Philadelphia Flyers (2016–2023)

Going into the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked Provorov seventh among all draft prospects. He was the second-highest rated defenceman, after Noah Hanifin.^[16] The Philadelphia Flyers selected Provorov seventh overall in the draft, and signed him to an entry-level contract shortly afterwards.^[17]

After a strong showing at training camp, Provorov was named to the Flyers' 2016–17 roster on 10 October 2016, where he was paired with veteran defenceman Mark Streit.^[18] He made his NHL debut on 14 October 2016, scoring his first point with an assist in the season opener against the Los Angeles Kings.^[19] He scored his first NHL goal the next month, in the second period of a 4–2 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning on 23 November.^[20] Provorov finished his rookie season with 30 points (six goals and 24 assists) in 82 games with the Flyers.^[21] In April 2017, Provorov was awarded the Barry Ashbee Trophy, given to the Flyers' best defenceman. He was the third rookie to win the trophy, following Norm Barnes in 1980 and Shayne Gostisbehere in 2016, and was the youngest winner in Flyers history.^[22]

Provorov began the 2017–18 season paired with Andrew MacDonald, but after the latter was placed on the injured reserve list with a lower body injury, Provorov was partnered with Robert Hägg and Shayne Gostisbehere.^[23] He improved upon his scoring from the previous year, recording 41 points (17 goals) in 82 games.^[21] That year, the Flyers made an appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs, where they were eliminated in the first round by the Pittsburgh Penguins.^[24] Provorov revealed after the playoff series that he had suffered a separated shoulder prior to Game 6, and had been given painkillers so that he could play in the game. The injury would not require surgery, but required eight weeks to heal.^[25]

Provorov struggled at the start of the 2018–19 season, leading to speculation that he had not fully recovered from his shoulder injury. In December, Travis Sanheim replaced Gostisbehere as Provorov's partner, a decision which seemed to improve his performance.^[26] He had the highest time on ice of any Flyer that season, averaging over 25 minutes of play per game, and playing a total of 2,059 minutes.^[27] The Flyers' defence disappointed both offensively and defensively in the 2018–19 season: as a collective, the team allowed 280 goals against them, while no individual defenceman scored 10 or more goals.^[28] Most of the blame was placed on Provorov and Gostisbehere, the former of whom netted only seven goals and 26 points across the 82-game season.^[21][28]

On 12 September 2019, the Flyers re-signed Provorov to a six-year, $40.5 million contract extension.^[29] He entered the 2019–20 season on the top defensive pair with Matt Niskanen.^[30] When the NHL season was suspended on 12 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Provorov had amassed 13 goals and 36 points in all 69 regular season games.^[21] He continued practicing during the pause, skating at a private rink in Wilkes-Barre.^[31] When the NHL resumed for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs in Toronto, Provorov was one of 31 Flyers selected for the bubble.^[32] He scored the winning goal in the second overtime of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, forcing a Game 7 against the New York Islanders.^[33] Provorov was again selected for the Barry Ashbee Trophy in 2020.^[34]

On 12 January 2021, the Flyers announced that Provorov would be designated alternate captain for all home games during the 2020–21 season.^[35] Niskanen's sudden off-season retirement left Provorov without a defensive partner, and coach Alain Vigneault altered the defensive pairings throughout the season in the hopes of finding a suitable top line.^[36] On 18 February 2021, Provorov surpassed Claude Giroux's 328-game iron man streak when the latter missed a game due to COVID-19 protocols. Provorov's still-ongoing streak is now the second-longest in Flyers history, behind Rod Brind'Amour's 484 consecutive starts from 1993 to 1999.^[37][38] The next week, on 24 February, Provorov set the NHL record of 331 consecutive games played by a defenceman from the start of a career for the same team, passing former Ranger Dan Girardi's record of 330.^[39] At the conclusion of the 2020–21 season, Provorov was awarded the Barry Ashbee Trophy for the third time in five seasons. He led the Flyers' defencemen with 26 points in all 55 games of the pandemic-shortened year.^[40]

After playing in 403 consecutive NHL games from the start of his career, Provorov was placed in enhanced COVID-19 protocols on 4 January 2022, forcing him to miss that night's game against the Anaheim Ducks and ending his iron man streak short of Brind'Amour's record.^[41] Following the 2021–22 season, Provorov was critical of the Philadelphia media when asked about his performance during a disappointing season.^[42]

In January 2023, Provorov became embroiled in a controversy when he boycotted pregame warmups which featured LGBT pride-themed equipment that was later auctioned off to support LGBT causes. He referred to his Russian Orthodox religion as an explanation for why he was against the initiative to promote LGBT, saying: "I respect everybody's choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. That's all I'm going to say".^[43].

Columbus Blue Jackets (2023–present)

On 6 June 2023, the Flyers traded Provorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a three-team deal also involving the Los Angeles Kings, who retained 30 percent of Provorov's contract.^[44]