Fearless forecast for the Flyers' 2025-26 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Rick Tocchet era officially begins Thursday night for the Flyers down in Sunrise, Florida.

Tocchet takes over a rebuilding team that hasn’t made the playoffs in five straight seasons, matching the franchise’s longest drought. But the Flyers Hall of Famer isn’t setting the postseason as his expectations.

“It’s the development of players,” the head coach said Monday. “We call it maximizing the player. Are players improving? That’s a big part of it. If players are improving, you’ve got a better chance at winning hockey games.

“I understand people want to talk playoffs and all these variables. I don’t know. But for me and my staff, we’re going to be judged, for me, on we’ve got to get guys to maximize their talent. I think that’s really what it comes down to. We have guys that I really believe we can make them really good hockey players.”

Before the club opens the season against the Panthers (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP), let’s get into our Flyers Fearless Forecast, featuring projections for how the team will finish and a random assortment of bold predictions from NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jordan Hall and Joe Fordyce.

Hall

Flyers prediction/Cup prediction

The Flyers have a reasonable chance at improving this season, especially when you consider just how poorly they finished last season. They dropped 15 of their final 21 games (6-13-2) to end the season tied with the Bruins for the Eastern Conference’s worst record (33-39-10).

The additions of Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak give the Flyers a good lift down the middle, an area in which they’ve needed help. Zegras provides a high-end skill level and Dvorak offers intriguing versatility.

But will the Flyers have enough depth on defense? And, more critically, will they get the all-important answers in net?

The new coaching staff wants to give the goaltenders a cleaner opportunity at seeing the puck, meaning fewer blocked shots. It also wants the Flyers to be a better possession team, potentially cutting down on the odd-man rushes the other way. It’ll be interesting to see if the Flyers can follow through on those changes.

“I expect the goaltending to be better, no doubt about it,” Danny Briere said last month. “I think also the system might protect them a little better, that Rick Tocchet and his staff are going to put forth.”

The Flyers had 76 points last season, so an eight-point jump to 84 seems realistic in Year 1 under Tocchet. We’ll go with a 38-36-8 finish, which won’t get the Flyers into the playoffs. But it could be a promising step heading into a big offseason.

As for the Stanley Cup Final, the Stars will benefit from a full season of Mikko Rantanen and take down the Lightning in six games.

Dvorak breaks out

The Flyers traded for Zegras and signed goaltender Dan Vladar, arguably the team’s two biggest offseason moves considering the positions. But, sneakily, Dvorak might be the Flyers’ most impactful acquisition.

The 29-year-old had his best NHL season under Tocchet with the Coyotes. The familiarity will pay off this season as he puts up 40 or more points for a new career high. And it’ll lead to the Flyers re-signing him.

Changing of the guard

The Flyers could look a lot different on defense when the season is all said and done. They just lack stability outside of their top three or four blueliners, which could lead to moving parts. Injuries could also factor into things.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Flyers are constantly looking at different options down at AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley or even pursue a trade now that they have some added cap space.

Fordyce

Flyers prediction/Cup prediction

It’s that time of year again, time for a fearless forecast of how this Flyers season will go. The way this has gone recently, however, I may be better off forecasting the weather.

I feel like this Flyers season, the first under Tocchet, will start slowly, but will pick up steam. In the end, I see the Flyers finishing with 83 points and just on the outside looking in at the playoff picture. With that said, I think the Flyers can capture one of the wild-card spots if they get better goaltending than expected.

Overall, I believe last season was the one to capitalize on — the Rangers had a down year and Jack Hughes missed a good portion of the season for the Devils with an injury. Those are not things that you can count on happening two straight seasons.

My Stanley Cup Final prediction is a heavyweight matchup between Craig Berube’s Maple Leafs and the Stars. Dallas has been a team flirting with a Stanley Cup ever since losing in the Final during COVID. I think this is the year the Stars get it done.

As I write this, I sit and wonder what would become of Toronto if it reaches the Final only to lose. Scary thought.

Power surge

As far as bold predictions for the Flyers, I see their offense being significantly better, and in particular on the power play. I predict the Flyers’ power play will finish right in the middle of the league, which might as well be the best PP in the league when you consider how bad it has been in recent years.

Konecny’s climb

My second bold prediction is that this is finally the year that Travis Konecny reaches the 40-goal mark. At different points during the last two seasons, Konecny has been on pace to reach that mark. But injuries and/or a slump have dashed those hopes. This year, he gets it done.

The Toronto Maple Leafs didn't have any turnover on their defense from last season to this one , but they still wanted to see improvement from their highest-paid and longest-tenured defenseman.

Morgan Rielly delivered immediately, scoring the game-winning goal in the third period. He jumped up into the play after Matthew Knies had a breakaway stopped and gave Toronto the lead for good in a 5-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens in the season opener.

Rielly was Toronto’s best performer in all-around play, recording a team-best 1.24 expected goals at 5-on-5, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. This is particularly impressive since Toronto only had a 45 percent share of the puck. The Leafs want Rielly to be more aggressive with the puck, and it showed in his play, bringing back a similar offensive vintage to the defenseman who recorded 20 goals and 52 assists in 82 games during the 2018-19 season.

“He looked great. I feel like he did everything out there today for us,” Maple Leafs forward Calle Järnkrok said of Rielly.

Rielly was presented the team’s championship belt, given to the player of the game following a Leafs win, by Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews.

“Let’s keep building from here” - Mo Daddy pic.twitter.com/sM279127Da

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 9, 2025

A Summer of Commitment

At the beginning of training camp, Leafs GM Brad Treliving revealed he had a conversation with Morgan Rielly before the 2024-25 season that the player ‘took to heart’. Treliving mentioned that Rielly spent a lot of time in the gym this summer and took to heart the messages he had for him.

Forward Bobby McMann, who spent most of the summer with Rielly at the club’s workout facility, confirmed the defenseman's commitment:

'My Goal Was To Leave No Stone Unturned': How Morgan Rielly's Summer Could Set Him Up For Success With Maple LeafsShortly after the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in May, Morgan Rielly and general manager Brad Treliving sat down to review the year.

“It was kind of me and him going at it together in the summer. And he showed up every day, put the work in, continued to be a professional this far into his career,” McMann said. He’s still hungry. He still wants it. And he wants to win so bad, and he wants the best for himself. And you can see that”.

The Strategic Shift

When Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube took over the bench last season, there was a change in philosophy that was more focused on a collective defensive approach. Berube suggested that while Rielly committed to the new style, he felt that maybe it took out some of the aggressive attack in his game.

Since the acquisition of Brandon Carlo from the Boston Bruins in March, the team felt it’s only helped Rielly feel more secure about jumping into the play.

Bruins Trade Brandon Carlo To Maple Leafs In Surprising Deal The Boston Bruins have traded defenseman Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Fraser Minten, a 2026 first-round pick, and a 2025 fourth-round pick. The Bruins are also retaining 15% of Carlo's salary.

“He's really good at protecting his partner and doing all that stuff,” Berube said of Carlo. “So I think Mo has got a lot more freedom. And quite frankly, when he came over here, I thought Mo's game changed quite a bit”.

With the Leafs looking for offense wherever they can get it, improving from defense would help. Toronto finished last in the NHL in goals scored by defensemen last season. Even a modest improvement from Rielly goes a long way to changing things for the better.

Rielly's Reaction

Despite the big game, Rielly didn’t want to soak in the praise after the win, rather pointing out some of the mistakes and poor puck play the club displayed against a fast Montreal team.

“Lots of good things. I'm not trying to say we sucked. But, we're going to look to improve and build our game,” Rielly said. “We have high expectations for our group. And I think at times in the middle of the game, we didn't manage the puck that well. And then obviously in the third, we came out and played well. So we're happy with the result”.

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PITTSBURGH, PA -- It's finally game day, New York Islanders fans. It's been 175 days since the last Islanders regular-season game, and 177 days since the last regular-season game at UBS Arena.

To say the franchise has changed since then would be a dramatic understatement. From moving on from Lou Lamoriello to winning the NHL Draft Lottery and selecting Matthew Schaefer, it's truly a new era on Long Island.

It all gets started tonight, where the Islanders take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Schaefer makes his NHL debut against Sidney Crosby and fellow 2025 NHL Draft pick Ben Kindel.

Before things get going, The Hockey News' New York Islanders writers are here with some bold predictions for the upcoming season.

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Rosner's Bold Predictions: 

#1: Anthony Duclair will score 30 goals to lead the team

What a nightmare Anthony Duclair's first season on Long Island was.

From the groin tear to a way-too-early return, he was bashed in the media by his head coach, which led to a leave of absence with eight games to go, leaving no one with any idea how things would play out this summer, with three seasons left on his deal. 

But the way Duclair has come into camp, looking healthier than ever and as sharp as ever, it's changed the potential impact he can have on this team. One of the biggest questions surrounding the Islanders is who will fill the goal-scoring void with Brock Nelson gone. 

Duclair has something to prove, an enormous chip on his shoulder. And although he's starting the season on the fourth line alongside Casey Cizikas and Maxim Tsyplakov -- the most offensive-looking fourth line in franchise history -- if he plays the way he played in training camp and preseason, he'll find himself higher on the depth charts. I wouldn't be shocked if he's playing with Barzal and/or Horvat. 

While I don't think he'll set a new career high in goals -- he scored 31 in 2021-22 with the Florida Panthers -- could 30 be in the cards, and if so, that would likely lead the team.

#2. Calum Ritchie Is The No.  2 Center Befor Christmas

There may have been no real opportunity for Calum Ritchie to crack a spot in the Islanders' lineup, and the injury awarded the Islanders more time to figure things out.

But once Ritchie returns from his minor lower-body injury, he'll likely be sent to Bridgeport. But if he excels in the AHL like we expect, he's going to force the Islanders to make a call-up -- unless an injury creates an opportunity before that. 

As we expect to see with No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer, it will be challenging to limit Ritchie's minutes once he earns his NHL chance with the Islanders.

He's not a bottom-six player -- he proved that and I think the Islanders understand that. 

Mix in that and Mathew Barzal's desire to play with Bo Horvat, and that No. 2 center job is one that Ritchie will likely own by the end of the season, but why wait if he's ready?

Before the presents go under the Christmas tree, Ritchie will be the No. 2 C -- hey, that rhymed. 

#3. Islanders Win Jennings Trophy

Goaltending is the most important position for the Islanders if they want to get back into the postseason.

Starting netminder Ilya Sorokin is elite, and this is the season he'll have the numbers to prove that again, like he did when he was a Vezina finalist in 2022-23 (2.34 GAA, .924 SV%).

Backup David Rittich is entering the season with a major chip on his shoulder after signing a one-year, $1 million deal this summer. He's coming off a tough season with the Los Angeles Kings (2.84 GAA, .886 SV%), a season in which Los Angeles was elite and so was their starting netminder Darcy Kuemper (2.02 GAA, .921 SV%). 

Rittich will put a shaky presence behind him and be the brick wall the Islanders need him to be, with Semyon Varlamov still a way off.

Backed by an improved defense under Bob Boughner, a more dynamic defense thanks to Matthew Schaefer, Sorokin, and Rittich will win the Jennings Trophy, allowing the fewest goals in the NHL, for the first time since Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss back in 2018-19.  

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Macias' Bold Predictions:

#1: The Islanders finish above the Montreal Canadiens in the standings

For all of the many things the Islanders did this spring and summer, perhaps nothing was more scrutinized in the moment by the hockey world than the trade of Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens. 

Fast-forward to opening night, and it looks far less one-sided than many thought. Emil Heineman will be skating alongside Jonathan Drouin and Bo Horvat to begin the year, outright beating Maxim Shabanov and Anthony Duclair for a spot in the top six.

That doesn't even mention Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson, both falling to the Islanders at the draft.

As for this season, the Canadiens did acquire Dobson, but their defense is still extremely suspect. Additionally, Sam Montembeault remains a huge question mark. Yes, those Habs can score, but can they keep the puck out of their net? They couldn't Wednesday, losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2. 

The Islanders will have the better goaltending and defense, even if New York's offense may not have the same firepower as Montreal.

The Atlantic Division will also be much tougher than the Metropolitan Division, another reason the Habs may struggle more.

As a result, pencil the Islanders to come in ahead of those Canadiens when the season comes to a close.

#2: Maxim Shabanov and Matthew Schaefer Combine for 80+ Points

The Islanders will have two NHL rookies in their lineup when the season starts tonight in Pittsburgh. One is the highly-touted, elite defenseman in Schaefer.

The other is the highly sought-after Russian, Maxim Shabanov. Despite not initially sticking in the top six, Shabanov's immense skill is very apparent.

He will be able to score and create plays all by himself, having already proven his size does not affect his game whatsoever. 

Maxim Tsyplakov posted 35 points last year as a rookie with less-projected offense than what Shabanov may bring, so it's not far-fetched to think Shabanov could sniff close to 50 points as a rookie.

Meanwhile, Schaefer will be 18 years old and immediately given all the opportunities in the world. His smooth skating fits Head Coach Patrick Roy's system like a glove, and he's going to play on the second power play unit. With his offensive upside, it's very likely he gets 30 points at an absolute minimum, with clear potential for a 40-50 point rookie year.

Book Schaefer and Shabanov to combine for 80 or more points this season.

#3: The Islanders Finish With A Top-Ten Power Play

Perhaps the boldest of all takes from me. The last time the Islanders didn't have a bottom-ten unit came in 2021-22, when they finished 12th in the league. 

Last year, the Islanders finished with a putrid 12.6%, 31st in the league. Enter Ray Bennett and Jonathan Drouin, a PP specialist coach and a PP specialist set-up man.

Behind the arrival of that duo, a full season of Tony DeAngelo and Schaefer quarterbacking two units, and a healthy Mathew Barzal, it doesn't feel all that unlikely for New York to have a significantly better unit.

Not only do all those factors work in their favor, but Shabanov has immense skill to offer, too.

Bennett had a perennial top 10 power play no matter what in Colorado. Just because he's got elite talent there doesn't mean he didn't have clear, elite systems for his team to use. Clearly, Bennett's got the chops to do it here, too.

The Islanders will snap the nearly decade-long drought without a top ten unit and earn themselves one this year.

What are you bold takes for this season? Let us know in the comments. 

Fresh off an exciting win on Opening Night, the Florida Panthers are set to continue their season-opening homestand on Thursday night.

The Panthers will welcome the Philadelphia Flyers to Sunrise in what will be Philly’s first game of the new season.

Florida featured some new-look forward lines in their opener, and overall the results were quite good.

The Panthers new top line of Sam Bennett centering Brad Marchand and Carter Verhaeghe created an impressive 14 scoring chances at even strength, which is more than the entire rest of the team combined (13), according to Natural Stat Trick.

Defensively, Florida’s fourth line, which featured new signing Luke Kunin skating between A.J. Greer and Jonah Gadjovich, was quite good defensively.

They allowed no scoring chances or high danger chances against, though they did earn three high danger chances of their own, generating a pair of rebound opportunities to boot.

As for the visiting Flyers, not only to they get to face the defending Stanley Cup Champs to open their season, but two of their first three games will come against the Cats, including their home opener on Monday.

Thursday’s game will also be the first behind the bench for new Flyers Head Coach Rick Tocchet.

The former Jack Adams winner will look to lead Philadelphia back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Playing his first game in Flyers orange will be exciting young forward Trevor Zegras.

He was brought to Philly in an offseason trade after spending his first five seasons in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks and will be looking to recapture the success he saw during his first three years in the league, and move past the frustrations of the past two.

Here are the Panthers’ projected forward lines and defensive pairings for Thursday’s matchup with the Flyers:

Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Bennett – Brad Marchand

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart

Mackie Samoskevich – Evan Rodrigues – Jesper Boqvist

A.J. Greer – Luke Kunin – Jonah Gadjovich

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones

Dmitry Kulikov – Jeff Petry

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Photo caption: Oct 7, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Jesper Boqvist (70) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

The wait is finally over as the Vancouver Canucks kick off their 2025-26 regular season against the Calgary Flames. Vancouver will be opening up their season at home, while Calgary started their campaign on Wednesday. Last season, the two Pacific Division rivals split the season series, with each team going 2-1-1. 

A key for the Canucks will be getting out to a quick start. As mentioned, this will be the second half of a back-to-back for the Flames, who battled the Edmonton Oilers on the road in their season opener. If Vancouver can hold offensive possession and test Calgary's goaltender early and often, it could provide an advantage later in the game. 

 The Canucks also need to ensure they build off the energy provided by the fans. Rogers Arena is going to be loud, which should provide a boost for Vancouver, especially early on. Ultimately, the Canucks cannot afford a similar situation to last year, where Vancouver gave up a 4-1 first-period lead before falling 6-5 in overtime to the Flames. 

Players To Watch:

Braeden Cootes

Welcome to the NHL, Braeden Cootes. After an impressive training camp and pre-season, the 2025 first-round pick will make his NHL debut, becoming the first 18-year-old since Petr Nedvěd in 1990 to play for Vancouver. Projected to play on a line with Evander Kane and Jonathan Lekkerimäki, it will be a special moment for Cootes and his family when he hits the Rogers Arena ice for his solo rookie lap.

Matvei Gridin

Another teenager in this game will be 19-year-old Matvei Gridin. A first-round pick in 2024, the Russian forward was selected using the Canucks draft pick, which was sent to Calgary in the Elias Lindholm trade. Coming off a successful NHL debut where he scored and recorded five shots, Gridin could be a handful for Vancouver in this game. 

Vancouver Canucks 2024-25 (38-30-14): 

Points:

Quinn Hughes: 16–60–76
Brock Boeser: 25–25–50
Conor Garland: 19–31–50
Jake DeBrusk: 28–20–48
Pius Suter: 25–21–46

Goaltenders: 

Kevin Lankinen: 25-15-10
Thatcher Demko: 10-8-3

Calgary Flames (1-0-0): 

Points:

Matvei Gridin: 1-0-1
Connor Zary: 1-0-1
Blake Coleman: 1-0-1
Nazem Kadri: 0-1-1
Matt Coronato: 0-1-1

Goaltenders:

Dustin Wolf: 1-0-0

Game Information: 

Start time: 7:00 pm PT 
Venue: Rogers Arena
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: Sportsnet 650

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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The Philadelphia Flyers were hoping to splurge on a bonafide NHL star in the 2026 free agency class, but in recent weeks, their options rapidly thinned out.

Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov signed a record-breaking extension to stay put, and on Wednesday, Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel agreed to an eight-year, $108 million ($13.5 million AAV) deal to remain in Sin City.

With those two off the market, the Flyers are left with only New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin to chase.

The problem, of course, is that Panarin will turn 34 years old at the end of this month.

It's certainly plausible the former 120-point-scorer hits free agency, given the volatile state of the Rangers and the general lack of team success there.

However, it's important to note that Panarin is in the last year of a seven-year, $81.5 million ($11.643 million AAV) contract and will be due for a big raise, regardless of his age. The 34-year-old is represented by agent Paul Theofanous, who just negotiated the eight-year, $136 million extension ($17 million AAV) for Kaprizov.

NHL Trade Rumors: Flyers Badly Need Defensive UpgradesThe Philadelphia Flyers are reportedly scouring the NHL trade market for much-needed defensive reinforcements, but which players are actually going to be worth their while?

The Flyers do have some advantages in going after Panarin, such as being able to sell the veteran on playing with young talents and fellow Russians like Matvei Michkov, Nikita Grebenkin, and, soon, Egor Zavragin.

Fortunately, after clearing significant cap in the Ryan Ellis trade, the Flyers won't have any issues affording Panarin and any potential contract demands that end up being greater than what the public sphere would expect.

Plus, the Flyers hold arguably the greatest trump card in that Panarin's father-in-law, Oleg Znarok, works for the team and has for two seasons now.

Of course, signing Panarin doesn't address the Flyers' continued needs at the center position, but, in theory, they do still have Sean Couturier, and Trevor Zegras could very well surprise people now that he's rejuvenated and back home on the east coast.

Flyers to Begin New Season Without Key DefenderIn a somewhat surprising injury update, the Philadelphia Flyers are going to be without one of their top defensemen to start the 2025-26 regular season.

From there, the Flyers would just have to hope that Jack Nesbitt and/or Jett Luchanko can fill out the bottom-six in the short term and develop some top-six upside in the right environment in the long term. Such a climate would be super friendly for that growth, too, given that it would include Panarin, Michkov, Travis Konecny, and Porter Martone.

But, in the event the Flyers aren't able to sign Panarin? Eichel and Kaprizov are already locked down, which effectively dashes any plans of making a splash signing in the 2026 free agency period.

Then, it would come down to a big trade, or no move at all.