The 2024-25 Philadelphia Flyers season was the latest chapter in a string of long, boring campaigns fueled more by the off-ice drama than the on-ice results. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t a few bright spots that could be building blocks for the future. So let’s review some of the good things that happened during the season!
Number 5: Tortorella is Gone
Regardless of your personal stance on whatever it is John Tortorella was doing the last few years, can we all agree is was more than time for a change behind the bench? It sounds like there were some extracurricular activities that sped up the process, but it was probably unlikely he was returning next season anyway. The Flyers desperately needed a fresh start with a coach that isn’t so stifling. The guy ran his course and it’s time for something new.
Number 4: TK Stays Solid
Even in the midst of a late-season slump, Travis Konency recorded another career year. He’ll probably fall short of the 30-goal plateau for the first time in three years, but he set a new career high in points with 74 (and counting.) His consistency is still a large problem considering he hasn’t done much of note since the calendar flipped to 2025, but some of that can just be chalked up to the anemic state of the offense these days. Considering his new extension doesn’t kick in until next season, it’s a good sign that there may still be some more growth out of their veteran forward.
Number 3: Reinforcements are on the Way
With the exception of Matvei Michkov and brief flashes from Emil Andrae, it was a pretty barren year for prospects on the “rebuilding” Flyers. But that is about to change in 2025-26. Oliver Bonk, Denver Barkey, Carson Bjarnasson, Ty Murchison, Alex Ciernak as well as Jett Lucahnko and Alex Bump may all find themselves at the professional level next season. While none may make the main roster out of the gate (except Luchanko) at least they will be within the system and no longer in juniors/college. It’s been a minute since the team has had a huge influx of prospects and we’ll finally get to see the next step of the rebuild unfold in real time.
Number 2: Briere Made Changes
After the quiet 2024 offseason, fans were getting a bit restless with GMDB ahead of the trade deadline. Luckily, he stepped up to the plate and dealt Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost and Scott Laughton, three longstanding members of the roster. He then followed that up by firing Tortorella a few weeks early. While they may not be blockbuster deals or particularly groundbreaking on their own, it could signal that the front office is ready for change and the 2025 offseason could be filled with moves. Color us skeptical, but at least Briere has earned some benefit of the doubt for the first time.
Number 1: Michkov Came As Advertised
He’s been the lone ray of sunshine in an otherwise dark abyss. The 19-year-old came to a new country with a language he didn’t speak and had all the expectation in the world on his shoulders and had to overcome his own head coach who seemingly had it out for him and the general anemic state of the Flyers’ offense and powerplay and he still managed to hit 60 points. There may not be a lot of tangible positives around the Flyers these days, but Michkov is definitely one of them.
Honorable mention
2025 Draft
The Flyers’ own first round pick will probably be in the top five, they’ve got three first rounders overall and eight picks in the first three rounds. It’s not the best consolation prize of all time, but for a team that desperately needs to do some building either through the draft or via trade, the 2025 draft provides enough ammo for a good place to start.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: Getty Images
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