# 2002–03 Philadelphia Flyers season

The 2002–03 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' 36th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). Though they prevailed in a grueling and lengthy seven-game series against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs for their first playoff series victory in three years, the Flyers lost in the second round to the Ottawa Senators in six games.

## Off-season

On May 14, the Flyers hired Stanley Cup-winning head coach Ken Hitchcock to replace Bill Barber, who was fired on April 30. Hitchcock, who had served as an assistant coach for the Flyers for three seasons from 1990 to 1993, had been fired three months earlier by the Dallas Stars midway through his seventh season as the team's head coach.
The Flyers made three trades in the ten days leading up to the 2002 NHL entry draft. On June 12, goaltender Brian Boucher and a 2002 third-round pick was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for centerman Michal Handzus and goaltender Robert Esche, a move that cemented Roman Cechmanek as the Flyers starting goaltender. Made expendable by Handzus' acquisition, centerman Jiri Dopita was traded to the Edmonton Oilers six days later for a 2003 third-round pick and a conditional 2004 draft pick.
A day before the draft the Flyers made a surprising trade that saw them acquire the fourth overall pick, which they used to select highly-touted Finnish defenseman Joni Pitkanen, from the Tampa Bay Lightning for third-line winger Ruslan Fedotenko and two 2002 second-round picks. Though Tampa Bay received some criticism for what was seen as a light return for a high draft pick, the trade ultimately came back to haunt the Flyers two years later in the Eastern Conference Finals when Fedotenko scored six goals against Philadelphia as the Lightning advanced to the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.
Philadelphia stood pat when free agency opened on July 1 and opted not to re-sign trade deadline acquisition Adam Oates as well as veteran defenseman Luke Richardson, both Group III unrestricted free agents. The Flyers received compensatory draft picks in the 2003 NHL entry draft from the league for both players after they signed with Anaheim and Columbus respectively, garnering a third-round pick for Oates and a fourth-round pick for Richardson.

## Regular season

The Flyers started the season strong amid a league-wide crackdown on obstruction, averaging four goals per game during October (including four six-goal games) and posting a 9–1–2–0 record in their first twelve games. The stricter rules enforcement was short-lived, however, and Philadelphia in particular averaged only 2.4 goals per game from November through the end of the regular season.
The team struggled throughout much of November, a 3–2 victory over Tampa Bay on November 19 being their only win in a ten-game stretch. Veteran winger John LeClair, off to a strong start with 11 goals in his first 21 games, suffered a dislocated shoulder on November 27 against Pittsburgh that kept him out of the lineup until March.
One of the highlights of the season occurred on December 5 against the New York Rangers when centerman Michal Handzus won the game on a penalty shot with less than a minute left in overtime to give the Flyers a 3–2 victory. Handzus became the second NHL player to ever score an overtime goal on a penalty shot, the first being David Legwand of the Nashville Predators two years earlier.
Early December saw the team swap defensemen with the San Jose Sharks, trading Dan McGillis for Marcus Ragnarsson. In his sixth season with the Flyers, McGillis' offensive production had dropped considerably since his career best 49-point season during the 2000–01 season while Ragnarsson was viewed as a more steady, stay-at-home defenseman better suited to pair with rookie Dennis Seidenberg and later with the more offensively-inclined Kim Johnsson. Ragnarsson signed a two-year contract extension with the club in February.
Approaching the season's midway point, the Flyers started January with six straight wins as well as ten wins in their first eleven games of 2003 before losing four straight heading into the All-Star break. Key injuries to young wingers Simon Gagne (groin strain) and Justin Williams (torn ligaments in his left knee) in January that caused both to miss significant time led to the team acquiring winger Sami Kapanen from the Carolina Hurricanes on February 7.
Three more trades followed in the days leading up to March 11 trading deadline. On March 1, veteran defenseman and former Flyer Dmitri Yushkevich was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings for two draft picks. A week later, a fifth-round draft pick was sent to the New York Islanders for fourth-line centerman Claude Lapointe. The Flyers made their biggest move on the eve of the deadline, acquiring former 40-goal scorer Tony Amonte from Phoenix for prospect Guillaume Lefebvre, a 2003 third-round pick, and a 2004 second-round pick. These moves plus LeClair's return to the lineup spurred a 10–2–2–0 run that saw Philadelphia finish one point behind the New Jersey Devils for the division title.
The Flyers goaltending tandem of starter Roman Cechmanek and backup Robert Esche proved reliable during the regular season, combining for eight shutouts. Cechmanek, who had a club single season record 1.83 goals against average, was voted the team's most valuable player. The team tied New Jersey for the fewest goals allowed with just 166, earning Cechmanek and Esche a share of the William M. Jennings Trophy with Martin Brodeur. Philadelphia also boasted the league's best road record (24–10–5–2).
Jeremy Roenick led the team in scoring for the second consecutive season and reached two major career milestones, recording his 600th assist and becoming the first of three Flyers players to play in their 1,000th NHL game during the season. The others were defensemen Eric Desjardins and Eric Weinrich. In what was regarded as a return to form after a disappointing 2001–02 season, Desjardins was the team's plus-minus leader and voted best defenseman for the seventh time.

### Season standings

Atlantic Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 2 | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 46 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 216 | 166 | 108 |
| 2 | 4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 45 | 20 | 13 | 4 | 211 | 166 | 107 |
| 3 | 8 | New York Islanders | 82 | 35 | 34 | 11 | 2 | 224 | 231 | 83 |
| 4 | 9 | New York Rangers | 82 | 32 | 36 | 10 | 4 | 210 | 231 | 78 |
| 5 | 14 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 27 | 44 | 6 | 5 | 189 | 255 | 65 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
Eastern Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | P- Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 52 | 21 | 8 | 1 | 263 | 182 | 113 |
| 2 | Y- New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 46 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 216 | 166 | 108 |
| 3 | Y- Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 36 | 25 | 16 | 5 | 219 | 210 | 93 |
| 4 | X- Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 45 | 20 | 13 | 4 | 211 | 166 | 107 |
| 5 | X- Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 44 | 28 | 7 | 3 | 236 | 208 | 98 |
| 6 | X- Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 39 | 29 | 8 | 6 | 224 | 220 | 92 |
| 7 | X- Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 36 | 31 | 11 | 4 | 245 | 237 | 87 |
| 8 | X- New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 35 | 34 | 11 | 2 | 224 | 231 | 83 |
| 8.5 |||||||||||
| 9 | New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 32 | 36 | 10 | 4 | 210 | 231 | 78 |
| 10 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 30 | 35 | 8 | 9 | 206 | 234 | 77 |
| 11 | Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 31 | 39 | 7 | 5 | 226 | 284 | 74 |
| 12 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 27 | 37 | 10 | 8 | 190 | 219 | 72 |
| 13 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 24 | 36 | 13 | 9 | 176 | 237 | 70 |
| 14 | Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 27 | 44 | 6 | 5 | 189 | 255 | 65 |
| 15 | Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 22 | 43 | 11 | 6 | 171 | 240 | 61 |
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast
P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

## Playoffs
### Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

Despite recording their most points (107) since the 1985–86 season, the Flyers finished second in their division and were seeded fourth in the playoffs, drawing a tough first-round matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs. They would do so with home ice advantage and a healthy roster, Simon Gagne and Justin Williams having both returned to the lineup in the final week of the regular season.
Philadelphia outplayed the Maple Leafs in game one, limiting the opposition to 15 shots. But Toronto was opportunistic with their scoring chances and won 5–3, Alexander Mogilny sealing the game with an empty-net goal for his third of the game. The Flyers dominated again in game two, this time winning 4–1 to tie the series.
The series shifted to Toronto and the Flyers jumped out to a 2–0 lead early in game three, but the game wasn't settled until the second overtime period when Tomas Kaberle scored for the Maple Leafs to end it at 4–3. Philadelphia was once again dominant in game four, limiting Toronto to only 10 shots in regulation time, but the game wasn't decided until Mark Recchi scored the game-winner for the Flyers at 13:54 of the third overtime period to tie the series again.
Back at home for game five, Sami Kapanen scored two power play goals in a 4–1 win to give the Flyers a 3–2 series lead. Defenseman Eric Desjardins suffered a broken right foot in the third period that kept him out for 2-to-4 weeks. He was replaced in the lineup by rookie Jim Vandermeer, who made his playoff debut in game six.
For the third time in the series, game six in Toronto was decided in overtime, Travis Green scoring the game-winner for the Maple Leafs in the second overtime period to force a game seven. Less than 24 hours later in Philadelphia, the Flyers blew out the Maple Leafs 6–1 to take the marathon series and secure their first playoff series victory in three years.

### Eastern Conference Semifinals

The Flyers opponent in the second round was the Presidents' Trophy-winning Ottawa Senators in a rematch of their 2002 five-game quarterfinal series loss. Though Philadelphia's offense scored more than the record low two goals they managed during that series, Ottawa held them to two goals or less in all six games of the rematch.
The Flyers matched their goal total from the 2002 series by scoring on their first two shots against Ottawa goaltender Patrick Lalime to go up 2–0 after one period, but Ottawa scored four unanswered goals to win game one. After being criticized by Hitchcock after his game one performance, Roman Cechmanek responded in game two with a 33-save shutout in a 2–0 win to tie the series.
The series shifted to Philadelphia for game three. Though the Flyers had a 2–1 lead after two periods, Ottawa scored the tying goal in the opening minute of the third period and won the game on Wade Redden's game-winning goal 6:43 into overtime. Cechmanek responded with another shutout in game four, stopping all 28 shots Ottawa fired his way, and Michal Handzus scored the lone goal in a 1–0 win to tie the series at two games apiece.
In a 5–2 game five loss in Ottawa, Cechmanek allowed four goals on 16 shots before being pulled midway through the second period in favor of backup Robert Esche. In game six in Philadelphia, Ottawa scored the game's first four goals en route to a 5–1 series clinching win.
A factor in the series loss was Cechmanek's inconsistency. Though he recorded shutouts in games two and four, his performance was considered poor in games one, five, and six. In the final two games, he allowed nine goals in two losses that ended the Flyers season. A week after game six, general manager Bob Clarke indicated the Flyers would move on from Cechmanek. He was traded to the Los Angeles Kings three weeks after the deciding game, ending a three-year run with the team that saw him rank second in the entire NHL in goals against average (1.96) and save percentage (.923), and third in shutouts (20).

## Schedule and results
### Preseason

2002 preseason :
Preseason: 5–4–0 (home: 2–1–0; road: 3–3–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreRecordRef
1September 19@ Washington Capitals4–11–0–0
2September 21New Jersey Devils1–51–1–0
3September 22@ New York Rangers4–61–2–0
4September 24New York Islanders4–22–2–0
5September 26@ New Jersey Devils0–42–3–0
6September 27@ Carolina Hurricanes5–13–3–0
7October 1New York Rangers5–34–3–0
8October 2@ New York Islanders1–44–4–0
9October 5Washington Capitals3–25–4–0 :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point)
  Overtime loss (1 point) :

### Regular season

2002–03 regular season :
October: 7–1–2–0, 16 points (home: 4–0–1–0; road: 3–1–1–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreRecordPointsRecap
1October 10@ Edmonton Oilers2–2 OT0–0–1–01Recap
2October 12@ Calgary Flames5–41–0–1–03Recap
3October 15@ Montreal Canadiens6–22–0–1–05Recap
4October 17New York Islanders3–3 OT2–0–2–06Recap
5October 19Washington Capitals3–13–0–2–08Recap
6October 22@ Buffalo Sabres1–23–1–2–08Recap
7October 24Montreal Canadiens6–24–1–2–010Recap
8October 26@ New York Islanders6–25–1–2–012Recap
9October 29Ottawa Senators2–16–1–2–014Recap
10October 31Phoenix Coyotes6–27–1–2–016Recap :
November: 4–5–4–0, 12 points (home: 1–2–3–0; road: 3–3–1–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreRecordPointsRecap
11November 2Washington Capitals2–18–1–2–018Recap
12November 5@ Carolina Hurricanes2–1 OT9–1–2–020Recap
13November 7New Jersey Devils0–19–2–2–020Recap
14November 9@ Washington Capitals1–49–3–2–020Recap
15November 13Florida Panthers1–1 OT9–3–3–021Recap
16November 15@ Carolina Hurricanes1–1 OT9–3–4–022Recap
17November 16Boston Bruins2–2 OT9–3–5–023Recap
18November 19@ Tampa Bay Lightning3–210–3–5–025Recap
19November 21San Jose Sharks2–2 OT10–3–6–026Recap
20November 23@ Toronto Maple Leafs0–610–4–6–026Recap
21November 27@ Pittsburgh Penguins2–710–5–6–026Recap
22November 29Toronto Maple Leafs0–310–6–6–026Recap
23November 30@ Montreal Canadiens2–1 OT11–6–6–028Recap :
December: 6–4–2–1, 15 points (home: 3–2–1–1; road: 3–2–1–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreRecordPointsRecap
24December 2New Jersey Devils0–1 OT11–6–6–129Recap
25December 5New York Rangers3–2 OT12–6–6–131Recap
26December 7St. Louis Blues1–312–7–6–131Recap
27December 10@ Florida Panthers5–213–7–6–133Recap
28December 12Toronto Maple Leafs2–114–7–6–135Recap
29December 14Buffalo Sabres2–015–7–6–137Recap
30December 17Dallas Stars2–2 OT15–7–7–138Recap
31December 18@ Atlanta Thrashers3–116–7–7–140Recap
32December 21Ottawa Senators1–316–8–7–140Recap
33December 23@ Ottawa Senators2–2 OT16–8–8–141Recap
34December 27@ Colorado Avalanche2–1 OT17–8–8–143Recap
35December 28@ Phoenix Coyotes0–417–9–8–143Recap
36December 30@ San Jose Sharks1–217–10–8–143Recap :
January: 10–4–0–1, 21 points (home: 4–3–0–0; road: 6–1–0–1)
GameDateOpponentScoreRecordPointsRecap
37January 2@ Los Angeles Kings4–118–10–8–145Recap
38January 3@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim1–019–10–8–147Recap
39January 5@ Atlanta Thrashers5–420–10–8–149Recap
40January 7Buffalo Sabres3–221–10–8–151Recap
41January 9@ New York Islanders4–022–10–8–153Recap
42January 11Detroit Red Wings3–223–10–8–155Recap
43January 13Atlanta Thrashers4–723–11–8–155Recap
44January 16Montreal Canadiens4–124–11–8–157Recap
45January 18Tampa Bay Lightning3–225–11–8–159Recap
46January 19@ New York Rangers4–226–11–8–161Recap
47January 21@ Toronto Maple Leafs3–127–11–8–163Recap
48January 24New York Islanders1–327–12–8–163Recap
49January 25@ Boston Bruins0–1 OT27–12–8–264Recap
50January 28Tampa Bay Lightning0–327–13–8–264Recap
51January 30@ New Jersey Devils1–527–14–8–264Recap :
February: 6–3–3–0, 15 points (home: 3–2–2–0; road: 3–1–1–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreRecordPointsRecap
52February 4@ New York Islanders2–128–14–8–266Recap
53February 6@ Ottawa Senators2–2 OT28–14–9–267Recap
54February 8New York Rangers2–129–14–9–269Recap
55February 10Minnesota Wild0–129–15–9–269Recap
56February 12@ Minnesota Wild0–229–16–9–269Recap
57February 13@ St. Louis Blues4–3 OT30–16–9–271Recap
58February 15Carolina Hurricanes2–2 OT30–16–10–272Recap
59February 18New Jersey Devils2–2 OT30–16–11–273Recap
60February 20Los Angeles Kings5–031–16–11–275Recap
61February 22Florida Panthers2–431–17–11–275Recap
62February 25@ Chicago Blackhawks2–032–17–11–277Recap
63February 27Chicago Blackhawks5–233–17–11–279Recap :
March: 9–3–2–2, 22 points (home: 5–1–1–1; road: 4–2–1–1)
GameDateOpponentScoreRecordPointsRecap
64March 1@ Boston Bruins3–2 OT34–17–11–281Recap
65March 4Vancouver Canucks3–035–17–11–283Recap
66March 7@ New York Rangers1–535–18–11–283Recap
67March 8Colorado Avalanche1–2 OT35–18–11–384Recap
68March 10@ Washington Capitals1–2 OT35–18–11–485Recap
69March 13Carolina Hurricanes5–336–18–11–487Recap
70March 15@ Pittsburgh Penguins4–137–18–11–489Recap
71March 17@ New Jersey Devils4–238–18–11–491Recap
72March 18@ Buffalo Sabres2–538–19–11–491Recap
73March 20Pittsburgh Penguins4–239–19–11–493Recap
74March 22New York Rangers1–239–20–11–493Recap
75March 24Atlanta Thrashers6–240–20–11–495Recap
76March 25@ Nashville Predators1–1 OT40–20–12–496Recap
77March 27Boston Bruins2–2 OT40–20–13–497Recap
78March 29Pittsburgh Penguins3–041–20–13–499Recap
79March 31@ Pittsburgh Penguins6–142–20–13–4101Recap :
April: 3–0–0–0, 6 points (home: 1–0–0–0; road: 2–0–0–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreRecordPointsRecap
80April 1Columbus Blue Jackets4–043–20–13–4103Recap
81April 4@ Tampa Bay Lightning4–144–20–13–4105Recap
82April 6@ Florida Panthers6–245–20–13–4107Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point)
  Overtime loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

2003 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs - Flyers win 4–3
GameDateOpponentScoreAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 9Toronto Maple Leafs3–518,937Maple Leafs lead 1–0Recap
2April 11Toronto Maple Leafs4–119,597Series tied 1–1Recap
3April 14@ Toronto Maple Leafs3–4 2OT19,533Maple Leafs lead 2–1Recap
4April 16@ Toronto Maple Leafs3–2 3OT19,574Series tied 2–2Recap
5April 19Toronto Maple Leafs4–119,828Flyers lead 3–2Recap
6April 21@ Toronto Maple Leafs1–2 2OT19,573Series tied 3–3Recap
7April 22Toronto Maple Leafs6–119,870Flyers win 4–3Recap :
Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Ottawa Senators - Senators win 4–2
GameDateOpponentScoreAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 25@ Ottawa Senators2–418,197Senators lead 1–0Recap
2April 27@ Ottawa Senators2–018,500Series tied 1–1Recap
3April 29Ottawa Senators2–3 OT19,680Senators lead 2–1Recap
4May 1Ottawa Senators1–019,842Series tied 2–2Recap
5May 3@ Ottawa Senators2–518,500Senators lead 3–2Recap
6May 5Ottawa Senators1–519,454Senators win 4–2Recap :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## 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.
| No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 97 | Jeremy Roenick | C | 79 | 27 | 32 | 59 | 20 | 75 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 8 |
| 8 | Mark Recchi | RW | 79 | 20 | 32 | 52 | 0 | 35 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 2 |
| 25 | Keith Primeau | C | 80 | 19 | 27 | 46 | 4 | 93 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −2 | 14 |
| 26 | Michal Handzus | C | 82 | 23 | 21 | 44 | 13 | 46 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 6 |
| 5 | Kim Johnsson | D | 82 | 10 | 29 | 39 | 11 | 38 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | −1 | 8 |
| 37 | Eric Desjardins | D | 79 | 8 | 24 | 32 | 30 | 35 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | John LeClair | LW | 35 | 18 | 10 | 28 | 10 | 16 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 12 | Simon Gagne | LW | 46 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| 39 | Marty Murray | C | 76 | 11 | 15 | 26 | −1 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 4 |
| 87 | Donald Brashear | LW | 80 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 5 | 161 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 21 |
| 14 | Justin Williams | RW | 41 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 15 | 22 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| 2 | Eric Weinrich | D | 81 | 2 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 40 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 12 |
| 20 | Radovan Somik | LW | 60 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 11 | Tony Amonte† | RW | 13 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 12 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 4 |
| 24 | Sami Kapanen† | RW | 28 | 4 | 9 | 13 | −1 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 6 |
| 36 | Dennis Seidenberg | D | 58 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 55 | Pavel Brendl‡ | RW | 42 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 19 | Eric Chouinard† | C | 28 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | Marcus Ragnarsson† | D | 43 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 32 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| 6 | Chris Therien | D | 67 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 36 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 29 | Todd Fedoruk | LW | 63 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 105 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Joe Sacco† | RW | 34 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |
| 18 | Todd Warriner†‡ | LW | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | Claude Lapointe† | C | 14 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 14 |
| 22 | Dmitri Yushkevich† | D | 18 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| 19 | Paul Ranheim‡ | RW | 28 | 0 | 4 | 4 | −4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | Andre Savage | C | 16 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 23 | Jim Vandermeer | D | 24 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 27 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 3 | Dan McGillis‡ | D | 24 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | Tomi Kallio†‡ | RW | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | Mark Greig | RW | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | Roman Cechmanek | G | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 8 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |
| 42 | Robert Esche | G | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |
| 47 | Kirby Law | RW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | Guillaume Lefebvre‡ | LW | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 34 | Ian MacNeil | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | Chris McAllister‡ | D | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | Patrick Sharp | C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 21 | Mike Siklenka† | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | Bruno St. Jacques‡ | D | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | Jamie Wright† | LW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |

### Goaltending

| No. | Player | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | GP | GS | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | GP | GS | W | L | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 32 | Roman Cechmanek | 58 | 57 | 33 | 15 | 10 | 1368 | 102 | 1.83 | .925 | 6 | 3,350 | 13 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 339 | 31 | 2.14 | .909 | 2 | 867 |
| 42 | Robert Esche | 30 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 647 | 60 | 2.20 | .907 | 2 | 1,638 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 2.00 | .929 | 0 | 30 |

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (annual) | William M. Jennings Trophy | Roman Cechmanek |
| League (annual) | William M. Jennings Trophy | Robert Esche |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Ken Hitchcock (coach) |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Jeremy Roenick |
| League (in-season) | NHL YoungStars Game selection | Pavel Brendl |
| League (in-season) | NHL YoungStars Game selection | Dennis Seidenberg |
| Team | Barry Ashbee Trophy | Eric Desjardins |
| Team | Bobby Clarke Trophy | Roman Cechmanek |
| Team | Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy | Donald Brashear |
| Team | Toyota Cup | Keith Primeau |
| Team | Yanick Dupre Memorial Class Guy Award | Robert Esche |

### Records

Among the team records set during the 2002–03 season was John LeClair scoring four goals against the Montreal Canadiens on October 15, tying the team record for most goals in a regular season game. On October 26, the Flyers set the team record for fastest two goals from the start of a game (31 seconds), also tying the same mark from the start of a period. Goaltender Roman Cechmanek's 1.83 goals against average on the season is a team record. During game four of their conference quarterfinal playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Flyers set team records for most shots on goal (75) and most shots on goal during a single overtime period (15). Three games during the series were decided in overtime, setting a team record for a single playoff series that was later tied during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Dennis Seidenberg | October 10, 2002 |
| First game | Patrick Sharp | October 10, 2002 |
| First game | Radovan Somik | October 15, 2002 |
| First game | Ian MacNeil | December 18, 2002 |
| First game | Jim Vandermeer | January 3, 2003 |
| First game | Mike Siklenka | January 28, 2003 |
| 1,000th game played | Jeremy Roenick | November 16, 2002 |
| 1,000th game played | Eric Desjardins | December 18, 2002 |
| 1,000th game played | Eric Weinrich | March 31, 2003 |
| 600th assist | Jeremy Roenick | January 9, 2003 |

## Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from June 14, 2002, the day after the deciding game of the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 9, 2003, the day of the deciding game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 18, 2002 (2002-06-18) | To Philadelphia Flyers 3rd-round pick in 2003Conditional 5th-round pick in 2004 | To Edmonton Oilers Jiri Dopita |
| June 21, 2002 (2002-06-21) | To Philadelphia Flyers 1st-round pick in 2002 | To Tampa Bay Lightning Ruslan FedotenkoTampa Bay's 2nd-round pick in 2002Phoenix's 2nd-round pick in 2002 |
| June 22, 2002 (2002-06-22) | To Philadelphia Flyers 6th-round pick in 20023rd-round pick in 2003 | To Carolina Hurricanes Carolina's 3rd-round pick in 2002 |
| June 23, 2002 (2002-06-23) | To Philadelphia Flyers 5th-round pick in 2003 | To Columbus Blue Jackets Vancouver's 6th-round pick in 20027th-round pick in 2002 |
| December 6, 2002 (2002-12-06) | To Philadelphia Flyers Marcus Ragnarsson | To San Jose Sharks Dan McGillis |
| December 19, 2002 (2002-12-19) | To Philadelphia Flyers Conditional draft pick in 2004 | To Phoenix Coyotes Paul Ranheim |
| January 22, 2003 (2003-01-22) | To Philadelphia Flyers Jamie Wright | To Calgary Flames Future considerations |
| January 29, 2003 (2003-01-29) | To Philadelphia Flyers Eric Chouinard | To Montreal Canadiens 2nd-round pick in 2003 |
| February 5, 2003 (2003-02-05) | To Philadelphia Flyers 6th-round pick in 2003 | To Colorado Avalanche Chris McAllister |
| February 5, 2003 (2003-02-05) | To Philadelphia Flyers Todd Warriner | To Vancouver Canucks Conditional draft pick |
| February 7, 2003 (2003-02-07) | To Philadelphia Flyers Ryan BastSami Kapanen | To Carolina Hurricanes Pavel BrendlBruno St. Jacques |
| March 1, 2003 (2003-03-01) | To Philadelphia Flyers Dmitri Yushkevich | To Los Angeles Kings 4th-round pick in 20037th-round pick in 2004 |
| March 9, 2003 (2003-03-09) | To Philadelphia Flyers Claude Lapointe | To New York Islanders 5th-round pick in 2003 |
| March 10, 2003 (2003-03-10) | To Philadelphia Flyers Tony Amonte | To Phoenix Coyotes Guillaume LefebvreAtlanta's 3rd-round pick in 20032nd-round pick in 2004 |
| March 11, 2003 (2003-03-11) | To Philadelphia Flyers Peter White | To Chicago Blackhawks Future considerations |
| May 28, 2003 (2003-05-28) | To Philadelphia Flyers 2nd-round pick in 2004 | To Los Angeles Kings Roman Cechmanek |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via |
| July 2, 2002 (2002-07-02) | Ian MacNeil | Carolina Hurricanes | | Free agency |
| July 4, 2002 (2002-07-04) | Andre Savage | Vancouver Canucks | | Free agency |
| July 29, 2002 (2002-07-29) | Jeff Smith | Red Deer Rebels (WHL) | 3-year | Free agency |
| January 1, 2003 (2003-01-01) | Tomi Kallio | Columbus Blue Jackets | | Waivers |
| January 15, 2003 (2003-01-15) | Joe Sacco | Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| January 27, 2003 (2003-01-27) | Mike Siklenka | Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL) | 1-year | Free agency |
| May 21, 2003 (2003-05-21) | Nick Deschenes | Yale University (ECAC) | | Free agency |
| May 21, 2003 (2003-05-21) | Freddy Meyer | Boston University (HE) | | Free agency |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Via |
| July 1, 2002 (2002-07-01) | James Chalmers | | Contract expiration (UFA) |
| July 1, 2002 (2002-07-01) | Adam Oates | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | Free agency (III) |
| July 4, 2002 (2002-07-04) | Luke Richardson | Columbus Blue Jackets | Free agency (III) |
| July 15, 2002 (2002-07-15) | Greg Koehler | Nashville Predators | Free agency (VI) |
| July 21, 2002 (2002-07-21) | Tomas Divisek | HC Pardubice (ELH) | Free agency (II) |
| July 30, 2002 (2002-07-30) | Vaclav Pletka | HC Ocelari Trinec (ELH) | Free agency |
| August 9, 2002 (2002-08-09) | Mike Watt | Carolina Hurricanes | Free agency (II) |
| October 11, 2002 (2002-10-11) | Yves Sarault | Springfield Falcons (AHL) | Free agency (V) |
| January 15, 2003 (2003-01-15) | Rick Tocchet | | Retirement (III) |
| January 16, 2003 (2003-01-16) | Tomi Kallio | Frolunda HC (SHL) | Release |
| March 11, 2003 (2003-03-11) | Todd Warriner | Nashville Predators | Waivers |
| May 28, 2003 (2003-05-28) | Mark Greig | Hamburg Freezers (DEL) | Free agency |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| N/A | Radovan Somik | 1-year | Signing |
| June 25, 2002 (2002-06-25) | Jeff Woywitka | 3-year | Entry-level |
| July 12, 2002 (2002-07-12) | Donald Brashear | 4-year | Re-signing |
| July 12, 2002 (2002-07-12) | Todd Fedoruk | 3-year | Re-signing |
| July 17, 2002 (2002-07-17) | David Harlock | | Re-signing |
| July 17, 2002 (2002-07-17) | Kirby Law | | Re-signing |
| July 27, 2002 (2002-07-27) | Dennis Seidenberg | 3-year | Entry-level |
| August 8, 2002 (2002-08-08) | Neil Little | multi-year | Re-signing |
| August 8, 2002 (2002-08-08) | John Slaney | multi-year | Re-signing |
| September 11, 2002 (2002-09-11) | Simon Gagne | 2-year | Re-signing |
| February 15, 2003 (2003-02-15) | Marcus Ragnarsson | 2-year | Extension |

## Draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 2002 NHL entry draft, which was held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, on June 22–23, 2002. The Flyers traded their original first, 26th overall, second, 59th overall, and third-round picks, 92nd overall, and Maxime Ouellet to the Washington Capitals for Adam Oates on March 19, 2002. They also traded the Canucks' sixth-round pick, 184th overall, and their seventh-round pick, 225th overall, to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the Blue Jackets' 2003 fifth-round pick on June 23, 2002, and their eighth-round pick, 256th overall, to the Carolina Hurricanes for Paul Ranheim on May 31, 2000.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team (league) |
| 1 | 4 | Joni Pitkanen | Defense | Finland | Oulun Kärpät (SM-liiga) |
| 4 | 105 | Rosario Ruggeri | Defense | Canada | Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL) |
| 4 | 126 | Konstantin Baranov | Forward | Russia | Mechel Chelyabinsk (RSL) |
| 5 | 161 | Dov Grumet-Morris | Goaltender | United States | Harvard University (ECAC) |
| 6 | 192 | Nikita Korovkin | Defense | Russia | Kamloops Blazers (WHL) |
| 6 | 193 | Joey Mormina | Defense | Canada | Colgate University (ECAC) |
| 7 | 201 | Mathieu Brunelle | Left wing | Canada | Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) |

## Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League and the Trenton Titans of the ECHL. The Phantoms missed the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time in their seven year existence. Trenton made the Kelly Cup playoffs but were swept in the first round by the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies.