It has become clear that the Philadelphia Flyers would not be where they are right now without Porter Martone, and they certainly would not have won their first Stanley Cup playoff appearance since 2020 without him, either.
Martone, 19, was the hero for the Flyers on Saturday night, turning a mostly ho-hum performance into the zenith of his young career with a moment of individual brilliance.
With the Flyers up 2-1 on the Pittsburgh Penguins late in Game 1, Martone galloped down the ice in transition, and instead of forcing a pass to manufacture a scoring chance, found the composure to peel back at the right circle and evaluate his options with the puck.
The best option, clearly, was letting a shot fly; the 2025 No. 6 overall pick beat Stuart Skinner glove side at his near post with a bullet against the grain.
Not many players have the stones to make that choice nursing a fragile 1-goal lead in a playoff game, let alone their first-ever NHL playoff game and 10th total game in the NHL.
But Martone did, and that is as good an indicator as any that he will eventually ascend to star status in this league.
The impact Martone has had on the Flyers since coming over at the end of his first and only campaign with Michigan State is demonstrable, and this play at this moment is only the latest example of that.
Martone's dagger against the Penguins Saturday night is one that will be shown in highlight reels and game previews between the two clubs for decades to come, and he only needed one chance to make that kind of impact for Philadelphians and Flyers fans everywhere.
The Flyers still have business to take care of, including at least two playoff games at home later in the week, but we can expect this won't be the last of Martone this postseason.