The Philadelphia Flyers welcomed the immediate impact rookie Porter Martone brought to the lineup this spring.
Now Martone is expected to enter his first full season in Philadelphia and make the Flyers a more competitive team right out of the gate.
Head coach Rick Tocchet spoke with The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz about Martone and what his expectations are for the Calder Trophy favorite this season.
A lot is resting on Martone’s shoulders, even though he hasn’t played a full season yet.
“I also want to make sure we temper the expectations. I know there’s a lot of buzz around town. I want him to understand that he’s not the savior,” Tocchet told Kurz.
“We want him to just be Porter Martone. He’s a great kid. We’ve got to make sure we cocoon him a little bit and not put too much pressure on him.”
Martone’s Impact on Flyers Power Play
As the former Michigan State forward gets settled this season, he’ll need to be relied on to have success on the power play. The Flyers got a flash of what Martone will be able to do long-term for the organization.
It’s more about what Martone has to offer in those high-pressure situations and the skills he possesses to make a difference in the NHL.
“He’s going to obviously play a big role with his hands. His shot accuracy — he gets shots on net, something we really want to work on this year,” Tocchet said.
“We want people to hit the net. He’s got some beef to him. He can take the puck to the net. He can score 30 feet out, and he can score from two feet out.”
In 9 regular-season games with the Flyers last season, Martone proved why he didn’t need to stay at the NCAA level. He posted 10 points and went on to score 5 points in 10 games in the playoffs.
His two goals came in back-to-back games against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening round. Martone’s first career goal during Game 1 set a high bar for what he can do on the largest stage of the NHL.
Overall, it’s fair for Flyers fans to expect a pace of 15 points in 19 games from the Calder candidate this season. The soon-to-be 20-year-old will just need to give himself the chance to settle into his game as the 2026-27 season gets going.
What Defines Success for the Flyers’ 26-27 Season
The Flyers are poised to make back-to-back postseason appearances since 2011 and 2012. That was the end of a 5-year streak for Flyers fans of having playoff hockey.
As Tocchet came in last season, it wasn’t assumed that Philadelphia would make it back during his first season behind the bench.
“You look at last year, the Vegas odds, we were one of the worst teams, supposedly. So we make the playoffs, get almost 100 points. Now all of a sudden, where are we at? I have high expectations, myself,” Tocchet said.
“I know it’s a cheesy answer; I don’t look at, we have to make the playoffs. How do we grow from last year? How do we become a better team? I know everybody is gung-ho, but I want to make sure that I don’t put too much pressure on the players, even though I want pressure.”
After their second-round playoff exit against the eventual champion Carolina Hurricanes, the Flyers fan base gave a large standing ovation.
That moment has resonated with the team, and they want to feel that again this season.
“That says to me, they want to do something for them,” Tocchet said. “Can we do our part? A couple of guys said, ‘We’re hungry.’ This is a hungry group. This is something I love to hear. I guess my philosophy this year is: how do I make our players comfortable by knowing it’s going to be uncomfortable?”
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Flyers to temper expectations for rookie Porter Martone