One year ago, the Philadelphia Flyers were sitting on their couches, hoping the ping pong balls might fall their way at the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery.
The rebuild was still very much a rebuild. Matvei Michkov had a strong rookie season, Jamie Drysdale found his way, and there were a few other improvements you could point to, but the Flyers were still searching for another X-factor or two to really get them to the next level.
Well, it didn’t take too long for Danny Briere to find the next big pieces of the rebuild.
Briere acquired Trevor Zegras on June 23, and drafted Porter Martone with the sixth overall pick a few days later. In the span of a week, the Flyers found two players who have ended up being exactly The Men Philadelphia Needs right now.
Trevor Zegras finding another level in Philadelphia
The writing had been on the wall for Zegras in Anaheim, and it was only a matter of time before the Ducks dealt the forward. The former ninth overall pick showed flashes of brilliance in his first two full seasons and looked like one of the future faces of the league with a few highlight-reel plays among his 126 points in 156 games.
However, injuries hampered Zegras throughout the next two seasons, limiting him to an unproductive 47 points in 88 games. He simply wasn’t himself, and a change of scenery is exactly what he needed.
Of course, Zegras got the last laugh when the Ducks came to Philadelphia this season, even reenacting his phone conversation with Pat Verbeek after scoring against his former team.
Trevor Zegras says his celebration was a reenactment of how fast Anaheim hung up after telling him he was traded 😭🔥 pic.twitter.com/G0VkOdQOaW
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) January 7, 2026
Briere bought low on Zegras, and the former Duck is flying higher than ever in Philadelphia. He set career-highs with 26 goals and 67 points, and he picked up a point in his first career playoff game.
Zegras has fully embraced playing in Philadelphia, and the city feels the exact same way about him.
Despite being in the organization for less than a year, Zegras is already a face of the franchise. There are a few, to be fair, and fans are using the almighty dollar to show their support for Zegras as well.
According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, Zegras is one of the best-selling jerseys in the country since the playoffs began. Zegras sits No. 2 in jersey sales since the start of the playoffs, with another Flyers forward leading the way.
But before we move on from Zegras, it’s been incredible watching him take over the city. Philadelphia has a reputation for being a tough city to play in, but Zegras is one of the players who Gets It.
He showed that on Wednesday night, celebrating with the five guys in the penalty box after scoring a power-play goal to tie the game.
And the penalty box goes wild! pic.twitter.com/5eMJwDBsql
— x – Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 23, 2026
Travis Konecny was one of the guys in the box after his scrum with Bryan Rust. That seemed to get the guys going, and he was happy to be a part of that celebration.
“It was funny because (Dvorak) had mentioned right before, like ‘Imagine the celebration if we score one here,'” Konecny said after the game. “Ziggy must’ve heard him somehow and came flying over to the box. It was pretty cool.”
“There were a lot of them in there,” Zegras laughed when explaining his celebration. “I figured they were going to be jumping around so I thought if I scored I was going right to them for sure.”
Zegras has also had a hand in the Flyers’ new celebration song. He and DJ Owen Tippett have made Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” a staple in the locker room after wins.
“[Zegras] sits right beside me, and I just said, ‘Hey, what do you want to hear?’” Tippett told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It was when it was popular, and he threw it up there, and I let it stick.”
It’s a fitting song because Zegras has been the man the Flyers need.
“Enough guys kind of knew about it, or knew of it,” Tippett said. “Once I played it a couple times, it was a hit, and guys enjoyed it, so I just kept going.”
The Flyers have been on a roll since, with plenty of guys enjoying the bop and pulling their weight to celebrate their new anthem after big wins.
Porter Martone shining early in NHL career
Porter Martone hasn’t missed a beat since finishing his season at Michigan State and joining the Flyers for the stretch run. In fact, he’s only getting better.
Martone had 50 points (25 goals, 25 assists) in 35 games during his freshman season with the Spartans. While he’s not quite averaging two points per game, Martone’s stat line of 13 points in 12 games, including four points in three playoff games, is even more impressive.
Martone’s jersey sales are up 1,174% since the start of the playoffs, according to Kaplan. It’s not too surprising, especially since Martone jerseys have only been available for purchase for a few weeks, and he made an immediate impact in the playoffs. He became the first teenager to score game-winning goals in each of his first two playoff games.
The first was an absolute snipe past Stuart Skinner to give the Flyers a 3-1 lead late in Game 1. It was the dagger to the Penguins to open the series.
“Yeah, I think just how hard this group has worked, you know, a lot longer before I came here,” Martone said after Game 1. “You know this was their goal to make the playoffs, and I kind of came in here with about two weeks left. I just wanted to come in and make a splash, and right now that we’re here, we’re not going to stop. So it’s been awesome.”
Martone and the Flyers certainly didn’t stop in Games 2 or 3. They kept the pedal to the metal to take a 3-0 series lead, with the rookie extending his point streak to nine games dating back to his first big moment in Orange and Black. Martone has been everything the Flyers needed this season.
Martone is playing on a line with Dvorak and Konecny, and this isn’t the first time that the 19-year-old and TK have worked together.
Konecny got to play with Martone on Team Canada at the World Championships last year, and he immediately knew he’d be a player.
Konecny on Martone: "Of course he's special. High draft pick, he's got a lot of talent. I knew then too (at World Championships last year). I told Danny and Jonesy that he was going to be a good player. I wanted them to draft him."
— Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) April 16, 2026
Konecny had a primary assist on both of Martone’s playoff goals, so the two already have some chemistry building.
The youth movement is in full swing in Philadelphia with Zegras and Martone leading a group of youngsters that is looking to shock the world with a sweep of the Penguins in the first round.
Even if the Flyers aren’t able to complete the sweep, this series is proving that Zegras and Martone are the men Philadelphia needs right now, and they’re only getting started.
