The Philadelphia Flyers continue to trudge along in their rebuilding process under general manager and former Stanley Cup Playoff ace Daniel Briere, though many Flyers fans would argue that it's not moving at a pace that they're comfortable with.
The latest season for the Flyers ended with upheaval in its closing days, with the termination of former head coach John Tortorella, along with the trades of Scott Laughton, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Erik Johnson at the NHL trade deadline.
Arriving in town as the new head coach of the franchise is former Flyers forward Rick Tocchet, who had previously won the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL's best head coach for leading the Vancouver Canucks to the 2024 Pacific Division title. Additionally, Briere acquired former Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras, sending out Ryan Poehling, the 45th pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, and a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Ducks in return.
There will also be new competition in goal for Samuel Ersson, as the Flyers signed Dan Vladar from the Calgary Flames.
Do the Flyers have any realistic chances of coming closer to a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the upcoming season?
The Flyers won't be a playoff team – yet
There is still plenty of work to be done with the Flyers before they can be considered legitimate contenders for the Stanley Cup, much less a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Their goals per game (2.83) ranked in the bottom third of all NHL clubs last season, while their power-play percentage (14.5%) was especially impotent, ranked 30th overall. As far as their penalty killing went, it was nothing special, ranked 20th overall.
These aren't things that are automatically turned around in a single season. While the addition of Tocchet and Zegras will certainly help, it will take more than a single campaign to turn things around to realistic playoff contention.
Trevor Zegras will return to his normal offensive pace
The Ducks had been counting on Zegras as a foundational cornerstone when they selected him with the ninth overall pick in 2019. Things looked like they would work out that way, as he enjoyed consecutive seasons of tallying 23 goals. But injury troubles have limited him to only 88 total games played over the last two combined seasons.
Now that he has a fresh start with the Flyers, Zegras can get back to the things that made him look like one of the more exciting up-and-coming young stars in the League. He also reunites with former Ducks teammates Jamie Drysdale and Cam York, which will help the transition process to the Flyers all the more easier.
In regard to the trade, Briere said he viewed it as an opportunity to get better and that the process is far from even remotely being completed.
“Well, what I can tell you is we're always looking,” Briere said via Broad Street Hockey. “We finished fourth-worst last year in the NHL so we constantly need to keep improving. We're still far away. This hopefully is just one piece of the puzzle. We'd like to keep getting better if there's a chance to keep improving while fitting into the plan of growing with our young guys and giving them the chance to grow together. We're going to seriously consider it. We're never stopping there. If there's a chance of getting better.”
Rick Tocchet will begin a Flyers culture turnaround
During his introductory press conference, Tocchet revealed that he's always felt like a Flyer at heart and that he wants to be part of the solution to the multiple problems that the team has faced over recent seasons.
“I've always been a Flyer at heart and have taken that passion and energy that embodies this city and organization with me throughout my career,” said Tocchet via NHL.com. “I want to thank Danny Briere, Keith Jones, and Dan Hilferty for this honor and opportunity. I couldn't be more excited to lead this team back among the NHL elite where we belong. We have a lot of work to do and much to accomplish, but I am confident in the direction we are heading and determined to get us there.”
Tocchet not only led the Canucks to the playoffs in his first full season behind their bench, but also helped the Arizona Coyotes – now the Utah Mammoth – to the 2020 postseason. He will be a positive influence on a young group of players who had clearly begun to tune out the fiery Tortorella, and a new shift in philosophy and voice will go a long way toward their eventual future successes.
