With the Philadelphia Flyers having drafted Cutter Gauthier and Matvei Michkov in successive drafts, it’s hard not to get excited about the possibility of having a 1-2 dynastic duo with 2 of the more promising prospects in the NHL today.
Both players are trying to transition from wing to centre, but even if one remains on the wing, the idea of having Michkov and Gauthier patrolling the first line in 2026 and beyond could make that one of the more dominant dynamic duos in recent history. If they’re both successful in their transitions, then the Flyers would have a lethal 1-2 punch down the middle – which is a position of utmost strength for all contending teams.
The Flyers have had some outstanding players don the Flying P throughout their storied history and for this one, we’re starting from the Eric Lindros-era and coming to the present day. The Flyers went from Eric Lindros to Peter Forsberg to Mike Richards to Claude Giroux and it ends there – for now. Along for the ride, each centre-man had a dynamic winger to form a lethal duo for several years.
1. Eric Lindros and John LeClair
(Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
Eric Lindros spent the first 2 seasons of his career without John LeClair but played every bit like the generational talent was tabbed to be. In his rookie season, Lindros scored 41 goals and 75 points in just 61 games and finished 4th in Calder Trophy voting behind Teemu Selanne’s 76 goal season, Joe Juneau’s 102-point campaign, and Felix Potvin’s 25 wins.
The Flyers acquired LeClair alongside Eric Desjardins and Gilbert Dionne from the Montreal Canadiens for Mark Recchi and a 3rd round pick in 1995. Up until that point, the former 2nd-round pick in LeClair had failed to live up to the high draft pick as he had 49 goals and 118 points in 224 games for the Canadiens. After being acquired by the Flyers, LeClair immediately turned it up a notch as he finished the final 37 games with 25 goals and 49 points.
Lindros and LeClair wound up playing together for parts of 6 seasons and the duo – alongside Mikael Renberg from 1994 to 1997 – dominated the NHL and gave the Flyers one of their better chances at reclaiming Lord Stanley. Upon the Legion of Doom being formed, the Flyers went from being 3-7-1 to finishing the 1994-95 season 25-9-3, won the division, and went as far as the Eastern Conference Finals.
Goals, Flyers History
Lindros is 9th with 290
LeClair is 5th with 333
Assists, Flyers History
Lindros is 7th with 369
LeClair is 13th with 310
Points, Flyers History
Lindros is 6th with 659
LeClair is 8th with 643
Points Per Game, Flyers History
Lindros is 1st at 1.356 points per game
LeClair is 7th at 0.991 points per game
In the 6 years that Lindros and LeClair played together, the former scored 205 goals and 487 points in 360 games with the latter scoring 260 goals and 497 points in 441 games, making this one of the more dynastic and dynamic duos in their era and in Flyers lore.
1994-95
Lindros: 1st in goals, 1st in assists, and 1st in points
LeClair: 3rd in goals, 4th in assists, and 3rd in points (only 37 games played)
1995-96
Lindros: 2nd in goals, 1st in assists, and 1st in points
LeClair: 1st in goals, 3rd in assists, and 2nd in points
1996-97
Lindros: 2nd in goals, T1st in assists, and 2nd in points (only 52 games played)
LeClair: 1st in goals, T1st in assists, and 1st in points
1997-98
Lindros: 3rd in goals, 1st in assists, and 3rd in points (only 63 games played)
LeClair: 1st in goals, 4th in assists, and 1st in points
1998-99
Lindros: 2nd in goals, 1st in assists, and 1st in points
LeClair: 1st in goals, 3rd in assists, and 2nd in points
1999-00
Lindros: 3rd in goals, 4th in assists, and 3rd in points (only 55 games played)
LeClair: 1st in goals, 3rd in assists, and 2nd in points
In those 6 seasons, the Flyers lost in the Conference Finals in 1994-95, lost in the Semi-Finals in 1995-96, lost in the Finals in 1996-97, lost in back to back Quarter-Finals in 1997-98 and 1998-99, and then lost in the Conference Finals in 1999-00. Lindros scored 24 goals and 57 points in 50 post-season games, including 53 in 43 games between 1995-1997, while LeClair scored 30 goals and 62 points in 74 games.
They were by far the most dominant duo in recent history and it’s not even close. They scored in the regular season, chipped in when it mattered in the playoffs, and were the driving force of deep playoff runs that ultimately ended in heartbreak a few times.
2. Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek
(Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
The duo that lasted the longest and played side-by-side for most of their tenure, Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek sit atop many of the all-time lists in franchise history.
Games Played, Flyers History
Giroux is 2nd with 1,000
Voracek is 10th with 727
Goals, Flyers History
Giroux is 8th with 291
Voracek is 19th with 177
Assists, Flyers History
Giroux is 2nd with 609
Voracek is 5th with 427
Points, Flyers History
Giroux is 2nd with 900
Voracek is 10th with 604
Power Play Assists, Flyers History
Giroux is 1st with 255
Voracek is 5th with 162
Power Play Points, Flyers History
Giroux is 1st with 339
Voracek is 8th with 208
Unfortunately, the duo’s time together was marred by some of the worst seasons and arguably one of the worst decades in franchise history. The Flyers went 370-276-101 in 747 games from 2011-12 to 2020-21, which on the outside looking doesn’t look half bad but when you consider how good the Flyers had been from 1967 to 2011, it’s astounding.
Their worst run by far came between 1989-90 to 1993-94 when they missed the postseason in 5 consecutive seasons and up until that point, the Flyers had only missed the playoffs twice from 1967-68 to 1988-89. Then between 1994-95 to 2011-12, they only missed the playoffs one time, which ushered into the Giroux-Voracek-era where they alternated from 2011-12 to 2020-21.
In those 10 seasons, the duo of Giroux and Voracek ranked at or near the top in goals, assists, and points on a regular basis:
2011-12
Giroux: 2nd in goals, 1st in assists, and 1st in points
Voracek: 7th in goals, 6th in assists, 5th in points
2012-13
Giroux: 3rd in goals, 1st in assists, and 1st in points
Voracek: 1st in goals, 2nd in assists, and 2nd in points
2013-14
2014-15
Giroux: 2nd in goals, 2nd in assists, and 2nd in points
Voracek: 3rd in goals, 1st in assists, and 1st in points
2015-16
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
2019-20
2020-21
By the all the metrics, Giroux and Voracek were the driving forces for the Flyers for a full decade, unfortunately they were not able to translate that into team success as they were unable to get past the first round between 2012-13 to 2019-20. Their roster was questionable at best but they delivered nonetheless. Easily could’ve been number one on this list had they accomplished more in the postseason.
3. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter
(Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
A solid 1-2 punch down the middle, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter were nearly an inseparable duo after being drafted in the first round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. At times, the Flyers would put them on the same line, however the two cornerstones between 2005-06 and 2010-11 brought about some memorable hockey that we might’ve taken for granted.
The vaunted 2003 NHL Draft bared fruit for the Flyers as they scooped up Carter with 11th overall pick and Richards later in the first round with the 24th overall selection. They both made their NHL debuts during the 2005-06 season with respectable rookie totals with Carter scoring 23 goals and 42 points and Richards adding 23 assists and 34 points.
The 2006-07 season was deplorable for everyone involved – as expected with a dead-last finish – however they both took their first strides as cornerstone talents in 2007-08. Between 2007-08 and 2010-11, the duo were at or near the top of every major statistical category.
Richards scored 112 goals and 283 points in 315 games and Carter added 144 goals and 264 points in 318 games. They were both instrumental pieces for the bounce back from 2006-07 and looked every bit like superstars during their time.
Unfortunately, they didn’t last as long as they should have before they both got traded simultaneously on a wild June 23rd afternoon in 2011. Their all-time franchise ranks are relatively low compared to the aforementioned duos ahead of them but they produced great numbers and were a driving force of the mid 2000s:
Goals, Flyers History
Carter is 17th with 181
Richards is 29th with 133
Points, Flyers History
Carter is 26th with 343
Richards is 25th with 349
Points Per Game, Flyers History
Carter is 25th at 0.744 points per game
Richards is 23rd at 0.770 points per game
Carter had back to back to back 33+ goals seasons, including 46 in 2008-09 – and going back to 2007-08 he scored 29 goals – while Richards had 4 consecutive seasons of 23+ goals and 62+ points, including a career-high 50 assists and 80 points in 2008-09. Richards captained the Flyers between 2008-09 to 2010-11 and was a pivotal piece in their Stanley Cup run in 2010.
2005-06
Carter: 3rd in goals, 11th in assists, and 6th in points
Richards: 9th in goals, 6th in assists, 8th in points
2006-07
Carter: 4th in goals, 5th in assists, and 5th in points
Richards: 8th in goals, 6th in assists, and 6th in points
2007-08
Carter: 3rd in goals, 9th in assists, and 4th in points
Richards: 4th in goals, 1st in assists, and 1st in points
2008-09
Carter: 1st in goals, 4th in assists, and 1st in points
Richards: 3rd in goals, 1st in assists, and 2nd in points
2009-10
Carter: 1st in goals, 7th in assists, and 2nd in points
Richards: 2nd in goals, 3rd in assists, and 1st in points
2010-11
Carter: 1st in goals, 7th in assists, and 4th in points
Richards: 5th in goals, 2nd in assists, and 3rd in points
After losing in the Quarter-Finals in 2005-06, the Flyers missed the post-season in 2006-07, fell in the Conference Finals in 2007-08, lost in the Quarter-Finals in 2008-09, were ousted in the Finals in 2009-10, and then lost in the Semi-Finals in 2010-11. Richards was the ultimate warrior and he came to play in the post-season with 16 goals and 50 points in 63 games. Carter had a tougher run of luck with just 21 points in 47 games.
4. Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier
(Heather Barry Images, LLC)
Claude Giroux makes it on this list twice, but for good reason as his transition to the wing (on 5-on-5 hockey) allowed a dynamic duo to blossom with Sean Couturier from 2017-18 to 2020-21.
Couturier had essentially had enough of being a bottom-6 forward and approached his head coach at the end of the 2016-17 season about being a staple in the top-6. All that ended up doing was setting a platform for Couturier to becoming one of the NHL’s best two-way forwards before his back injury kept him sidelined for a year and a half.
Couturier went from scoring 70 goals and 191 points in his first 416 games across his first 6 seasons to 110 goals and 269 points in his next 305 games, including 104 goals and 252 points in 276 games between 2017-18 and and 2020-21. Along for the ride was the captain of the club as he chipped in with 93 goals and 283 points in 287 games in that same stretch, including a 102-point campaign in 2017-18.
Couturier only played 29 games in 2021-22 where he scored 12 points in bis first 10 games before ending his season with just 5 points in his final 19. Giroux had 11 goals and 25 points in that same stretch.
The duo of Giroux and Couturier were at or near the top of the face-off charts as well, winning 4,713 draws at a combined rate of 57.7%. They killed penalties, they were out on the power play with each other, and were an admirable duo while on even strength – usually with either Travis Konecny or Jakub Voracek to fill out the trio.
2017-18
2018-19
2019-20
2020-21
5. Peter Forsberg and Simon Gagne
(Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
This duo was only around for 2 seasons but they were electric and they came out of the lockout with a bang. The former first round pick of the Flyers back in 1991 made his way back to Philadelphia ahead of the 2005-06 season and instantly formed a connection with Simon Gagne.
Injuries took their toll on Forsberg as his foot would just not give way for him to play all 82 games. In his first season back, Forsberg scored 19 goals and 75 points in just 60 games and added 4 goals and 8 points in 6 post-season appearances. His running-mate in Gagne broke past the 40 goal barrier with relative ease as he scored 47 goals and 79 points in 72 games with another 3 goals and 4 points in the playoffs.
The 2006-07 season was disastrous and a lot of it seemed to be linked to the absence of Forsberg because when he was in the lineup the Flyers had a great record but when he was out, the Flyers were disastrous and unfortunately for them, he was out for most of the year. He played in 40 games before being dealt at the trade deadline to Nashville but still put up 11 goals and 40 points, while Gagne was the lone bright spot all year with 41 goals and 68 points in 76 games.
2005-06
Forsberg: 5th in goals, 1st in assists, and 2nd in points
Gagne: 1st in goals, 4th in assists, and 1st in points
2006-07
Forsberg: 5th in goals, 3rd in assists, and 4th in points (just 40 games played)
Gagne: 1st in goals, 4th in assists, and 1st in points
If injuries didn’t play their toll on Forsberg, the duo would have been even more electric. Gagne was finally coming into his own as the alpha on the Flyers team with youngster Jeff Carter and Mike Richards in the wings.
While they only lasted 2 years together, Forsberg ended his Flyers tenure with the 2nd highest points per game total at 1.150 with just 100 games under his belt. Gagne on the other hand is 13th in games played, 10th in goals scored, 19th in assists, and 12th in points. The duo was fun to watch for the short period of time.
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