The Philadelphia Flyers are in a solid position so far this season, sporting an 8-5-3 record, a significant improvement on last year’s 6-8-2 start that ended with a 29th-place finish in the league standings.
However, a lot can change as the season progresses, and there are a few concerns on an individual and team level as they hope to take meaningful steps forward in 2025-26, which could extend their playoff drought to a franchise-record six seasons. Here are some stats that best tell the tale of the Flyers so far.
Flyers’ 4.8 Team Goals Saved Above Expected
A season ago, shambolic goaltending removed any chance for the Flyers to be competitive. Their three goaltenders ranked 91st (Aleksei Kolosov), 93rd (Ivan Fedotov), and 103rd (Samuel Ersson) of 103 netminders in MoneyPuck’s goals saved above expected model. They were 70th, 68th, and 65th, respectively, in GSAE per 60 minutes of 73 goalies who played at least 20 games.
Although entirely thanks to signing free agent Dan Vladar during the offseason, the Flyers’ goaltending has improved significantly so far in 2025-26. Vladar’s .939 save percentage in October was his best in a calendar month with at least three games played since November 2021, and after a brief blip to start this month, he appears to be back on track. The 28-year-old’s combination of size and lateral movement has been on display, and he’s more responsible for the team’s respectable 8-5-3 record than any other player.
Ersson started the season strong, stopping 1.87 GSAE in his first start, then allowed -2.12 GSAE in his second. In three outings since, he’s been between -0.14 and -0.93, keeping the Flyers in games but also leaving much room for improvement. More concerning, a groin injury already resulted in a short stay on injured reserve. To Kolosov’s credit, he played much better in the American Hockey League (AHL) this season and has performed decently in two appearances (one start) so far.
Flyers’ 20.4% Power Play
If it holds, this would be the Flyers’ best power play percentage since 2019-20, the last time they made the playoffs. Bump it up another half percentage point, and we’d have to go back to 2014-15, when Jakub Voracek was tied for fourth in league scoring and Claude Giroux tied for 10th. The Flyers don’t have anyone producing at that level, and power plays across the league are better than they were a decade ago. But as of Thursday, their mark was still good enough for a solid 14th in league standings.
The big question, like the goaltending, is whether they can sustain it. The Flyers started strong with the man advantage last season, although they were already regressing by this point. Right now, the picture is a bit rosier than the route to get there. The Flyers are 22nd in shot attempts, shots on goal, and expected goals per 60 on the power play and are boosted by the league’s 11th-highest 15.38 shooting percentage, per Natural Stat Trick. Some regression might be expected, but probably not quite as much as in 2024-25.
However, there are reasons to believe the Flyers can stave that off. Last season, the vaunted 5-on-5 line of Tyson Foerster, Noah Cates, and Bobby Brink only played 27 minutes on the power play, which was understandable given their prowess didn’t translate to special teams. But they’ve already nearly matched that ice time this season, and the Flyers generate roughly twice as many expected goals per 60 when they’re on the ice (10.51) compared to when they’re not (5.82).
Additionally, this is an area where a resurgent Matvei Michkov should provide a boost. The sophomore scored his first PPG of the season, unleashing a nasty wrist shot for the Flyers’ lone goal in Wednesday’s 2-1 overtime loss against the Edmonton Oilers. If he can help the other unit find its stride, then the Flyers will have a sturdy base for the power play to build on for the first time in a long time.
Flyers’ 24.6 Shots Per Game
This is also an area where Michkov could help, but it is a team-wide epidemic. Part of the low rate of shots is head coach Rick Tocchet’s system, which has the Flyers limiting opponents to 25.5 shots per game, the fifth fewest. But since the 2016-17 season, only the 2024-25 Chicago Blackhawks averaged fewer shots per game than these Flyers.
Only four regulars — Brink, Jamie Drysdale, Cates, and Rodrigo Abols — have increased their shot attempts per 60 from last season. Several have seen their totals diminish significantly. Last season, the Flyers weren’t exactly an offensive juggernaut, but they were at least opportunistic. Though they ranked 26th in shots on goal, they did take the 13th most high-danger chances, according to NHL Edge.
That has cratered to 30th this season, and while it has coincided with a jump from 24th to 16th in mid-range shots, it doesn’t take an analytics genius to realize that’s a losing tradeoff. One positive note: the Flyers have slightly increased their percentage of time in the offensive zone, from 40.5% (20th) in 2024-25 to 41% (14th) in 2025-26. But they haven’t found a sustainable attacking formula through nearly 20% of their season.
Flyers Have 0 Fourth-Line Points
A team without superstars needs depth. Yet, the Flyers have had about 8-10 minutes of each game fall into an offensive black hole. The combination of Garnet Hathaway, Rodrigo Abols, Nicolas Deslauriers, Jacob Gaucher, and Jett Luchanko hasn’t even picked up a cheap secondary assist at any point in their nearly 370 minutes of ice time together.
Hathaway (155:43) has played more than any other NHL forward yet to register a point; only the Montreal Canadiens’ Joe Veleno is also over 100 minutes with no points to show for it. Hathaway’s drop-off is especially surprising given he’s the only player in that group with an established scoring track record. He’s had at least 16 points in each of his eight full NHL seasons and put up his third career double-digit goal-scoring campaign a season ago.
At some point, the Flyers will need to figure something out here. It’s unlikely they’d drop anyone from their top nine to play on the fourth line consistently. Nikita Grebenkin has played some fourth-line minutes and has three points, but they’ve all come when he’s played up in the lineup. Whether it’s calling up a true prospect like Alex Bump or a veteran AHL scorer like Anthony Richard (they lead the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in scoring), a spark is sorely needed at the bottom of the forward group.
Flyers Stats to Keep an Eye On
There are a few other notable statistics that could have been noted here, but they are better suited for monitoring as the season progresses. One that’s on everyone’s mind is Michkov’s ice time. His 14:53 average ranks 215th among forwards (min. 5 games played), right between Mackie Samoskevich and Bobby McMann. Tocchet has said he will look to get him more minutes, and now would be a good time, given Michkov’s three-game goal-scoring streak.
Related: Flyers Fans’ Frustration with Michkov-Couturier Drama Has Decades of Context
Another key part of the Flyers’ power play resurgence has been Trevor Zegras, whose eight PP points put him in the league’s top 20. That figure alone would have tied for third on the team all of last season. His career-high in PP points is 17 (the same number Travis Konecny and Michkov posted to lead Philadelphia last season). He should breeze past that mark, but the question is how soon and by how much.
Speaking of Konecny, he’s shaken off a slow start by putting up a point in eight straight games, just two shy of his career high from Dec. 20, 2022 – Jan. 11, 2023. He only had 19 points in his previous 33 games dating back to last year’s 4-Nations Face-Off. He played in two of Team Canada’s four games in that tournament and is commonly projected to be dropped from their roster for the 2026 Olympics. Konecny would surely like to have a say in that, and right now, his NHL team is benefiting.
Again, a lot can change in a season, and we are only one month in, but so far, the stats show that the Flyers are doing a lot of things right to keep pace with the tight Metropolitan Division race.
