphia got contributions from up and down the lineup.
Dan Vladar was steady enough to let the young group breathe, turning away chance after chance while the Flyers protected the lead and played with a little more conviction than they had during the skid. Michkov's power play finish gave the team the kind of lift it needed, and the bigger question now is whether this was just one clean night or the start of the kind of reset this roster has been chasing. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Lose Another Key Forward As Early Scoring Pressure Builds
The early season injury churn around the league is already reshaping lineups, and Philadelphia has its own concern in the mix with Owen Tippett sitting out because of an upper-body injury. The Flyers have leaned on his speed and scoring threat through the opening stretch, so any absence there matters, especially for a team trying to establish some early offensive pressure and avoid falling behind in the standings.
Tippett was a game-time decision before ultimately not dressing, leaving the Flyers to absorb another blow up front without one of their more important wingers. He has one goal and one assist in nine games this season, a reminder of how much Philadelphia has been counting on him to drive chances while the rest of the forward group tries to fill the gap. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Offensive Struggles Are Raising A Bigger Question Up Front
The early offensive returns have only deepened the sense that the Flyers are still searching for a real play-driving presence up front. Through the first stretch of the season, they have had a hard time finishing chances, and the attack has been stuck in a familiar place, with too many nights where two goals is close to the ceiling rather than the baseline. Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster and Trevor Zegras have all been part of that conversation, not because they have been singled out for blame, but because each has been asked to help lift a group that still lacks a clear high-end scorer.
Christian Dvorak fits into the same broader question, which is whether the current roster is made up mostly of useful complementary pieces who need a more dynamic linemate to look their best. The Flyers can survive stretches like this if the overall team game stays tight, but the bigger concern is what happens when the offense needs someone to tilt the ice and there is no obvious answer on the roster. For now, that leaves the front office and coaching staff weighing whether the fix is internal growth, a new combination, or something more significant up front. [Read more 🡒]