The Philadelphia Flyers are aiming to return to the postseason for the first time since the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season. If they are going to do it in 2025-26, they are going to need help from this X-Factor — and it is not second-year forward Matvei Michkov.
Michkov will be an important piece of the Flyers’ resurgence, of course, and he showed as much in his rookie 2024-25 campaign.
The seventh overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft led the Flyers in goals (26) and finished second on the team in points (63) in his debut season. He will absolutely be a player to watch as the Flyers look to take the next step.
Philadelphia stayed in contention for the first few months of the season in 2024-25 before a massive collapse led to the firing of former head coach John Tortorella. The Flyers made a culture change with the hiring of new head coach Rick Tocchet and will be looking for production from a new potential star player they acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in the offseason.
But only if he reaches his full potential.
The Flyers are hoping for big production out of Trevor Zegras
The Flyers made headlines this offseason when they acquired 24-year-old centerman Trevor Zegras from the Ducks in a blockbuster trade.
Philadelphia did not have to give up much for the former highly-touted prospect — surrendering depth forward Ryan Poehling and two mid-round draft picks in the deal — but it has the potential to hit huge dividends if he can get back to his productive ways.
Zegras has struggled to stay healthy in each of the previous two seasons going into 2025-26. The ninth overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft has missed a combined 76 games since the 2023-24 season, registering 18 goals and 47 points in 88 games in that span. He played in 57 games in his final season in Anaheim in 2024-25, registering 12 goals and 32 points in the process. A points-per-game mark of 0.56 is not too shabby by any means, but it is a far cry from what he showed what he was capable of earlier in his career.
After showing flashes of brilliance with three goals and 13 points in 24 games as a 19-year-old rookie in 2020-21, Zegras was a consistent scorer for Anaheim. He scored 23 goals in each of his first two NHL campaigns, scoring 61 points in 75 games in 2021-22 before following it up with 65 points in 81 games in 2022-23. Injuries shortened his 2023-24 season to just 31 games, and he has not reached the same heights ever since.
There is a lot going for Zegras in Philly. For one, the change of scenery reunited him with one of his best friends, Jamie Drysdale, who was also traded from Philadelphia to Anaheim early on into the 2023-24 season in the buzzworthy Cutter Gauthier trade.
He is also projected to play on a line next to Michkov, who could help Zegras take his playmaking abilities to the next level with the flashy finishing ability he showed in his rookie campaign in 2024-25. Sniper Owen Tippett is also slated to flank the two on the left side of the second line, giving the Flyers a strong top six that can compete with most teams.
If Zegras can put it all together and help lead the Flyers out of the rut they have been in, he could help put them back on track to compete for a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
It all hinges on whether or not he will be able to stay healthy, grow comfortable in a new situation in Philadelphia, and gel into Tocchet’s new scheme that will help the Flyers defend hard, forecheck hard, and contend for a playoff spot.
