An ‘indecisive’ Noah Cates has been one of several Flyers to get off to a slow start in 2026-27
After setting career highs in goals (18) and points (47) last season, the usually reliable centerman has yet to record a point and has seen his ice time cut by almost four minutes.
Last season, Noah Cates earned Selke votes as one of the league’s best defensive forwards and further established himself as a key cornerstone of the Flyers’ sharp defensive structure.
But during the Flyers’ eight-game season-opening losing streak, their defensive structure has been a mess, and Cates’ ice time has hit career lows.
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“There’s some times, when we’re in the D-zone, the play might be just a little play to the D, instead of forcing something out and it doesn’t get out, and then you’re playing defense for another 15 or 20 seconds,” Cates said.
“Those little plays, to simplify the game, get out easier, not force things and have teams come back on us. We need to get set up, get into our structure, and then go play on offense.”
In 2025-26, Cates averaged over 16 minutes a night. Over the first eight games of 2026-27, he’s fallen out of favor, averaging a career-low 12:35. Cates, 27, has been moved up and down the lineup, getting demoted to the fourth line in many of the early games as the Flyers experiment with Trevor Zegras and Denver Barkey at center.
The team has conceded 14 high-danger chances with Cates on the ice at five-on-five, the fewest of any Flyer who’s played in all eight games this year. But Cates, like the rest of the Flyers, has been heavily out-chanced. On a positive note, he’s winning a career-best 54.8% of his faceoffs.
Cates has registered just nine shots on goal this season and has failed to record a point, after setting career highs in goals (18) and points (47) a year ago. After leading the team with a plus-26 rating last season, he is a puzzling minus-4 in 2026-27.
“It’s a little indecisive, his game,” coach Rick Tocchet said. “... The center position, it’s really important to play fast. I think sometimes he’s too low, almost too technical. There’s times where, when we’re going to get the puck, he’s got to take off. I think that’ll help his game, to play faster.”
Cates fractured his foot against Carolina in the playoffs, which could have impacted his speed, but he said at training camp that he felt “100 percent” and had a “full normal summer” with “no restrictions.”
While he found chemistry with winger Matvei Michkov toward the end of last season, which resulted in them being the team’s top point-getters after the Olympic break, the duo hasn’t been able to rekindle that spark this year.
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“I’d like to get to the net a little more,” Cates said of improvements he wants to make in his own game. “Offensive-zone possession, holding onto pucks, getting pucks up toward you and getting shots to the net. When you break things down, things start to open up. Getting to the net, getting greasy around there is kind of where I need to get going.”
Breakaways
Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen was on the ice for practice in a full-contact jersey. He will not travel to Detroit but is still considered day to day. Fellow defenseman Cam York is also day to day and will not play against the Red Wings.
