The Philadelphia Flyers didn’t do a ton on July 1, as they mostly added some depth pieces who will primarily play in the AHL this coming season.
The one NHL signing they made was bringing in veteran forward Noel Acciari. Acciari put up 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) in 67 games for the Penguins last season. He spent three seasons in Pittsburgh before signing this two-year, $5.6 million contract to join the Flyers.
“Choosing Philly was an easy decision,” Acciari told the media on Tuesday. “Seeing how their momentum was after the break, and how it’s a young team to be able to do what they did was pretty special to watch and play against. I just wanted to be a part of that. I’ve heard great things about the locker room and how close they are.”
Acciari is willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win hockey games, whether it be killing penalties, winning faceoffs, or blocking shots. He wants to have that physical aspect to help out the team in whatever way possible.
Noal Acciari on his previous fight with Trevor Zegras
The veteran forward has already crossed paths with a few new teammates. He played with Dan Vladar in Boston and Owen Tippett in Florida, and also had an on-ice altercation with Trevor Zegras last season.
THINGS GOT NASTY BETWEEN THE FLYERS AND PENS AT THE END OF OT 😱👊 pic.twitter.com/z9NXsIVsnQ
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 29, 2025
“I haven’t talked to Trevor yet, but I bet that will come soon enough. But yeah, it’s all water under the bridge,” Acciari laughed. “He does what he needs to do on the ice to get under guys’ skin. He does a good job, and he’s effective at it.”
That was the first of many battles between the Flyers and Penguins last season. Of course, Zegras and Philadelphia got the last laugh as they eliminated Pittsburgh in Game 6 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
That experience playing in Philadelphia against a young and hungry team like the Flyers made it easy for Acciari to switch sides of the rivalry.
“Their attention to detail was really good, made it difficult for us in Pittsburgh to get anything going. And they didn’t give us much. That’s a testament to them how dialed they were, just being stingy. The amount of blocked shots, you couldn’t get many shots to the net, and when they did get to the net, it wasn’t a great look.
“They were very good, and you could tell the excitement, how much fun they were having. It showed on the ice, and now being a part of it, I’m excited to build off of that, and I think you can go even further.”
Acciari excited to be on other side of Flyers-Penguins rivalry
Acciari plays a gritty style of hockey that will work well in any city, but especially so in a hardworking city like Philadelphia.
“Just being a part of that Pennsylvania rivalry. I got to experience on the other side, which was a lot of fun, and just seeing how passionate the fans are, which is unbelievable. And to be able to experience it with them cheering for you this time, which I’m so excited for. I’m glad to have them on my side now because they are very passionate, and they’re all up in your face.”
The forward is in the latter years of his career at age 34, so he can provide some veteran leadership on a young Flyers team. He mentioned Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron as two great leaders he learned from in Boston as a younger player, and even Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang in the last few years in Pittsburgh.
“If I can speak up when things are down, making sure we don’t get too down on ourselves because it’s a long season,” Acciari said. “There’s going to be ups and downs, and you have to weather the storm…
“I think they saw it a little last year, and they were able to weather it, and the run they had at the end of the year and even in the playoffs was special. They have it in the locker room. It’s just now putting it together, and they got a taste of it.”
Acciari is expected to play a fourth-line role for Rick Tocchet in Philadelphia. He’ll be replacing some of the veteran leadership that Garnet Hathaway brought, while also being a right-handed forward who can take faceoffs, much like Luke Glendening did in the final months of the season.
