The new shiny toy is on the horizon. After losing Saturday, and concluding his college hockey career at Michigan State University, the Flyers 2025 first-round pick Porter Martone looks to be on the cusp of signing a contract with the club. And with that, most likely ending up in the lineup for Philadelphia down the stretch, possibly playing very meaningful games as the Flyers try to keep hunting down teams ahead of them. Philadelphia should be over the moon knowing Martone is coming. Speculation has been rampant with him playing later this week but possibly after the Flyers play the Capitals on Tuesday. Regardless, it’s a great addition.
Perhaps what’s another huge bonus from Martone coming — aside from the offensive pop it could give Philadelphia in terms of five-on-five play and especially on the power play — is that it should take the pressure off of winger Tyson Foerster. Foerster hasn’t played since his shoulder was injured on December 1, taking a slap shot and feeling the effects from it immediately afterwards. At the time Foerster had 10 goals and, in just 21 games, looked to be easily surpassing 30 goals at season’s end. Instead, surgery left many believing he’d be out the rest of the year, but good enough to go when training camp started this coming September. This season was a write-off. It’s just that nobody told Foerster.
At a post-deadline presser, Flyers general manager Danny Briere hinted that the winger could be banging down his door hoping to return earlier than expect. Now, if Foerster does come back, he’ll had a few advantages that he might not have had a week ago. We’ll look at a few.
Martone’s the story, not Foerster
Not taking anything away from what Foerster is capable of. According to head coach Rick Tocchet his shot of late is as lethal as it was in October and November. Also, if he’s good to go, and can take some hits to test the shoulder, then it will be another plus. The most important aspect is that Martone will most likely be the storyline in media circles for the next week to 10 days (depending on when he suits up). The hype surrounding Martone has been supported by his production. He had a great year with 25 goals and the same amount of assists. So having him here is huge in terms of the Flyers possibly remaining in the playoff hunt a bit longer than anticipated. Or eventually overtaking teams. The worst-case scenario is the Flyers showcase what should be a crucial cornerstone of their future, offering up a teaser of sorts for 2026-27.
Should Foerster return in the next few games, the glare will still be on Martone. It’s not as if Philadelphia’s post-season hopes hinge on Foerster hitting the ground flying. If he scores in his first or second game, great. If not, it shouldn’t be a huge story. A premature return to the lineup, and reinjuring the shoulder, would be the only thing that could take away from Martone’s story right now. And even the Flyers are not that stupid to put Foerster’s career in that kind of peril. The bottom line is that Foerster shouldn’t have a lot of pressure on him now to take Philadelphia to the promised land. Unlike Martone, who has played a season of college hockey and a few playoff games, there’s going to be some rust Foerster will have to shake off for a couple of games. That’s to be expected. Martone, having played all season, will hit the ground running. So if Foerster is playing in the shadows of Martone’s spotlight for the next few weeks, so be it. It couldn’t come at a better time.
Any contribution is gravy
Another aspect of Foerster’s return is that the Flyers are playing rather well at the moment. They avoided a near epic collapse against Detroit on Saturday and, heading into Sunday’s action, are three points behind Columbus with a game in hand for the second wildcard spot. They’re also four points behind Pittsburgh for the third spot in the Metropolitan Division, also with a game in hand on the Pens. The goaltending has been solid with Sam Ersson looking excellent the last few starts. Meanwhile, the youngsters like Alex Bump and Denver Barkey are proving themselves to be capable forwards up to the challenge. Throw in what has been an incredibly impressive last few weeks for winger Owen Tippett (including his hat trick against the Red Wings), and you have a team that is looking loose and confident despite playing ridiculously tight-checking playoff style hockey. They forechecked Detroit into the ground in one of their more impressive 50-plus minute performances in recent memory.
And now, with Martone’s arrival, Foerster’s return won’t be measured in how many points he earned in his debut. Or how well he fared on the power play. A lot of those eyeballs will be glued to anything and everything Martone does or doesn’t do. So if Foerster ends up with a goal and an assist in this short sprint to end the year, that’s a plus because he was able to return and withstand game action. Should Foerster look terrific on the penalty kill and end up creating one or two chances going the other way, that’s a feather in his cap. Nobody is asking him to score at the rate he did to begin the season. Nobody expects that. However, if he can give himself the confidence and assurance the injury is in the rearview mirror, that would be worth its weight in gold.
Had Martone decided to return to Michigan State for another season, or take longer than 24 hours to sign with Philadelphia, then clearly the narrative would shift to the Flyers playoff hopes and how Foerster’s return could possibly get them over the hump. Tyson Foerster’s return is a big addition for Philadelphia, that’s a fact. Yet it’s still not the shiny new toy this week. When a sniper has missed almost four entire months, could return for must-win games, and that story is still on the backburner compared to Martone’s debut, it’s a rarity. It’s the situation Foerster finds himself in. And it’s a blessing for all concerned.
Foerster can be temporarily sheltered
Tocchet now has two more players at his disposal that he didn’t consider probably two weeks ago. He often hinted Foerster was chomping at the bit to get back in the lineup, but Tocchet wouldn’t commit to a specific timeline or date. Having Martone essentially fall into his lap this late into the season is another stroke of good fortune. So while Foerster has proved himself to be a solid two-way winger, it’s also possible that Foerster’s usage could be against middle-six or bottom-six forwards. Prior to the injury, Foerster found himself no longer with Noah Cates and Bobby Brink like he was nearly all of the last season and change. With Cates now playing with Matvei Michkov, and Brink in Minnesota, Foerster will be playing with a new winger or possibly an entirely new line.
By putting Martone into the lineup, that would definitely help in terms of Foerster finding his footing in the middle-six or bottom-six for starters. Not putting him up against an opponent’s top line, especially when he’ll have rust and possibly be a half-step or full-step behind, is a massive bonus at any time. When a guy like Martone is also ready for action, it gives Tocchet a lot more flexibility with the lines and various combinations he can throw out there. Neither Martone nor Foerster should find themselves on the fourth line, especially given how well Luke Glendening, Sean Couturier, and Garnet Hathaway have looked together of late in their roles. Sheltering Foerster’s minutes somewhat after a lengthy injury would be a reasonable course of action. With Martone’s addition, it helps Tocchet and his staff accomplish that a lot easier and quicker.
A beautiful problem to have
Without obsessing over the playoffs, there are few teams in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt gaining two blue-chip forwards. Ottawa’s blueline resembles a MASH unit, Columbus defenseman Damon Severson (a minute-muncher) is now week-to-week with what looked like a shoulder injury. And the Penguins are hoping that the veterans in Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby return soon and take them into playoff action. So some teams have players dropping. The Flyers have not one but possibly two forwards who are healthy and ready to join the club for the last gauntlet of games. How Tocchet uses both Martone and Foerster remains to be seen. But a lot of teams would love to have two young, talented forwards joining their rosters with 10 games to go.
As it stands, the Foerster return is a win-win (barring some horrific miscue from the Flyers and their training staff) regardless of what he does or doesn’t do on the ice. If he helps Philadelphia towards a playoff spot, great. If he remains healthy he knows he can withstand playoff-like games without worrying about the arm. The fact he’s not going to be the primary attraction from now until mid-April is almost like playing with house money. Foerster’s injury was a terribly unfortunate one. His return with Martone in the locker room is an incredibly fortunate set of circumstances.
