2 Improvements That Could Push Flyers Into Playoff Contention

Two glaring weaknesses have marred the Philadelphia Flyers while they trudge through the first long-term rebuild in franchise history.

The notorious goalie graveyard narrative has somehow worsened, and the PECO Power Play hasn’t serviced Southeastern Pennsylvania with any success.

The Flyers performed respectably at 5-on-5 for most of the John Tortorella era. However, the worst goaltending and power play performance in the NHL over the three-year span sunk a middling Flyers team on the playoff bubble to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

The Orange & Black have avoided such extremes in their first season under Rick Tocchet. Additional room for improvement in the two key areas raises the team’s ceiling in their quest to avoid setting a franchise record by missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.

Danny Briere has struck gold with his early returns after navigating an underwhelming group of free agent goaltenders. While the young general manager initially signed Dan Vladar to play in tandem with Sam Ersson, Vladar has stormed out of the gates to establish himself as the number one goaltender. 

The towering 6-foot-5 Czech netminder allowed two goals or fewer in his first six starts with the Flyers. Despite a recent return to Earth, his .909 save percentage ranks well above the plummeting .897 NHL average.

Tocchet has lightened Tortorella’s previous emphasis on blocking shots. The tweaked strategy is designed to allow goaltenders to see the puck more clearly without screens. The Flyers have enjoyed early results, as they rank above the NHL median with +1.06 goals saved above expected this season.

Ersson has struggled behind Vladar in six games. The 26-year-old entered the season with the opportunity to work more effectively with a goaltending partner who could limit his workload. He had previously struggled to pick up the slack with a revolving door behind him after Carter Hart left the Flyers in January 2024.

A groin injury slowed Ersson in early November. His track record in the NHL suggests room for improvement that didn’t exist in past seasons with unideal options like Aleksei Kolosov, Ivan Fedotov, and Felix Sandstrom as backup goaltenders.

Ersson has built a strong reputation as an intense competitor in four seasons with the Flyers. He and Vladar have both meshed well in the dressing room, which doesn’t happen naturally for goaltenders on many NHL teams.

As the prime years of Claude Giroux faded, so did Philadelphia’s ability on the power play. John Tortorella, whose teams are historically unsuccessful with the man advantage, entrusted Rocky Thompson to coach the unit for three seasons.

The Flyers ranked 32nd in the NHL on the power play in both of Tortorella's first two seasons and 30th in 2024-25. The controversial veteran bench boss limited the power-play ice time of talented skaters for disciplinary reasons, which hurt the unit's ability to gain rhythm under Thompson.

He even spoke about the power play late in the 2023-24 season with an acceptance of failure that suggested the man advantage had become an afterthought for the coaching staff.

Tocchet has passed the responsibilities to Jaroslav “Yogi” Svejkovsky, and the Flyers have shown improvement with a new philosophy. They rank 17th in the NHL, just below the 20% benchmark, despite their talent deficiencies compared to Stanley Cup contending teams.

Trade acquisition Trevor Zegras has added the skill and creativity the Flyers have lacked in recent seasons. He leads the team with eight power-play points.

Cam York has stepped into a role as a quarterback from the blue line. He’s scored six of his 10 points this season on the man advantage. York played almost no power play minutes in 2024-25, partly because of clashes with Tortorella. He's averaged 1:44 of ice time with the man advantage this season.

Bobby Brink has also improved under Svejkovsky as a puck carrier who can distribute well in the offensive zone. 

Matvei Michkov began the season in questionable shape. He hasn’t gained the momentum the Flyers hoped for during the early months. However, the dynamic skill of Philadelphia’s most talented player also inspires optimism that the power play can continue to improve from its dismal performance in recent seasons if Michkov reaches his potential.

The rebuilding Flyers won’t seriously contend for the Stanley Cup this spring. They’re still operating under talent deficiencies while the front office focuses on long-term priorities. Their ability to control the play at 5-on-5, which was their greatest strength under Tortorella, has also dipped this season.

Despite the goaltending and power-play improvement, neither element of the game ranks near the top of the NHL.

The developing Flyers roster, however, has a more realistic chance to pull ahead in a crowded Eastern Conference playoff picture in 2025-26.

Formidable talent in the crease and on the power play creates a more optimistic outlook after teams from the previous two seasons couldn’t overcome the backbreaking weaknesses.

Advanced stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and Money Puck, through first 18 games in 2025-26