It’s a simple message, but one that needs to be followed through by several members of the Philadelphia Flyers heading into the 2025-26 season.
Compared to 2023-24, the Flyers looked like a completely different team in 2024-25, and not for the better. The John Tortorella system of firing shots, hard forechecking and backchecking, and being a nuisance for the other team was not as apparent this past season.
The offense was bone dry again for a variety of reasons, but one key factor was their lack of offensive opportunities created, which in turn led to a massive decrease in shots attempted and shots on goal.
In 2024-25, the Flyers finished 7th to last with 2,213 shots on goal and 3,315 shots attempted. Comparatively, they finished 4th in shots on goal with 2,708 and 5th in shots attempted at 3,827 the season prior, which is a decrease in 495 shots on goal and 512 shots attempted between 2023-24 and 2024-25.
The Flyers offense was relatively the same going into 2024-25 with the exception of Cam Atkinson being replaced by Matvei Michkov. Of course, the Flyers traded Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee midway through, but the drop-off in shots on goal and shots attempted from the main cast and crew was staggering.
Michkov essentially replaced Atkinson’s numbers to a tee with both players having averaged 2.5 shots on goal per game. The only different was Atkinson averaged 4.1 attempted shots per game compared to Michkov’s 4.5.
Owen Tippett was second on the team with 2.4 shots on goal per game and first with 5.5 attempts per game, however that drastically differs from his team-leading 3.7 shots on goal per game and 7.0 shots attempted from 2023-24.
Travis Konecny also saw a big drop from his 3.2 shots on goal and 6.5 shots attempted per game in 2023-24 to 2.2 shots on goal and 4.9 shots attempted per game in 2024-25. A partial reason for his drop could be attributed to playing more of a playmaking role with Michkov at times, however still not enough from one of your top options.
Another key forward who saw a drop was Tyson Foerster, who went from 2.2 shots on goal and 4.2 attempted shots per game last year to 1.7 shots on goal and 3.2 attempted shots this past season. He and Tippett represent the Flyers more traditional shot-first wingers and both saw a decent decrease.
Part of the problem might have been shot selection or quality of chances. Tippett may have had less total shots that missed the net or that were blocked, however percentage wise it skyrocketed. 28.1% of his shots missed the net in 2023-24 but that number jumped to 36.3% in 2024-25 and his net miss % above expected jumped from 1.5% to 8.5%.
Konecny had similar levels as he went from having 26.7% of his shots missing the net to a team leading 36.5%, as well as a 9.8 net miss % above expected compared to his 6.8% from the year prior.
Foerster actually had the highest net miss % above expected at 10.1 from just 3.3% last year. His percentage of shots that missed the net also jumped from 30.1% to 35.1%.
Another issue was that only one player registered more than 200 shots on goal and that was Michkov, who hit the total right on the nose. Tippett finished the year with 101 less shots on goal (188) from 2023-24, Konecny finished with 56 less shots (188), and Foerster with 25 less shots (142).
Conversely, Tippett had 120 less shots attempted (424), Konecny had 87 less shots attempted (404), and Foerster had 33 less (287). The total numbers aren’t as damning for Foerster but for someone with a shooting percentage over 16%, it’s far too few shots on goal, let alone shots attempted.
2023-24 almost felt like an anomaly because the Flyers generally don’t shoot the puck. The fanbase has been on their case for years and 2024-25 was another good representation of why it can be so frustrating. Not only did they finish the year middle of the table in Fenwick percentage, but they finished 13th best in shooting percentage ahead of Winnipeg, Vegas, Carolina, and Colorado.
With Rick Tocchet now behind the bench, it will be interesting to see how he runs the Flyers offense after having several skilled players at his disposal in Vancouver. From Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat, Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller, and Elias Pettersson, Tocchet had a lot of good options.
Ironically enough, the Canucks came in last place when it came to the total number of shots on goal registered with 1,622, were 3rd-last in unblocked shots attempted at 2,536, had the 9th-worst percentage of net misses above expected, but were 12th-best – one higher than the Flyers – in overall shooting percentage.
The Canucks finished with the league’s best shooting percentage in 2023-24, but once again, finished with the 7th-lowest shots on goal total. The same thing happened in Tocchet’s first year behind the bench in Vancouver in 2022-23, where they finished with the 7th-highest shooting percentage but 7th-lowest shots on goal.
Even when he was coaching in Arizona, the Coyotes finished near the bottom in 3 of the 4 seasons, with the lone exception being the COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign. They also finished with one of the lowest shooting percentages as well, making his offensive arsenal and who he has available to him that much more important.
His Canucks teams were a little better offensively equipped, which made their equation a little more fluid. However, with the Flyers things won’t be as easy, and a big reason for that is the power play. Under Tocchet, the Canucks’ power play percentage ranked 11th, 12th, and 15th, respectively.
To put that into perspective, in 2023-24, the Canucks were over 10% better than the Flyers, and scored 27 more goals on only 3 more opportunities. Even last season, in which it was considered a down year for Vancouver, they finished with a power play that was over 7% more productive and scored 18 more goals on 8 more chances.
The Canucks were able to get away with taking less shots than most of the league because their power play was far superior. That’s not something the Flyers can say about themselves over the last several years and it’s hindered their ability to create opportunities and win more games.
Essentially it boils down to whether or not the Flyers’ power play can bounce back. Tocchet-led teams don’t seem to shoot as freely as the Carolinas, the Edmontons, and the Colorados of the NHL, and while that could change in a new environment and with different players at the helm, his track record speaks for itself.
We saw what happens when the Flyers shoot more often in 2023-24. Had it not been for a collapse for the ages near the end of the season, we could have had playoff hockey on Broad Street without a shadow of a doubt. Players like Tippett, Foerster, Konecny, and Michkov need to shoot the puck a lot more frequently and with a lot more purpose as well.
The Flyers can’t skate by with another season where barely anyone cracks the 200-shot threshold. They have enough offensive weapons who should be classified as shoot-first players and it will go a long way into helping their power play and putting pressure on the opposition at even-strength, therein by putting less pressure on the defense and goaltending.
