A player’s “best” game does not always mean their best statline of the year. There are times where a game stands out because of the timing, the energy, the storyline surrounding it, or a specific moment that felt meaningful in the bigger picture of the season.
And I am only focusing on the regular season for this series. The postseason gave us incredible moments, too, but that is an entirely different story. A story that is filled with momentum and excitement for the future of this franchise. For now, I wanted to highlight some of the performances and moments of the defensemen that helped get the Philadelphia Flyers to the playoffs in the first place.
The forwards edition of this series has already been published, so if you want to catch up on those selections first, you can read it here.
Emil Andrae
The Game: 4-2 W @ Florida Panthers (November 26, 2025)
Andrae was bouncing between the Flyers and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms early in the season, but by early November he had carved out a permanent spot on the NHL roster. That month wound up being his strongest stretch of hockey all year. Across the season, the Flyers went 36-16-9 with Andrae in the lineup, including an 8-2-2 record in November alone.
In this game against Florida, the Flyers fell behind 2-0 just over five minutes into the 2nd period, but Andrae helped spark the response. After the puck worked its way around the offensive zone off a shot, he kept the play alive along the boards before the puck circled back to him at the point. He fired a shot that made its way past five players and the goalie, marking his first goal of the season and cutting the deficit in half.
Shortly after, Andrae took a penalty, but he quickly made up for it once back at even strength. After exiting the box, he jumped back into the play, received a pass from Jamie Drysdale, and threw another puck toward the net. Matvei Michkov redirected it in to tie the game, the Flyers’ first shot on net since Andrae’s goal. In the span of back-to-back shots, Andrae recorded a goal and a primary assist that completely flipped the game.
The Andrae-Drysdale pairing was especially sharp in this one, driving plays together and directly influencing the offense. Andrae was recognized as the third star of the game, and he was given the Bernie mask in the locker room afterward.
Jamie Drysdale
The Game: 4-2 W vs. Washington Capitals (February 3, 2026)
When Drysdale recorded at least one point, the Flyers went 16-6-6. When he scored a goal, that record improved to 4-1-3, and three of those four wins came on game-winning goals from Drysdale, the most from a Flyers defensemen and tied for third on the team overall.
One of those came in the second-to-last game before the Olympic break, where Drysdale helped snap a four-game losing streak with a strong shift in momentum on both ends of the ice. He logged 22:43 of ice time, including nearly three minutes on the power play, where he eventually scored the go-ahead goal in the 3rd period. It was his first goal in 20 games, his longest scoring drought of the season, and it came at a crucial moment to restore the Flyers’ lead and ultimately stand as the game-winner.
It also sparked momentum beyond just that night, as Drysdale would find the back of the net again in his next game and carry that confidence into the final stretch of the season. He was selected as the first star of the game, his only time receiving that honor all season despite a strong overall year that eventually earned him the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy as the team’s most improved player.
Noah Juulsen
The Game: 3-2 OT L vs. Vegas Golden Knights (December 11, 2025)
In Juulsen’s best showing of the season, he made his presence felt early, recording both a hit and a blocked shot within the opening four minutes of play, setting the tone for a steady defensive performance throughout the night.
Midway through the 2nd period, the Golden Knights regained the lead on the power play to make it 2-1. But just two minutes later, Juulsen answered back. After receiving a pass from Christian Dvorak, he stepped into a slap shot that beat the goaltender cleanly and tied the game again. It would be Juulsen’s only goal of the season, and at just under 92 miles per hour, it was also the second-hardest shot he took all year.
Juulsen finished the night with 14:07 of ice time, slightly above his season average, while also playing over a minute on the penalty kill. Even though the Flyers eventually fell in overtime, his equalizer helped secure an important point, and his efforts earned him the third star of the game, the only time all season he would be named one of the game’s stars.
Rasmus Ristolainen
The Game: 4-3 SO W @ Los Angeles Kings (March 19, 2026)
Ristolainen’s season came with adversity from the very beginning. After undergoing surgery for a right tricep tendon rupture in March 2025, he missed the beginning of the season finishing his recovery. Another upper-body injury sidelined him later in the year as well, but by the end of the season, Ristolainen looked strong and steady once again.
His reliability came through in Los Angeles. Logging 21:57 of ice time while contributing on both the power play and penalty kill, Ristolainen played a major role in an important late-season win. He collected assists on two separate game-tying goals and ended the night with a +3 rating, one hit, and one blocked shot.
After the Kings opened the scoring late in the 1st period, the Flyers answered immediately to begin the 2nd. Entering the zone on a 3-on-2 rush with Alex Bump and Travis Konecny, Ristolainen helped move the puck across before Konecny buried the finish to tie the game less than 30 seconds into the period.
Los Angeles regained the lead just 20 seconds later, but once again, the Flyers were determined. Following an offensive-zone faceoff win by Noah Cates, Ristolainen settled the puck at the blue line as the Flyers got set up in the zone. He fed Michkov, whose shot eventually found its way in thanks to a push from Cates for another game-tying goal.
Despite never being named one of the game’s stars all season, which feels surprising in hindsight, Ristolainen still had plenty to celebrate. He won a bronze medal with Finland at the 2026 Olympics, marking his first international tournament appearance since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey after missing the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off due to injury. Then, after trade deadline speculation followed him for weeks, Ristolainen remained with Philadelphia and finally made the first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance of his NHL career. A well-earned milestone for a dependable veteran!
Travis Sanheim
Sanheim was one of the veterans given a rest night in the final game of the regular season after the Flyers clinched a playoff spot the night before. Outside of that, though, he appeared in 81 games and carried a massive workload, averaging over 24 minutes a night while anchoring the Flyers’ blue line in every situation imaginable.
Sanheim earned the Barry Ashbee Trophy as the Flyers’ best defenseman for the third consecutive season and fourth time overall, while also receiving the Gene Hart Memorial Award from the Flyers Fan Club for the first time. On top of that, he represented Canada at the 2026 Olympics and brought home a silver medal. His leadership and consistency defined the Flyers’ defense all season long.
The Game: 4-1 W @ New York Islanders (April 3, 2026)
There were several games that could have earned this spot, but his performance against the Islanders felt especially important given the circumstances surrounding it. Philadelphia desperately needed to keep collecting points to climb up the standings, and Sanheim played a big part in getting that done.
In this game, he logged 24:36 of ice time, including more than four minutes on the penalty kill, while recording a goal and an assist, finishing +3 with three shots on goal and two blocked shots.
Sanheim helped create the Flyers’ opening goal midway through the 1st period. After stepping up defensively near the blue line to help disrupt the Islanders’ play, he quickly transitioned play the other way and joined Owen Tippett on a 2-on-1 rush. Sanheim carried the puck into the zone before sliding it over to Tippett, who finished the play to give Philadelphia the early lead.
After the Flyers built a 3-0 advantage and the Islanders finally got on the board late in the 2nd, Sanheim put the game away in the 3rd. Off a cross-ice feed from Michkov, he blasted a shot past the goaltender to restore the three-goal cushion and seal the victory.
Sanheim earned the third star of the game and received the Bernie mask from his teammates afterward. More than anything, this game highlighted just how important he was to the Flyers throughout the season. He was a leader, a stabilizing presence, and someone the team consistently relied upon in its biggest moments.
Nick Seeler
The Game: 5-2 W @ Edmonton Oilers (January 3, 2026)
Seeler is the type of player who can quietly fly under the radar, even while playing an incredibly important role for the team. Despite appearing in 80 of the Flyers’ 82 regular season games, he never earned a star of the game all year long. Still, Seeler remained one of the Flyers’ most dependable defensemen throughout the season, bringing physicality, reliability, and toughness to the lineup every night.
The game in Edmonton was Seeler’s most noticeable performance of the season with his two-way influence. Philadelphia jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening 15 minutes, but the Oilers slowly chipped away, scoring late in the 1st and again in the 2nd to make it a 3-2 game heading into the final period.
The Flyers needed a push, and Seeler provided it. With just over 11 minutes remaining in the 3rd, Rodrigo Ābols won an offensive-zone faceoff back to Seeler, who immediately fired a shot toward the net. The puck rang loudly off the post and in, restoring the Flyers’ two-goal lead and giving Seeler his first goal of the season in the 40th game of the year. It was a rewarding moment for a player whose contributions often came in less flashy ways.
Seeler was not done there, either. Later in the period with Edmonton’s net empty, Sean Couturier won a defensive-zone faceoff that once again found its way to Seeler. He worked the puck around the boards, helping start the sequence that eventually led to Tippett’s empty-net goal to secure the win. The assist gave Seeler his only two-point game of the season.
He wrapped up the night with over 18 minutes of ice time, two shots on goal, four blocked shots, and a strong all-around performance. It was the perfect example of the kind of steady, selfless game Seeler brought to the Flyers all season long.
Cam York
The Game: 5-2 W vs. Anaheim Ducks (January 6, 2026)
York’s fingerprints were all over this game against Anaheim, contributing offensively while continuing to handle major responsibilities in defensive situations, too.
With the game tied 1-1 late in the 1st period, the Flyers were on the power play looking to gain momentum. As the Ducks attempted to clear the puck, Tippett disrupted the breakout and quickly brought the play back into the offensive zone. He fed the puck up top to York, who initially looked ready to shoot before freezing the defense and sliding the puck across to Trevor Zegras, who buried his second goal of the night to give the Flyers the lead.
York continued to make his mark early in the 2nd period. Just over a minute into the period, Nikita Grebenkin worked the puck back to the point where York took a wrist shot through heavy traffic that found its way into the net. The goal eventually stood as the game-winner and gave Philadelphia valuable breathing room the rest of the way.
York ended the night +3 with a goal and an assist while contributing all over the ice. He recorded five shots on goal, five blocked shots, and logged 25:35 of ice time, one of his busiest nights of the season. That total included over eight minutes on the power play and another two and a half minutes on the penalty kill, showcasing just how heavily relied upon he was.
His efforts earned him the second star of the game behind Zegras, who had one of the more memorable storyline performances of the season. On most nights, though, a game like this from York easily could have earned first-star honors.
Special Guests
Wrapping things up, there should also be a quick acknowledgement for the other defensemen who spent time with the Flyers this season, even if they were not featured with full sections in this piece. Adam Ginning, Ty Murchison, Oliver Bonk, Hunter McDonald, David Jiříček, and Egor Zamula all stepped into the lineup at different points throughout the year and contributed in their own ways. This series centers around individual standout performances, but every one of those players still played a role in the story of the Flyers’ season.
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