The Philadelphia Flyers may not have made it to the Stanley Cup Final, but they ended their season on a high note, as they shocked the world and made it to the second round of the playoffs. While they did get swept by the Carolina Hurricanes, there was a lot to be proud of when it came to the Flyers. Perhaps their highlight was a first-round series win over the rival Pittsburgh Penguins in the latest edition of the "Battle of Pennsylvania."
The Flyers got off to a commanding 3-0 series lead, with the Penguins winning Games 4 and 5. Game 6 went to overtime, and defenseman Cam York scored the series-clinching goal for the Flyers to advance to the second round. The young, upstart Flyers defeated the Penguins veteran core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson.
Now, to start the season, the Flyers will have their home opener on Sept. 30 against the Penguins. The Flyers will immediately look to prove that their playoff series win over the Penguins was no fluke.
Flyers host Penguins in 2026-27 home opener in playoff rematch
When looking at the Penguins, it will virtually be the same roster as it was during their playoff matchup.
One of the question marks heading into the offseason was whether they would retain Malkin or let him test out free agency. Long before free agency began, the Penguins and Malkin agreed to terms on a one-year, $5.5 million contract, with up to an additional $3.5 million in incentives. So, he's going to run it back at least one more season with Crosby and Letang.
Besides that, the Penguins did lose some players this offseason. Notably, they watched Anthony Mantha sign a two-year, $9 million contract with the rival New Jersey Devils, Ryan Shea join the Edmonton Oilers on a five-year, $20 million contract, and Noel Acciari signing a two-year, $5.6 million contract with the Flyers. Other than that, the Penguins didn't make a huge splash this offseason, with their main move thus far being trading for Nicholas Robertson from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Things can obviously change, as reports indicate that the Penguins are looking to land Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson in a trade. But thus far, there has been no momentum, especially as the Stars and Robertson are heading towards arbitration on July 25.
As for the Flyers, they will have virtually the same roster, too. They did upgrade at backup goaltender with Joseph Woll. Plus, there is momentum building towards the team signing Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale to new contract extensions, after they had already locked in Dan Vladar and Tyson Foerster. The Flyers attempted a blockbuster by signing Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $18 million per year offer sheet. However, the Ducks matched that offer.
Expectations are high heading into next season. The Flyers have belief that their current roster, especially their younger players, can take that next step to bring them back to a Stanley Cup title. They will get to show that first things first at home against the Penguins.
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