VOORHEES, N.J. – Even though the Flyers changed coaches in the offseason, they still believe they are making progress in their ongoing rebuild.
During a Wednesday press conference at the Flyers Training Center, both team governor/CEO Dan Hilferty and general manager Keith Jones expressed optimism their team is on the right track.
The addition of new head coach Rick Tocchet plus several promising young players have the Flyers believing they can come close to, if not end, a five-season playoff drought.
It all comes down to how patient the Flyers’ fan base might be. The five-year dry spell has already tied a franchise record for lack of postseason play.
Hilferty said he’s satisfied the team continues to head in the right direction and that the advances general manager Daniel Briere has made are proof of that.
“This rebuild is about a patient approach,” Hilferty said. “Growing it through the draft, making sure that we’re not jumping ahead of ourselves and that we get our (salary) cap space in a good place.”
The Flyers had their ups and downs last season but ultimately finished last in the Metropolitan Division. The only place to go is up.
“I feel really good about where we’re headed,” Hilferty said, mindful of the influx of talent for the 2025-26 season. “This patient approach is working. I’m excited about coach Tocchet coming in. I feel really good we’re going to have a successful year.”
In Hilferty’s mind, a “successful” season doesn’t necessarily mean making the playoffs.
“How we define a successful year. . .is not necessarily making the playoffs,” Hilferty said. “Although that would be great, (at least) for the fan in me. But just see improvement throughout the year in our younger players and a competitive edge.”
Jones, who played for a number of successful teams in Colorado and Philadelphia, said he has a similar good vibe about the team moving forward. He and Briere are starting their third year leading the front office.
“I’m really excited to get things started this year,” he said. “It feels a little bit different from the first two years (in conjunction with former coach John Tortorella’s regime), we’re starting to progress.
“We’re continuing to move forward. We’re doing everything we can to ensure that continues to happen. I feel really good about where Danny has the team now and for the future. I like the way the team is coming together.”
The Flyers would appear ready to give 2024 first-round draft pick Jett Luchanko a real shot at making the team. He played the first four games of last season as an 18-year-old. Forward Alex Bump and defenseman Oliver Bonk also have a decent chance of making the opening night roster.
Jones was asked if the Flyers have turned a corner when it comes to “adding” players, rather than just developing what they have.
They’ve acquired goaltender Dan Vladar as a potential No. 2 behind Sam Ersson, along with forwards Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak.
“I think we owed that to our players that are here,” Jones said. “They’ve done everything that we’ve asked of them. We’ve continued to accumulate assets to help us in the future. A lot of our top players have been patient with that. We’re just in a better position to move forward.”
The Flyers already have a pretty good nucleus of young players, including Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster, Noah Cates and Bobby Brink among others.
“We’re a deeper team,” Jones said. “Way more options for our coaching staff. At the trade deadline we’re not going to be giving players away to gain future assets.”
Two seasons ago, the Flyers were in a playoff spot for 124 days of the season and then suffered a late collapse. Last year, they were out of it after just a few months.
Can that be viewed as a step back?
“Not at all,” Jones said. “I do believe the year before we felt pretty good about our team going into that season but we realized we needed to be more flexible in the future. That’s what led to some of the selling off at the deadline.”
The decision this year to draft Porter Martone with their first pick (No. 6 overall) should also pay dividends but that will have to wait awhile because he’s committed to Michigan State, at least until March.
“I think the execution of the draft is another important step for us,” Jone said. “I feel really good about the accumulation of talent. I think that’s going to really help us as far as building that foundation – from our younger players advancing and some of our young guys who have been in the league for a few years.
“Now they’re ready to take on roles of leadership. That will help us advance to eventually become a playoff team, which is not an easy thing to do in this league.”
What if the Flyers flounder again this season?
“That would be disappointing,” Jones admitted. “We definitely want to continue to take steps forward. I believe we will. It’s about staying on course now, which is about advancing. Not moving back.”
Hilferty said he understands why Flyers’ followers are getting a bit antsy.
“As a fan, you want to compete every year and get into the playoffs,” he said. “You wanto the fans to be excited, you want to see tickets sold, you want people in the arena.”
The governor/CEO said team owner Brian Roberts and Comcast have an understanding of the process.
“We’re just going to take our time and do this the right way,” Hilferty said. “The point being, there’s no pressure from me to say we need to do something drastic because we need to have a better shot at the playoffs.
“This is about steady growth. We’re going to wait this out. We want to build a culture that’s sustainable. Sustainable excellence.”
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