Philadelphia Flyers’ 4 Most Underrated Players Entering 2026-27 – The Hockey Writers – Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers made a surprising trip to the playoffs last season with 98 points, ending a drought that tied a franchise record. Here are four of the most underrated players on the team entering 2026-27, who will all be crucial in helping Philadelphia return to the dance.

Noah Cates

Last season was business as usual for Noah Cates. Very few, if any, players rivaled his defensive impact, and he was rewarded with an 11^th-place finish in Selke Trophy voting (a bit too low, if you ask me). He recorded 18 goals, 29 assists, and a plus-26 rating in 82 games on 16:15 of average ice time.

Despite having 47 points, I would still consider Cates to be a slightly below-average offensive driver. Defensively, though, he’s off the charts. Overall, he is easily one of the best third-line forwards in the league, and he can handle a greater workload than that if necessary.

The 27-year-old probably doesn’t have room for growth at this point, and that’s totally fine. He’s the league’s best shutdown 3C, which he arguably doesn’t get enough credit for.

Tyson Foerster

If you’re strictly looking at point totals, Tyson Foerster projects to be a middle-six winger. The 24-year-old has a career high of 43 points in 81 games, and while he recorded 13 goals in 29 games last season (on an unsustainable 21.3% shooting clip), he only added four assists.

Foerster may never be a high-level playmaker, but he is much more than a middle-six player. He consistently grades out tremendously on defense, for one. His defensive impact at even strength is elite, especially for his age group.

Also, Foerster has been one of the league’s better finishers since he entered the league, per Evolving-Hockey. His shooting percentage ranks in the 92^nd percentile among forwards with 1,000 minutes of ice time since 2022-23, recording 61 goals on 385 shots. Seeing as the Flyers’ power play has been a massive liability despite his best efforts, he ranks even higher at even strength: the 94^th percentile.

Foerster may never reach true top-six scoring totals. He’s been compared to Mark Stone in the past, but the Vegas Golden Knights winger had multiple 60-point seasons when he was Foerster’s age—and in a substantially more difficult scoring era (the mid-2010s). While superstardom would be a stretch, the 24-year-old should live up to his new eight-year, $7.1 million cap-hit contract set to kick in next summer.

Rasmus Ristolainen

For a long time, Rasmus Ristolainen was one of the more overrated players in the league. He was big, physical, and somewhat reliable at a time, but his results were putrid in the early 2020s. Over the past few seasons, that has completely changed. However, some hockey fans still haven’t adjusted their opinions to reflect his growth.

Ristolainen isn’t an elite all-around player, but he has been very good defensively in a top-four role recently. Health will be the biggest factor for the 31-year-old moving forward, as he has only played in 57.8% of all possible games since 2023-24. When he is on the ice, the Flyers are a much better defensive team.

Travis Sanheim

Philadelphia wouldn’t have sniffed the playoffs without Travis Sanheim. The 30-year-old defenseman had a career-best season, recording 11 goals, 26 assists, and a plus-12 rating across 81 games on 24:13 of average ice time. His 11.6% shooting clip will probably be cut in half (his career average is 6.4%), but his all-around game was impressive.

According to Hockey Stats, in goals above replacement (GAR; an impact metric), his latest campaign ranked in the 93^rd percentile among all defenseman seasons with 500 minutes since 2023-24.

Suffice it to say, Sanheim had an exceptional 2025-26 showing, evolving into a true No. 1 defender. Age regression isn’t linear, but now that he’s in his 30s, it should be monitored. That said, he’s playing at a high level and should continue to do so until further notice.

With an average age of about 28.5 years, this group is a bit veteran-heavy for my liking—you’d rather the younger guys be on this list. But in any event, the Flyers have four great players who are being overlooked by many hockey fans.