Another trade deadline has come and passed, and the Philadelphia Flyers have subtracted from their roster. It’s a feeling that we’re all too familiar with. The departure of Bobby Brink and Nic Deslauriers, while not star players, signals a white flag– another season come and gone, threatening to extend the franchise-record playoff drought that hangs over the 2020’s like a storm cloud. Last season, we enjoyed the Matvei Michkov campaign for the Calder Trophy for the league’s best rookie, and while he fell short, the young winger was appointment television despite the Flyers’ position in the standings. This year brings its’ own stories to track, from NHL debuts to career-best seasons, and could be a very entertaining finish.
New faces in the building
Less than 24 hours post-deadline, the Flyers announced the call-up of 22-year-old fifth round pick Alex Bump. Having won a national championship with Western Michigan less than 12 months ago, Bump is poised to make his NHL debut in the “battle of Pennsylvania”, a fitting way to join the Flyer ranks for a player like him. The Flyers replace one Minnesota native with another, as Bobby Brink’s spot in the lineup was vacated the day prior. Bump has lent himself to fanfare since signing the contract, telling the Flyers he would rather develop properly in the AHL than play a few meaningless NHL games at the end of last season. He’s waited a long time for this day, and will be worth keeping an eye on.
BUMPER’S BACK#LVvsHER | #LVPhantoms pic.twitter.com/WsfoMgL2gB
— Lehigh Valley Phantoms (@LVPhantoms) February 22, 2026
While Brink’s spot in the forward lines has been filled, the man he was traded for, David Jiricek, will have to wait a little longer. After choosing to hold on to Rasmus Ristolainen, there’s not much space for the 22-year-old defenseman. Though he has 84 NHL games under his belt already, Jiricek is very much a developmental endeavor, and could follow in the footsteps of Jamie Drysdale’s path to becoming a quality NHL defender. Jiricek is tasked with AHL work to begin his tenure here, and if he shows enough progress, Danny Briere suggested we could see him make his Flyers debut sometime in April.
Maybe the most exciting development would be a late cameo by Porter Martone. It’s no guarantee he’ll play NHL games this season, as they could decide to have him join the Phantoms for a playoff run, but he looks like he’ll be an immediate boost to either lineup coming out of the NCAA. Currently tied for fifth in the country in scoring, Martone has been pretty dominant, especially recently, as his Michigan State Spartans clinched another Big-10 title. Even if he doesn’t make an appearance for the Flyers, he’s worth tracking in Lehigh Valley at the conclusion of the college season, where he’s expected to quickly sign his professional contract.
Charlie Stramel intercepts a pass at the blue line and finds Porter Martone for his 22nd goal of the season! pic.twitter.com/C2wDeGBxEn
— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) March 6, 2026
Other players in Lehigh Valley could see some time with the big club, including Garrett Wilson. The soon to be 35-year-old won’t be a game changer, but the Flyers have signed him to an NHL contract for the rest of the season. The captain and franchise leader in games played for the Phantoms, Wilson would certainly play more of a Deslauriers role; he’s been well acquainted with the penalty box in his Allentown days. A former Pittsburgh Penguin, Wilson hasn’t been in the NHL since the 2018-19 season. Cole Knuble would be a nice surprise– the Notre Dame forward could make a good impression as a Phantom, but would probably have to dominate to earn NHL time this year.
A career season for Dan Vladar
When Briere set out to address the goaltending last summer, I’m not sure he was expecting to unearth one of the top 10 or 15 goalies in hockey this season. He’s done just that, and luckily, he offered Vladar a second year on the contract, or the Flyers would have to consider a long-term deal with the goaltender. That conversation can wait for the summer, when he’s eligible for an extension, but he’s made the season worth watching on his own for the Flyers.
All the stick taps for Vladdy. 😤#PHIvsCBJ | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/TJ62PKiYYv
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) January 29, 2026
After several years primarily as a backup in Calgary, Vladar was given an opportunity to compete for a job as the number-one goaltender here in Philadelphia. It didn’t take long for him to take the job and run. The Czechia Olympian is easily clear of his career high in games played with 37, and there’s still 21 more to go. Vladar is going to reach 50 games barring injury, and it doesn’t look like he’s showing signs of wear thus far. With a .908 save percentage, Vladar is .048 clear of backup Sam Ersson, and has a Goals Saved Above Expected of 11.1 on the season. Among 21 goaltenders with 35 games played this season, Vladar has allowed the fewest goals (85)– seven fewer than the next goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Young players taking strides
This was the key to the season way back in September, but it feels like a lifetime ago. We’ve seen encouraging growth from players like Jamie Drysdale, who was able to quiet some of the noise around his durability to this point. Similarly, Trevor Zegras has played fairly heavy minutes this season and has looked healthy and quick for the majority of games. Drysdale in particular has been a big development, as the Flyers really seem to have a solid top-four defenseman on their hands.
GRIP IT. RIP IT. #BOSvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/vpMkAqambe
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) February 28, 2026
Matvei Michkov has the most to gain from the departing of Brink positionally, as a right wing spot has been vacated– his natural side. Michkov has expressed as recently as February 24th that he’s more comfortable there, and hopefully, it shouldn’t be moving mountains (it has been) to get one of their best young players on his familiar side to end the season with playoffs looking unlikely, to say the least. In 60 games this year, Michkov has just 15 goals after leading all rookies with 26 a season ago. His advanced numbers, via MoneyPuck, are outstanding: a 57 percent Shot Attempt Share, a 56.8 percent Expected Goal Share, and more Expected Goals (9.24) than Travis Konency. Michkov was playing well with Noah Cates and Bobby Brink– we’ll see if he continues his success without the latter.
As has been the case all year, Trevor Zegras is worth mentioning. The center experiment hasn’t come to fruition like the organization had hoped, but there’s plenty of minutes left (and a full offseason) to better learn the position the way Rick Tocchet wants him to. That may be controversial, but it’s all we have to work with right now. Besides– he’s looking like a dynamic player again, something we weren’t sure was going to happen at the time of the trade. The Flyers have rehabilitated Zegras well, and he’s back to doing exciting things with the puck on a nightly basis. Most importantly, he’s stayed healthy, and is going to be a big part of the next playoff team in Philadelphia.
