2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season
The 2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Flyers' 37th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers reached the Eastern Conference Finals but lost in seven games to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Regular season. Free-agent goaltender Jeff Hackett was signed from the Boston Bruins to replace Roman Cechmanek and challenge backup Robert Esche for the number one spot in 2003–04, but Hackett was forced to retire in February due to vertigo. During the course of the season, serious injuries suffered by both Jeremy Roenick (broken jaw) and Keith Primeau (concussion) in February forced the  Flyers to trade for the Chicago Blackhawks' Alexei Zhamnov, who filled in well and kept the Flyers afloat. Esche entrenched himself as starter and remained in that position even after the Flyers re-acquired Sean Burke from the Phoenix Coyotes, as the Flyers clinched the Atlantic Division title over the New Jersey Devils on the last day of the season. Playoffs. Though solid in net, Esche's performance was over-shadowed by the play of captain Keith Primeau in the playoffs. Primeau led the Flyers past the defending Stanley Cup champion Devils in five, and the Toronto Maple Leafs in  six on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals and a match-up with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite winning Game 6 on the late-game heroics of Primeau and winger Simon Gagne, the Flyers would come up short once again losing Game 7 in Tampa, 2–1. Transactions. The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from June 10, 2003, the day after the deciding game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 7, 2004, the day of the deciding game of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals. Signings. Free agency. The following players were signed by the Flyers via  free agency. Two-way contracts are marked with an asterisk (*). Internal. The following players were either re-signed by the Flyers or, in the case of the team's selections in the NHL Entry Draft, signed to entry level contracts. Two-way contracts are marked with an asterisk (*). Waivers. The Flyers were involved in the following waivers transactions. They were involved in one selection during the 2003 NHL Waiver Draft, which was held on October 3, 2003. The Flyers protected the following players: goaltenders Robert Esche and Jeff Hackett; defensemen Eric Desjardins, Kim Johnsson, Marcus Ragnarsson, John Slaney and Eric  Weinrich; and forwards Tony Amonte, Donald Brashear, Eric Chouinard, Todd Fedoruk, Simon Gagne, Michal Handzus, Sami Kapanen, Claude Lapointe, John LeClair, Keith Primeau, Mark Recchi, Jeremy Roenick and Justin Williams. The Flyers left the following players unprotected: goaltender Neil Little; defenseman Chris Therien; and forwards Boyd Kane, Kirby Law, Ian MacNeil, Mark Murphy, Mike Peluso, Andre Savage, Mike Siklenka, Pete Vandermeer and Peter White. Departures. The following players left the team via free agency, release, or retirement. Players who were under contract and left the team during the season are marked with an asterisk (*). Draft picks. Philadelphia's picks at  the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, which was held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 21–22, 2003. The Flyers traded their originally allotted second, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, and ninth-round draft picks in five different trades. Farm teams. The Flyers were affiliated with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL and the Trenton Titans of the ECHL.