The Philadelphia Flyers’ 2026-27 season gets underway on Wednesday night, and the spotlight is going to be on Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone.
Michkov is looking to bounce back from an admittedly down sophomore years, while Martone is hoping to pick up where he left off after joining the Flyers late last season.
Is a bounce-back season in the cards for Matvei Michkov?
Matvei Michkov is entering his third full season with the Flyers. He came over a few years earlier than expected and went through some ups and downs in his first 161 NHL games.
Michkov got off to a great start in his rookie season, scoring 26 goals and recording 63 points as he finished fourth place in Calder Trophy voting. As we all know, he took a step back in his sophomore season, though, reaching the 20-goal mark to record 51 points in 81 games thanks to a late-season push.
A lot of people around the Flyers are expecting big things from Michkov this season, and so are the oddsmakers.
Matvei Michkov betting odds (via DraftKings Sportsbook)
- To Score 25+ Goals: -120
- To Score 30+ Goals: +300
- To Score 35+ Goals: +1500
- To Score 40+ Goals: +3000
DraftKings Sportsbook doesn’t offer any markets to bet the under on player goals for the season, but they have a few milestones for a selected group of NHLers, including Michkov.
Michkov is expected to score at least 25 goals, as those -120 odds imply a 54.55% probability of the Russian reaching the 25-goal mark. He is also one of a handful of Flyers who could reach 30 goals this season, with DraftKings implying a 25% chance of Michkov doing just that.
If you want a longshot bet, those 35-goal and 45-goal numbers have implied probabilities of 6.25% and 3.23%, respectively.
For my money, I would take Michkov to score 25 and 30 goals. He’s averaged 23 goals per 82 games in his NHL career, and already looks like the best Flyers player in training camp and his two preseason games.
The Michkov revenge tour is on, and perhaps simply betting on his point total is a better option, as he’s bound to rack up the assists with his playmaking.
- To Record 60+ Points: -147
- To Record 65+ Points: +130
- To Record 75+ Points: +475
- To Record 80+ Points: +800
- To Record 85+ Points: +1500
- To Record 90+ Points: +2800
Michkov recorded 63 points in his rookie season and is expected to get back to the 60-point mark this year with an implied probability of 57.81%. The 65-point mark is where I’d start my points ladder, though, and take it all the way up to at least 75 or 80.
The winger is starting the season on the Flyers’ “third” line, but Tocchet has stressed that his team’s lines don’t really have labels. Michkov is going to get the ice time that he earns, and he deserves plenty of it after coming into camp in terrific shape and putting on a show so far in September.
Can Porter Martone capture Flyers’ first Calder Trophy?
Porter Martone was the betting favorite to win the Calder Trophy for most of the offseason, but his competition is stiff, with Gavin McKenna now taking over as the favorite to be the league’s best rookie. Ivar Stenberg is also one to watch out for in San Jose, as the winger should be given free rein to play in the Sharks’ top six.
But let’s focus on Martone for now, specifically his goal and point totals.
Porter Martone betting odds (via theScore Bet)
- To Score 30+ Goals: +130
- To Score 40+ Goals: +550
Not many sportsbooks are offering odds on Martone’s individual stats, with theScore Bet having a few markets.
Martone burst onto the scene last season with 10 points (four goals) in his first nine regular-season games, and then he made history by scoring the game-winning goal in each of his first two playoff games against the Penguins.
The rookie has impressed at every level, including 25 goals and 50 points in 35 games as a freshman for Michigan State last season.
Still, almost expecting Martone to score 30 goals, with +130 implying a 43.48% chance, might be a reach. While he’s starting on the top line and power-play unit, the Flyers are still a defense-first team with Tocchet at the helm.
Having said that, it’s absolutely a possibility that Martone doesn’t miss a beat this season. He looks like the type of player that can come into the NHL and be an immediate star, and he showed that in his brief stint at the end of last season.
Could he even score 40 goals? It’s possible, but that might take the Flyers having a power play that is actually good, not just passable — which would be a huge improvement, to be fair.
There are also odds for Martone to reach 80 or 90 points in his rookie season.
- To Record 80+ Points: +300
- To Record 90+ Points: +800
This would take a huge season from both Martone and the Flyers. Mind you, only 27 players across the entire league had 80 or more points last year, and we can push that down to 35 players with at least 75 points, since we’ll have two more contests in this 84-game campaign.
If you’re this high on Martone, taking him to win the Calder Trophy might be the better bet.
All in all, though, it’s exciting to see some of the oddsmakers expecting big things from the Flyers’ young stars this season.
