Porter Martone’s Calder candidacy is one of several things Flyers fans can closely watch this season, but it may be the most important. Certainly, individual accolades don’t supersede team accolades. Still, a Porter Martone nomination, at least, for the NHL’s top rookie could help Philadelphia recapture last year’s late-season magic.
The Flyers, long mired in the muck of whatever term you want to use to describe a rebuild, finally made the playoffs following five consecutive dreary seasons.
Certainly not the only factor in their 98-point season, Porter Martone improved the Flyers upon his arrival in Philadelphia last season. In fact, the Flyers felt his impact off the ice too.
Notably, it could be difficult to replicate a career year for goaltender Dan Vladar. The career backup defied the odds and morphed into a viable top-end NHL starting goalie at a point in his career that’s quite rare. Philadelphia extended Vladar, but they can’t count on him to repeat his late-season heroics. That’s one of several reasons the Flyers need Porter Martone’s Calder campaign to flourish.
A Teaser for Porter Martone’s Calder Candidacy
Martone signed his entry-level contract with Philadelphia in the wake of a dominant freshman season at Michigan State. Flyers brass noticed multiple times that Martone seemed ready for the spotlight.
Even back in June, Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong mentioned Martone was continuing to improve.
“I think his legs, just seeing him out here doing the power skating, he has a little bit more of an explosive step compared to what he had coming out of junior hockey (in 2024-25). Those are things that he needs to keep improving for him to be more successful at this level. Once he gets his foot speed going and his ability to have tight turns and come out of turns with more speed, it’s just going to make him a way better player.”
The expectations surrounding Martone seem high, regardless of who is placing them. The organization, media and even Martone himself seem to agree on what he can provide to Philadelphia this season. It’s helping drive Porter Martone’s Calder candidacy before training camps have started.
Martone started his career with 10 points in only nine NHL games. He also scored five points in 10 postseason appearances. Not content with the NCAA, World Juniors and NHL, Martone appeared in 10 games for Team Canada at the World Championships.
That impact led to The Athletic ranking Martone number one in its preseason Calder rankings. Clearly, the Porter Martone Calder campaign is underway. Clearly, that level of production is sparking the conversation around him becoming the NHL’s top rookie.
Martone Sparking a Lifeless Power Play Could Be the X-Factor
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic suggested Martone needs to be in the 50-point range to receive a nomination. Wheeler believes Porter Martone’s Calder candidacy could be quite strong if he exceeds 60 points. If Martone even sniffs last year’s late-season play, he might run away with the voting.
It seems difficult to imagine Martone matching last season’s small sample size. In those nine games, he scored at a 91-point prorated pace per 82 games. Martone’s on-ice metrics reveal a player who possibly ran hotter than his early-season play. Still, his metrics were not, by any means, subpar. And, more importantly, no one needs to apologize for carrying high-end offense that can exceed advanced projections.
Admittedly, Martone wasn’t the only reason the Flyers surged late in the season. And, in a small sample, the Flyers’ power play didn’t improve much in those nine games despite Martone playing 2:10 per game on the power play.
Porter Martone’s Calder Level of Play Changes Flyers
The Flyers went 6-3-0 and won a playoff series after Martone’s arrival. The Flyers under Rick Tocchet are one of the stingiest teams in the NHL. They finished top-10 or better in the following defensive metrics:
- Five-on-five shot attempts per 60 minutes
- Unblocked five-on-five shot attempts per 60 minutes
- Five-on-five shots per 60 minutes
- Five-on-five goals-against per 60 minutes
- Five-on-five expected goals-against per 60 minutes
- Five-on-five scoring chances against per 60 minutes
- Five-on-five high-danger chances against per 60 minutes
Notably, the Flyers maintained their strong defensive play after Martone arrived. In some metrics (like Natural Stat Trick’s expected goals metric), they actually got better after Martone arrived. And, critically, the Flyers scored 0.9 goals per 60 minutes more at five-on-five with Martone. That translates to eighth in the NHL during his nine-game sample, compared to 20th in the NHL during the course of the whole season.
That’s just at five-on-five. If Martone’s strong play translates to the power play, the Flyers might be able to avoid running out the league’s worst unit for the fifth time in six years.
As a result, Porter Martone’s Calder chances directly impact the Flyers in 2026-27. And perhaps, the Flyers might just be able to make this their first back-to-back trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs since the Peter Laviolette era, thanks in part to the NHL’s top rookie.
Philadelphia Flyers Need Rising Star Porter Martone to Meet the Calder Hype