The Philadelphia Flyers are off to a brilliant start after 28 games. After missing the playoffs five straight seasons and tying a franchise record, they are 16–9–3. If that pace were maintained, they would reach the 100-point mark for the first time since 2011-2012. Something real may be blossoming in the City of Brotherly Love.
Fans haven’t seen this level of success in a long time. Unfortunately, the Flyers are cheating here in their rebuild. Not because they win, but because How they are winning. It will be to their detriment in the longer term.
Breaking the Flyers’ playing style
Under new head coach Rick Tocchet, the Flyers have significantly changed their playing style. This season, their primary responsibility is to prevent rushing opportunities – the easiest way to score goals in hockey. After setting a record for the worst team save percentage of the 21st century in 2024-2025, more discipline in the neutral and offensive zones was an offseason priority.
Related: Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet appears to quietly diss Matvei Michkov
The Flyers haven’t perfected this art yet, but my eye test shows that many targets they now allow are defensive failures – a simple mental error rather than a systems problem. There are also times where they get too overzealous and give up an unnecessary rush, but for the most part they did a good job.
The trade-off is a less dangerous offense, but fortunately a shooting percentage ranked seventh at 5-on-5 they do fine. Plus, considering Trevor Zegras’ brilliance in the shootout (17-for-25 in his career), if the first 65 minutes end in a tie, Philadelphia will most likely come away with a win. They are 5-0 in skills competition this season.
In summary, the Flyers rely on a balanced structure, timely saves and a bit of puck luck to win games. Their talent is most evident in shootouts, where they can easily take the extra leaderboard point. This puts them a record ahead of other rebuilding teams like the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks, who lean on their high-end youth but lack consistency.
Does Tocchet’s playing style win cups? So far, no
There is one big problem with this. The Flyers have proven they can be a potential playoff team, but qualifying for the best-of-16 isn’t the ultimate goal. Winning the Stanley Cup is the ultimate goal.
In a sense, the Flyers are cutting corners. Instead of letting their supposed face of the franchise, Matvei Michkov, develop like all the other rebuilding teams, they cut his minutes and forced him to play “the right way.” Against the Sharks on Dec. 9, he had less ice time than Garnet Hathaway, a 34-year-old player with zero points in 28 games this season.
Tocchet’s system is not that dependent on talent. It’s why absence of winger Tyson Foersterso far, the team hasn’t hurt in the win-loss column. It’s also why Michkov’s lack of usage hasn’t hurt the team. Sure, skills matter to some extent, but you don’t need breathtaking play to win games.
In Tocchet’s introductory press conferenceGeneral manager Daniel Brière praised the coach’s ability to win games with the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes, defying low expectations. This floor-to-ceiling playing style certainly played a role.
But there is an elephant in the room. Tocchet has won just one playoff series in nine seasons as bench boss (excluding this one): with the Vancouver Canucks in 2024. That team, mind you, had a 103-point center, an 89-point center, a Norris Trophy-winning defenseman and a Vezina Trophy finalist between the pipes.
It can be argued that his system limits ceilings. It undermines players like Michkov, whose two-way game is still lacking. This results in high-skill teams, like the 2024 Edmonton Oilers, sending Tocchet home without any hardware.
The Blackhawks, Ducks and Sharks are doing well
With the eighth-highest points percentage in the NHL, buoyed by a young roster and a new coach, it may seem like the Flyers are doing well. But a structure-over-talent approach has a limited ceiling. By letting youth take the wheel, as the Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks and Sharks do, trophies are won.
Connor Bedard (Blackhawks), Leo Carlsson (Ducks) and Macklin Celebrini (Sharks) are the latest superstars, it seems. Despite all being under 21 years old, they have been given the keys to take their teams to glory. While Anaheim is the only team with a better record than the Flyers, the Blackhawks and Sharks also have “future juggernaut” written all over them.
These teams play a skill-based game, where their youngsters can overpower their enemies. The Blackhawks and Sharks, despite last season’s terrible performances, have been very competitive this time around. Once they add veteran talent and their prospects graduate and reach their prime, it’s safe to say they’ll be near the top of the standings.
But the kites? With the way they’re doing it, it just doesn’t seem likely to happen. You can only go so far if you emphasize structure, rather than letting your talent dictate where you go. Things may seem good now, but in a few years they could get old seeing all three clubs outdo them.
Yes, the Flyers are winning hockey games, and it’s a refreshing sight. But this is bad news in the long run.
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