Carl Grundstrom spent most of the season with the Philadelphia Flyers in a reduced role that saw him playing most of his time in the bottom six. Interestingly enough, he never really had consistent linemates throughout the season, as the most consistently used grouping he was involved in actually came with Matvei Michkov and Noah Cates– though he spent plenty of time with Rodrigo Abols as well. That’s just life in the bottom two lines, as they’re the most likely skaters to be recycled and rotated.
| Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM | Shots on Goal | Shooting % | Average TOI |
| 47 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 19 | 56 | 16.1% | 11:51 |
Despite some lineup uncertainty and limited ice time, Grundstrom actually produced at a decent clip. It might be unfair to extrapolate them over 82 games because if he was a good enough player, he wouldn’t have been a healthy scratch. The shooting percentage is a bit higher than his career average of 10 percent, but to have a lucky shooter in the bottom of your lineup is a nice bit of luxury. He’s not one to create his own offense, but you’d be hard pressed to complain about Carl Grundstrom and what he was able to do. He also added 15 points in 19 games in the AHL with the Phantoms.
CARL GRUNDSTROM TIES IT!!!! WHAT AN INCREDIBLE PASS FROM TREVOR ZEGRAS. WHAT A RESPONSE. 2-2!!!!#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/gLUV41UjLB
— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) April 1, 2026
Sure, why not. Any time you get a goal from one of the depth forwards is a big boost, assuming your top guys are doing their usual thing. To get nine from a guy who played half the season at fewer than 12 minutes of ice isn’t bad.
| (5v5) Goals For % | Expected Goals For % | Corsi For % | High-Danger Attempts For % | PDO |
| 57.14% | 47.22% | 46.15% | 50% | 104.6 |
Grundstrom outperformed his Expected Goals numbers, but for 5v5 numbers, certainly not worthy of much criticism. It’s his highest production in a season since scoring 11 goals in 57 games three years prior with the Los Angeles Kings. There was a little talk about him being on the market as the trade deadline approached, even with some time at center to prove his lineup flexibility, but nothing materialized.
| (5v5) Points per 60 | Primary points per 60 | Shots on goal per 60 | Shot attempts per 60 | Expected Goals per 60 |
| 1.29 | 0.93 | 5.96 | 12.39 | 0.8 |
To avoid a single primary assist in 47 games is quite funny for a guy who was shooting over 16 percent. Like with Garnet Hathaway’s 40-plus game goal drought, you’d think a lucky bounce would come into play at some point. In the playoffs, Grundstrom was one of the more experienced players, having played his 20th career postseason game with his third and final appearance of this season coming in Game 4 of the second round. Naturally, his only point in the three games was a primary assist on a Sean Couturier goal. That’s baseball.
Did Carl Grundstrom live up to expectations?
If the expectation for Carl Grundstrom was anything, it was to not be a negative influence on the team. Anything more than that is asking a lot for a guy who was traded for a player who will never play hockey again, so it feels safe to grade him on that curve. The expectations were low, but he’s at the very least met them, while also providing a little entertainment and leadership for a Lehigh Valley team that lost some of their best scorers to the big club throughout the year as well. Positive marks for Carl.
What can we expect from Grundstrom next season?
It’s difficult to imagine a world where they can’t replace Carl Grundstrom in the lineup with a younger player that has more upside. Thank you for your service, and good luck elsewhere. Grundstrom played his role well, probably even making himself a little money on his next deal, but with the youth movement taking place and the logjams coming to fruition, it’s time to move on. If, for whatever reason, Grundstrom is willing to be the 13th forward and watch most of the games upstairs, he’d make sense as a cheap replacement who can add some scoring. Otherwise, as his contract is expiring, we’ve likely seen the last of him.
