2005–06 Philadelphia Flyers season


The 2005–06 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Flyers' 39th season in the National Hockey League. The Flyers lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Buffalo Sabres in six games.

Off-season

The Flyers were one of the more active teams once the lockout came to an end. Replacing the high-profile names of Tony Amonte, John LeClair and Jeremy 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.

Regular season

The Flyers began the season with lofty expectations. Despite being hampered by injuries prior to and during 2005–06, 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 ten-point lead in the Atlantic Division. The Deuces Wild line of Forsberg, Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble recorded 75, 79 and 65 points respectively, while Gagne scored a career high 47 goals.
However, the injuries began to accumulate and take their toll. Keith Primeau suffered a concussion on October 25 in Montreal and missed the rest of the season and the playoffs. In late January, Hatcher was named team captain for the duration of Primeau's absence. All told, the Flyers were third in the NHL with 388 man-games lost to injury, tops amongst playoff teams. 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 the New Jersey Devils and drawing the 5th seed and a first round match-up with the Buffalo Sabres.

Season standings

Playoffs

The Flyers lost to Buffalo in six games.

Schedule and results

Pre-season

Regular season

Playoffs

Player statistics

Scoring

Awards and records

Awards

Records

Team

Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from February 17, 2005, the day after the season was officially canceled, through June 19, 2006, the day of the deciding game of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals.

Trades

Signings

Free agency

The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency. Two-way contracts are marked with an asterisk.
DatePlayerPrevious team TermRef
August 2, 2005Derian HatcherDetroit Red Wings4-year
August 2, 2005Mike RathjeSan Jose Sharks5-year
August 2, 2005Jon SimPhoenix Coyotes1-year
August 2, 2005Chris TherienDallas Stars1-year
August 3, 2005Peter ForsbergColorado Avalanche2-year
August 22, 2005Eric ChouinardMinnesota Wild1-year*
August 22, 2005Pat KavanaghOttawa Senators1-year*
August 22, 2005Jamie StorrSpringfield Falcons 1-year*
August 23, 2005Riley CotePhiladelphia Phantoms 2-year*
September 15, 2005Brian SavagePhoenix Coyotes1-year
April 16, 2006Scott Munroe Alabama–Huntsville Chargers *
June 15, 2006Marty MurrayHannover Scorpions 1-year

Internal

The following players were either re-signed by the Flyers or, in the case of the team's selections in the NHL Entry Draft, signed to entry level contracts. Two-way contracts are marked with an asterisk.
DatePlayerTermRef
July 27, 2005Jeff Carter 3-year*
July 27, 2005Triston Grant 3-year*
July 27, 2005Alexandre Picard 3-year*
July 27, 2005Mike Richards 3-year*
July 29, 2005Rejean Beauchemin *
July 29, 2005Stefan Ruzicka 3-year*
August 9, 2005Simon Gagne1-year
August 9, 2005Kim Johnsson1-year
August 9, 2005Branko Radivojevic1-year
August 9, 2005Patrick Sharp1-year
August 10, 2005Robert Esche2-year
August 10, 2005Dennis Seidenberg1-year
August 22, 2005Ryan Ready1-year*
February 3, 2006Freddy Meyer2-year extension
February 7, 2006Randy Jones2-year extension
March 23, 2006Denis Gauthier3-year extension
March 29, 2006Ryan Potulny 2-year*
April 27, 2006Gino Pisellini *
May 30, 2006Frederik Cabana 3-year*
May 30, 2006Steve Downie 3-year*
May 30, 2006Jussi Timonen 2-year*

Departures

The following players left the team via free agency, release, or retirement. Players who were under contract and left the team during the season are marked with an asterisk.
DatePlayerNew team ViaRef
July 18, 2005Neil LittleEspoo Blues Free agency
July 23, 2005Tony AmonteCalgary FlamesBuyout
July 23, 2005John LeClairPittsburgh PenguinsBuyout
July 24, 2005Marcus RagnarssonAlmtuna IS Free agency
July 25, 2005Mattias TimanderModo Hockey Free agency
August 2, 2005Radovan SomikSeverstal Cherepovets Free agency
August 9, 2005Sean BurkeTampa Bay LightningFree agency
August 12, 2005Boyd KaneWashington CapitalsFree agency
September 29, 2005Peter WhiteHIFK Free agency
N/AClaude Lapointe—Free agency
May 19, 2006Jamie Storr*DEG Metro Stars Free agency

Draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, which was held at the Westin Hotel Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario on July 30, 2005. The Flyers traded their originally allotted second, third, and fourth-round picks in three separate trades.
RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalityTeam Notes
129Steve DownieRight WingCanadaWindsor Spitfires
391Oskars BartulisDefenseLatviaMoncton Wildcats
4119Jeremy DuchesneGoaltenderCanadaHalifax Mooseheads
5152Josh BeaulieuCenterCanadaLondon Knights
6174John FlattersDefenseCanadaRed Deer Rebels
7215Matt ClacksonRight WingCanadaChicago Steel

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL and the Trenton Titans of the ECHL.