The Philadelphia Flyers made their final cuts, reflecting a roster entering the 2024-2025 season. Before the weekend, they trimmed their roster down to 23 players:
Forwards (14)
- Tyson Foerster, Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Morgan Frost, Matvei Michkov, Joel Farabee, Jett Luchanko, Bobby Brink, Scott Laughton, Ryan Poehling, Garnet Hathaway, Noah Cates, Nicolas Deslauriers
Defensemen (7)
Goaltenders (2)
Only a few people put lofty expectations on the Flyers to make the postseason in 2023-2024. A depleted lineup could not sustain the magic that put them in a position to play into the postseason. John Tortorella acknowledged the mileage put on his lineup in the second half of the season, but the team fizzled. Now, the lineup is almost thoroughly healthy, and with the addition of high-end talent, Philadelphia could be back on the cusp of another postseason push.
“My biggest regret is, I don’t think we played well enough in the areas at the end of the year. I think I said that to you guys at the end of the year. I don’t think I put enough time into that, and as coaches always talk about come late in the year, that neutral zone shuts down. I think we were probably one of the best transition teams in the league. I think my blinders are on in watching us play that quickly and quite well; I think we struggled finishing, but we created a lot of offense off transition. I did not do a good enough job [of] making sure we can play another way at a certain time of the year. I think that hurt us, and I thought our goaltending, it struggled, and rightfully so. As I said, it’s not to blame Ers [Ersson]. I wore him out, but in that point, and time, that was the decision we made. We felt he was the best one to give us an opportunity, and it was force-fed to him, and that hurt us. So, a combination of both things.” – John Tortorella; 9/19/2024
Along with the aspirations of a postseason berth come players of notable spotlight, the ones who will light the way. I compiled a reasonable enough list of Flyers who command your attention before the puck drops against the Vancouver Canucks next Friday. First, here are a few honorable mentions:
Laughton will likely be on the third line for most of the season. But, with Luchanko in the lineup, Laughton goes to the fourth line. If the Flyers are already thinking about life with Luchanko this early, then the 4LW/4C role is put under a lens. That pits a competition between Laughton, Cates, and Poehling for 2025-2026.
Cates is known for his forechecking and puck protection. The underrated aspects of the game are his strengths, but Tortorella hopes to ‘unlock’ offense from Cates. The arrival of Luchanko puts pressure on Cates to drive more scoring plays. He was on the roster in Philadelphia to compete in the preseason finale versus the New Jersey Devils, and he found offense, scoring the game-winning goal on the powerplay. Cates heard Tortorella loud and clear, then did not wait long to begin responding.
Luchanko will begin the season on a nine-game trial with the Flyers. He likely plots onto the third line, a perfect place to receive a fair amount of minutes while centering Farabee and Brink. In training camp, he emerged as a mostly off-the-radar draft pick (unless your name is Daniel Brière) into the youngest skater to crack the roster. His emergence tightens the bottom six of the forward group for the 2025-2026 season, putting a trio of elite penalty-killers on notice.
Frost enters a contract season. Last season, Frost found his confidence under Tortorella. He proved he could contribute consistently against better teams and paced to set a career-high in points if not for sporadic healthy scratches. This season, Frost centers high-end talent such as Tippett and Michkov. He also centers the first powerplay unit, so the expectation is that Frost will exceed 50 points for the first time in his career.
Kolosov must earn his keep in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. If he wants to return to the KHL, he effectively gives up on his NHL journey with Philadelphia. He must perform better than Eetu Mäkiniemi before thinking about Fedotov, and it is clear Kolosov has his eyes on an NHL role. The backup role is still open, but Fedotov does have the head start, as evidenced by Kolosov going to the Phantoms. Using the ‘next man up’ theory in the state of the Flyers goaltenders, Kolosov is the first on-call from Lehigh Valley.
#5. Rasmus Ristolainen
Ristolainen enters a pivotal season. He will feature in the opening night lineup for the first time since arriving in Philadelphia.
His arrival to Philadelphia, marred by injury, leaves more questions than answers for the price tag; however, there is no denying Ristolainen improved in the defensive zone since Tortorella became the head coach.
In April, Ristolainen underwent surgery to repair a ruptured triceps tendon but returned in time for training camp. Ristolainen had a good camp and a solid preseason (3GP, 2G, +1, ~21:20TOI, 4BLK, 8HIT). Before Ristolainen makes his season debut next Friday, he used the summer to instill confidence after recovering from injury.
“I’m healthy at this point. That hasn’t happened [the] last couple [of] years. So, [it] feels good, and, I paid a lot of attention [to] recovery and staying available throughout the camp and healthy. [I] had a long, good off-season, so I feel pretty good right now.” – Rasmus Ristolainen; 10/2/2024
We are looking for a rebound season from Ristolainen. If Ristolainen resembles his 2022-2023 numbers, he is trending in the right direction. However, if the Flyers prioritize trading a defenseman, Ristolainen at $5.1mil/AAV for the next three seasons would be ideal. Brière may not be in a hurry if Ristolainen rebounds, but it would be the perfect time to sell high. History is against his health more than supporting it.
“My only personal goal is to stay healthy and play as many games as possible. Just help the team, and get into the playoffs.” – Rasmus Ristolainen; 10/2/2024
Projected Stats: 70+GP, 2G, 7A, -5, 105BLK, 130HIT
#4. Jamie Drysdale
He could become a fan favorite in Philadelphia. Drysdale is healthy, remained nearby, and completed his first training camp and preseason with the Flyers.
Brière sent Cutter Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks for Drysdale and a second-round pick at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. This season, the comparisons between Drysdale and Gauthier will begin. Both will start their first complete campaign with their new teams.
“I’m really looking forward to it. I know [the] camp’s hard and whatnot, but just getting reps under my belt between last year and this camp; going through the full process as it should be, will be really nice. I don’t want to keep bringing up last year, but it was what it was. I’m just looking forward to going through the process as is, and just going through it with these guys.” – Jamie Drysdale; 9/19/2024
Drysdale could prove himself as a powerplay quarterback, complimenting York on the other unit. In the preseason, he moved along the blue line with ease. Fully recovered from sports hernia surgery, Drysdale has his skating legs. Like Ristolainen, a goal for Drysdale this season should be to maintain his health.
“I feel good, honestly. [My] body’s feeling good for the first time in a while; that’s a positive. I’m just looking forward to hopefully a full eighty-two [games], and go from there.” – Jamie Drysdale; 9/19/2024
Once in his career, Drysdale played at least half of an NHL season.
We are looking for a breakout season from Drysdale. On the second pair, Seeler will resemble the defensive responsibility while Drysdale presses the offensive transition with his vision and puck movement. Drysdale already surged past 30 points in a season once in his career, and even half of that point production would resemble a positive trajectory. Philadelphia had the worst powerplay in franchise history and the NHL last season. The quickest way for Drysdale to establish himself as a favorite on the Flyers is to help convert on the man advantage.
Projected Stats: 60+GP, 6G, 14A, -20, 86BLK, 52HIT
#3. Sean Couturier
Couturier is the captain. With the captaincy comes a natural weight of responsibility. Last season was the return to the NHL for Couturier after missing all of 2022-2023. He is still a far cry from the version who won the Selke Trophy, but if Couturier receives votes this season, signs point to him regaining his genuine form.
Leadership is gigantic in this administration. The alternate captains alongside Couturier were Laughton and Konecny. These are the right leaders to acclimate new prospects, such as Michkov and Luchanko, to the NHL. Couturier has a contract through 2029-2030, however. He is the captain, but it is as critical that his production follows.
Like Drysdale, Couturier recovered from sports hernia surgery. Couturier routinely skated on the first line in training camp with teammates like Foerster and Konecny.
We are looking for a season of stability from Couturier. He is still the two-way forward Tortorella requires and centers two high-powered scoring threats. Stability means Couturier compliments his linemates while earning Selke Trophy votes.
“I think there’s still some work to be done. At this time of the year, you always want to get better every day, and my body feels good. Physically, I’m responding really well, laying the body a little bit, and testing it out. It’s just finding that timing a little better, making sure I’m on the right side of the puck, and I can jump in odd-man rushes also.” – Sean Couturier; 9/26/2024
Remember, no other Philadelphia forward won more than half of their faceoffs (minimum: 100) last season except for Couturier (692/1,294; 53.5%).
Projected Stats: 80+GP, 12G, 30A, -5, 48TK, 35GV
#2. Ivan Fedotov
Fedotov will back up Ersson. However, that role is wide open.
He made one start last season against the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres won, 4-2, and Fedotov saved 15/19 shots. There is not a large enough sample size to admit that Fedotov is a stable number two to Ersson.
Since Kolosov missed most of the preseason and training camp, Fedotov has a longer leash. Fedotov is in better standing with the Flyers because he fully participated with the team this summer. He is still a project goaltender, but after a completed training camp and preseason to match the NHL pace, Fedotov is in a much better position to succeed. In the 2024 NHL Preseason, Fedotov saved 55/63 shots (87.3%SV), surrendering four even-strength goals, three powerplay goals, and a shorthanded goal.
We are looking for Fedotov to establish himself as a safe option when Ersson does not start because if not, it will be a hard bargain for Philadelphia to achieve a postseason berth.
Projected Stats: 30+GS, 12-10-8, 87%SV, 3.9GAA
#1. Matvei Michkov
No one should be surprised.
Michkov enters the season with a lot of fanfare and hype. A lot of people will not temper their expectations, but they should. Tempering expectations does not take from the explosive talent Michkov has, but it leaves understanding and room for development at the NHL pace. He is a favorite to win the Calder Memorial Trophy, but it is too early to put the pressure of the franchise on his shoulders.
Each of his teammates routinely comments about the poise, passion, and energy Michkov brings to the ice. He wants to play with the puck on his stick, he gets under his opponents’ skin, and his drive to win is evident.
“My initial look at him [Michkov]; he loves playing hockey. He’s a hockey player, and wants to be on the ice all [of] the time.” – John Tortorella; 9/19/2024
While all the above statements are accurate, Michkov will still learn to play the NHL game under Tortorella. Tortorella could shorten the bench or healthy scratch Michkov this season. It will be a false flag that the sky is falling, and in all sarcasm, social media will handle it in stride.
We are looking for a stellar start to a career for Michkov this season. His natural skill, on display in the preseason, will help the Flyers immensely. As he learns the nuances of the NHL, Michkov will evolve into a more well-rounded version of himself. Michkov will help Philadelphia resolve the worst powerplay from a season ago, and his preseason chemistry with Frost ought to light up the stat book and scoreboard accordingly. However, the jury will be out on comparing his first season to Connor Bedard.
Projected Stats: 70+GP, 25G, 40A, -1, 50TK, 60GV
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