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.
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 early January while simultaneously holding a nine-point lead in the Atlantic Division.
[5] 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 the wins tie-breaker to the New Jersey Devils and drawing the 5th seed and a first round match-up with the Buffalo Sabres.
[16] On February 8, rookie Mike Richards tied the team record for most shorthanded goals scored in a single game (2).