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ESPN’s list of top 100 NHL players for 2026-27 includes just one Flyer

Trevor Zegras was the lone Flyer to make the cut, while Dan Vladař, Travis Sanheim, and Travis Konency all probably deserved consideration.

Forward Trevor Zegras was the only Flyer to make the ESPN 100.
Forward Trevor Zegras was the only Flyer to make the ESPN 100.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

The Flyers are fresh off a 98-point season and an appearance in the second round of the playoffs, but ESPN apparently isn’t impressed.

The network released its list predicting the top 100 NHL players for the 2026-27 season on Tuesday, and only one Flyer made the cut — and barely at that — as Trevor Zegras checked in at No. 99 in the rankings. The list was compiled using ratings sent in by ESPN broadcasters, analysts, reporters, and editors predicting how good players will be this season as compared with their peers.

The Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, and Montreal Canadiens led the way with six players each, while the Calgary Flames, Seattle Kraken, and Vancouver Canucks were the only teams not to be represented.

» READ MORE: Flyers takeaways: Two key numbers from the team’s fourth straight loss

Zegras’ inclusion comes after a huge bounceback season for the former viral sensation. The 25-year-old rediscovered his love for the game and posted career highs in goals (26) and points (67) in his first season in Philly following a trade from Anaheim. Zegras, who was a restricted free agent, then signed a four-year, $36.5 million contract extension in July.

While Zegras made the cut, goalie Dan Vladař, defenseman Travis Sanheim, and winger Travis Konecny notably did not. Vladař, who finished sixth in Vezina Trophy voting last season for the league’s best goaltender, was not one of the eight goalies to make the cut, despite ranking third among goalies with 40 games played in goals-against average (2.42) and eighth in save percentage (.906) a year ago.

Sanheim, the team’s top defenseman and a regular for Canada at the Olympics, and Konecny, the team’s top scorer in six of the past seven seasons, were also players who could have deserved inclusion. But while these might seem like snubs, maybe ESPN was on to something given the Flyers’ winless start.

In terms of the top 10, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Nikita Kucherov went 1,2,3, as expected, while 20-year-old sensation Macklin Celebrini checked in at No. 4 following his 115-point sophomore campaign. They were followed in order by Cale Makar, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Werenski, David Pastrňák, Quinn Hughes, and Kirill Kaprizov.

Some other notable ranks included Auston Matthews (No. 11), Matthew Schaefer (16), Sidney Crosby (23), Leo Carlsson (36), Connor Bedard (43), Cutter Gauthier (65), Dylan Larkin (69), Alex Ovechkin (78), and Evgeni Malkin (100).

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    Gustav Elvin
    I am the hockey editor for The Inquirer and oversee all of our Flyers coverage. I work closely with beat writer Jackie Spiegel and occasionally pitch in as a writer when needed across various sports. I also contribute to our Eagles team as an editor and work closely with our interns from Villanova.
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