The Philadelphia Flyers have missed the playoffs in five consecutive seasons and are in a rebuild. They fired John Tortorella and hired Rick Tocchet as the head coach this offseason, and also brought in Trevor Zegras. While their playoff chances are slim, there are a few breakout candidates that could put them in the postseason. Flyers forward Owen Tippett and goalie Ivan Fedotov are among the breakout candidates in Philly.
The Flyers did not spend a lot of money in the offseason and are not expecting their first-round pick to debut this year. Porter Martone will head to Michigan State after he was taken in the top ten by GM Daniel Briere. Their championship hopes lie in the future, but some players hitting their primes can change things.
Who will shine for the Flyers this season? And will it be enough to get them into the postseason?
The Flyers could have a star in Owen Tippett
The Flyers traded then-captain Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers for forward prospect Owen Tippett in 2022. It is one of the few trades this decade that has not worked out for Florida, as Tippett has proven to be a 20-goal machine in the NHL. In his last three seasons, Tippett has scored 27, 28, and 20 goals, respectively. The Flyers need him to break out and become a 30-goal guy this year.
The Flyers have made a long-term bet on Tippett, giving him an eight-year deal worth $6.2 million per season before last year. While the expectations around the team are not high, Tippett needs to take a step forward to be worth that deal. The Flyers have some young forward prospects coming up, so Tippett taking the leap would be big for their future.
Someone needs to step up in the net
The Flyers have three goalies under contract for the 2025-26 season. Dan Vladar signed a two-year deal in free agency worth $3.35 million per season. He has been a career backup and should not be leaned on to be the starter of the future. Samuel Ersson is a restricted free agent after the season. And Ivan Fedotov is hitting unrestricted free agency after the season. The 28-year-old Russian is the one they need to step up for the future.
The Flyers brought Fedotov over from Russia with high expectations. He has never met them, with a career .874 save percentage in 29 starts. Now, he is playing for a contract, and the Flyers are looking for a starter. They can both be happy campers at the end of the season if Fedotov earns that deal and proves to be the starter.
Even though there is a new head coach in Philly, Kim Dillabaugh is still the goaltending coach. They are hoping that continuity helps Fedotov and Ersson this season.
Trevor Zegras earns the hype
In the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, Trevor Zegras eclipsed 60 points with lowly Anaheim Ducks teams. In the past two seasons, he has had just 47 points in 88 games. The Ducks traded him to the Flyers, ending his tenure in Southern California. Now, he has to get back to that 60-point pace that landed him on a video game cover, or the Philly fans will not be thrilled.
The Flyers are relying on Zegras to play either alongside Matvei Michkov or behind him in the lineup. If they play together, his assist numbers should skyrocket. If he plays behind him, Zegras will be asked to command his own line, which has not gone well the past two seasons in Anaheim.
The Flyers can make the playoffs if all three of those players have career years. They are not expected to do much, but maybe Tocchet has the magic sauce to get them into the dance.
