It's called the Metropolitan Division these days, but the Flyers and their divisional foes have been battling against each other since the 70s, save for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Among these teams are the hated crosstate arch rival Pittsburgh Penguins, an Original Six squad in the New York Rangers, whom we also hate. The New Jersey Devils, who might've set the Flyers back more than any other team in recent memory, the Carolina Hurricanes, who feel too far away to be real rivals. The Washington Capitals, who don't seem to draw the ire of anyone other than Pittsburgh, and Ray Emery that one time, the New York Islanders, who haven't gotten out of their own way since the 80s, and the Columbus Blue Jackets, who would probably be the team you forget are in the division.
Let's take a look at the all-time records of the Flyers versus some of these teams,
New Jersey Devils
The Flyers have the edge over the Devils, with a record of 131-112-32. They also hold the edge in playoff victories, 16-14.
In fact, the Flyers beat the Devils in every category outside of Stanley Cup victories. The Flyers haven't had the elusive third Stanley Cup, but have always had a more cohesive franchise and a better fan base.
However, nothing the Flyers have ever done to the Devils has matched the impact of Scott Stevens hitting Eric Lindros and ending his Flyers career.
New York Rangers
The Rangers have a slight edge in the regular season, 149-128-49 to be exact, but the Flyers are actually leading their playoff race 30-24
Now, naturally, the Rangers are beating the Flyers in many other head-to-head categories, but consider how well established they were when the Flyers were created.
Right now, the Flyers are looking like an up-and-coming perennial playoff contender, and the Rangers are entering a rebuild for who knows how long.
Carolina Hurricanes
Amazingly, they've only met once in the playoffs, and that was a Carolina sweep last season. The regular-season record, though, favors the Flyers by a 90-47-30 margin.
Carolina is a team that is hard to have any real animosity towards, especially with Rod Brind'Amour being so easy to root for.
Now onto the animosity. The Flyers' closest rivals, nothing stokes the ire of a fan like the Penguins coming to town. The Flyers have owned the regular-season series 169-106-44, as well as the playoffs at 25-22.
The real difference is that the Penguins have twice walked into generational talents and built dynasties around them, giving them five total Stanley Cup victories.
One has to wonder if the Flyers-Penguins rivalry will lose any steam once Crosby and Malkin have been removed from the occasion, but there will probably be a reason to pick it right back up.
Washington Capitals
Another team, another positive regular-season record for the Flyers. This one stands at 126-94-30 for the orange and black, but the Caps do have the playoff advantage at 16-14 currently.
The Flyers again have better overall numbers thanks to longevity, but even with the Capitals being very good in recent memory, they haven't quite caught up to the Flyers, and certainly don't have their mystique.
New York Islanders
In everything but Cups. The Flyers' regular-season advantage is 150-105-45, and the playoffs are 17-15.
The biggest moment of regret against the Islanders comes from Game 6 of the 1980 Stanley Cup Finals. In a tied game, the Islanders pushed the score to 2-1 on a play that was clearly offsides. For whatever reason, Leon Stickle swallowed his whistle. The Flyers battled back to force overtime but would lose the game and the series, starting the Islanders' dynasty and shutting the Flyers out of one of the best chances to win another Stanley Cup.
The Islanders are a team built from the blueline out, and with Matthew Schaefer already looking like a top-flight defender, the Islanders are a team to look out for in the division.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Against all odds, the Blue Jackets have the Flyers' number in the regular season. The current record stands at 32-19-7, which seems shocking.
The Blue Jackets and Flyers have never faced off in the playoffs, and aren't likely to. Still, you can not take a regular-season game against them lightly, and clearly the Flyers have.
That's the divisional list, and the Flyers will be looking to extend some leads or close some gaps once the 2026-2027 season starts.
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