Flyers’ biggest mistake so far in 2026 NHL free agency

The Philadelphia Flyers were a new team last season. After years of treading water and finishing out of the playoffs for 5 consecutive seasons, the Flyers finished in a tie for second place in the Metropolitan Division and made their way back into the postseason.

Once the three-week Olympic break was over, the Flyers played sensational hockey the rest of the regular season. They went 18-7-1 during the compressed finishing portion of the schedule and announced their presence with authority. Making the playoffs was not enough for head coach Rick Tocchet. The Flyers defeated their in-state rival Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round by a 4-2 margin.

While they were defeated 4-0 by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, the Flyers should have some level of confidence as they begin the new season.

Flyers will attempt to use last season as jumping-off point

They don’t have superstars on the roster and there really wasn’t any one player who grabbed his teammates by the top of the jersey — “sweater” is an antiquated term that needs to be retired — and says follow me. Instead, the Flyers have a number of key players that came through last season and they regularly found multiple heroes in the second half of the season.

Travis Konecny and Trevor Zegras led the way with 68 and 67 points respectively, while Dan Vladar was one of the better goalies in the league. He had a 29-14-7 recording while starting 51 games and his had a 2.42 goals against average and a .906 save percentage.

That was an elite performance that was far better than he had ever demonstrated in his previous five years. There are legitimate questions about whether he can play to that level again, and Flyers bosses Daniel Briere and Keith Jones know it.

They attempted to upgrade the No. 2 goaltender position by acquiring Joseph Woll from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Woll acquisition appears to be a huge gamble and a likely mistake

The Flyers acquired Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit for defenseman Emil Andrae, goalie Samuel Ersson and a 2026 third-round draft pick that the Maple Leafs turned into goalie Jusso Ainasto.

Woll had a brutal season for the Maple Leafs last year, and he may not be any better than Ersson. Woll had a 15-16-7 record with a 3.34 GAA and an .898 save percentage the troubled Leafs. The No. 2 goalie position is incredibly important throughout the NHL, and it is especially important for the Flyers.

Vladar had an elite performance last year, but there are no guarantees that he can play to that level again this year. The schedule is expanded this season, going from 82 to 84 games. Vladar is unlikely to play more than 50 regular-season games and the rest will fall on Woll’s shoulders.

Andrae has excellent offensive potential

There is little evidence to suggest that Woll will do stellar work in sharing the load with Vladar. If he can’t get the job done, the Flyers may have a difficult time matching what they did a year ago.

Additionally, the Flyers gave up a young defenseman in Andrae as part of the compensation for Woll. Andrae demonstrated that Tocchet trusted him to be in the Flyers’ blue line rotation as he played 61 games and averaged more than 15 minutes of action per night.

While Andrae is not a big man at 5-9 and 183 pounds, he is an excellent skate who demonstrated some all-around ability. He scored 2 goals and handed out 11 assists and he was plus-15 for the season. He can move the puck and he looked like he could serve as a power play weapon.

There is a very good chance the Flyers have gotten fleeced by the Maple Leafs, a development that Briere will have to wear like a badge of shame.

Flyers still need a No. 1 center

As the Flyers prepare for the 2026-27 season, they have Christian Dvorak and Zegras as their top two centers. If Dvorak remains in the No. 1 pivot position, he will be centering a line between Konecny and explosive Porter Martone.

Dvorak is a solid, all-around player, but he is not an ideal No. 1 center. The Flyers made a lot of noise when they delivered a 5-year, $80 million contract offer to restricted free agent Leo Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks. That move did not pay off because the Ducks refused to let him go and matched the offer.

As a result, the Flyers still don’t have the ideal No. 1 center to play between Konecny and Martone.

The controversial offer sheet that the Flyers gave Carlsson may have a negative impact for years to come when it comes to trading with other teams.

The offer to Carlsson set a new benchmark for restricted free agents on the verge of stardom. That action may lead to resentment when it comes to making trades with the Flyers. Other teams are likely to go after Martone when he is eligible for a contract extension at the conclusion of the upcoming season, and that could be disastrous for the Flyers.

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