If you were to look at the all-time shootout goal leader for the Flyers, it probably wouldn’t surprise you it’s Claude Giroux with 30. Next up is his longtime partner on the ice in Jakub Voracek with 15. Sean Couturier (14), current Flyers general manager Danny Briere (12) and Mike Richards (11) round out the top five. Giroux hasn’t played with Philadelphia since March 2022. Voracek hasn’t since the end of the 2020-21 season. Briere? Well since 2012-13 when Philadelphia used one of their compliance buyouts. And Richards? That was 15 years ago when the 2010-11 season wrapped up.
The fact that two of the top five haven’t played for the Flyers in over a decade indicates just how deity-awful the team has been in the extra shootout session. Prior to last year, the biggest shootout victory for the Flyers was against the Rangers in 2010 in the season finale, clinching a playoff spot in the process. Needless to say change was needed. That change in the right direction was galvanized last summer with the addition of Trevor Zegras. Zegras was 7 for 13 (53.8 per cent), which now puts him ninth all time in franchise history. He finds himself tied with Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny, and Wayne Simmonds for that total. The difference being Michkov has had just 20 chances whereas Konecny had 34 attempts. So Zegras equalled Konecny’s total of seven in just one season compared to Konecny’s decade of service with Philadelphia.
So, with the likes of Porter Martone, Denver Barkey, and Alex Bump making strong first impressions in their short stints and roughly half-seasons with the club, it might be time for Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet to look at changing things up a bit. Particularly in terms of their third or possibly fourth choice for the shootouts. Looking at last year’s stats, the Flyers just used six players in their 37 shootout attempts during 2025-26. They were Zegras, Michkov, Konecny, Tyson Foerster, Christian Dvorak, and Bobby Brink. Of the 37, both Zegras and Michkov took 13 a piece, and combining for 11 goals. Foerster scored on his only opportunity, and Dvorak missed on his lone chance. Brink, now with the Wild, was one for three. And Konecny was at just 28.6 per cent, scoring twice in seven tries. In short, 11 of the 13 goals the Flyers scored in the shootout came from guys 25 years of age or younger.
Why going younger might be wise
As much as Tocchet was criticized at times for his usage with Michkov, you can’t knock the fact he had as many attempts as Zegras last season in the extra session. However, it might be time for Konecny to be moved down the depth chart to a fourth or possibly fifth shooter. Of course, it’s hard to determine how good or effective Martone, Barkey, or Bump might be in a shootout atmosphere. All eyes are on you and the goaltender, and a critical extra point could hang in the balance depending on whether you put one behind the goalie or not. Some come through in the clutch, and walk away with the game-winning goal. Some don’t rise to that pressure, as we saw all too often prior to last year. And a lot of points that could’ve been banked in the earlier portion of the season aren’t there.
The idea of going with an talented but inexperienced shooter might be beneficial for the Flyers. There’s no huge amount of data to suggest Martone, Barkey, or Bump are guaranteed snipers in the shootout. However, in the two chances Martone had with Brampton in 2024-25, he buried both chances. Those pair of goals put him in the Ontario Hockey League’s Top 20 in terms of shootout leaders. Back in 2023-24, Denver Barkey (with the London Knights), also had two goals (on four chances) which put him in a logjam tied for second in the OHL. He was also tied that season with Jett Luchanko. Obviously there are no OHL stats for Bump who played in the NCAA before spending time in Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League. But in 2022-23, Oliver Bonk found himself in the OHL’s Top 20 with a pair of shootout tallies. Not bad for a defenseman.
One plus with such raw talent is that often the opposition scouting team has little to no reports on what certain youngsters do when it comes to shootouts. Do they take a howitzer close in to put it top shelf? Do they dipsy doodle all the way down the ice like Zegras and/or Patrick Kane? Or do they do a quasi-spinarama which Couturier was successful with briefly two seasons ago? It’s difficult to have scouting reports on guys who have never taken a shootout in the National Hockey League. That naivete could go a long ways (at least for the early portion of the season), with Martone, Bump, and Barkey gaining some confidence in the process. And given the fact the trio seemed to thrive on the playoff pressure last year, it’s probably safe to say they could look at a shootout opportunity as a walk in the park by comparison.
Some kind of variety in the order
That’s not to suggest the trio of Martone, Bump, and Barkey are going to be great. But they should be given a shot, whether that’s in a rotation as the third shooter or they are looked at as the fourth, fifth, or sixth shooters if the shootout goes that long. Zegras should be a lock as the first, and Michkov should probably be given consideration as the second over Konecny. Or a possible rotation/tandem in that second spot between the Russian and the veteran winger. All of this doesn’t even take into consideration that Tyson Foerster is waiting in the wings, as is Owen Tippett, who has had some highlight reel goals the last few seasons. That’s the good news, because for several years the Flyers didn’t really have any go-to players who could execute outside of Giroux. And even then he was sporadic. This current roster looks like they have one of the best in the business in Zegras, and a few who look like they’re capable of scoring in that 33 to 40 per cent range.
While it’s not a surefire statistic, six of the top 10 shootout scorers last year in the NHL were under 25 years old: Zegras, Cole Caufield, Mason McTavish, Jack Quinn, Kent Johnson, and Matt Boldy. On the other side of the coin, veterans like Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Nazim Kadri found themselves tied with several others with three each. If you have the talent to score at a better than average clip, you should be given the nod in the shootouts. And it would seem that one or more of Martone, Barkey, and Bump are capable of scoring a handful in the shootout this season. That is if Tocchet gives them that chance.
What’s evident is that Tocchet and the coaching staff should realize after Zegras and possibly Michkov, there are a handful of combinations that could work quite well. And those combinations should include some combination of Porter Martone, Denver Barkey, and Alex Bump. Considering how well the trio played in their time with Philadelphia last season, what’s the harm in giving them that chance?
Stats courtesy of NHL.com, Hockey-reference.com, and leaguestat.com.
