The 2012–13 Philadelphia Flyers season was the franchise's 46th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The regular season was reduced from its usual 82 games to 48 due to a lockout. The Flyers missed the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2006–07, and only the second time since 1993–94.
Off-season The Flyers first roster move of the off-season was trading backup goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to the Columbus Blue Jackets for three draft picks the afternoon prior to the NHL entry draft. The Flyers re-signed Michael Leighton, who had spent most of the previous two seasons playing for the Adirondack Phantoms, the Flyers' American Hockey League affiliate, to a one-year contract on July 1 to replace him. Shortly after day two of the Draft, the Flyers traded James van Riemsdyk to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Luke Schenn, Brayden Schenn's older brother. The trade gave the Flyers their first pair of brothers since Ron and Rich Sutter back in the mid-1980s.
When the free agency period opened on July 1 the Flyers heavily pursued the two most coveted unrestricted free agents on the market, forward Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils and defenseman Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators. The Flyers lost out on both as Parise and Suter signed identical 13-year contracts worth $98 million with the Minnesota Wild on July 4. The Flyers had reportedly offered Parise a contract worth a total of $110 million. As the pursuit of Parise and Suter was occurring, the Flyers lost their two biggest unrestricted free agents, Jaromir Jagr and Matt Carle. Jagr signed a one-year contract worth $4.5 million with the Dallas Stars on July 3. He later said the Flyers requested that he wait while they pursued Parise and Suter, but Jagr did not want to wait and signed with the Stars after Dallas promised him a spot on the top line. Carle signed a six-year contract worth $33 million with the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 4. The Flyers most notable unrestricted free agent signings were former Flyer Ruslan Fedotenko to a one-year, $1.75 million contract and defenseman Bruno Gervais to a two-year, $1.65 million contract.
After failing to land Suter or re-sign Carle, the Flyers signed restricted free agent defenseman Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators to a 14-year offer sheet worth $110 million, $68 million of which was a signing bonus, on July 19. The offer sheet was the richest in NHL history in terms of total money, money per season, and length, surpassing the previous offer sheet record set by Thomas Vanek. The Predators, already having lost Weber's defensive partner Suter to Minnesota, matched the offer sheet five days later. Had the Predators declined to match, they would have received the Flyers' next four first-round draft picks as compensation.
In the weeks leading up to the 2012–13 lockout, the Flyers re-signed wingers Wayne Simmonds and Scott Hartnell to six-year contract extensions. Simmonds extension was worth $23.85 million and Hartnell's $28.5 million.
With team captain Chris Pronger unlikely to return as a result of continuing post-concussion syndrome which has placed his playing career in jeopardy, the Flyers named Claude Giroux team captain on January 15 shortly after the lockout ended.
Regular season The Flyers started the season 0–3–0, the franchise's worst season start in 17 years.
The Flyers did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the 2006–07 season and only the ninth time in team history.
The Flyers were the most penalized team during the regular season, with 184 power-play opportunities against.
Standings
Schedule and results
| 1 || January 19 || 1–3 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins || Bryzgalov || 0–1–0 || 0 ||
| 2 || January 20 || 2–5 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres || Bryzgalov || 0–2–0 || 0 ||
| 3 || January 22 || 0–3 || align="left"| @ New Jersey Devils || Bryzgalov || 0–3–0 || 0 ||
| 4 || January 24 || 2–1 || align="left"| New York Rangers || Bryzgalov || 1–3–0 || 2 ||
| 5 || January 26 || 7–1 || align="left"| @ Florida Panthers || Bryzgalov || 2–3–0 || 4 ||
| 6 || January 27 || 1–5 || align="left"| @ Tampa Bay Lightning || Leighton || 2–4–0 || 4 ||
| 7 || January 29 || 1–2 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers || Bryzgalov || 2–5–0 || 4 ||
| 8 || February 1 || 2–3 || align="left"| @ Washington Capitals || Bryzgalov || 2–6–0 || 4 ||
| 9 || February 2 || 5–3 || align="left"| Carolina Hurricanes || Bryzgalov || 3–6–0 || 6 ||
| 10 || February 5 || 2–1 || align="left"| Tampa Bay Lightning || Bryzgalov || 4–6–0 || 8 ||
| 11 || February 7 || 2–3 SO || align="left"| Florida Panthers || Bryzgalov || 4–6–1 || 9 ||
| 12 || February 9 || 4–3 OT || align="left"| Carolina Hurricanes || Bryzgalov || 5–6–1 || 11 ||
| 13 || February 11 || 2–5 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs || Bryzgalov || 5–7–1 || 11 ||
| 14 || February 12 || 3–2 || align="left"| @ Winnipeg Jets || Bryzgalov || 6–7–1 || 13 ||
| 15 || February 15 || 3–5 || align="left"| @ New Jersey Devils || Bryzgalov || 6–8–1 || 13 ||
| 16 || February 16 || 1–4 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens || Boucher || 6–9–1 || 13 ||
| 17 || February 18 || 7–0 || align="left"| @ New York Islanders || Bryzgalov || 7–9–1 || 15 ||
| 18 || February 20 || 6–5 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins || Bryzgalov || 8–9–1 || 17 ||
| 19 || February 21 || 2–5 || align="left"| Florida Panthers || Bryzgalov || 8–10–1 || 17 ||
| 20 || February 23 || 5–3 || align="left"| Winnipeg Jets || Bryzgalov || 9–10–1 || 19 ||
| 21 || February 25 || 2–4 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs || Bryzgalov || 9–11–1 || 19 ||
| 22 || February 27 || 4–1 || align="left"| Washington Capitals || Bryzgalov || 10–11–1 || 21 ||
| 23 || March 2 || 2–1 || align="left"| Ottawa Senators || Bryzgalov || 11–11–1 || 23 ||
| 24 || March 5 || 2–4 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers || Bryzgalov || 11–12–1 || 23 ||
| 25 || March 7 || 4–5 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins || Boucher || 11–13–1 || 23 ||
| 26 || March 9 || 0–3 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins || Bryzgalov || 11–14–1 || 23 ||
| 27 || March 10 || 3–2 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres || Bryzgalov || 12–14–1 || 25 ||
| 28 || March 13 || 2–5 || align="left"| @ New Jersey Devils || Bryzgalov || 12–15–1 || 25 ||
| 29 || March 15 || 2–1 SO || align="left"| New Jersey Devils || Bryzgalov || 13–15–1 || 27 ||
| 30 || March 18 || 2–4 || align="left"| @ Tampa Bay Lightning || Bryzgalov || 13–16–1 || 27 ||
| 31 || March 24 || 1–2 OT || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins || Bryzgalov || 13–16–2 || 28 ||
| 32 || March 26 || 2–5 || align="left"| New York Rangers || Bryzgalov || 13–17–2 || 28 ||
| 33 || March 28 || 3–4 SO || align="left"| New York Islanders || Bryzgalov || 13–17–3 || 29 ||
| 34 || March 30 || 3–1 || align="left"| Boston Bruins || Bryzgalov || 14–17–3 || 31 ||
| 35 || March 31 || 5–4 OT || align="left"| Washington Capitals || Bryzgalov || 15–17–3 || 33 ||
| 36 || April 3 || 5–3 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens || Bryzgalov || 16–17–3 || 35 ||
| 37 || April 4 || 5–3 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs || Bryzgalov || 17–17–3 || 37 ||
| 38 || April 6 || 1–4 || align="left"| @ Winnipeg Jets || Bryzgalov || 17–18–3 || 37 ||
| 39 || April 9 || 1–4 || align="left"| @ New York Islanders || Mason || 17–19–3 || 37 ||
| 40 || April 11 || 1–3 || align="left"| Ottawa Senators || Bryzgalov || 17–20–3 || 37 ||
| 41 || April 13 || 0–1 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres || Mason || 17–21–3 || 37 ||
| 42 || April 15 || 7–3 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens || Bryzgalov || 18–21–3 || 39 ||
| 43 || April 16 || 4–2 || align="left"| New York Rangers || Mason || 19–21–3 || 41 ||
| 44 || April 18 || 0–3 || align="left"| New Jersey Devils || Bryzgalov || 19–22–3 || 41 ||
| 45 || April 20 || 5–3 || align="left"| @ Carolina Hurricanes || Mason || 20–22–3 || 43 ||
| 46 || April 23 || 5–2 || align="left"| Boston Bruins || Mason || 21–22–3 || 45 ||
| 47 || April 25 || 2–1 || align="left"| New York Islanders || Bryzgalov || 22–22–3 || 47 ||
| 48 || April 27 || 2–1 || align="left"| @ Ottawa Senators || Mason || 23–22–3 || 49 ||
Legend:
Player statistics
Scoring Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flyers only. = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flyers only. Player Regular season 28 C 48 13 35 48 −7 22 93 RW 48 22 24 46 −7 35 17 RW 45 15 17 32 −7 82 44 D 45 5 24 29 3 36 10 C 47 8 18 26 −8 24 24 RW 42 11 13 24 1 2 48 C 34 6 10 16 −13 10 14 C 46 4 11 14 −8 10 26 LW 47 4 9 13 8 12 19 LW 32 8 3 11 −5 70 12 LW 27 5 6 11 −3 6 22 D 47 3 8 11 3 34 25 C 35 5 5 10 2 23 9 RW 28 4 4 8 −4 20 29 D 27 3 5 8 −1 2 27 D 37 1 5 6 −17 10 15 LW 18 3 2 5 0 19 36 C 32 3 2 5 −7 85 5 D 33 1 4 5 −10 41 3 D 23 1 4 5 0 25 8 D 30 1 3 4 −1 21 38 D 15 2 1 3 0 34 30 G 40 0 3 3 0 32 LW 7 2 0 2 1 12 32 D 6 0 2 2 4 0 41 D 11 0 2 2 −9 2 42 RW 1 1 0 1 1 2 37 LW 11 1 0 1 −4 64 23 D 8 0 1 1 0 0 35 G 7 0 1 1 0 37 LW 7 0 1 1 0 36 33 G 4 0 0 0 0 18 RW 11 0 0 0 −1 0 34 D 2 0 0 0 0 0 21 C 5 0 0 0 0 0 49 G 1 0 0 0 0 6 D 4 0 0 0 −1 0 45 LW 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 LW 4 0 0 0 0 0
Goaltending = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flyers only. = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flyers only. Player Regular season 30 Ilya Bryzgalov 40 40 19 17 3 1066 107 2.79 .900 1 2,298 35 Steve Mason 7 6 4 2 0 215 12 1.90 .944 0 378 49 Michael Leighton 1 1 1 0 0 26 5 5.07 .808 0 59 33 Brian Boucher 4 1 0 2 0 55 6 2.50 .891 0 144
Awards and records
Awards TypeAward/honorRecipientRef League(in-season) NHL First Star of the Week Jakub Voracek (February 25) Team Barry Ashbee Trophy Kimmo Timonen Bobby Clarke Trophy Jakub Voracek Gene Hart Memorial Award Zac Rinaldo Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy Jakub Voracek Toyota Cup Claude Giroux Yanick Dupre Memorial Class Guy Award Scott Hartnell
Milestones MilestonePlayerDateRef First game Scott Laughton January 19, 2013 Tye McGinn January 22, 2013 Oliver Lauridsen March 30, 2013 Matt Konan April 25, 2013 Jason Akeson April 27, 2013 1,000th game played Kimmo Timonen March 18, 2013 750th game coached Peter Laviolette April 15, 2013
Transactions The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from June 12, 2012, the day after the deciding game of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, through June 24, 2013, the day of the deciding game of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final.
Trades Date Details Ref To Columbus Blue Jackets To Philadelphia Flyers To Toronto Maple Leafs To Philadelphia Flyers To Carolina Hurricanes To Philadelphia Flyers To Calgary Flames To Philadelphia Flyers To Los Angeles Kings To Philadelphia Flyers To Columbus Blue Jackets To Philadelphia Flyers To Detroit Red Wings To Philadelphia Flyers To Anaheim Ducks To Philadelphia Flyers To Columbus Blue Jackets To Philadelphia Flyers To New York Islanders To Philadelphia Flyers
Players acquired Date Player Former team Term Via Ref Cullen Eddy Adirondack Phantoms (AHL) 2-year Free agency Danny Syvret St. Louis Blues 2-year Free agency Ruslan Fedotenko New York Rangers 1-year Free agency Bruno Gervais Tampa Bay Lightning 2-year Free agency Kurtis Foster Minnesota Wild 1-year Free agency Mike Knuble Washington Capitals 1-year Free agency Brandon Alderson Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) 3-year Free agency Kyle Flanagan St. Lawrence University (ECAC) 1-year Free agency Adam Hall Tampa Bay Lightning Waivers Petr Straka Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL) 3-year Free agency Maxim Lamarche Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL) 3-year Free agency Michael Raffl Leksands IF (Allsvenskan) 1-year Free agency
Players lost