The Flyers Are Becoming A Destination Team Once Again

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectIMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Following the 2025-26 season, ending in the postseason, the Philadelphia Flyers have put themselves back on the map, whether that is just getting the appreciation from the city of Philadelphia, having the fans behind them, or even being back on the national scale.

This past season has made Philadelphia a hockey city once again.

The Flyers are a team on the upswing. The past few seasons have been a tough rebuild for the team, not making it the ideal landing spot for established talent. Players who become available want to go to contenders, not teams with no chance.

Not only have the Flyers proven they can win, but they are also showing that Philadelphia rallies behind its team. With their united ovation for their team following their Game 4 elimination, Flyers fans have shown their passion.

That will ultimately help draw talent to Philly. Flyers’ GM Danny Briere says that having a players’ coach like Rick Tocchet certainly helps.

“I’ve gotten a lot of comments from agents that their players would certainly be open to playing here because of Rick Tocchet,” said Briere.

He felt that shift this year when talking to other GMs during trade season. Players can veto trades with no-trade or no-movement clauses. Briere alluded to the fact that some players have refused to waive said clauses to Philly. This year, it was a different story.

“One thing I can tell you is just talking to different GMs this year compared to previous years, I didn’t hear as many ‘No, I can’t send them your way because of trade protection.’ So I didn’t hear as much of that.”

For obvious reasons, Briere cannot talk to players currently under contract elsewhere in the league. But, from talking to his own players, he can see the excitement in playing for the Flyers.

“Obviously, I can’t talk to players on other teams; I don’t know exactly how they feel. But just talking to our players, the feeling is that, yes, it’s an exciting place to be. They realized that before they knew how well they were treated here. But now that we have a team that’s fighting for a playoff spot, a team that’s on the upswing, I think that has them excited. And I assume that players around the league are taking notice of that.”