Many believe records are meant to be broken. Alex Ovechkin proved that when he passed Wayne Gretzky for most goals in a career at the end of the season. The record-breaking goal was celebrated around the league and beyond.
There are some records, however, that are unbreakable. The game has changed, and it's more difficult to match the same numbers players used to achieve. Goaltenders have gotten better, and scoring just doesn't come as easily. Tell that to someone like Connor McDavid, though.
In their storied history, the Flyers have numerous franchise records that will likely never be broken. And it's not a surprise to see the same names across many of them. At the top of many records, you'll find the name Bobby Clarke. It's safe to say that he shouldn't worry about anyone breaking his records any time soon.
Games Played - Bobby Clarke (1,144)
This one should've been broken by Claude Giroux. He is the only other Flyer to reach the 1,000 games played mark, but it was his final game in Philadelphia. Giroux would've only needed two more seasons to beat Clarke's record, assuming he played in every game in at least one of those years. But due to the state of the team, Giroux was traded to the Panthers in 2022.
Sean Couturier is next up on the list, sitting at 874 games. Had he not missed the 2022-23 season and been limited the year before, he would be within striking distance. You can also count the COVID-shortened seasons for getting in the way. Add some games there as well, and Couturier may have broken the record already.
Now, Couturier would need to play at least four more seasons with the Flyers to get there. Considering how hard it has been for him to play a full season, it would likely take more. He hasn't done that since 2017-18.
No other player is anywhere close, as Couturier is the only active player in the top 10. The only other two who could possibly have a chance are Travis Konecny (646) and Travis Sanheim (579).
Points - Bobby Clarke (1,210)
Again, Giroux was the closest to breaking this record, but it would've been hard for him to get there. He finished his Flyers' career with 900 points, 310 points off the record. Looking realistically, he would've needed five more seasons with at least 60 points to have a shot. It's not out of the question that he could've gotten there. But even now, he sits at 1,116 in the 3+ seasons since he left Philadelphia.
Couturier is next, and it's not looking good. He has 543 career points. We won't even go into how much longer he would have to play to amass nearly 670 more points. Though for fun, he'd basically have to double his entire career and play into his 40s, if not 50s.
It's once again Konecny sitting well behind Couturier with 476 points. For those who like math, that's 735 points from breaking the record. Konecny has turned into a rather prolific scorer, but catching Clarke is going to be a tough feat. Clarke had three seasons of 100+ points and five others where he went over 80. Konecny did hit a career-high 76 last season, but this record is likely safe as well.
Assists - Bobby Clarke (852)
Are you starting to see a trend here? As mentioned, Clarke's name is all over the Flyers' record books. And behind him on most of these leaderboards is Giroux. Two players who will go down in franchise history as some of the best to ever put on the jersey. Assists are tougher because they're reliant on more than just one player, though points are a close second.
Giroux is second all-time with 609 assists, and even now only has 751. A little over two seasons could get him there, but obviously, it's not in a Flyers jersey. The familiar trend continues as Couturier sits just outside the top 10 with 337. He could move as high as seventh this season, needing 33 to pass Eric Lindros and Rick MacLeish.
And then there's Konecny with 278, sitting at 17th on the list. If he posts another 50+ assist season, he'll jump up four spots. That's still nearly 530 assists behind Clarke, though, meaning he would need at least 10+ seasons to reach it if he continues this pace. It's possible he could get there by his age-38 season, but it's a tall task.