For the 14th season in a row, the Philadelphia Flyers are watching the Stanley Cup Final from their couch. However, there are plenty of former players of theirs that they should be cheering for.
This season’s Final, between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, has some notable active players that were members of the Orange and Black at some point, but also some coaches, too. For both sides, who are those people?
Former Flyers: Players in the Series
Sergei Bobrovsky (2010-12)
Sergei Bobrovsky was an undrafted free agent picked up by the Flyers, but they were probably somewhat lucky to get him like that — he was dominant for a youngster in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Philadelphia rode a goaltending carousel in 2009-10 and didn’t want it to happen again, so they gambled on the Russian netminder. In his rookie campaign in 2010-11, Bobrovsky played 54 games and had a very solid 28-13-8 record. With a save percentage (SV%) of .915 and a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.59, there was some promising play from him.
That next offseason, the Flyers gave out a massive contract to goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov in free agency to be the starter. Bobrovsky lost his starting job and then was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2012 offseason. In 2012-13 as the full-time starter with the Blue Jackets, he went on to win his first Vezina Trophy in an incredible turnaround.
From there, we pretty much know the story. Bobrovsky was fantastic in Columbus and haunted the Flyers, winning another Vezina Trophy in 2016-17. As a free agent in 2019, he signed a lucrative seven-year, $70 million contract with the Panthers. It didn’t age well at first, but his superstar talent has remained despite him being 35 — he has been a big help in allowing Florida to make the Final in back-to-back campaigns. He is a Vezina Trophy finalist for the 2023-24 season for good reason.
Nick Cousins (2014-17)
Nick Cousins was a third-round pick by the Flyers in 2011, and he has been a steal so far in his career. He has never been an elite top-six player, but he has been aiding bottom-six forward groups for quite some time now.
Cousins did this in Philadelphia for a few seasons and was a solid scorer from time to time, but he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes on June 16, 2017. From there, he played for a few teams along the way but settled on the Panthers in 2022-23. Since then, he has been a gritty depth player and has served as a major pest. This has allowed him to stick out and make a name for himself.
Anthony Stolarz (2016-17, 2018-19)
A second-round pick in 2012 by the Flyers, Anthony Stolarz spent far too much time scratching and clawing his way for an NHL roster spot. He put up pretty solid numbers in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, but unfortunately couldn’t get a consistent look with the Flyers. On Feb. 16, 2019, he was traded in a one-for-one deal for Cam Talbot to the Oilers.
Stolarz had three promising seasons with the Anaheim Ducks before he made it to the Panthers, but being the backup to Bobrovsky on an elite defensive team was the best thing that could have happened to the 30-year-old. He had a dominant .925 SV% and a 2.03 GAA to go along with a 16-7-2 record. Backup netminders get their name etched on the Stanley Cup if their team wins, so it could be his as long as he remains on the bench for Florida.
Calvin Pickard (2018-19)
Back when the Flyers started a record-setting eight netminders in their 2018-19 campaign, Calvin Pickard was one of the first to add to this total. Claimed off of waivers by the Orange and Black on Oct. 2, 2018, he played in 11 contests for Philadelphia, going 4-2-2 overall. He started out as the third-string goaltender, but eventually worked his way up to play in a decent chunk of games.
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That record didn’t speak to his numbers, as he had a .863 SV% and a 4.01 GAA during his short tenure with the Flyers. By Nov. 28, he was put on waivers once again and claimed by the Coyotes. Pickard has since picked up the Oilers’ backup role, starting a couple of games for them in this postseason run.
Former Flyers: Coaches in the Series
Paul Coffey (1996-98)
Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey was a member of the Flyers as a player and he is an assistant coach for the Oilers today. During the Flyers’ very own run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1997, they made a trade along the way to acquire him.
Philadelphia sent defenseman Kevin Haller, a first-round pick, and a seventh-round pick to the Hartford Whalers for Coffey and a third-round choice. This helped give some offensive upside to the Flyers’ back end, as the legendary defender scored 26 points in 37 regular season games and nine points in the postseason.
Coffey spent one more season with the Flyers in 1997-98 and scored 29 points in 57 games, but after that, the 36-year-old veteran moved on. More so now, this is more of a fun trivia knowledge piece — the Orange and Black had one of the greatest defensemen ever on their team for a cup of coffee.
Kris Knoblauch (2017-19)
Kris Knoblauch, the head coach of the Oilers, got his start in the NHL thanks to Philadelphia. Ironically coaching Edmonton captain Connor McDavid with the Erie Otters, Knoblauch impressed the Flyers and he was hired after his 2016-17 campaign there.
Knoblauch served as the Flyers’ assistant coach for two seasons, making the playoffs in 2017-18 and missing them in 2018-19. His last NHL experience was with Philadelphia before he went to the Oilers, which would put him in a similar spot as Craig Berube in 2019 — he won the Stanley Cup as the head coach of the St. Louis Blues only having prior experience with the Orange and Black. In addition, both he and Knoblauch were hired in the middle of the season they went to the Final.
No matter what, there will be a former Flyer who has never before hoisted a Stanley Cup that will once the Oilers and Panthers finish their series — only Coffey has won one before. If the Oilers win it all, there are a couple of coaches who could do so. This might not be an interesting matchup in the way that the Flyers have a massive rival they should be cheering against, but having former players could make up for it.
