Flyers fans will have conflicting emotions during the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals
May 1, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella looks on against the Utah Mammoth during the third period in game six of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Delta Center.
For Flyers fans, this Stanley Cup Final is probably going to feel a little weird because two former Flyers figures — John Tortorella and Carter Hart — are now heading to the Stanley Cup Final with the Vegas Golden Knights after sweeping the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in four games.
And somehow, it feels painfully on brand for this franchise.
The Golden Knights are now headed to their third Stanley Cup Final in just nine seasons of existence. Think about that for a second. Vegas entered the NHL in 2017 and has already built more sustained playoff success than organizations that have existed for decades. The culture, the aggression from management, the refusal to stay mediocre — it’s exactly what modern NHL franchises should strive for.
Meanwhile, the Flyers have spent years stuck between rebuilding and pretending not to rebuild.
But the biggest story to me is Tortorella.
For all the criticism he received in Philadelphia, all the debates about his style, his attitude, or whether his voice gets “too old school,” the guy continues to win meaningful hockey games. Not regular season games. Not games in October that everybody forgets by February. Playoff games.
And now he’s done something no coach in NHL history has accomplished: sweeping a Presidents’ Trophy-winning team twice.
First it was the 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning with Columbus. Now it’s the 2026 Colorado Avalanche with Vegas.
That is not random.
You do not accidentally shut down elite teams four straight times. Tortorella’s structure, accountability, and defensive systems become a completely different animal in playoff hockey. Every single postseason people try to convince themselves his style can’t work anymore, and every single postseason his teams become miserable to play against.
Was he perfect in Philadelphia? No. The Flyers' roster during his tenure had flaws everywhere, and there were absolutely moments where the relationship between coach and team felt exhausting. But watching him immediately help turn Vegas into a Stanley Cup Final team says a lot about how valuable his coaching still is in this league.
Then there’s Carter Hart.
That part is obviously complicated for Flyers fans. Hart was supposed to be the future of the franchise for years. At one point, he looked like the piece Philadelphia could finally build around after decades of instability in net. Instead, his time with the Flyers ended with uncertainty, disappointment, and a fanbase left wondering what could have been.
Now he’s playing some of the best hockey of his career on the biggest stage possible.
That has to sting a little.
At the same time, it also says something important about Vegas as an organization. The Golden Knights identify talent, maximize it quickly, and refuse to waste opportunities. They don’t sit around waiting three or four years hoping things eventually click. They act aggressively, and the result is another Stanley Cup Final appearance before the franchise has even existed for a decade.
That’s the part Flyers fans should probably pay attention to most.
Because while Vegas keeps evolving, adapting, and competing for Cups, Philadelphia is still searching for stability.
And now two former Flyers are four wins away from lifting hockey’s biggest prize somewhere else.
