(April 13 2026)
“His first attempt cutting on in, dekes, SAVE VLADAR! AND THE FLYERS ARE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS!”
The frustration of nearly a decade without any Postseason Hockey in South Philadelphia is over. Making the playoffs for the first time in 6 years and getting to host their first home playoff of the Gritty Era (More on their playoff fate later) was something that nobody outside of Broad Street envisioned at the start of the year. There were many pundits and experts that had them as one of the favorites to win the Draft Lottery and the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes for crying out loud. But they defied the odds and defied belief at the same time. 2026 was supposed to be another long and agonizing season like it had been for the last several years. After the death of their beloved founder Ed Snider in 2016, it seemed as if the good will surrounding the Flyers organization for so many years died with them. Whatever identity that they had dating back to the days of the Broad Street Bullies which culminated with the Legion of Doom Era plus their scrappy teams of the Mike Keenan Era was gone. It also didn’t help that many stars from years past were either fading or being wasted due to a bad structure around them. I mean they did make the playoffs in 2018 and 2020 but that was literally Claude Giroux, Carter Hart, and Jakub Voracek dragging a team full of what was looked at as underachievers kicking and screaming to relevance. And each time they made the playoffs they got tactically spanked by a division rival with competent coaching. So what changed during this past season compared to previous years. Well the ownership crew hasn’t changed since Comcast still has been in charge even if Ed Snider has been dead for the last decade. But at this moment in time they have learned from recent mistakes and along with a talented and hungry group of coaches, players and executives they are ready to go on a run that this franchise has desperately been waiting to see. But how did they learn from an era that saw everything that could go wrong be just that? There lies the question.
(HERE’S YOUR ANSWER)
This past October I had an hour long conversation on Zoom with Flyers Digital Reporter Kendall Skalicky who just so happens to be one of my closest friends from Penn State about the Current State of the Flyers Organization. The main takeaway that I got from that conversation which ironically has played out this way since then was that Philly’s main objective was to restore the identity that made them great during the 1970s and perennial contenders in the years that followed (Excluding a talent drain in the early 90s) leading up to 2016. That being a physical hockey team in every sense of the word with excellent goaltending, an imposing defense, and timely scoring. In other words the brand of hockey that got them to multiple Stanley Cup Finals in the 1980s under Mike Keenan. In order to accomplish this feat you have to go back to 2022 and 2023. In those two years the Flyers had their worst statistical seasons since the year before Eric Lindros was drafted back in 1991. This was the culmination of trying to both retool the roster while also building for the future at the same time yet failing miserably at it. (I know all about this as an Orioles fan as well) The solution to fixing this mess was obvious. BRING OUT THE NUKES! Alain Vigneault was canned in the middle of the 2021-22 season thanks to falling into the same traps that Dave Hakstol fell into before him as well as being well past his expiration date, and Chuck Fletcher was canned a year later. The impression that I had on both of those guys was that they did what was best for the short term but not the long run. Vigneault got the most out of that team in 2020 including reviving Giroux, JVR, and Voracek as well as developing Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny (Plus making the terrible Kevin Hayes contract look like a bargain for a year) but after he got exposed by the Islanders in the bubble, his best days were behind him. Fletcher was no different. In his few years yes he made some controversial but because as I said about Vigneault they all panned out. But after the trade he made for Rasmus Ristolainen the writing was on the wall. It was clear that he hadn’t learned from his mistakes in Minnesota mainly when he gave 13 year contracts to Ryan Suter and Zach Parise back in 2012.
So with that being said, Comcast as well as former GM and current advisor Bobby Clarke knew that if the Flyers were going to return to their old glory they needed to bring in men who were not only center stage on those great teams of old yet were willing to help them adapt to a faster paced NHL. (The model that could be referred to is that of the Boston Bruins to some extent) First they promoted assistant GM Danny Briere, the main engine of their Cinderella run to the Cup Final in 2010 to the head honcho. So far Briere has done an excellent job as GM especially given that he was an unknown commodity in the executive room according to many outsiders when promoted. Him retooling the prospect pool, trading for Trevor Zegras as well as drafting Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone just to name a few has earned him gobs of respect from the rest of the NHL especially since most of those moves have panned out. In regards to team president they brought back an old fan favorite from the Legion of Doom Era during the mid 90s in Keith Jones. Who like Briere has won over the respect of the diehards by influencing an old school game combining modern day tactics. Not to mention he’s been very active in the community and helping to grow this fanbase back to what it was in their heyday. (One of those being open practices to the public which not many teams have on a regular basis) But what about the head coach you ask? They tried for a short term option in John Tortorella and even though he nearly got them to the playoffs in 2024 it seemed as if he wasn’t going to get them to take the next step as a team. (Similar to his tenure in Columbus) What Philly needed was a man who was going to take what he had and just drive them to be the best that they could be. The images of Mike Keenan dragging those gutsy teams in 85 and 87 to the Cup Finals against the Mega Empire of Edmonton when they had no business being there were flashing through the entire organization’s minds. (Yes they lost both of those series but getting there was an accomplishment in itself) In their eyes that man was Rick Tocchet who by the way was on those teams from the Keenan Era and was a key performer as well. For those that don’t know this, everywhere Tocchet has gone as a head coach he’s turned perennially bad organizations into winners. In Arizona he took a Coyotes team that was in a financial crisis off the ice for crying out and turned them into a playoff contender almost overnight. In 2019 they came within 4 points of a playoff spot and mainly missed due to being one of the most injured teams in hockey. The following year they made it to the playoffs by knocking off Nashville in the bubble only to bow out to a machine in the Colorado Avalanche. The only reason why his time in the Desert didn’t last long was because of bad ownership. And the same happened in Vancouver. In his first year with the Canucks in 2024 he took what was the biggest soap opera in the NHL when he got there and made them into a Stanley Cup Contender. Yes they eventually were eliminated by an old nemesis in the Oilers in a Game 7 but getting that far alone was remarkable. But once again, the reason why he didn’t last long in British Columbia was because YOU GUESSED IT he lost a power struggle with ownership. Think about this for a second. Both the Coyotes and Canucks reverted back into gong shows the moment that Tocchet resigned. The Yotes eventually moved to Utah in 2024 and became a playoff contender in Year 2, and the Canucks reverted back to being the biggest soap opera in the NHL not named the New York Rangers. What we are seeing this year with the Flyers under Tocchet is no different than with Arizona and Vancouver while he was in each city. Just like Barry Trotz before him with the Islanders he’s gotten the very best out of the rosters given to him. And unlike those two previous stops, I see him sticking around for a while to come especially since he’s in the Flyers Hall of Fame and is close with Comcast plus Briere and Jones. Especially if they keep on winning.
Going into this season the Flyers were seen as a team that had a few good pieces but lacked overall structure and goaltending. Dare I say that those two elements became their biggest strengths especially goaltending. To understand that context you have to go back to the last decade. For years Philly’s biggest Achilles heel was in net which ultimately prevented them from either not making the playoffs or going deep in the playoffs during the 2010s. And as I said the main issue was coaching and structure because none of the coaches between Tocchet and Peter Laviolette got the best of their goalies (Hence why Sergei Bobrovsky never developed in Philly before becoming a demigod in Columbus and Florida). The only one who you could say was damn good following the retirement of Brian Boucher was Carter Hart who did his best Ron Hextall impersonation in the 2020 bubble as well as the 2023-24 season. (YoYo Sound) That was until he got busted overseas and as a result he was suspended and the Flyers told him that he would never come back. So you may be asking yourself how did Philly’s goaltending situation change overnight? That’s because they turned what looked to be a journeyman goalie into one of the best in the NHL. Dan Vladar had been mostly riding the bench with the Bruins and the Flames and rarely got any playing time due to being in a deep rotation on either squad. In fact he spent a few years in the AHL trying to raise his level of playing before Boston finally called him up. Once he got to Philadelphia let’s just say Vladar became the centerpiece of the Flyers turnaround. In a year in which the franchise lost its most beloved icon in Bernie Parent at the age of 80, this man gave us visions of Bernie throughout the season especially after he came back from a midseason injury. During the historic March and April stretch Vladar and backup Sam Errson played out of their minds. The two games that I think of were the back to back against Detroit and Dallas at the end of March. In two must win situations, Vladar and Errson shut down two of the highest scoring teams in all of hockey to the point where each of them never recovered. The Red Wings may have gotten their revenge on the Flyers for that drubbing at Little Caesars Arena but they never got close to a Wild Card spot again. Errson prevented the Stars from scoring a single goal on a 4 minute double minor at the end of regulation which started a downfall that saw Dallas go from Cup favorites to getting 1st Rounded by the Wild of all teams. (It also helped that Trevor Zegras and Owen Tippett took advantage of those golden opportunities) And it only got better in the playoffs. Darth Vladar exorcised his doubters in a big way against the Penguins and pitched not one but two shutouts against the 3rd highest scoring team in the NHL. (Who’s learning Russians now UrinatingTree?) In what may very well turn out to be the last ride for the Big 3 of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, Vladar prevented Pittsburgh from any chance of a reverse sweep opportunity in Game 6. Seriously, the Pens outshot Philly 3-1 and still ended up losing because Darth Vladar wouldn’t let a puck go by him.
Another key element in the rise of the Flyers to me happens to be handling adversity. And no player faced more of that this season than Matvei Michkov. After one of the best rookie seasons by a player in franchise history, Michkov was supposed to take the next step into becoming a potential generational talent. However he was faced with a learning experience type of a season. In several instances Matvei would have minute restrictions or be relegated to the 4th line. Hell he was a healthy scratch in multiple playoff games because he looked lost from time to time. Mainly because while his offensive instincts are awesome he’s not so good on defense. Which Tocchet prioritizes more than anything. Not to mention Michkov has been a very streaky player since he made his NHL debut. This whole situation caused the fanbase to lose their minds and demand for Tocchet to get axed. Really? You want to throw the main reason why you’re back to being a playoff contender under the bus? Sounds like typical Philly fans to me. The funny thing about Michkov is that even though he was massively victimized by the sophomore slump this season he still netted 20 goals and came up clutch during the last few games of the season which got them into the playoffs. And oh by the way when everyone else packed their bags for the offseason after they got eliminated in the 2nd Round, Michkov was the only player who stayed at their training facility to have personal offseason workouts. Because he knows that he wasn’t truly in game shape at the start of the 2025-26 season and was more importantly plagued by injuries right from get go. Just you watch, he’s going to take that Year 3 leap and remind all of Flyers Country why he could be the next great homegrown superstar.
It certainly helps when you have a lot of players that have yet to hit their primes on this roster. With the way the Flyers played at the end of the season especially against other playoff contenders you get the sense that this run despite it being full of shootouts and overtime wins that make the 2025 Penn State Men’s Hockey team smile from ear to ear is only the sign of things to come. Especially for their defense. Even if Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen may not be as young as they once were, they still made key contributions down the stretch thanks to playing in a defensive system that saw them be as scrappy as ever, especially in their own end and on the penalty kill. Oh yeah, Risto. Before this past year he was considered as one of the worst acquisitions in Flyers History. A guy who hadn’t done anything since getting shipped over from Buffalo thanks to Chuck Fletcher having dreams of him becoming the next Eric Desjardins, a man who looked like he was finished before this past season all of a sudden turned back the clock to Year 2 and came up big down the stretch. And even if he might get traded in the offseason, Risto certainly eased some of the pain of that 5 by 5 he signed in 2022 with the way he played in March. Anyways, back to the defensive structure which has been Tocchet’s bread and butter everywhere he’s gone, especially with younger players. Both Cam York and Jamie Drysdale were excellent when it came to shot blocking and defending in their own zones. While their offensive instincts still need some work, they’ve definitely improved their games now with the new regime. When you hold the great Sidney Crosby to 1 goal in a 6 game series given how much he’s dominated the Flyers over the course of his career, it comes to show you that a physical style of trap hockey can get you past anyone in the postseason. Better yet York scored probably the most important goal scored by a player in orange and black since Simon Gagne in Game 7 against Boston in 2010. And not only are Tocchet’s fingerprints all over each of those four defensemen, so are Todd Reirden’s. And even though Reirden may be best known for serving up endless Steamed Caps in the 1st Round of the playoffs as the coach of the Capitals after they lowballed Trotz after winning the Cup in 2018, he’s one of those guys who’s better as an assistant rather than as a head coach. And in Philly he’s certainly helped play a major role in the defense going from utter trash into being a brick wall once again. That’s why you see what you’re seeing from Dan Vladar. (Now he’ll be getting even more insurance since they swapped Errson for a quality backup in Joseph Woll this offseason)
The only thing that really held the Flyers back last year outside of injuries they faced at midseason was the fact that they had the worst power play in all of hockey. But to be fair, it’s much better than it’s been for the entirety of the past half decade, maybe longer. And Briere and Jones are already looking for any Power Play QB on the market this offseason especially since their defense would also get a boost from this. As for their forward core, it’s another case of where their best years are in front of them. Exhibit A happens to be Tyson Foerster. Despite suffering a near season ending injury in December, he not only came back ahead of schedule, but he produced in bunches like he did before being knocked out for 3 months. Same with Owen Tippett. A speed demon in every sense of the word who has proven his doubters wrong after people thought he was a project that was acquired by Florida in the Claude Giroux trade a few years ago. Just ask Kris Letang during a penalty kill in Game 2 of the Battle of Pennsylvania. (The Yinzers ripped Letang hard for not seeing Tippett coming from behind) And while he may be a streaky player, you can’t deny his impact on the ice. And when he’s not in the lineup it’s felt. As for Noah Cates, same thing, someone who provides good speed for the Top 6, and someone who has a bright future ahead of him. His clutch goal in Game 3 against the Pens is proof of his rise this past year. And this is occurring despite the fact that Michkov had a sophomore slump, Couturier was hammered by injuries, and Konecny witnessed hot and cold stretches for most of the season. (If each of them can rebound next year, good luck to the rest of the East) The only mistake that the Flyers really made this season was trading Bobby Brink to Minnesota at the deadline, because he was also a young and talented forward who was blossoming before our very eyes. But fortunately for Danny Briere that move opened the door to bring up Porter Martone at the end of the season after Michigan State was shockingly upset in the NCAA Tournament. Martone immediately became their top performer over the last 10 games of the season, and his game winner against Boston on Easter Sunday which was his first NHL goal began a stretch where he netted at least one point in each of the last 6 games. And in the playoffs he didn’t stop there either. He drove the dagger in Game 1 and set the tone in Game 2 against Pittsburgh. A full season of him and another potential rising star in Alex Bump getting more game action could do wonders especially considering that Martone could be the young marketable cornerstone that this franchise hasn’t had since Giroux. And finally Trevor Zegras. After rotting away in Anaheim for the past couple of years after bursting onto the scene in 2022, we didn’t know what version of Zegras would come to Philly. Lets just say that he returned to his once great form as a Duck. Even though he would be later moved to the wing thanks to injuries to Foerster and a struggling Garnett Hathaway, he still found ways to contribute even if he wasn’t scoring at a high rate like he did early on. And with a year left on his contract, I think he, like Vladar this past year, is about to have a gem of a season before getting a nice extension. (He and Drysdale even convinced a few Ducks fans to become Flyers fans this past year too despite the Cutter Gauthier trade dilemma from a few years ago)
Even if the Flyers ultimately got swept in the 2nd Round against Carolina you could make a legitimate argument that Philadelphia played the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Hurricanes tougher than any opponent that they faced all year long, regular season and playoffs. 6 of their 8 combined meetings this year were decided in overtime or shootouts. They gave the most complete team in all of hockey this past season all they could handle and even if they only won 1 of those 8 games, they weren’t fazed by whatever was thrown at them. (And at least three times they had an unlucky break in OT) And ironically the path that the Canefederacy just took to a Cup is one that the Flyers are certainly looking to take. Back in 2018 the Hurricanes were stuck in mediocrity and couldn’t get out of the basement of the Metro Division thanks to bad offseason moves and a front office looking to sell everything off. Then they brought in a franchise icon in Rod Brind’Amour as head coach in an attempt to restore a once proud culture plus a change in ownership. (Not to mention Rod the Bod was teammates with Tocchet on the Legion of Doom Flyers teams so add another case to following this blueprint) The Canes too went on a miracle run in his first year before getting swept by a far superior opponent, and even though it took a little longer than they hoped for it to happen, Carolina became an instant Cup Contender. Now they can finally hoist Lord Stanley for the first time in 20 years after several close calls the past few years mainly at the hands of the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers. (And even better they prevented Carter Hart and Mount Tortorella from hoisting the Cup which would have caused Philly to hypothetically riot) This could be Philadelphia’s legacy as well, especially if this regime continues to keep building off of the momentum they had from this past year while adding a few top players on the open market in the coming years. And here’s the scary part for the rest of the NHL. The Flyers have gobs of cap space and draft picks to work with in the next couple of years now that all of the dead money they swallowed from the Fletcher years has passed. (Extensions for Dan Vladar and Trevor Zegras are all but inevitable) Rumors of them going big game hunting in the summer of 2026 are swirling at high speeds. They could very well be in the running for both Auston Matthews and Dylan Larkin if both Toronto and Detroit indeed put them on the trading market and especially if Gavin McKenna decides to stay another year at Penn State before signing his pro contract after he’s drafted by the Maple Leafs. Could you imagine one of those two being on a line with potentially Martone and Michkov? The possibilities would be endless. They’ll also be linked to a few of the better players on the open market, especially defensemen. (Darren Raddysh would look very nice on the blue line with Sanheim) And even better, the chance for a legend like Claude Giroux to come home on a 1 year deal to finish his career where it all began is also a possibility especially to connect both the past and the present. (I get he wants to remain in Ottawa but if they can’t get a deal done, he’ll likely be back in Philly one more time) And oh by the way, the sins of the past will soon be forgiven. Why? Both the Flyers and the 76ers as well as a future WNBA team in the City of Brotherly Love reached an agreement to build a new state of the art arena on the site of where the iconic Philadelphia Spectrum used to stand which is planned to open in 2030. (For all of those fanboys that think X-Finity Mobile Arena is cursed you’re getting your wish) The chance to return to that hallowed ground and enter a great era of hockey once again is certainly on the table.
Yes the Metro Division should be improved next season, but the Flyers will most certainly be ready to face that challenge with open arms. And if Ed Snider, Bernie Parent, and Gene Hart were all still alive to see this, they’d be endlessly dreaming about bringing a Stanley Cup to Philly for the first time in over 50 years. As long as Comcast continues to be on the same page as Briere, Jones, and Tocchet to the point where they do what’s best for the team both short and long term, I think there’s a good chance that this team will be good and be good for a long time to come like they were during the majority of their first 40 years as a franchise. Learning from their past mistakes and letting the current staff restore a once proud tradition has certainly borne its fruits. If you were to tell any average hockey fan at this time of the year 12 months ago that the Flyers would have this much optimism both right now and for the future, they’d laugh you out of a large building. Since then, this team has gone from a franchise with no true direction to a redemption story that could be the start of the next great era on Broad Street. With the combination of forward thinking executives, a coach with an old school approach while staying true to the modern game, a core of players who for the most part have yet to reach their primes plus more on the way either in the minors and free agency, and finally connecting the past alongside this current rise, the Flyers have emerged from the ashes of doom. Now whether or not this team will be able to win a Cup is up for debate. (If they do win a championship in the near future, it’ll feature the same kind of celebration that we saw in New York when the Knicks finally won it all) But given everything that Kendall and I talked about and agreed on 8 months ago is working out for the best as we currently speak, this is certainly a team that all fans young and old in Philadelphia should rally behind because of their Never Say Die mentality. Man, I’m so pumped about this team. I wish the 60th Anniversary Season of Flyers Hockey could start next week. I’m that excited right now.
Before we wrap up there is one thing we must go over. “Big headlines because according to reports Ron Hextall has been offered the Penguins GM job, it’s official he’s going to be there.” Considering the fact that the Flyers have won more playoff series than the Penguins since getting rid of Hextall after the 2018-19 season, while Pittsburgh has yet to make it past of the 1st Round during this timeframe with Philly knocking them out this past year (Better yet Hextall and fellow GM Brian Burke ran the Pens into the ground in 2021 and 2022 to the delight of every single Flyers fan) I’d say that’s an act of karma if there ever was such a thing. Once a Flyer, always a Flyer. And best of all, Gritty’s still forcing all of YinzerLand to obey his every squeak. (GRITTY’S WATCHING YOU! AND THE PHILLY FANS ARE TOO!) As a wise man once said, that right there is a case of tastykake.
“Shot from long range SCOOOOOOORE! THE FLYERS WIN IT! CAM YORK! BEATING SILOVS IN OVERTIME!”
Bragging Rights Sports 