PHLY Philadelphia Flyers Podcast

Is 2026 supposed to be the year the Flyers ACTUALLY contend? What are the best and worst-case outcomes for this upcoming season? Favorite Netflix show currently? Bill Matz of the PHLY Flyers Podcast answers your extra mailbag questions on this edition of The Shootout!

It’s a mashup of Flashback Friday, F-Around Friday and a regular episode today! As the offseason winds down, Charlie & Bill are preparing for their 10th season working together by recounting some of their funniest interactions with Flyers players and staff. We’ll also take a look at the goaltending situation, and if it matches Danny Briere’s stated vision of competing in 2026-27.

How confident is the fanbase in Danny Briere? How about the NHL audience as a whole? How does the NHL’s website rank Philly’s best prospects and biggest questions heading into 2025-26? Charlie is back today, and Bill is catching him up on a lot of the business of the last 2 weeks. Plus, getting more takes on mailbag questions about Summer 2026 and the Flyers goaltending, recurring dreams and weird athlete interactions.

Our friends at Broad Street Hockey have begun their annual ranking of Flyers young talent, the Top 25 Under 25. Our AHL/prospect correspondent Maddie Campbell (who also happens to be the managing editor at BSH) wrote one of the initial pieces in the series, breaking down the honorable mentions who didn’t quite make the Top 25. Maddie & Bill discuss several of the players who finished on the outside, and how players like Alexis Gendron (HM) and Samu Tuomaala (#25) can work their way higher up the list and closer to the NHL.

We’ve got Petey! Long-time NHL video coach Steve Peters is back today, answering mailbag questions (and general stuff Bill finds interesting) about the Flyers rebuild, Team North America from the World Cup of Hockey, Jeremy Roenick, Mullett Arena, and a whole lot more!

Tuesday Reviewsday is back! And today, we’re talking Adam Sandler’s latest masterpiece, Happy Gilmore 2! Bill & Kelly are sharing their favorite moments, jokes and cameos from the Netflix release, and their thoughts on a sequel to a 90s movie of their youth. Plus, a brief discussion on the possibility of bringing in another Anaheim Duck, the still un-signed Mason McTavish.

Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins have been public enemy number one in Philadelphia, but as the Pens slip towards a rebuild, are they still the Orange & Black’s most hated rival? Or has the emergence of the Carolina Hurricanes’ dominance of Philly surpassed Pitt? What about a western rival in Anaheim, since the Cutter Gauthier debacle? Are the still a lot of fans who can’t stand the New Jersey Devils or New York Rangers? Bill & Steve break down all 31 other teams and grade their hated level for each opponent.

Bill and Steve are going head-to-head, selecting the best possible lineup of hockey players from movies and series. How many Mighty Ducks could make the cut? Which of Slap Shot’s Charlestown Chiefs could end up on the ice? And could Shoresy be a bigger contributor in this exercise than expected? Plus, has anyone actually ever seen The Love Guru?

Happy Friday, fam! We’ve got some good stuff today, as we run ESPN’s Sports Misery Index to find out just how mad Philadelphia Flyers fans deserve to be. Plus, Steve and Bill share their best lineups of fictional hockey players. How many Might Ducks, Charlestown Chiefs and Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs will crack their lineups?

Sean Couturier is coming off a bounce back season that saw him score 45 points, the 4th best total of his career. While encouraging, the question remains, how effective can Coots be over the remainder of his contract? Bill & Steve discuss their expectations for the nearly 33-year-old center, as well as who could succeed him as captain. Plus, a deeper look at Philadelphia’s defensive depth and whether they deserved the D grade they received from TSN.

Another fun August show here at PHLY, while as all seems quiet on the hockey front, former NHL video coach Steve Peters joins the show to discuss what exactly is going on behind the scenes as teams prepare for training camp and the upcoming season. We’ve also FINALLY got resolution on the Ryan Johansen contract termination to talk about, plus, a look at how the Philadelphia Flyers’ blueline stacks up against the rest of the league, based on Travis Yost’s latest rankings for TSN.

It has been a highly debated topic since 2022, whether Danny Briere has passed on higher-upside players in the NHL Entry Draft for safer picks, or positions of need. The headliner, of course, is Jett Luchanko instead of Zeev Buium. But there are also debates regarding Oliver Bonk vs. Gabe Perreault, and even the 2025 draft, many fans would’ve taken the undersized center James Hagens over the big, skilled winger Porter Martone. Would Kelly & Bill swap the picks? Find out on THE SHOOTOUT!

Tuesday Reviewsday is on hold for the week, as we’ve just got too much to talk about today! Bill & Kelly are discussing the best & worst decisions Danny Briere has made as Philadelphia Flyers GM this offseason, and the possibility of a few more decisions with some veteran free agents available who might be willing to come into camp on PTOs. We’ll also answer more mailbag questions, including discussions on next year’s draft, Sign Guy, Matvei Michkov, and more!

Happy Mailbag Monday to all who celebrate! We’re dropping the puck on this week with listener questions about our preferences for Matvei Michkov’s success next season, or the team as a whole, as well as discussions on the failed trade with the Blues that would have sent Travis Sanheim to St. Louis, trading for a 1C, the much-hyped Summer of 2026 and more!

Let’s try this again! PHLY’s AHL & Prospect correspondent Maddie Campbell joins to discuss the performances of Flyers prospects at the 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase. Is Jack Berglund raising his stock as a prospect with his performance at the mini-tournament? Will Porter Martone lead Canada to its first gold since 2023? What does Jett Luchanko’s absence mean for his role as a returnee from last year? We cover all the Flyers prospects performances from the Summer Showcase.

We’ve all had them. A player we followed from their draft year, or from another team’s system, or someone we happened to see play one great game, and then we believe in them. And, typically for the Philadelphia Flyers, that player just doesn’t meet expectations. From goalies like Antero Niittymäki and Petr Mrazek who got off to hot starts, to players who had a chance but were derailed by injuries, like Eric Wellwood and Marc-Andre Bourdon. Bill & Steve are remembering their favorite busts, disappointments and bad calls on players they thought would make an impact in Orange & Black.

Matvei Michkov lived up to the hype in his rookie season with the Philadelphia Flyers, but could he have a sophomore slump in his 2nd season with the Orange and Black? Bill Matz and Charlie O'Connor of the PHLY Flyers Podcast analyze the best-case and worst-case scenarios.

The reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles kickoff their preseason tonight with a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, so let’s use that as a springboard to talk about the Flyers’ preseason, shall we? The Orange & Black will suit up for 7 preseason games, beginning September 21 against the Islanders. It feels like the roster is pretty well set, but we’ve seen this team make room for players who set themselves apart in camp and during the exhibition schedule. Charlie & Bill discuss what it will take for Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk, Samu Tuomaala, and others to push their way onto the NHL roster. Plus, a discussion on Danny Briere’s “inefficient spending.”

Whether the Philadelphia Flyers are Stanley Cup contenders or in the standings’ basement, there’s a long tradition among Philly fans of having a whipping boy or two who absorbs most of the blame for the team’s shortcomings. Sometimes warranted (Andrew MacDonald) and sometimes ridiculous (Claude Giroux), but always a magnet for the city’s ire. Today, Charlie & Bill attempt to decipher who is next in line for the title of most overly-criticized Flyer. Plus, a review of Rick Tocchet’s latest media appearance.

Tuesday Reviewsday is back, as we make our way through a binge of Shoresy! Today, we’re tackling the second of four seasons.