NHL predictions: Will the Flyers make the playoffs? Can Porter Martone win Rookie of the Year? And who wins the Stanley Cup?

With the puck dropping on the NHL season tonight — the Flyers don’t play until tomorrow against Pittsburgh — we asked our Flyers beat writers, Jackie Spiegel and Gabriela Carroll, to pull out their crystal balls to see what’s in store for the Flyers this season. Will the Flyers earn a second consecutive playoff appearance? Will Matvei Michkov bounce back? Can Dan Vladař do it again? Here are our complete 2026-27 predictions for the Flyers and the NHL as a whole.

Jackie Spiegel: 46-27-11. Two more games added to the schedule this year, and the Flyers get three more wins than last year in a tough Metropolitan Division that could be anyone’s to win because, in theory, everyone should be better. Right? While it’s not good for my anxiety and sleep, there’s a good chance it comes down to the wire again, and they sneak in.

» READ MORE: Meet the Flyers’ 23-man opening night roster from Noel Acciari to Trevor Zegras

Gabriela Carroll: 45-30-9. With two additional games on the schedule, all the point totals will be slightly higher. This is a one-point improvement on the Flyers’ season last year, with two more regulation wins and three fewer overtime losses. But in the Metro Division, this should be enough to make the playoffs.

JS: Based on the above record, they will hit 103 points, equal to the point total the last time they went over the century mark in 2011-12.

GC: The record projection would bring the Flyers to 99 points, so over. Half the Metro Division managed over 93.5 points last season, while the New York Islanders got 91 and the Columbus Blue Jackets got 92. If the Flyers are under that 93.5 marker, they should be very worried.

JS: The Metro will be tough sledding with teams like the Islanders and New Jersey Devils expected to take steps forward. But nothing is stopping the defending champs, the Carolina Hurricanes, and they’ll be back atop the division. Philly will finish in the same spot as last year, third, but I don’t think Pittsburgh will be the team between them and the Hurricanes.

GC: The Carolina Hurricanes will win the Metro again, and the Flyers will finish third again. The Metro is likely to be the NHL’s weakest division again, but the Devils and Washington Capitals should both make charges.

JS: Rinse and repeat on the points leader. Travis Konecny has led the team in scoring in six of the past seven years, and why should he — or I predicting him — stop now? After all, the forward said recently the internal competition is only pushing him more. As for goals, a healthy Tyson Foerster will light it up this season and lead the team.

GC: Porter Martone will lead the Flyers in goals, and Trevor Zegras will pace the team in points.

JS: If you look through Michkov’s stats page, he was more of a goal-scoring machine as a young teen. As he’s aged, his true gifts, his vision and creativity with the puck as a distributor, have jumped to the forefront. He’ll hit 25, but it’s his assist numbers that will skyrocket him to a career-high 70 points.

GC: In training camp, it already looks like Michkov has taken a step from last year. He’s lighter on his feet and his playmaking has popped in the preseason. I think he’ll score 20 goals and dish out 50 assists for 70 points.

JS: Over. If you look at his numbers last season, Martone was on pace for 93 points if the 84-game schedule was already implemented. He won’t hit that high of a number as he gets acclimated to the daily grind of an NHL season, but he’ll well eclipse his 50 points from college.

GC: Over, but there’ll be an adjustment period for Martone, just like we saw during the playoffs last year. That said, he has a nose for the net and will score plenty of goals, especially if that top power-play unit improves.

» READ MORE: The Flyers and their fans have craved a star in the mold of the Tkachuk bros. They look to have one in Porter Martone.

JS: He’ll hover right around this number, so can the answer be yes?

GC: I’m picking over. Zegras scored 67 points last year, and was scoring at a point-per-game pace for much of the season, especially if the power play can convert at a slightly higher clip.

JS: Call me optimistic with my overall predictions, but I think this one is the most practical. Foerster will not only reach 30 goals, he’ll surpass that. Last season, had it been 84 games and he stayed healthy, he was on pace for 37. He told The Inquirer he worked on his shot all summer, so why not this season?

GC: Under. Foerster’s shot has massively improved, but is the hot streak from before his injury his real level or just that, a hot streak? I’d bet he levels back just under around 28.

JS: Travis Sanheim led the blueliners last year and Jamie Drysdale is on the first power play, but hear me out: I’m sticking with my prediction from last year and going with Cam York. The Californian seems to have a fire in his belly, a goal of five shots per game, and a renewed sense of finding the offensive game that made him a top American prospect just a few years ago.

GC: Drysdale will ride an improved top power-play unit to put up the highest point total from a Flyers defenseman. He was only a few points shy of Sanheim’s total last year and will fly past it in 2026-27.

JS: Goalie numbers are not just based on what that player does but the whole team, and if the Flyers, now in Year 2 of Tocchet, can be more consistent overall while also removing weak-side goals, there is no doubt Vladař can at least replicate his .906 save percentage from last season.

GC: .899. League-average save percentage declines every year, and Vladař is coming off a career season. It’s likely he’ll regress a bit.

JS: Goalies should always be the MVPs of a team if they put up even decent numbers, and after years of futility, the Flyers appear to have a solid 1-2 punch in net. With Joseph Woll providing a bit more opportunity for Vladař to have a night off, if the Czech goalie can just replicate his stats, he’ll once again be the squad’s most valuable player.

» READ MORE: Matvei Michkov symbolizes the steps forward the Flyers can take in 2026-27

GC: The Flyers would like for a skater to be their MVP, because that means at least one skater has emerged as a true top-level star. If the team MVP is Michkov or Martone, the Flyers will be in a great place heading toward contention.

JS: Alex Bump. The Minnesotan is a pure sniper, and playing a full season in the NHL — and getting time, at least to start, on the power play — should boost his confidence and show doubters what he can do.

GC: Oliver Bonk. I think he’ll earn an early call-up on defense and establish himself as an NHL regular. He’s a relatively steady defensive player who can get in the play and help the breakout.

JS: The Flyers will find a partner to trade Rasmus Ristolainen to (it is the last year of his contract), call up Oliver Bonk, and the cool, calm, 21-year-old will quickly become a full-time, reliable NHL defenseman next to Sanheim.

GC: The Flyers will make at least one serious addition at this year’s trade deadline. They haven’t been buyers the last several years, but the team might finally be in position to make real gains at the deadline given their cap space and pipeline.

JS: Matthew Tkachuk. A finalist in 2023, Tkachuk is finally healthy and has a little brotherly competition with Brady, now his teammate, to give him some extra incentive.

GC: Macklin Celebrini put himself on the map as one of the NHL’s best in his sophomore season. He’ll follow it up by bringing the Sharks back to the playoffs and win his first of many Hart Trophies.

JS: Martone will be a finalist for the Calder Trophy, but a win is not something I can say with certainty. If the Flyers exceed expectations, could Tocchet get his second Jack Adams? That could be one to keep an eye on.

GC: No. Porter Martone will earn a few votes for the Calder and ultimately lose to Ivar Stenberg.

The Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes will square off in the final with the defending champs lifting Lord Stanley’s Cup again.

GC: Feel like I’ve made this prediction four years running and it hasn’t panned out, but the Dallas Stars will beat Florida and win the Stanley Cup.

» READ MORE: ‘It’s up to me. Everyone is watching’: Can former lottery pick David Jiříček win a job on the Flyers’ blue line?

JS: Watching Michkov’s vision and improved skating take off. Could he or Zegras score a “Michigan?” Dirty soda in Utah. One last chance to overcome my fear of plummeting to my death by crossing the non-cheat way at the Scotiabank Saddledome catwalk in Calgary, with a new building opening next season. Always the mountain views in Denver and Calgary. Not having to talk about the Flyers’ power play troubles (fingers crossed on that one). Talking to passionate fans and providing content and insight into the team and the beat at The Inquirer, and on X, Instagram, and TikTok.

GC: There are a lot of ways this season could go for the Flyers. These predictions were really tough to decide on! I’m excited to enjoy the uncertainty and be part of the ride.