Last season, the Philadelphia Flyers returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2020, and while the young group of prospects wasn’t the reason, it helped. The Trevor Zegras trade in the 2025 offseason, the midseason call-ups of Alex Bump and Denver Barkey, plus the late-season Porter Martone addition gave them enough of a boost. 

That core was exciting last season. Now, the expectations have shifted from being exciting and playoff-caliber. Are the Flyers better? Are their younger players good enough? Last season, they showed they can help this team make the playoffs. 

Now, the hope is that this core can eventually become a Stanley Cup contender, something the Flyers have been building towards since they started the rebuild under general manager Daniel Briere. 

Alex Bump looks different this season. It’s noticeable in his play and his approach to the game. “He looked like he was very confident,” Lehigh Valley Phantoms head coach John Snowden noted after the first game of the Rookie Series against the New York Rangers, a game in which Bump scored a goal and assisted another. 

The flashes Bump showed are nothing new; he’s always had the skill to play in the NHL. However, he’s making the most of his opportunities, and it’s why he’s a different and much-improved player.

This time around, after a 2025 Rookie Series where he struggled, he knows what’s in front of him and what it takes to thrive at the next level. “I think he's stronger, he's bigger, he's faster. I think when you get to play at the National Hockey League level, and you're playing against the best players in the world, you learn quickly that a lot of the things that maybe you were able to get away with in college or maybe you get away with in the American League, you're definitely not going to get away with in that league,” Snowden added.

Bump has turned himself into a winger who can take over games. And he’s not the only one in the Flyers youth movement who fits into that category either. This team has wingers on top of wingers. Zegras and Matvei Michkov already showed their upside on the Flyers. Martone gave them a glimpse at the end of last season. Plus, Barkey has turned himself into a high-motor winger who makes the players around him better. 

Add it all up, and the Flyers are a talented team, but only at one position. They can overwhelm teams with their forward unit, specifically on the wings. Is that good enough? Can a team win the Cup with that team-build? 

Heading into rookie and training camp, all eyes are on Jett Luchanko. The Flyers are hoping he can become an elite center, even if that means they are patient with him and keep him in the American Hockey League all of 2026-27. 

The Flyers hope Luchanko has that skill that makes him elite, whether it’s his shot, his playmaking, or his speed, which can turn him into a two-way center. “Jett as a centerman, he's skating so good. He takes up space quickly. He's not the biggest guy in the world, but he closes plays fast because he can get there,” Snowden noted. His speed allows him to close in on plays in the defensive zone and break out into the offensive zone to lead rushes the other way. 

This is an organization that’s been on the search for an elite young center for years. The Leo Carlsson offer sheet was confirmation of their urgency to add that player type. The Flyers won’t be in a position to draft a top-tier center, and their best bet is developing one from within. 

It’s what makes Luchanko the player who makes or breaks this rebuild, or at least determines its upside. He’s good but how good is he? With the Flyers' wing talent, how good does he need to be? Martone, Michkov, and Zegras are all game-changing talents, and they just need a center who can provide them with open looks and work with their skill sets.

While the preseason is providing optimism, there’s still an unknown about this team and their future. Who will be the number one defenseman? Is there an elite defenseman in the system? Sure, the young defensemen both on the NHL team and on their way have shown flashes but none of them look like that number one blueliner who can be used in all situations. 

It’s a big-picture problem considering how the Flyers are assembling their core. Most championship-caliber teams have that elite defenseman. Most of the best teams have one as well. The Montreal Canadiens, who are also a young team on the rise, have Lane Hutson. The New York Islanders have Matthew Schaefer. The Buffalo Sabres have Rasmus Dahlin. The list goes on. 

The Flyers can turn to the past two Cup winners as the counterargument. Both the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers didn’t have a number-one defenseman. Instead, both teams had three or four who were great and split responsibilities. That’s what they can hope for in their young mix that includes Jamie Drysdale, David Jiricek, Oliver Bonk, and Cam York. 

Looking at the Flyers next season, in three seasons, or even five seasons, they might be a constant playoff team without a top-line center, top-pair defense, and even a number one goaltender (Dan Vladar proved he can be that elite goaltender, but he’s older, and the prospects at the position are tough to predict). 

At the same time, it might not matter. The Flyers can have the most talented team on the ice every night. The catch, of course, is that most of the talent is on the wing but they’ll still overwhelm teams with their stars. 

Every draft, GMs, fans, and everyone in between ask whether the team should take the best player on the board or the positional need. The Flyers entered their rebuild with the mindset of taking the best player, even if it meant overlooking key positions on their roster. The results are showing now, and time will tell whether this strategy pays off.