The Philadelphia Flyers are aiming to end their five-year absence from the Stanley Cup Playoffs as they open training camp this week. The team has not qualified for the postseason since 2020, tying a franchise record for consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance.
General manager Daniel Briere expressed optimism about the team’s direction, citing growth among younger players, offseason acquisitions, and a strong group of prospects. “The goal is to build a team that’s going to become a contender for years to come,” Briere said Tuesday. “The goal is not just to make the playoffs one year, get knocked out, disappear for two years … it’s about building a team that eventually will have a shot at winning some rounds and winning a Stanley Cup for years to come and be there year after year.”
A key part of the Flyers’ foundation is forward Matvei Michkov, who led all NHL rookies with 26 goals last season and was second in rookie scoring with 63 points over 80 games. Briere emphasized that consistency will be important for Michkov’s continued development. “Obviously we’re all excited about what he’s shown last year and what he can become, but the biggest thing for him is to keep improving on that (consistency) and to keep showing that game after game,” Briere said. He added that experience would help Michkov handle setbacks more effectively.
Tyson Foerster, who scored 25 goals in 81 games last season, will begin training camp wearing a noncontact jersey due to an elbow injury suffered during international play but is expected to be cleared by the second week of camp.
Philadelphia acquired Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks in June. The organization hopes Zegras can return to playing center full-time after spending two seasons on the wing. “We’re all kind of wondering where are things going to develop for him,” Briere said. “He was a tremendous player for his first two years in Anaheim, and then he got hit into some injuries. Can he (regain) that form that he had a couple years ago?”
Additional competition at forward includes Noah Cates and Bobby Brink, along with Alex Bump—who contributed to Western Michigan’s NCAA championship run before joining Lehigh Valley in the AHL playoffs—and prospects such as Jett Luchanko, Jack Nesbitt, Nikita Grebenkin, and Denver Barkey.
On defense, Rasmus Ristolainen will miss training camp following surgery on his right triceps tendon and could be out for up to two months. This opens opportunities for new signings Noah Juulsen and Dennis Gilbert as well as prospects Helge Grans, Emil Andrae, and Oliver Bonk.
The Flyers addressed center depth by signing Christian Dvorak on July 1 to a one-year contract worth $5.4 million. They also signed goaltender Dan Vladar on July 1 with a two-year deal valued at $6.7 million ($3.35 million average annual value). Last season Philadelphia posted an .890 save percentage at even strength—the lowest league-wide since official tracking began in 2009-10—which they hope Vladar can help improve while competing with Samuel Ersson (.883 save percentage in 47 games).
Ivan Fedotov was traded Sunday to Columbus for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
“I expect the goaltending to be better, no doubt about it,” Briere said. “I think Vladar will come in and probably be a little bit more support for Sam. But we do believe in Sam still; he’s had some flashes. I think with Sam, having a guy there to protect him and not expecting him to play three games a week should probably help Sam in the long run.”
Carter Hart will not return after six seasons with Philadelphia; his agent informed management that Hart is seeking opportunities elsewhere following legal proceedings related to events from 2018.
“His representative, Judd Moldaver, has reached out and kind of told us that in light of everything that happened in the last year and a half with Carter, they felt, and Carter felt, that it was better for them to look for a fresh start,” Briere said. “So, that’s where it’s at, and it’s the only comment I’m going to make on it.”
Briere highlighted internal competition among young players as motivation throughout training camp: “Our young guys were starting to step up,” he said. “Now we have more young guys that are pushing… Nobody can be comfortable or happy with what they’ve done in the past; they’ve got to keep getting better and better… our young guys are starting to push… they’re hungry for more.”
“And the following year,” he added “we’re going to have more of these young guys that will be pushing — guys like (forward prospect Porter) Martone, maybe (center prospect Jack) Berglund, maybe Nesbitt… We expect more of a fight internally… It’s going to hopefully make us more competitive throughout the season and maybe push to get closer to the playoffs.”
