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It’s the dead thick of Summer, and with that Flyers hockey is at a standstill. At least until Rookie Camp begins in September. Without further delay, here are our answers to your questions.
The Flyers will be major players for one of: Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, or Kirill Kaprizov. With close to $41.4 million to spend in the 2026 offseason, the Flyers will make a big splash or two.
I believe both Eichel and McDavid will re-sign with their respective clubs they play for now, with Kaprizov becoming a Flyer with an 8-year deal. Finally, the Flyers will have a natural left winger for years to come with the orange and black, and one Matvei Michkov can razzle and dazzle with.
Tyson Foerster has an infection in his arm. Now just how bad is it? That is to be determined, and the public may not actually get a clear understanding of how bad it is, at least until Training Camp begins.
It’s to my understanding he’s having an MRI soon, but everything else may be pure speculation. Let’s see how things go. Hopefully, Foerster will be ok.
Right now it appears that Samuel Ersson is a part of the Flyers future. Personally, I think the organization will wait until Yegor Zavaragin comes to North America. His KHL runs through the 2026-27 season, so right now the Flyers appear to be high on Ersson, at the moment.
Right now it appears that Samuel Ersson is a part of the Flyers future. Personally, I think the organization will wait until Yegor Zavaragin comes to North America, to determine a goalie of the future. His KHL runs through the 2026-27 season, so right now the Flyers appear to be high on Ersson, at the moment.
Dan Vladar, I believe, is a stop gap until Zavaragin comes over. With that being said, Aleksei Kolosov is still under contract for one more season, at least with Philly. He’s expected to report and be part of a three goalie tandem, or head to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The same can be said for Ivan Fedotov, but the Flyers would have to waive Fedotov, with the intent of sending him to Lehigh.
At least to start the season, it will be an Ersson/Vladar tandem, but as many have seen Flyers Goaltending in the past. Anything can happen, so stay tuned. The first 14-15 games of the season are no joke, and it doesn’t get easier in late November/Early December. Unfortunately, the wheels on the bus can come off fast.
Way too long, five consecutive seasons and counting.
2-3 years away, from being 2-3 years away
There was talk last season that Jett Luchanko would get traded by the Guelph Storm, which would aide their rebuild. The same will transpire this season, if indeed he does not make the Flyers team outright out of camp.
The Storm would trade him to a contender for the remainder of the season, with the hopes of winning an OHL Championship, to include the Memorial Cup.
The Flyers appear to be ahead of the rebuild with San Jose and the Anaheim Ducks. One good thing about the orange and black is their dead cap space should be fully exhausted at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, thus providing more cap flexibility and more retainments of salaries for trades.
Fortunately, the orange and black have some prospects knocking on the door to take some roster spots, which could only help the rebuild. These said prospects have not been rushed, which is a great thing.
Porter Martone has the potential to play in the NCAA, before potentially transitioning to the NHL. While he is viewed as NHL-ready by some, and has received significant attention from the Flyers, the possibility of him playing college hockey is being discussed. This would allow him to further develop his skills and potentially be better prepared for the NHL.
Martone, an 18-year-old power forward, dominated the OHL with the Brampton Steelheads in the 2024-25 season, posting 98 points (37 goals, 61 assists) in 57 games, and has expressed a strong desire to play in the NHL as soon as possible. However, the Flyers and Martone are discussing whether the NCAA could be a better developmental path, especially given the new CHL-NCAA agreement that allows players to switch to college hockey without losing eligibility, as long as they haven’t signed an NHL entry-level contract (ELC).
NCAA as an Option
The NCAA offers a chance to compete against older, physically mature players, which could better prepare Martone for the NHL compared to another OHL season, especially since the Brampton Steelheads lost key players and their top goaltender, potentially weakening the team. College hockey could also provide a stepping stone to the AHL, as NCAA players aren’t subject to the CHL’s AHL age restriction.
Penn State and Michigan State appear to be front runners with landing Martone, if he indeed chooses to play NCAA hockey.
While there’s been discussion about the NHL potentially switching back to white jerseys at home in a future Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), it’s not currently in the latest CBA.
The NHL rules allow teams to choose their home jersey color, and while many teams historically wore white at home, they now typically wear their colored home jerseys. The idea of switching back to white at home was an ongoing discussion and preference, but not a requirement in the current CBA.
Gary Bettman had this to say on the topic, “I don’t know that there’s an immediate demand on a club wide basis to make a change.”
If a hockey player retires while LTIR (Long-Term-Injured-Reserve), the team is still responsible for the player’s cap hit, unless the player is 35 or older and signed a multi-year contract, in which case the cap hit remains. Retirement doesn’t automatically remove the cap hit, especially if the contract is not terminated. The team may still owe the player money, but the cap hit will remain unless the contract is terminated or bought out.
Players on LTIR often choose to remain on the injured list rather than retire because they continue to receive their full salary. This means teams continue to pay them and carry their cap hit, but they also get the benefit of the LTIR Pool to acquire or call up another player.
In essence, a player retiring from LTIR means the team no longer pays their salary, but often remains burdened by their cap hit, affecting their ability to manage the salary cap in the long-term.
Ryan Ellis’s contract does expired at the conclusion of the 2026-27 season.
Flyers fans should definitely be excited for Flyers hockey, but I would not have high expectations for this team. They will be a playoff bubble team again, with Goaltending, primarily, holding the orange and black back once again.
Until the team proves that Goaltending is good enough to make the next jump, then they will be a playoff bubble team. The Goaltending has to improve for this team to be considered a playoff hockey team, and with that uncertainty heading into the 2025-26 season. I am hesitant to say, yes indeed they will make the playoffs.
Porter Martone has the potential to play in the NCAA, before potentially transitioning to the NHL. While he is viewed as NHL-ready by some, and has received significant attention from the Flyers, the possibility of him playing college hockey is being discussed. This would allow him to further develop his skills and potentially be better prepared for the NHL.
Martone, an 18-year-old power forward, dominated the OHL with the Brampton Steelheads in the 2024-25 season, posting 98 points (37 goals, 61 assists) in 57 games, and has expressed a strong desire to play in the NHL as soon as possible. However, the Flyers and Martone are discussing whether the NCAA could be a better developmental path, especially given the new CHL-NCAA agreement that allows players to switch to college hockey without losing eligibility, as long as they haven’t signed an NHL entry-level contract (ELC).
Personally, I think he will head to the NCAA for a season, without being rushed to the NHL. This will allow him to get bigger and stronger, and play against men. These were the tea leaves I got from Brent Flahr’s presser, at the conclusion of developmental camp, “Martone obviously got all kinds of offers,” Flahr said. “He wants to play in the NHL, and that’s a discussion we’ll have to have with his agent. As much as we want him to play, we just gotta make sure we do what’s best for him. We’ll figure that out here in the coming weeks and see what he wants to do, his people, his family, and go from there.”
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