The Philadelphia Flyers returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the primary time since 2020. While the team took care of business in the primary round against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes.
Because the team was eliminated from the playoffs, some flaws were exposed. The Flyers struggled to attain of their final seven games of the playoffs, scoring just 10 goals and losing 6 times. Meanwhile, scoring depth has been a problem many of the season, and something the team needs to handle so as to improve for next season. The Flyers finished twenty third within the NHL in goals per game, with just 2.93 goals per contest. They were also thirty second on the powerplay.
Meanwhile, the defense was solid this season, sitting ninth within the NHL in goals against per game. Dan Vladar was a significant reason for that, because the Flyers brought him in ahead of this season. The netminder led the way in which for the Flyers, however the team is in need of depth at that position as well. There are multiple targets for the Flyers to go after, and these are the highest three.
The Flyers swing for one more netminder
The Flyers made an upgrade at goal within the offseason, signing Dan Vladar in free agency. Vladar was great for the team in 2025-26. He went 29-14 with a 2.42 goals against average and a .906 save percentage. The netminder continued his solid play within the playoffs, going 4-6 with a 2.18 goals agaisnt average and a .922 save percetnage. He did have some games of struggle, though, however the Flyers had nowhere to show.
Samuel Ersson was the backup netminder this past season and isn’t the reply for the Flyers. He went 14-11 with a 3.12 goals agaisnt average and a .870 save percentage. Ersson was replaced by Vladar as the first netminder due to his poor play, and now the Flyers must upgrade on the backup position.
Joseph Woll from the Toronto Maple Leafs ought to be the reply. The Maple Leafs have a logjam in the web right away. Anthony Stolarz is heading into his first yr of a four-year extension that he signed with the team in September 2025. Meanwhile, Dennis Hildeby has shown he’s able to be an NHL goaltender. With the experience he has, Hildeby also not has waiver protection and desires an NHL spot. This implies the Leafs must move on from one netminder, and that shall be Woll.
Woll has been solid in his NHL profession, going 63-43-9 with a 2.94 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Woll had a down season for his standards this past yr, which could make it so the asking price could also be lower. The Flyers need a backup goaltender, and Woll can be the perfect available on the market.
More depth at center is required
The Flyers must add more depth at center. The team was expected to go after Charlie Coyle in free agency. The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Coyle to a six-year extension, taking him off the market. Trevor Zegras is a restricted free agent and prone to be back with the team. Meanwhile, Sean Couturier and Christian Dvorak are the opposite two centers, and while each are under contract for the approaching years, also they are aging. The Flyers could use a young center with high upside and a low-cap number to compete for that final center spot, or allow Zegras to maneuver to the wing.
The Boston Bruins have loads of young prospects, with James Hagens, Dean Letourneau, Fraser Minten, and Matthew Poitras. The Flyers must go after Poitras. He was the 54th overall number of the 2022 NHL Draft and joined the Bruins in 2023-24. That yr, he played 33 games with five goals and ten assists. Still, he played just 36 games with the NHL club over the following two seasons, primarily playing within the AHL. During that point, he has shown his playmaking ability, racking up 85 points in 109 games.
He may come at a low price, and will contend to be the fourth-line center for the Flyers. Along with his upside, Poitras couldn’t only assist in 2026-27, but be a significant a part of the longer term for the Flyers.
The Flyers go big for a forward
The Flyers wouldn’t have many top-end scoring options. Only five players finished with 50 or more points on the season. Owen Tippett led the way in which in goals, scoring 28 times, and ending with 51 points. Travis Konecny and Zegras tied for the team lead in assists, each with 41. They were also the one two players over 60 points. Meanwhile, Dvorak and Matvei Michkov were the opposite two players over 50 points, each ending with 51.
Michkov was once seen as untouchable, however the forward has fallen out of favor with coach Rick Tocchet. He was benched in the course of the playoffs, and now it’s being reported that Michkov isn’t any longer untouchable. If Michkov is moved, the Flyers will need to interchange his production, and adding more production, even when Michkov stays, can be huge for the team.
That person ought to be Matty Beniers. He’s coming off a solid yr, finding the back of the web 20 times while adding 30 assists. It was the second time in his profession that he had 50 or more points. While the 50 points are an improvement on each 2023-24 and 2024-25, when he tallied 37 and 43 points respectively, it doesn’t reach the heights he had in 2022-23. That yr, he lit the lamp 24 times while adding 33 assists. At 23 years old, Beniers still has a protracted profession ahead of him. Still, a change of scenery could also be needed, and Philadelphia can be an ideal spot for him.
The Philadelphia Flyers returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the primary time since 2020. While the team took care of business in the primary round against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes. Because the team was eliminated from the playoffs, some flaws were exposed.