The Philadelphia Flyers are heading into the 2026-27 season with some serious momentum, no doubt about it. After snagging a playoff spot and even pulling off a huge playoff series victory over Pittsburgh, the buzz in the city is real. Everyone’s hyped to see what new backup goalie Joseph Woll brings to the ice, and Porter Martone’s first full season after that killer introduction has got fans buzzing. Plus, all eyes are on Matvei Michkov, hoping he bounces back from a rough year. But let’s be real, for all that excitement, there’s one giant sticking point that could totally derail their hopes: that power play. It’s been absolutely abysmal, flat out sucking stupendously for most of this decade. If they want to go deep into the playoffs, it’s gotta improve, and Rick Tocchet and his staff need to figure it out, fast.
Philly’s Sticking Point: Power Play Woes and Tocchet’s Challenge
Philly’s power play has been a massive headache, a complete liability holding them back. It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to throw your remote through the TV. For Tocchet, this isn’t just a minor tweak, it’s a make-or-break situation for their postseason dreams. We’re talking about breaking into league average here, maybe even cracking the top 20 for 2026-27. That’s a climb, especially when you consider how long it’s been underperforming. Sure, personnel changes year to year, and some teams are just stacked differently when it comes to special teams. Tocchet took over in Vancouver only coaching 36 games in 2022-23, making 2023-24 his first proper season there. And remember, we’re looking at five-on-four power play numbers here, since that’s the main show.
Looking Back: Rick Tocchet’s Tampa Bay Power Play
So, can we glean anything from how Tocchet’s teams performed with the man advantage in their second year under him, compared to year one? Let’s rewind to his first full season as an NHL head coach with Tampa Bay, back in 2008-09. He had some serious firepower at his disposal. We’re talking about a generational sniper in Steven Stamkos, a Hall of Famer like Martin St. Louis, and Vincent Lecavalier. Honestly, with talent like that, you’d think it’d be tough to mess up the power play. And they certainly produced. In 2008-09, Tampa Bay racked up 61 power play goals. Their efficiency clocked in at 17.78 percent, putting them nineteenth in the league rankings. That trio of Stamkos, St. Louis, and Lecavalier were huge contributors, with Lecavalier bagging 10 power play goals, Stamkos nine, and St. Louis, Vaclav Prospal, and Ryan Malone each getting seven. Cory Murphy added four, and then Mark Recchi, Gary Roberts, Matt Pettinger, Jussi Jokinen, and Steve Eminger each chipped in a pair.
That Tampa Bay squad had some serious offensive weapons. Now, Tocchet’s got to dig deep and find a way to get *this* Flyers team rolling on the power play. If they can figure out how to finally make that special teams unit a threat, the Flyers could be a real problem this season. But if not? Well, then all that playoff hope could fizzle out way too fast. He needs to find the answers.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Broad Street Hockey.
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