NHL teams couldn't do any last-minute Christmas shopping thanks to the league-mandated roster freeze that is enforced around the holiday, but that wasn't really a problem for the Flyers. You see, they collected all the gifts they’ve needed over the summer, as the early returns on their offseason have been very positive so far.
It all starts with head coach Rick Tocchet, a divisive hire that was dismissed by some as just the latest example of the Flyers continuing their age-old tradition of giving jobs to former Flyers. That’s valid to an extent, although those people looked past Tocchet’s solid coaching track record, including a recent Jack Adams Award.
You can quibble with things like Matvei Michkov’s usage or some of the lineup decisions, but with the Flyers in a playoff spot at the Christmas break, you can only call Tocchet’s tenure a success to this point. He seems to be doing exactly what Danny Briere and company expected when they chose him.
The Flyers got all their Christmas shopping done months ago, thanks to an offseason that looks effective in hindsight
Then there are the new toys on the ice for the Flyers. You’ll notice Trevor Zegras’ name right at the top of the stats page, as he leads the Flyers in both goals and points as we approach the midpoint of the season. He’s been scintillating so far, a veritable steal for what the Flyers gave to Anaheim for him. Then again, Cutter Gauthier is excelling for the Ducks this year as well, so maybe we can call the team’s two recent trades a win/win. It’s working out for the Flyers, though, which is all we care about.
Although Zegras hasn’t made strides at the center position like was initially hoped for him, nobody will really be able to argue if he ends up putting up something in the ballpark of a 30-goal, 80-point season like he’s pacing right now. The only question after that will be regarding how much money the Flyers will have to give him. As a pending restricted free agent, Zegras is in line for a big raise, and the Flyers essentially have to pay up.
Trevor Zegras assist extends point streak to 8 straight; 2nd Flyers player in last 30 years to record an 8-game point streak in his first season with the club. Philadelphia Flyers: 11-5-4 at home this season https://t.co/jE9jGgBmlO
— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) December 23, 2025
Let’s not forget about Christian Dvorak, either, a solid enough center that the Flyers gave a pricey one-year contract to in an effort to stabilize the middle six. Thanks to his strong play, Dvorak has gone from a potential trade chip at the deadline to a possible long-term fit in the Flyers’ forward corps. He posted career highs of 18 goals and 38 points six years ago, and he looks ready to soar past those numbers after he turns 30 years old later this season. You could call his success story unlikely, but maybe Briere and Tocchet just knew he would be the ideal fit for this team.
And then there’s Dan Vladar, a supposed league-average goalie that the Flyers overpaid for because they had to, according to the prevailing wisdom a few months ago. Vladar, however, has reached a new level in his first season with the Orange and Black, separating himself as the starter and making the Flyers look pretty smart for nabbing him.
With Vladar under contract for another year, the Flyers’ crease situation is suddenly in a much better place than it was. It remains to be seen how Vladar stands up to a heavier workload, given that he’s never appeared in more than 30 games in an NHL season. If the Flyers could wish for one more thing this holiday season, perhaps other than improved play from Michkov, it would be for Vladar to stay healthy amid the rigors of a full season.
Heck, even Carl Grundström has helped energize the club by playing solid minutes at the bottom of the lineup and ensuring that the Flyers don’t get absolutely crushed when their top lines need a break. Nothing was expected of him since he was essentially just a moving contract in the Ryan Ellis cap dump trade, but the Flyers appear to have extracted some value here as Grundström looks poised to eclipse his career high of 12 goals.
As great as the gifts the Flyers purchased last offseason have been so far, the organization and its fans realize that there is more to be done. The team didn’t bid all too seriously for Quinn Hughes, and they’ve also missed out on some other potentially helpful players who have moved recently. They’ll need to get some post-holiday shopping done at some point to ensure that long-overdue playoff hockey returns to Philadelphia very soon.