Editing Philadelphia Flyers (section)

===From highs to lows (2004–2014)===
With the NHL preparing for looming labor unrest, the Flyers let their leading scorer, Mark Recchi, leave for Pittsburgh during the off-season. Unsure about the future, the Flyers were unsure about his worth. The [[2004–05 NHL lockout|NHL lockout]] forced the cancellation of the 2004–05 NHL season. The Flyers were one of the more active teams once the NHL lockout came to an end. Replacing the high-profile names of Amonte, LeClair and Roenick were superstar [[Peter Forsberg]], along with defensemen [[Derian Hatcher]] and [[Mike Rathje]], as well as several players from the Calder Cup-winning [[Philadelphia Phantoms]]. When all was said and done, the team had experienced a turnover of nearly two-thirds of the roster.

The Flyers began the [[2005–06 NHL season]] with lofty expectations. Despite being hampered by injuries prior to and during the season, the Flyers lived up to those expectations in the first half of the season, reaching the top of the league standings in January while simultaneously holding a 10-point lead in the Atlantic Division. The ''Deuces Wild'' line of Forsberg, Gagne, and [[Mike Knuble]] recorded 75, 79 and 65 points respectively while Gagne, with Forsberg feeding him, scored a career-high of 47 goals. However, the injuries began to accumulate and take their toll, the most crippling of which was Keith Primeau's season-ending concussion. Derian Hatcher served as interim captain for the remainder of the season. The Flyers had been first in the league prior to the Olympic break, where an injury to Forsberg occurred. All told, the Flyers were third in the NHL with 388 man-games lost to injury, tops amongst playoff teams.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=178272&hubname=nhl | title=Why is no one talking about the Flyers? | agency=[[The Canadian Press]] | publisher=[[The Sports Network]] | date=September 21, 2006| access-date=November 10, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070929122003/http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=178272&hubname=nhl |archive-date=September 29, 2007}}</ref> The second half of the regular season was defined by a record hovering around .500, sending the Flyers on a steady slide in the standings. The Flyers fell short of an Atlantic Division title, finishing second by tie-breaker to New Jersey, drawing the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round matchup with fourth-seeded Buffalo. The Flyers lost the series in six games.

[[File:Mike Richards 2010-10-07.JPG|thumb|219x219px|[[Mike Richards (ice hockey)|Mike Richards]] played for the Flyers from 2005 to 2011.]]
The Flyers' 40th anniversary season turned out to be the worst in franchise history. The Flyers traded [[Michal Handzuš|Michal Handzus]] to Chicago, lost Kim Johnsson to free agency and Eric Desjardins and team captain Keith Primeau retired in the off-season. Peter Forsberg replaced Primeau as team captain, but a chronic foot injury developing in last season's Olympics had him in and out of the lineup throughout the season and limited his effectiveness. Eight games into the regular season and with a record of 1–6–1, general manager Bobby Clarke resigned and head coach Ken Hitchcock was fired. Assistant coach [[John Stevens (ice hockey)|John Stevens]] replaced Hitchcock and assistant general manager Paul Holmgren took on Clarke's responsibilities on an interim basis.

The changes did little to improve the Flyers fortunes in [[2006–07 NHL season|2006–07]] as setting franchise records for futility became the norm. They had several multiple-game losing streaks, including a franchise-worst 10-game losing streak and a 13-game home losing streak that stretched from November 29 to February 10. Ultimately, the Flyers finished with a 22–48–12 record, the most losses and the worst winning percentage in franchise history, and the worst record in the league. They also set the NHL record for the biggest points drop off in the standings in a one-year span (101 points in 2005–06 to 56 points in 2006–07, a difference of 45 points). The Flyers lost the [[2007 NHL entry draft|2007 NHL draft lottery]] to the Chicago Blackhawks and received the second overall selection.

With the team clearly on the verge of missing the playoffs for the first time in 13 years, Paul Holmgren set his sights on rebuilding the team and preparing for the future. Forsberg, unwilling to commit to playing next season, was traded to Nashville for [[Scottie Upshall]], [[Ryan Parent]] and 2007 first- and third-round draft picks at the deadline. Veteran defenseman [[Alexei Zhitnik]] was traded to the [[Atlanta Thrashers]] for prospect defenseman [[Braydon Coburn]], while disappointing off-season acquisition [[Kyle Calder]] was sent to Detroit via Chicago in exchange for defenseman [[Lasse Kukkonen]]. The Flyers also acquired goaltender [[Martin Biron]] from Buffalo for a 2007 second-round pick. Given wide praise for his efforts, the Flyers gave Holmgren a two-year contract and removed the interim label from his title.

Before the [[2007–08 NHL season|2007–08 season]] began the Flyers made a trade that sent the first-round draft pick they had acquired in the Forsberg trade (23rd overall) back to Nashville in exchange for the rights to negotiate with impending unrestricted free agents [[Kimmo Timonen]] and [[Scott Hartnell]]. Both were subsequently signed to six-year contracts. After much speculation about whether the Flyers would keep or trade the second overall pick in the 2007 NHL entry draft, the Flyers opted to keep it, using it to select New Jersey native [[James van Riemsdyk]].

The Flyers wasted no time in addressing their free-agent needs. On July 1, the Flyers signed Buffalo co-captain [[Daniel Brière|Daniel Briere]] to an eight-year, $52 million contract. Continuing to revamp their defensive core, [[Joni Pitkänen|Joni Pitkanen]] and [[Geoff Sanderson]] were traded to Edmonton in exchange for Oilers captain [[Jason Smith (ice hockey)|Jason Smith]] and [[Joffrey Lupul]]. Smith was later named Flyers captain on October 1.

[[File:Jeff Carter Flyers 2010-1.jpg|thumb|234x234px|[[Jeff Carter]] played for the Flyers from 2005 to 2011.]]
The season began in the image of the ''Broad Street Bullies'' era, with multiple-game suspensions handed out to five separate players, the most serious being 25-game suspensions to both [[Steve Downie]] and [[Jesse Boulerice]] for two separate incidents. A 7–3 start in October and a 9–3–1 January run had the Flyers near the top of both the Division and Conference standings. However, a disastrous ten-game losing streak in February, reminiscent of such a streak the previous season, nearly derailed the Flyers' year. An 8–3–4 run in March, coupled with two huge wins over New Jersey and Pittsburgh over the final weekend of the regular season, put the Flyers back in the [[2008 Stanley Cup playoffs|2008 playoffs]] as the sixth seed, setting up a first-round matchup with Washington. After taking a three-game-to-one lead over the Capitals, Washington then won games 5 and 6 to force a deciding game seven in Washington. After an evenly fought game, the Flyers ultimately won the series in overtime via a Joffrey Lupul powerplay goal. The Flyers then drew a matchup with heavily favored Montreal in the second round. Despite being outshot a majority of the series, the Flyers upset the Canadiens in five games, advancing to the conference finals for the first time since [[2003–04 NHL season|2003–04]] to face Pittsburgh. Before the start of the series, the Flyers suffered a fatal blow when it was learned that Kimmo Timonen was out with a blood clot in his ankle. Coupled with a gruesome facial injury to Braydon Coburn in game two, Pittsburgh ran roughshod over the Flyers' depleted defense and jumped out to a 3–0 series lead. The Flyers won game four at home to stave off elimination, and although Timonen returned for game five, Pittsburgh finished off the Flyers in five games.

The Flyers began the [[2008–09 NHL season|2008–09 season]] by naming [[Mike Richards (ice hockey)|Mike Richards]] the 17th captain in team history on September 17, with Jason Smith having departed to Ottawa as a free agent. The Flyers were looking to build on the success of the previous season, but instead got off to an 0–3–3 start. However, despite a solid December and January and finishing with four points more than the year before, for the most part, the 2008–09 Flyers played inconsistently and looked like different teams,{{Citation needed|date=March 2017}} playing at the top of their ability one night and a sub-par performance the next. Derian Hatcher missed the entire regular season and playoffs with a knee injury, and Steve Downie was traded to Tampa Bay with [[Steve Eminger]], whom they had previously acquired in a trade with Washington prior to the season for defenseman [[Matt Carle]]. Two pleasant surprises were the emergence of rookie center [[Claude Giroux]] and defenseman [[Luca Sbisa]], who was drafted by the Flyers in June with the 19th overall pick acquired from the [[Columbus Blue Jackets]] in exchange for [[R. J. Umberger]], a victim of team salary cap constraints. Scottie Upshall also found himself the victim of such a crunch; he was traded to Phoenix in exchange for [[Daniel Carcillo]] at the [[NHL trade deadline]].

Despite holding on to the fourth seed in the East for much of the season, thanks to a 4–5–1 finish to the season, highlighted by a home loss to the Rangers on the last day of the regular season, the Flyers slipped to the fifth seed and lost home-ice advantage in their first-round series with Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh dominated the Flyers in game one, and despite a better effort by the Flyers in game two, Pittsburgh came to Philadelphia with a 2–0 series lead. The Flyers were the better team in games three and four, but Pittsburgh gained a split in Philadelphia and took a 3–1 series lead. After a decisive 3–0 win in game five, the Flyers jumped out to a 3–0 lead in game six, but promptly fell victim to the inconsistencies that plagued the team all season and gave up five unanswered goals in a season-ending 5–3 loss. Giroux led the team in scoring in the playoffs. Jeff Carter ended the regular season with 46 goals, second in the NHL after Washington's [[Alexander Ovechkin]]. Mike Richards just missed out on the [[Frank J. Selke Trophy]] in the closest vote in the history of the award.

[[File:DannyBriere.jpg|thumb|228x228px|[[Daniel Brière|Daniel Briere]] played for the Flyers from 2007 to 2013.]]
The Flyers began the [[2009–10 NHL season|2009–10 season]] with some major changes, allowing goaltenders Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki to depart via free agency, replacing them with former Ottawa netminder [[Ray Emery]] and former Flyer Brian Boucher, and significantly upgrading the defense with the addition of [[Chris Pronger]] from Anaheim. Pronger came at a price, however, costing the Flyers Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa and the Flyers' first-round draft picks in both [[2009 NHL entry draft|2009]] and [[2010 NHL entry draft|2010]] drafts. The season began in earnest, though it soon unraveled with mediocre play that cost head coach John Stevens his job in December 2009. [[Peter Laviolette]] was hired as his replacement in order to reinstitute accountability and restore success to the Flyers, though the results were not immediate; the Flyers suffered a 2–7–1 stretch immediately following his arrival. Injuries took a major toll on the Flyers, with [[Blair Betts]], Daniel Briere, Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and Kimmo Timonen all missing significant numbers of games, though no position was nearly affected as much with injuries as goaltending. Emery suffered a hip injury in December, played sporadically afterwards and ultimately underwent season-ending surgery. Boucher suffered a hand injury shortly thereafter, which allowed journeyman goaltender [[Michael Leighton]] to step in and make an immediate impact. Leighton went 8–0–1 in his first ten starts, including a tough 2–1 overtime loss in the [[2010 Winter Classic]] to Boston at [[Fenway Park]] on New Year's Day. However, Leighton was forced out of the line-up in March with a high ankle sprain, necessitating Boucher's return as starter. All told, seven different goaltenders suited up for the Flyers at various points throughout the year. Mediocre play down the stretch forced the Flyers into a do-or-die shootout with the Rangers in the final game of the regular season. Boucher stopped final shooter [[Olli Jokinen]] to clinch the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round matchup with New Jersey.

Boucher and the Flyers consistently outplayed [[Martin Brodeur]] and New Jersey and pulled off the upset in five games. However, the victory was costly, as Carter suffered a broken foot and Gagne a broken toe in game four, while [[Ian Laperrière|Ian Laperriere]] suffered a grievous facial injury by blocking a shot in game five. The Flyers then faced sixth-seeded Boston in the second round, and despite playing at an even level with the Bruins, the Flyers found themselves in a 3–0 series deficit. Gagne returned in game four and scored in overtime to force a game five, which the Flyers won convincingly, 4–0. Boucher suffered MCL sprains during the game in both knees which forced Leighton back into net in his first time suiting up since March. Boucher and Leighton became the first goaltenders since 1955 to share a playoff shutout. A 2–1 Flyers win in game six forced a game seven in Boston. Falling behind 3–0 in game seven, the Flyers pulled off the biggest comeback in both franchise and League history, winning 4–3 on a late goal by Gagne to join the [[1941–42 Toronto Maple Leafs season|1941–42 Toronto Maple Leafs]], the [[1974–75 New York Islanders season|1974–75 New York Islanders]] and the [[2004 Boston Red Sox season|2004 Boston Red Sox]] as the only sports teams to win a playoff series after trailing 3–0.

In the conference finals, the Flyers had home-ice advantage as they faced eighth-seeded Montreal. Leighton became the first Flyers netminder to record three shutouts in a series, and Carter and Laperriere returned to the lineup as the Flyers won the Eastern Conference Championship in five games, advancing to the [[2010 Stanley Cup Finals|Stanley Cup Finals]] for the first time since [[1997 Stanley Cup Finals|1997]] to face the Chicago Blackhawks. Dropping two close games in [[Chicago]], the Flyers returned home to win game three in overtime and game four to even the series. A convincing 7–4 win by Chicago in game five, however, put the Flyers one game away from elimination. A late goal by Scott Hartnell in game six forced overtime, but [[Patrick Kane]] scored just over four minutes into overtime to eliminate the Flyers and give Chicago their first Stanley Cup since [[1961 Stanley Cup Finals|1961]]. [[Ville Leino]], acquired in a mid-season trade from Detroit, set the Flyers rookie playoff scoring record and tied the NHL record with 21 points. Briere led the NHL playoff scoring race with 30 points, one point ahead of [[Conn Smythe Trophy]] winner, [[Jonathan Toews]].

[[File:Kimmo Timonen cropped.jpg|thumb|211x211px|[[Kimmo Timonen]] played for the Flyers from 2007 to 2014.]]
Coming off the close loss to Chicago in the Finals, the Flyers traded Gagne to Tampa Bay to clear up cap space, acquired [[Andrej Meszároš|Andrej Meszaros]] from Tampa Bay in a separate trade and signed free agent [[Sean O'Donnell]] to shore up the defensive corps. The Flyers started the [[2010–11 NHL season|2010–11 season]] with rookie goaltender [[Sergei Bobrovsky]] from the [[Kontinental Hockey League]] (KHL) in Russia, who recorded an opening-night win in his NHL debut against Pittsburgh and had steady numbers throughout the season. Boucher remained as the team's backup goaltender, while Leighton played one game in December after recovering from a back injury before being demoted to [[Adirondack Phantoms|Adirondack]] in the [[American Hockey League]] (AHL). The Flyers led both the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference for the majority of the season, and challenged Vancouver for the overall NHL lead. [[Kris Versteeg]] was brought in from Toronto to add additional offense for the stretch drive and playoffs. However, lackluster play throughout March and April, coupled with a broken hand suffered by Chris Pronger in late February that ended his regular season, cost the Flyers the top seed in the East during the last week of the regular season, although the Flyers hung on to win their first Atlantic Division title since [[2003–04 NHL season|2003–04]] and clinched the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Flyers drew Buffalo in the first round. Bobrovsky played well in a 1–0 game one loss, but was replaced in game two by Boucher, who held on for a 5–4 Flyers win. Boucher played well in a game three win and a game four loss, but was replaced himself in a favor of Leighton during a bad first period in game five, which Buffalo won in overtime. Pronger returned to the lineup and Leighton started game six, but was replaced by Boucher after a poor first period, though nonetheless the Flyers went on to win in overtime and forced a game seven, which Boucher started. The Flyers dominated Buffalo, 5–2, and became the first team to win a playoff series starting three different goaltenders since [[1988 Stanley Cup playoffs|1988]]. The Flyers then drew a [[2010 Stanley Cup playoffs|rematch]] with the Boston Bruins in the second round. Boston dominated the Flyers in game one, where Boucher was again replaced, this time by Bobrovsky. Pronger again left the lineup with an undisclosed injury, while Boston won game two in overtime and again dominated the Flyers in game three to take a 3–0 series lead. Bobrovsky started game four, but there was no comeback like in their previous meeting, as Boston completed the sweep. The Flyers tied an NHL record with seven playoff in-game goaltender changes, and were the only NHL team not to record a shutout in either the regular season or playoffs.

Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren made two franchise-altering trades within the span of an hour on June 23, 2011, trading Mike Richards to the [[Los Angeles Kings]] for [[Brayden Schenn]], [[Wayne Simmonds]] and a [[2012 NHL entry draft|2012]] second-round draft pick, and Jeff Carter to Columbus for their [[2011 NHL entry draft|2011]] first-round pick (with which the Flyers selected [[Sean Couturier]]), 2011 third-round pick (with which the Flyers selected [[Nick Cousins]]) and [[Jakub Voráček|Jakub Voracek]]. Later that same day, Holmgren addressed the Flyers' long-standing goaltending issues by signing the Phoenix Coyotes' [[Ilya Bryzgalov]] to a nine-year, $51 million contract. On July 1, the Flyers signed Jaromir Jagr to a one-year contract, [[Maxime Talbot]] to a five-year contract and [[Andreas Lilja]] to a two-year contract. Additionally, Chris Pronger was named Flyers captain; however, 13 games into the [[2011–12 NHL season|2011–12 season]], he was lost for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs with severe post-concussion syndrome. Bryzgalov's play ranged from spectacular to sub-par, including being benched in favor of Sergei Bobrovsky for the Flyers' 3–2 loss to the New York Rangers in the [[2012 NHL Winter Classic|2012 Winter Classic]], but also being named NHL First Star for the month of March. Twelve rookies suited up for the Flyers during the season, with the play of Couturier, Schenn and [[Matt Read]] standing out impressively.{{According to whom|date=March 2017}}

The Flyers drew Pittsburgh in the first round of the [[2012 Stanley Cup playoffs|2012 playoffs]], a series in which the two teams combined for an NHL-record 45 goals in the first four games and a total of 309 penalty minutes in an intense, fight-filled series. The Flyers pulled off the upset in six games against a heavily favored Pittsburgh team. In the second round against New Jersey, the Flyers were heavily favored to win the series, but the Flyers' run-and-gun style of play was stymied by the Devils' forechecking and defense, and, although they won the first game at home in overtime, the Flyers lost four games in a row and were eliminated in five. Briere and Giroux ended the playoffs tied with five other players for the League lead in playoff goals with eight, despite their team being eliminated in the second round.

The team began the [[2012–13 NHL lockout|lockout]]-shortened [[2012–13 NHL season|2012–13 season]] by naming Claude Giroux captain on January 15, 2013, and starting off at 0–3–0, their worst start in 17 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/preview?gameId=400442515 |title=New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers – Preview – January 24, 2013|publisher=ESPN |date=January 24, 2013 |access-date=March 3, 2013}}</ref> The franchise finished at a record of 23–22–3, fourth in the Atlantic and tenth in the East. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the 2006–07 season and only the ninth time in team history. During the off-season, the Flyers used their two contract buyouts allotted by the new league [[Collective Bargaining Agreement|collective bargaining agreement]] on Bryzgalov and Briere, and signed free agents Mark Streit (four years, $21 million) and Vincent Lecavalier (five years, $22.5 million).

On October 7, head coach Peter Laviolette and assistant coach [[Kevin McCarthy (ice hockey)|Kevin McCarthy]] were both fired just three games into the [[2013–14 NHL season|2013–14 season]] after the team again began the season 0–3–0. Assistant coach [[Craig Berube]], who previously played for the Flyers and served two stints as head coach of the Flyers' AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms, was named the new head coach, while [[John Paddock]] and former Flyer Ian Laperriere were announced as Berube's assistants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=685771&navid=DL%7cNHL%7chome |title=Flyers fire Laviolette, replace with Berube |publisher=National Hockey League |date=October 7, 2013}}</ref> The team went 42–27–10 with Berube behind the bench, clinching a playoff berth and ultimately losing in seven games to the New York Rangers in the first round of the [[2014 Stanley Cup playoffs|2014 playoffs]].