For the better part of the last 5 years, the Flyers have occupied the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. Hockey was easily overshadowed in Philadelphia as the Eagles made two Super Bowl appearances. The Phillies reached the National League Championship Series twice, winning once. That’s not even mentioning the high expectations and drama surrounding the 76ers. Don’t get me wrong—hockey is arguably the most entertaining sport to watch. However, for Philly fans, the Flyers’ poor performance was drowned out by the success of other teams.
The 2019–20 season was the last time the Orange and Black contended for something bigger than a lottery pick. That season, they finished just one point behind the first-place Capitals. Given the players’ ages, contracts, and a shaky coaching staff, it was clear this was that team’s only shot at Lord Stanley’s Cup. They made it only to the second round, where the Islanders won the series 4-3, winning Game 7 by a score of 4-0. Only four players from that team remain with the Flyers today. The success of the Broad Street Bullies faded as quickly as it came. The year after their contention season, they found themselves 19th in the league, leaving two options for the future of Flyers hockey: be a mediocre team fighting for the last wildcard spot every year, or tear the whole team down and rebuild from the ground up.
Sure enough, the Flyers traded away and let 14 players go in a two year span, including Claude Giroux, Kevin Hayes, Ivan Provorov, James Van Riemsdyk, Wayne Simmonds, and Jakub Voracek. Did they keep their 25-year-old franchise goalie? They tried—until he got into legal trouble that resulted in a three-year hiatus from hockey and ended his tenure with the Flyers. Over the next three years, the team ranked as the seventh-worst in the league. Suddenly, in the 2025–26 season, the Flyers have emerged as an exciting team capable of winning games. Ranked 14th out of 32 in the NHL this year, there is renewed hope in Philadelphia for what could be another deep playoff run.
To those who stepped away during the rough patch of the early 2020s, this turnaround may seem surprising. The work General Manager Daniel Brière and Head Coach Rick Tocchet have put in is finally paying off. The team focused on rebuilding the roster before the 2023 season. They did not target immediate value but instead gathered picks and prospects to build a more stable core. It all began when it came out that projected second overall pick Matvei Michkov had to fulfill a three-year contract in Russia before playing any NHL hockey. This caused teams to hesitate, allowing him to fall to the seventh overall pick—the Philadelphia Flyers, and so the rebuild began.
Later in the first round, the Flyers selected defenseman Oliver Bonk, a prospect in the system that is looked at as a key defender on the future roster. His season as a prospect has been slow with an upper-body injury slowing him down, but the defenseman known for his IQ and size should be ready soon. In the second round, goalie Carson Bjarnason was traded up for and drafted. He is still on the Flyers’ AHL team, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Christian Kyrou was the main acquisition in 2024, who is thriving for the Phantoms thus far. It is only a matter of time before he is called up to help what has been an inconsistent group defensively to start the year. In 2025, the Flyers upped the tempo on the rebuild,making this season their priority. Christian Dvorak was acquired to help with the offense. He has 13 points in 18 games. Dan Vladar was signed to a two-year deal to fill a gaping gap at the goaltender position. He has posted a 2.37 goals against average (GAA) and a .911 save percentage (SV%).
When it seemed like the Flyers were ready to commit to this season, they made their intentions even clearer. Twenty-four-year-old Trevor Zegras did not work out in Anaheim for reasons unknown, but he has looked sharp to start the year with 20 points in 19 games. The speedy winger has one of the better stickhandling abilities in the league, making him fit in well on a team that needs offense. Andrei Kuzmenko, Tyson Foerster, Jamie Drysdale, Noah Cates, and Bobby Brink learned their roles on a team that they knew was the core for a future contender.
Starting the season, the Flyers have shown out with points to show for 60.5% of their games. The clutch factor was the most unexpected part of the start to the year, ranking number 1 in the NHL in shootout wins. If they can keep up their above-average league-ranked play, with the signs to show for winning clutch games late.
Are the Broad Street Bullies back?
Or, are we seeing just the beginning of what could be the future of the Flyers?
