The Philadelphia Flyers have resumed practicing although the hockey games are still being played in Italy. The season has 26 games left in it, and the Flyers need to go on a very hot streak with as many regulation wins as possible to even be in the running for a playoff spot. But beyond that, there are a few Flyers who have a lot riding on these last 26 games. Whether it’s for a contract extension, a boost in self-confidence going into the summer, or simply playing well enough to maybe find another landing spot for 2026-27, here are a few Flyers who have a lot riding on the rest of the season.
Sam Ersson
The Flyers goalie was thrown into a bad spot in the last half of 2023-24 due to circumstances out of his control. Last season he was not much better, essentially the best of a horrible lot. This season he was expected to be if not the starter, then possibly the other half of an average at best goaltending tandem with free agent Dan Vladar coming on board. Well, Vladar exceeded expectations, and Ersson, despite having a few wins and clutch performances after regulation, hasn’t really moved the needle much in his favor. In fact, he might be playing out the string simply to see if he can find his game and possibly another home for next season. As it stands now, Vladar will be here next season barring something unforeseen happening. And there’s a good chance Flyers general manager Danny Briere doesn’t run back with Ersson for a fourth consecutive season hoping to prove himself.
So, Ersson has to make the most of the remaining starts, however few or far between they are. The Flyers have five sets of back-to-back games the rest of the way, so it’s almost a given Ersson will be called upon for those five. And it’s probably a good bet that Philadelphia doesn’t run Vladar into the ground playing the other 21 games. If Ersson can pile up some quality starts, perhaps he can somehow convince some other National Hockey League team to take a chance on him. The Flyers still retain his rights as he’s a restricted free agent. Yet it seems difficult to believe Ersson will get another opportunity to prove himself here. The writing might already be on the wall for the Swedish netminder here, but with some strong starts down the stretch, there’s a chance Ersson might find himself on the radar of other general managers willing to take a chance on him.
Nikita Grebenkin
When it comes to possible competition next season regarding the bottom six forwards and especially the fourth line, Nikita Grebenkin might have the upper hand because of current circumstances. Nic Deslauriers is 26 games from ending his tenure with the Flyers (most likely). Rodrigo Abols is injured and is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. The same goes for Carl Grundstrom, who has played quite well in his time here. Right now the only fourth-line guy who might be ahead of the young forward the Flyers got from Toronto is Garnet Hathaway, and only by a hair given how poor his season has been. Having said all that, Grebenkin is still needing to prove himself to Philadelphia.
He’s still only 22, and has time to develop, but with the Flyers hoping to inject some fresh faces and new young blood into the lineup over the coming seasons, it’s crucial for Grebenkin to make his mark these last 26 games. He should be hopefully honing his game a lot more, from throwing the body when needed to trying to make his mark on a continuously painful power play to watch. The Flyers still own his rights heading into next season, and should make the almost obligatory qualifying offer without any problems. But for Grebenkin to be on much more solid ground heading into the 2026-27 training camp, he should definitely be hoping to end the season with another five to seven goals. And possibly aspiring to hit the 25-point mark. That might be a tall order for the youngster. Hitting those marks makes him more of a sure thing heading into next year.
Sean Couturier
The writing might have been on the wall after the two injury-plagued seasons and surgeries. People still held out hope that captain Sean Couturier could look a bit more like himself and end up with a decent but far from dazzling 2025-26. He’s at 26 points now with 26 games left, and will be hard pressed to hit 35 to 40 points the rest of the way. Mostly, the forward appears to have lost a step or half a step. That might not be a lot for speed demons heading into the twilight of their career. Yet, for Couturier, who wasn’t very fast to begin with, losing any step is quite visible game in and game out. He’s still strong on the faceoff dot, and can kill penalties well. And his two-way play has never been questioned.
The biggest issue now is what to do with him moving forward. Couturier’s contract after this season is at the halfway point. He also has conditions which essentially keep him in Philadelphia the rest of his career (with a modified no trade clause in the final year). As well, any thoughts of buying him out of the rest of the deal is almost insane because the Flyers essentially will not be saving a heck of a lot over that time. And then elongated the already lengthy contract with a rather small amount for another four years afterwards.
Ideally, Couturier somehow can put together a few weeks of good play to maybe have some questioning if he’s done. The three weeks of downtime should definitely help him in terms of getting the rest and recovery time to play well the rest of the season. He might have a little jump in his step and game coming out of the break. But if Couturier continues to struggle down the stretch, it puts Philadelphia in a bigger jam down the road. Knowing how thin they are at center, it’s difficult realizing one of their guys down the middle is not nearly as effective as he once was. Perhaps they can manage his workload moving forward as the next few seasons play out. Otherwise, Couturier will have more of a spotlight on him than he had during that whole healthy scratch fiasco under John Tortorella. And for more obvious reasons.
