PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers were very much a team in transition during Erik Johnson’s brief stint with the club. The veteran defenseman, added late in the 2023-24 season and retained on a one-year deal in 2024-25 before he was ultimately dealt to the Colorado Avalanche at the trade deadline, added some needed depth to an inexperienced blue line.
More importantly, though, Johnson, who played more than 1,000 games over a 17-year career, was viewed by Flyers management as a respected leader who had been through the battles. The No. 1 pick in the 2006 draft, Johnson, who was part of the Avs’ championship team in 2022, could help show the Flyers’ young players how to carry themselves during good times and bad.
Johnson is retired now, a budding media star on ESPN. But even from afar, he can see some of those fresh-faced guys he played a role in molding now taking the next steps in their respective careers, on a Flyers team that bullied its way into the playoffs with a remarkable 14-4-1 late-season surge.
“I just think it’s the evolution of the young guys,” Johnson told The Athletic on Friday. “They kind of sat back, were quiet, really respectful, saw how things were done — and now you’re starting to see those guys take ownership of the team themselves. A lot of those guys are key parts of it.”
As the Flyers prepare to play the Penguins, at least a dozen of them will be experiencing NHL playoff hockey for the first time. Jamie Drysdale, Cam York, Tyson Foerster and Noah Cates are among the players who were teammates with Johnson and are set to make their playoff debuts, and they have all taken noticeable steps forward. They’re now joined by even younger guys such as Porter Martone (19), Matvei Michkov (21), Denver Barkey (20) and Alex Bump (22), too.
That they are all facing a playoff-hardened group led by superstars with multiple Stanley Cup rings could be a distinct disadvantage, even as the Flyers enter Game 1 riding a wave of momentum.
How they handle it will likely decide the series. Travis Konecny indicated they’re ready for the coming fire.
“A lot of the young guys that we have, they’ve been farther ahead than you would expect,” Konecny said before the Flyers-Carolina Hurricanes game April 13. “And they also play a professional style, where they make the right plays at the right time.”
At the forefront of that lately has been Martone, who posted a remarkable 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his first nine NHL games. Martone scored a memorable game-winning overtime goal April 5 against the Boston Bruins in a 2-1 win, moving the Flyers into playoff position for the first time in 84 days and where they would remain for the final week and a half.
Martone’s shoot-first, north-south style has given the Flyers’ offense an immediate and observable jolt. In the nine games Martone played after one season at Michigan State, the Flyers averaged 3.67 goals. Before that, they were 24th in the league at 2.84 goals on average. That’s not entirely a coincidence.
Flyers coach Rick Tocchet suggested that Martone’s style should be conducive to playoff-style hockey, too.
“Very rarely do you get tic-tac-toe goals,” Tocchet said. “A lot of straight-line hockey around the net, touching pucks, knocking pucks down, going through people, first on the forecheck. That’s the type of hockey usually in a seven-game series.”
Martone is eager to insert himself into the latest iteration of what has been a fierce rivalry.
“I know it’s going to be a battle,” Martone said after the Flyers’ season finale Tuesday, a 4-2 win over Montreal. “I know the two teams don’t like each other very much. It’s another step, and I know this group is really excited. I think we’re excited (about) what we can show.”
Michkov will enter the series playing his best hockey of the season by a wide margin. He’s quickly put his difficult first four months behind him, surging out of the Olympic break and scoring some important goals against the Winnipeg Jets and Hurricanes to help the Flyers clinch. His mobility and his finish have seemingly returned to his rookie-season levels, which should give Flyers management confidence that he’s still as driven as ever to become one of the league’s better players. Michkov led Flyers scorers out of the break with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists).
But Tocchet revealed Thursday that there may be more to it than just his improved conditioning.
“Early in the season — (Michkov was) not a loner, but he was alone a lot,” Tocchet said. “Now he’s around with the young guys. I think it’s (a) huge development for Mich. Even with the language barrier, he’s actually stepped up his English, and he’s more involved. He’s out to dinner with (Martone, Barkey and Bump).”
In his first English-language interview with NHL.com, Michkov confirmed he’s spending more time with his Flyers peers.
“We go (out) every time together,” Michkov said. “My first year, it was just me as the young guy and ‘Luchy’ (Jett Luchanko) played (four) games. Now, four young guys, this is fun for me … for life and for the ice, too.”
Said Johnson, who sat next to Michkov in the Flyers’ dressing room: “If he gets more comfortable with the language, he’s just going to be even more comfortable. Once that comes around for him, which it sounds like it is, it’s all going to be better.”
Barkey and Bump got to know each other in AHL Lehigh Valley before Barkey was recalled for good Dec. 19, and Bump got the call-up March 7 to replace a traded Bobby Brink. The two of them have been leaning on each other since last month, as they learn the ropes and how to deal with the inevitable ups and downs together.
Their coterie (and group text chat) has grown in recent weeks.
“It’s obviously nice to have some young guys around,” Barkey said last week. “We’re all going through the same stuff. Now with Porter here, he’s been added into the group, just supporting each other when we need it. We’re all going through the same things, so a lot of relatable topics to talk about, whether it’s hockey or even in life. Me and Alex have been there for each other, and now Porter here, it’s fun to have.”
Barkey added: “Going through this all together has been cool and beneficial down the road as well.”
That’s certainly what the Flyers hope. One of the primary reasons the Flyers preferred a rebuild that didn’t include a full teardown was because of how much they valued establishing a winning culture. It was still going to take some time, but when third-year general manager Daniel Briere pivoted this offseason with the aim of being more competitive, it was because he wanted his young core pieces to experience what it was like to be in a playoff race — and, maybe even qualify, if everything came together.
That it has should help them all in the short and long term, according to Johnson.
“There’s no better experience than playing in the playoffs,” Johnson said. “I can’t even stress it enough how much experience and lessons they’re going to get from this playoff run — you’re going to learn so much about yourself and how to play, and different nuances of the game. It’s going to be so valuable for these guys.”
Their collective anticipation is apparently through the roof.
“Everyone’s kind of like a kid in a candy store right now,” York said. “Things happen fast. Here we are.”
