The Flyers franchise has had a host of great players pass through in its history. While we're all aware of players who had lengthy careers and built their legends here, there are some former "Flyers" who were great, just not when they were here.
Here is a starting lineup of famous alumni that you wouldn't really consider to be former Flyers.
Center - Adam Oates
Starting strong with a member of the NHL's 100th anniversary top 100 players of all time, Adam Oates had a Hall of Fame career spanning 1,337 games. Of that lofty number, 14 of those games belong to the Flyers.
In March 2022, the Flyers were gearing up for a playoff run. They'd win the Atlantic Division and looked like a dangerous team from the top down. While Oates was 39 and far past his prime (he had 6 seasons above 90 points and 4 above 100), he had 68 points in 66 games with Washington when the Flyers sent Maxime Ouellet and their 2002 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks over for Oates. Oates scored 10 points in 14 games, but they flopped in the playoffs, losing in the opening round to the Ottawa Senators.
Oates wouldn't return and played two more years, but thankfully, the trade was an equally bad flop for Washington.
Winger - Kevin Stevens
Best known for his time with the Penguins, Kevin Stevens found his way to the Flyers after running into legal trouble and being almost out of the league entirely. The Flyers gave him a chance, and he played 23 games for the team in the 2000-2001 season.
Stevens won two Stanley Cups and was a three-time All-Star in Pittsburgh, and generally a tough SOB. He no longer had it, and the Flyers sent him home to Pittsburgh after he amassed just 9 points with the team.
Winger - Andrei Kovalenko
Thirteen games, two numbers, one point, and no lasting memories. If you forgot that Andrei Kovalenko played for the Flyers, nobody would blame you.
If you can't picture him, just put a 1990s filter over some old Nikolai Zherdev footage, and you've got Kovalenko. Outside of the Flyers, the former 8th-round pick played 620 NHL games, amassing a very respectable 379 points. The pesky Russian was part of some interesting trades, going to Montreal as part of the Patrick Roy deal, flipped to Edmonton for Scott Thornton (Joe's cousin, not the Bruins tough), to the Flyers for perennial disappointment Alexandre Daigle, and Carolina for Adam Burt. A trade equally as forgettable as his Flyers career.
Defense - Pavel Kubina
A very large defenseman from Czechia, Pavel Kubina, was a key cog in the Tampa Bay Lightning's 2004 Stanley Cup win. He was big, a more than adept passer, and had a booming shot, but his best days were before the NHL changed the clutch and grab rules. He also spent some time with the Maple Leafs. 34 in 2011-12, he was a trade deadline swap for nothing much to the Flyers, but he couldn't reclaim any of his previous form. It would be his last NHL stint.
Hopefully, you didn't buy a jersey for his 17-game stint with the organization.
Defense - Rob Ramage
A three-decade player, Rob Ramage was the 1st overall pick by the Colorado Rockies in the 1979 NHL Draft, but started his pro career a year earlier in the WHA for the Birmingham Bulls. He won two Cups while amassing 1,044 games, 564 points, and 2,226 penalty minutes over a 15-year career, while having a great hockey name for a very tough customer.
He concluded his NHL career with the Flyers, adding his final assist and 14 more penalty minutes in 15 games. He was traded over from Montreal for cash.
Goalie - Glenn "Chico" Resch
Another popular player with a great name, Glenn "Chico" Resch, is best known for his time with the Islanders, forming a great duo with his battery mate, Billy Smith. He was also arguably the best player during some very lean years on the Colorado Rockies/New Jersey Devils.
The Flyers traded a 3rd round pick for him during the 1985-86 season, where he played 22 games to the tune of a 7-7-2 record with a .900 save percentage and 2.97 goals against average, and was one of Ron Hextall's first mentors. He was famously ejected for starting a brawl with Claude Lemieux during his Flyers stint. He was also the first and only goalie to represent the US and Canada at the Canada Cup, and went on to have a great broadcasting career.
Is this the best 6? Do players like Ryan Ellis or Vladimir Malakov deserve some consideration? Be sure to let us know!