The Flyers are heading into the 2026-27 season with more intrigue than they’ve had in years, and that makes the “biggest surprise” question a pretty lively one. Philadelphia reached the playoffs for the first time in six years with one of the NHL’s youngest rosters, and now the real guessing game begins: which player looks ordinary on paper in September and ends up meaning a lot more by spring?
There’s no shortage of candidates.
Thomas sees Alex Bump as the name that could catch people outside Philadelphia off guard. With the Flyers crowded on the wing, he thinks Bump has a real chance to rise above a group that already includes Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett and Tyson Foerster. Thomas pointed to Bump’s ability to push into a more important role and suggested that by January, he could be skating higher in the lineup, possibly even beside Trevor Zegras.
Kyle went a different direction and backed David Jiricek. He admitted the “surprise” bar is fairly low because Jiricek has only appeared in one game as a Flyer, but he also sees real upside on the power play.
Over the last 10 seasons, only five Flyers defensemen have topped 15 power-play points, and Kyle thinks Jiricek will get plenty of chances to make an impact with the man advantage. He acknowledged that going from zero power-play points to 15 would be a big ask, but said that if Jiricek helps the unit improve overall, that would qualify as a surprise season.
He also said he likes Jiricek’s upside and wants to see him prove people wrong.
Jason M. took the big swing on Matvei Michkov. He expects the winger to rebound from what he called a miserable season, even though it still ended with 50-plus points.
Jason M. said an 80-point or 85-point year would not be out of reach if Michkov starts fast and Rick Tocchet has “wiped the slate clean.” He also tied that possibility to the power play finding some life.
Michkov, he said, spent the summer with a chip on his shoulder and is ready to show that his rookie year was no fluke. Jason M. believes Michkov looks capable of averaging a point per game.
Jacob focused on Denver Barkey, arguing that his draft stock may have been limited by concerns about his height. But after a season in which he broke down the door and reached the NHL ahead of schedule, Jacob thinks Barkey is ready to keep climbing in his second year.
He said Tocchet likes Barkey’s motor and versatility, noting that he can fit in almost anywhere in the lineup. That flexibility, along with his hands and compete level, could make him a useful Swiss-Army knife type who reaches 40 to 50 points, with 20 goals not out of the question.
Jacob also said Barkey has earned an 82-game leash, health permitting.
Joe also landed on a young right-shot defenseman, though not the one Kyle picked. He chose Jamie Drysdale, saying his growth since arriving in Philadelphia has been gradual enough that it hasn’t drawn as much attention as it should.
Last season, Drysdale set career highs in goals and ice time, tied his career high in points and played 78 games. In 10 playoff games, he added four points, including the first goal of the Penguins series, while averaging more than 22 minutes a night.
Joe also pointed to Drysdale’s exit interview and the work he said he planned to do over the summer, including on his shot and puck play, and predicted that he could move onto the top pair alongside Travis Sanheim and establish himself as a legitimate top-pair defenseman.
Evan went with Travis Konecny, who he believes could finally crack the 80-point mark for the first time in his career. Evan said Konecny has become the kind of player fans almost take for granted, usually expecting around 65 points, but there may be more offense left to unlock.
He pointed to the second season of Tocchet’s system, the possibility of long healthy years from Tyson Foerster and Porter Martone, and the chance for the power play to benefit. He also noted that Konecny had 52 assists in Michkov’s rookie year two seasons ago, when the Flyers were a much less talented team and still buried in the lottery.
Since the team’s scoring rank has improved every year since 2021-22, though still sitting in the 20s, Evan thinks Konecny could be one of several Flyers to post numbers that look a lot bigger than usual.
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Flyers May Have A Buy Low Center Option Worth Watching
The Flyers search for a top-six center is already shaping up to be one of the bigger roster questions heading into the 2026-27 season, and it has opened the door to some buy-low possibilities around the league. One name worth keeping in the conversation is Connor Zary, a young center in Calgary whose profile fits the kind of swing Philadelphia could explore if it wants to add upside without paying full price.
Zary has shown enough in his past work to suggest there could still be another level to unlock, which is exactly why he is drawing trade buzz. For a Flyers team trying to map out its future down the middle, a player like that makes sense as a candidate to watch, even if the fit and the cost end up determining whether the idea goes any further. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers 2020 Draft Class Says Plenty About How That Era Went
The 2020 NHL Draft was supposed to be a meaningful pivot point for the Flyers, a chance to restock the pipeline and give the organization a cleaner future. Instead, looking back at that class now says a lot about how uneven that era turned out to be. Philadelphia made five selections, and while Tyson Foerster has grown into a notable contributor at the NHL level, the rest of the group has mostly taken a more complicated path through pro hockey.
Emil Andrae did reach the NHL before eventually being dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs, while the other picks have spent their time largely in the AHL and ECHL, with some no longer in the Flyers organization at all. It is the kind of draft haul that reflects both the hope teams attach to that weekend and the long, often messy reality that follows, especially for a club still sorting through the legacy of those years. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Still Have One Intriguing Young Center Trade Option
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One possible path runs through San Jose, where a promising young center has started to turn a strong AHL season into real attention around the league. For the Flyers, the appeal is obvious: a player with size, skill and room to grow could fit the kind of long-term roster puzzle they are trying to solve. The harder part is getting him out of an organization that has every reason to value what he brings, which is why this remains more of an idea than a completed move for now. [Read more 🡒]