With Mike Keenan's firing, the reins were handed off to Paul Holmgren,[2] who presided over a club in flux with young players promoted to larger roles.
The defense underwent a major overhaul, as Brad Marsh was claimed in the waiver draft by Toronto, and Doug Crossman was dealt to Los Angeles for Jay Wells.
Tim Kerr was fully healed from his shoulder surgeries and subsequent infections, while Rick Tocchet, Scott Mellanby, Murray Craven, Pelle Eklund and Peter Zezel were counted on to carry the offense.
Mark Laforest was replaced in March as backup by Maple Leafs castoff Ken Wregget with the team reeling.
On the last day of the season, they fell 6–5 in overtime to the Penguins and into fourth place, as Mario Lemieux scored into an empty net.
[25][26] In game one of the conference finals against the Montreal Canadiens, the Flyers tied a team record for most shorthanded goals scored (2).
[27] Tim Kerr set a team record during the playoffs for most powerplay goals scored (8) while Mark Howe's 15 assists is a franchise high among defensemen.