Philadelphia Flyers: 2026-27 Season Preview

The 2026-27 Philadelphia Flyers season is upon us. The regular season gets underway on Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Before the puck drops, and before we dive into a closer look at the game that will open things up, we’re going to take a look at the season as a whole, offering a final look back at 2025-26, a recap of the offseason moves, and more to get you ready for the start of a new season for the Orange and Black.

A Look Back at 2025-26

What a season it turned out to be for the Flyers in 2025-26. Over the first 41 games, the Flyers had a respectable showing, even challenging for the division lead at times. Then came January.

The emotional high of a convincing 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks to mark the halfway point led into a six-game losing streak and losses in 11 of the final 13 games in the month. Suddenly, the Flyers went from third place in the Metro and four points out of first in the division to nine points out of a playoff spot.

Even after the Olympic break, the Flyers only went 4-3 in the first seven games as the trade deadline came and went.

With dwindling odds to make the playoffs, the Flyers then went on a memorable sprint to the finish, going 14-4-1 in the final 19 games to erase a 10-point deficit for third in the Metro and secure a playoff spot in Game 81.

And the ride didn’t stop there, as they stormed out to a 3-0 series lead against Pittsburgh in the first round before winning the series in Game 6 on Cam York’s overtime goal in a 1-0 final.

The Flyers were handled by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in a second-round sweep, but they had brought life back to the fan base with some fresh playoff memories to build on in the upcoming season.

Offseason Motion: Who’s In and Who’s Out

Additions: Noel Acciari, Simon Benoit, Joseph Woll
Departures: Emil Andrae, Samuel Ersson, Garnet Hathaway, Luke Glendening
Contract Extensions
- Dan Vladar: 5 years, $5.5M AAV
- Tyson Foerster: 8 years, $7.1M AAV
- Jamie Drysdale: 4 years, $6.5M AAV
- Trevor Zegras: 4 years, $9.25M AAV

Projected Lineup and Depth Chart

5 Burning Questions

1. Does a lighter, faster Matvei Michkov go on the revenge tour?

Is there any bigger question? Michkov was such a focus for all the wrong reasons for so much of 2025-26. And despite a down year, he still had 20 goals and 51 points. So what does a leaner, lighter, and faster Michkov do in season three? Rick Tocchet hoped for a revenge tour. Here's hoping he, and everyone else, gets just that.

2. Can Dan Vladar replicate his 2025-26 performance?

Goaltending is obviously of critical importance to be successful, and the Flyers thrived on it last season. Dan Vladar's career year was the fuel behind a playoff run. But one of the biggest questions entering this season is whether that career from Vladar is going to be his new normal or just an anomaly. Vladar carries a quiet confidence about him and is dedicated to his craft. And with some additional support behind him in Joseph Woll, perhaps having someone who can shoulder a little more of the workload will help.

3. Will the power play show tangible improvement?

For the Flyers to be successful in pursuit of a second straight playoff appearance, they need to have a better power play. A perennial bottom-five unit in the league with multiple last-place finishes, the personnel should be better with an improved Michkov, a healthy Tyson Foerster, and the addition of Porter Martone. But can they execute? Can they finish on opportunities? A handful of power-play goals could be the difference in a handful of wins or losses.

4. Can Porter Martone become the Flyers’ first-ever Calder Trophy winner?

The Flyers have never had a Calder Trophy winner in franchise history. The last time they were close was in 2016, when Shayne Gostisbehere finished second to Artemi Panarin. And as the season gets underway, Porter Martone is right at the top of the odds list, a favorite to take home the award for the league's top rookie. He'll need to continue to provide offensive numbers and strong play to do it, but that little taste of the playoffs could serve as motivation to become an even better player and handle the ebbs and flows of the season.

5. Does the bet on internal growth pay off for the Flyers?

While the Flyers certainly made an effort to improve, and have the cap space to do more, a lot of their hope for improvement is coming from within. A full season of Martone. A full season of Alex Bump and Denver Barkey. A healthy Foerster. An improved Michkov. Those five could all change the perception of the forward group. Add in that Oliver Bonk is knocking on the door of a roster spot with David Jiricek on the opening night roster, and Woll now backing up Vladar, it should be a deeper team with room to grow in pursuit of another chance in the playoffs.

Player Spotlights

Breakout Candidate

Durso: Denver Barkey - There’s going to be a lot of attention on Martone and Michkov, and rightfully so, but I think Barkey could be a real impact player for this team. It’s unfortunate he starts the season on injured reserve, but in half a season in 2025-26, his comfort level grew and he was contributing to key moments down the stretch. Between his work ethic and his non-stop motor, I can see him surprising with his offensive totals.

Berardis: Alex Bump - Coming into his second year, with a full offseason and training camp under his belt, I believe is going to be huge for Bump. In his rookie year, he played in 17 regular-season games and racked up nine points, plus two goals in his first playoff run. He has had a slow start to the year, but I do not expect that to be the norm this year. He was a producer for this team down the stretch last year and I expect him to have a big sophomore campaign.

X-Factor Player

Durso: Tyson Foerster - Again, I think a lot of people are going to look at a full season of Martone as a huge difference-maker, and it certainly will be, but for me, the X-factor is Tyson Foerster and having his services for a full season. At the time of his injury last December, Foerster was already at 10 goals at the quarter-mark of the season, on pace for 40 goals. I’m not sure he reaches that height just yet, but 30 is absolutely in his grasp.

Berardis: Trevor Zegras - Zegras is going to be a huge factor in how this team finishes and I believe he will step up to the challenge. I think he is going to be a huge distributor and is going to be such a feeder that guys like Porter Martone, Owen Tippett, and Tyson Foerster are going to benefit so much. Last season, Zegras had to be a guy who did it all without having Martone and Foerster for the majority of the year. But now with these other offensive playmakers, Zegras can focus now on making everyone else better and use his elite passing and vision to produce for this squad, which will make everyone else better.

Bounce-Back Candidate

Durso: Matvei Michkov - It might be taking the low-hanging fruit, but Michkov is the most obvious candidate here. The lighter, faster Michkov looked great in training camp. If 20 goals and 51 points was a down year, I think there’s no doubt he returns to something closer to his rookie numbers, if not exceeding them.

Berardis: Sean Couturier - Might be an unconventional pick with Couturier being the captain and having a strong finish last season, but he has found his role as a strong fourth-liner. It was a weird year for the captain, not really having a strong start and not really knowing his role in the lineup. Couturier seemed like a completely different player to end the year and played his role perfectly as a fourth-line grinder and I think he is going to show a lot of what we saw to end the season.

Season Predictions

Finish in Metropolitan Division

Durso: 3rd - I think there’s no doubt that Carolina will claim the division crown again, and the improvements Washington made in the offseason will allow them to make up the small margin that kept them out of the playoffs last season, vaulting into second. After that, it’s anyone’s guess in the Metro. The Flyers are returning a lot of the roster from last season. They get a full season of Martone, Barkey, and Bump. They hope to have a healthy Foerster all season. They anticipate a bounce-back season from Michkov. And they upgraded the forward depth with Noel Acciari and made a massive improvement in goal with Joseph Woll. That outweighs the changes made by other teams in the Metro when you factor in some significant departures with new additions.

Berardis: 3rd - The only way for the Flyers to make the playoffs this year in my opinion is to finish top three in the Metro. And I believe that they will finish third. The Capitals and the Hurricanes are the only better teams than the Flyers in this division and the Flyers have shown they know what it takes to make a postseason run. After the chaos of last year, the Flyers cannot take a step back. They are going to be a better and more polished team than they were last season. With guys like Martone having a full offseason under his belt, Foerster coming in healthy, Tippett coming off a strong year looking for more consistency, and Dan Vladar still in between the pipes, this team should have playoff expectations and will be in the playoffs.

Team Leader in Goals

Durso: Tyson Foerster (34) - From a previous career-high of 25 goals to pushing 35. I think that’s the kind of step Foerster was poised to take before the injury last season. Now that he’s had time to fully recover over the offseason, I expect the scoring touch to return and him to reach his first 30-goal season in his career.

Berardis: Tyson Foerster (38) - Tyson Foerster was on pace for 30-plus goals last season before suffering his freak injury last December. Before last season started, I predicted that Foerster would be a 30-to-35 goal guy and I believe he is going to surpass that this year. The Flyers have been missing a pure goal-scorer and a healthy Tyson Foerster is just that. I believe that the power play will be improved from last year and with more offensive firepower this year, Foerster should be poised to have a monster year.

Team Leader in Points

Durso: Trevor Zegras (81) - I don’t think the Flyers’ power play is going to be significantly improved, but I do think it finds a groove and takes a big step in the right direction. Zegras will be a big part of that, with his creativity and some talented teammates playing alongside him. He goes from having a career year last season to taking another step.

Berardis: Trevor Zegras (80) - Like I previously stated, I think Trevor Zegras is going to be a huge point producer this year, but mainly in the assists category. Yes, I do believe that Zegras will also put up his fair share of goals, but I think Zegras is going to be dishing the puck around and everyone else is going to benefit so much from it. With the power play taking a step forward, I think Zegras is going to have a career year in points and lead the team.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.

Alex Berardis is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @PhillyLix.

Philadelphia Flyers Uniforms Through The Years

Source: Philadelphia Flyers: 2026-27 Season Preview

Filed Under: NHL, Philadelphia Flyers, hockey

Categories: Articles