The Philadelphia Flyers are one night’s sleep away from starting their 2025-26 season. It’s a season that is filled with promise given the additions of Trevor Zegras, Dan Vladar and Christian Dvorak among others. Not to mention Jett Luchanko possibly being a Flyer for the long haul.
But what Flyers fans are hoping and what the rest of the “experts” who cover the National Hockey League are predicting seem to be two very different outcomes. Here then are what some of the experts from around the NHL are saying when it comes to the Flyers (including one player) and this upcoming 82-game schedule.
The Athletic — Flyers will end up with 79 points
First up, The Athletic, who believe that the Flyers could possibly end up in the lottery if things go astray, but are probably going to end up with a sub. 500 record and 79 points. They also feel if the team overachieves, it could affect the bigger picture in terms of the rebuild and not getting another key, high-end prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft.
“The Flyers have one truly major piece (Matvei Michkov) and enough other players of interest to eliminate tanking as an option, and they’re well-positioned for the summer of 2026. Another high pick would serve them best, but there needs to be contingency plans in place if, as expected, another year in the mushy middle awaits.”
“The concern about the Flyers’ lack of game-breaking skill is fair and well-rounded, but it’s just as legitimate to point out that even mediocre goaltending would’ve dramatically changed the shape of their 2024-25 season. Samuel Ersson, Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov combined to allow nearly 50 goals above expected. Ersson, the starter, led the way with an .883 save percentage. Nightmarish stuff.”
ESPN — Flyers will end up with 73 points
Meanwhile ESPN thinks 79 is probably a bit too kind. The site feels that they will end up with 73 points with the biggest question marks being the goaltending and if the forwards gel as well as Danny Briere and Rick Tocchet hope they do.
“Matvei Michkov led the Flyers with 26 goals, and only four skaters hit the 20-goal mark for Philadelphia’s 24th-ranked offense. The Flyers’ putrid power play — 30th overall — was another casualty of too-few scoring threats. It’s not that Philadelphia couldn’t generate chances, but capitalizing on them was a problem. Success depends on that changing.”
Sportsnet — Lot of losses but reason for hope
North of the border, Sportsnet‘s Ryan Dixon projects the Flyers to be on the shorter end of the stick on most nights. He feels that the new coach will be able to get the most out of his players as they continue to look towards the future.
“Like Tortorella, Tocchet will demand the most from his players. The difference, though, is that Tocchet should provide a better environment for young players like Matvei Michkov to thrive. And, to be sure, if there’s a bright spot in the middle of this bleak landscape, it’s the skilled Russian winger who posted 26 goals and 63 points as a 20-year-old NHL freshman last year.
“Even with some things in their favor, the Flyers figure to do their fair share of losing this season. The question is, will it at least feel like the franchise is moving in the right direction?”
Associated Press — The playoff drought continues
Elsewhere, the Associated Press believes that the Flyers will be on the outside looking in regarding a playoff spot. And that the patience the front office has preached since Danny Briere came on board is going to have to remain a little while longer.
“A sixth consecutive year out of the playoffs. General manager Danny Briere and the rest of the front office have preached patience during a rebuild that may not pay off with a playoff appearance for another season or two. The playoff drought is one reason why the Flyers hired Tocchet, a fan favorite from his playing days in Philadelphia to guide the team through its critical next phase.”
Daily Faceoff — If things go right, in the mix for playoffs
Daily Faceoff‘s Anthony Trudeau envisions a worst-case scenario and a best-case scenario. Sadly both scenarios don’t guarantee a playoff spot. At best the Flyers will be in the mix for a wildcard spot as they head down the stretch after the Winter Olympics.
“With improved goaltending (it could hardly be worse) and a new coach that should have the backing of the room, the Flyers may get right back into the 8th-10th place range. It’s also possible that, without the unifying factor of their maligned but respected taskmaster Tortorella, this roster shows you what it really is: a bottom-five group in the league by talent. Expect Philadelphia to land somewhere in the middle, a positive outcome that would neither stunt the development of Michkov nor hinder Briere’s ability to find him more help at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.“
Dobber Hockey — Konecny will hit or eclipse 90 points
Aside from the team predictions, Dobber Hockey‘s Rick Roos boldly predicts that Travis Konecny will hit a career high and end up with 90 or more points this season. Roos points to Konecny’s production under Tortorella as proof he’s capable of more should Tocchet let him loose.
“Much has been made of how Matvei Michkov will fare in his second season, especially without having to play under a John Tortorella system. Yet as great as Michkov will likely become, I believe the star for the Flyers in 2025-26 is likely to be Konecny. Need proof?
“For one, Konecny managed a 76-point pace last season, which is quite remarkable for a Torts player, as this is someone who, after his time in Tampa, coached the likes of the Sedin twins and Artemi Panarin, to some of their worst outputs. So, 76 points under Torts is tantamount to more like 86. There’s also the reality that Konecny is a points magnet, having an overall IPP (Individual Points Percentage) of 71% or higher in every season after his rookie campaign, and being above 82% in two of the last three seasons. In fact, a total of just one forward had a higher overall IPP than Konecny last season, and it was some guy named David Pastrnak, who we all know is as elite as they come.”
NHL.com — Playoffs a possibility
Finally, NHL.com‘s Adam Kimelman says the Flyers will go as far as their goaltending and power play takes them. If both do well, then he sees them as possibly breaking their five-year playoff drought.
“Beyond the need for better play in goal, fixing the power play is a necessity. The Flyers were 30th in the NHL last season at 15.0 percent, the fourth straight season they’ve ranked in the bottom three of the League, and they haven’t had a power play in the top half of the NHL since 2019-20 (20.8 percent, 14th). It’s a unit that has skill, including forward Matvei Michkov, who tied San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini for first among NHL rookies with eight power-play goals and was third with 17 power-play points last season. He tied forward Travis Konecny for the team lead in those categories, and Tyson Foerster and Owen Tippett are threats from the flanks. The struggle has been finding a quarterback from the blue line and a consistent net-front presence. If Philadelphia can get the power play at least to League average, and there are improvements in goaltending, it could compete for a wild card.”
So all these predictions won’t mean a thing until the Flyers start their season tomorrow night in Florida. A full 82-game schedule awaits, with Flyers fans hoping for better days ahead but knowing there’s still room for improvement in all facets.
