2004–05 Philadelphia Flyers season

The 2004–05 Philadelphia Flyers season would have been the Flyers' 38th season in the National Hockey League (NHL), however it was canceled due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout. The other 29 teams did not play either due to the labor dispute.

NHL lockout
After being defeated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in 2003–04, the Flyers prepared for the looming labor unrest that was to come. While team captain Keith Primeau was re-signed to a four-year contract prior to hitting the free agent market, leading scorer Mark Recchi was not and instead signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers did make a couple signings during free agency, signing among others R. J. Umberger, Mike Knuble and Turner Stevenson. The lockout started on September 16, 2004, and those Flyers with two-way contracts were sent down to the Phantoms. Those Flyers with NHL-only contracts either sat out or played in another league.

Player activity
The following is a list of Flyers with NHL-only contracts and whether they were active during the lockout.

Transactions
The Flyers completed the following transactions before the lockout suspended all activity:

Draft picks
Philadelphia's picks at the 2004 NHL Entry Draft in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Farm teams
The Flyers were affiliated with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL and the Trenton Titans of the ECHL. With the Flyers season canceled, many players who would normally be in orange and black were in purple, orange, and black instead. Joni Pitkanen and Todd Fedoruk had spent the entirety of the previous season with the Flyers and over a dozen others on the Phantoms roster had previously spent time in the NHL. Led by mid-season acquisition Jon Sim's 35 goals and R. J. Umberger's 65 points, the Phantoms finished second in their division with a record of 48–25–3–4. Reinforced by the arrivals of top junior prospects Jeff Carter and Mike Richards to the team, the Phantoms defeated the Norfolk Admirals in six games, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in five games, and the Providence Bruins in six games to reach the finals. Holding the Chicago Wolves to four goals the entire series, the Phantoms swept the series and won the Calder Cup. Goaltender Antero Niittymaki was awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVP. Trenton finished second in their division and after defeating the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies in three games, the Reading Royals in four games, and the Alaska Aces in seven games, the Titans defeated the Florida Everblades in six games to win the Kelly Cup.