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[Philadelphia Flyers]

What Ty Murchison sticking around means for rest of Flyers’ depth defensemen

When the Flyers announced that Cam York would miss another short stretch of time with an upper-body injury on December 4, it seemed like the most likely outcome was that the team would just reinsert Yegor Zamula to fill the momentary void, and call up someone from Lehigh Valley with past NHL experience to sit as the seventh defender,

But on December 6, the Flyers made the somewhat surprising decision to call up the 22-year old Ty Murchison instead. Murchison had played 21 games with the Phantoms, amassing a goal and four points after making his AHL debut late last year. He brings physicality and 6-foot-2, 207 pound frame to a defensive corps that has skewed a bit on the smaller side, especially in the absence of Rasmus Ristolainen.

But it turned out that this was not just a paper transaction in order to have another body in case of emergency or further injuries; the front office and Rick Tocchet wanted to give the former Arizona State Sun Devil a real look, resulting in Murchison making his NHL debut in the December 9 win over San Jose.

Murchison would then get another game just two days later, when the Flyers lost to the Golden Knights 3-2 in overtime.

When looking at Lehigh Valley’s defensive options, there were much more seemingly straightforward options as a stop gap before you get to Murchison. Adam Ginning was recently waived, but has repeatedly been shuttled back and forth for short periods. Helge Grans also made a brief appearance in the NHL last season, and has a wealth more pro experience than Murchison does.

It seems as if the Flyers are changing how they view their depth options, and they no longer see names like Ginning and Grans as players they need to try and get up to the big club in the case of an injury. Not only does the Murchison promotion say a lot about how impressive the young defender has been in his first full pro season, it also brings into question the futures of players such as Zamula, Ginning, and Grans. Trades for Maxence Guenette, Christian Kyrou, and Roman Schmidt, along with the return of Oliver Bonk from injury, have greatly changed the makeup of the Flyers defensive depth in the minor leagues. Dennis Gilbert and Ethan Samson were both jettisoned, and it seems that Emil Andrae is finally establishing himself as an NHL regular. There is an obvious depth remodel going on, and it doesn’t seem like it’s particularly good news for the NHL futures of players like Grans and Ginning, who have gotten cups of coffee in the NHL and multiple training camps to try and secure an NHL role, to no avail.

Murchison’s spot on the Flyers’ depth chart going forward​

With Ristolainen getting ready to return and York coming back any game now, the Flyers will soon have a solid eight man rotation to try and sort through on the back end, with York, Sanheim, Risto, Andrae, Juulsen, Seeler, Drysdale, Murchison and Zamula all fighting for NHL minutes. And while it may be early to proclaim Murchison a part of the future, the quotes coming out of Rick Tocchet seem to suggest that he views him as part of the discussion.

Sounds like there's a good chance Ty Murchison gets another game tomorrow. Tocchet said that "if he keeps playing well for us, we're going to have to make some hard decisions."

— Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) December 10, 2025

That all but confirms that Murchison has jumped the queue in terms of depth defenders, at least for now. For the other defensive options stuck in the AHL who are aging out of the “prospect” tag, their time in the organization might be running thin. Ginning, Grans, and even Zamula, all have been given chances to increase their organizational standing throughout their last year and change, and failed to really make an impact.

There is a chance this desire to revamp the defensive depth kicked into overdrive after training camp, when Cam York was ruled out to start the season. There were NHL minutes up for grabs, but none of the players on the bubble really took advantage of the opportunity. It ended up that Ginning, Juulsen, and Gilbert all started on the opening night roster essentially by default. No one stood out in camp or the preseason, and it left the Flyers with some tough decisions to make as they tried and re-orient their AHL affiliate after John Snowden took over as Head Coach.

Ultimately, it seems like the Flyers have chosen to look down some more non-traditional routes in order to find some defensive support, and while it’s only been a handful of games, that strategy seems to bearing fruit. It also signals that there may be some more turnover to come as the Flyers continue to pivot away from their plethora of below-replacement level options.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...nd-means-for-rest-of-flyers-depth-defensemen/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Takeaways: Flyers battle back to tie but once again lose in a shootout to Carolina 3-2

The Flyers were down 2-0, showed some moxie and character to tie the game up 2-2 late in the game, but lost their second consecutive shootout to Carolina 3-2.

The basics​

First period: 5:44- William Carrier (Sean Walker, Jordan Staal), 15:53- Taylor Hall (Alexander Nikishin, Jackson Blake) (PPG), 19:07- Jamie Drysdale (Trevor Zegras, Matvei Michkov)
Second period: No scoring
Third period: 18:08- Trevor Zegras (Travis Konecny, Christan Dvorak)
Overtime: No scoring
Shootout: Seth Jarvis- No goal, Trevor Zegras- No goal, Andrei Svechnikov- Goal, Christian Dvorak- No goal, Jackson Blake- No goal, Matvei Michkov- No goal
SOG: 26 (PHI) – 33 (CAR)

Some takeaways​

Comeback kids

The Flyers were down 2-0, but battled back. And it’s almost becoming habit. With the goalie pulled for the extra attacker, Travis Konecny fed Trevor Zegras a nice pass to Zegras who had a decent portion of an empty net to beat Brandon Bussi to tie things up 2-2 late in the third. The Flyers nearly had a chance to eke out a regulation win but couldn’t jam the puck by Bussi.

With their net empty, the Philadelphia Flyers tied things up with a Trevor Zegras goal#CarolinaCulture #LetsGoFlyers #NHL pic.twitter.com/8gJ9Y9riXA

— Queen of the Puck (@rbarkleyhockey) December 15, 2025

Unfortunately, the overtime session saw a rather tough penalty to take when Seth Jarvis blew by brink but blew a tire when he toe-picked. The officials saw it as a Bobby Brink trip. A huge kill concluded with Cam York breaking his stick, Sean Couturier clearing the puck, and Philadelphia nearly scoring the game-winner.

Not much animosity

Despite playing against each other less than 24 hours earlier, the Flyers and the Canes couldn’t scrounge up much vitriol Sunday. And unlike Saturday’s contest, the Canes got the opening handful of shots while Philadelphia was still seeking their first. They also got the first power play, with Andrei Svechnikov blasting a one-timer into Nick Seeler’s leg. Seeler was down momentarily before he got back up and helped the Flyers make the clear. Sadly, some mix up between the Flyers forwards (Travis Konecny and Christian Dvorak) in their own zone resulted in a shot from the point. The puck didn’t make it that far but William Carrier got the rebound who wristed the puck by Vladar for a 1-0 lead.

#Flyers 0 @ #Hurricanes 1 [P1-14:16]:

Goal: William Carrier (3)
34' Deep Lead-Taking Wrister

Assists: Unassisted#LetsGoFlyers #CarolinaCulture #NHL pic.twitter.com/Dlfigrd4k4

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalsVideo) December 14, 2025

Thankfully, the Flyers got the better of the play the longer the first period went on, getting more pressure and offensive zone time.

Vladar very good

Dan Vladar was holding Philadelphia in the game after the first period, making 12 stops on 14 shots. He kept it from being a laugher with some good saves throughout the first, including a few late in the first before the Flyers scored their first of the night. There was one section in the second where the Canes fired three shots off in about six seconds. It wouldn’t be very noteworthy except for it being a few consecutive faceoffs that slowed things down to a crawl. He also made a key save on a two-on-one midway through the game, stoning Taylor Hall in deep. Perhaps the biggest of the night was on a breakaway after a Zegras giveaway allowed K’Andre Miller in alone. Miller deked but Vladar got his pad on it to knock it away from harm.

Return of the York

Cam York returned from a few games away, and had some rust on him to start. An early giveaway led to a Carolina chance but Vladar knocked the puck away with his mask. For the most part, York settled in rather quickly along with longtime partner Travis Sanheim. In the second period he got a long wrist shot off that Trevor Zegras nearly got his stick on.

York was just over 15 minutes of ice time after two periods, with three blocked shots and a few giveaways. Overall, he was doing and looking okay against a team that loves to pressure and forecheck the hell out of the opposition.

Glorified G

Carl Grundstrom was on the ice for the opening faceoff alongside Garnet Hathaway and center Rodrigo Abols. Abols fell heavily into the boards on the first rush but the line looked better than any fourth line the Flyers have had 30 games in. Sadly, if Garnet Hathaway didn’t have bad luck he’d have no luck at all. With Philadelphia already down 2-0, Hathaway knocked the puck out of the air and into the crowd for a delay of game penalty. They killed it and, on a delayed call to Carolina, the Flyers pulled Vladar to make it six-on-five. They were successful this time, as a Jamie Drysdale shot (that hit Carrier) beat the Canes’ Brandon Bussi for a crucial goal to cut the lead in half.

JAMIE DRYSDALE MAKES IT A 2-1 GAME!!! ZEGRAS AND MATVEI ASSISTS. 2-1!#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/753dTyVthZ

— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) December 14, 2025

The Flyers nearly tied it up seconds later as Owen Tippett nearly scored and Matvei Michkov was at the doorstep but could finagle the puck over the line.

But back to Grundstrom. He seems to be a calming factor on this line and might be the key that final gets this three-man unit on the rails after what’s been a hellish two months and change.

A man advantage? A few actually.

It only took 68 minutes of play but the Flyers finally got their first power play against Carolina this weekend when Cam York was tripped up. The possession on the delayed penalty didn’t materialize in anything. The only bizarre aspect was three players looking for the puck around Vladar as Konecny scooted up ice with it. A second power play minutes later was far more promising and probably pleased head coach Rick Tocchet. They used the bumper, albeit briefly, but had movement and a decent chance. The second half was spent primarily in the Flyers zone and went belly up.

Meanwhile on the other side of things, the Flyers penalty killing unit was called upon after a rather foolish minor from Nikita Grebenkin who bopped the Carolina defenseman in the mouth. It was an important kill as Philadelphia wanted to avoid a 2-0 deficit late in the first. That didn’t happen. Taylor Hall deflected an Alexander Nikishin blast from the point between Vladar’s legs, giving Carolina the two-goal lead while the Flyers sought shot number three.

With under four to go in the second period, Garnet Hathaway drew another minor penalty which put Philadelphia again on the power play. A good keep by Drysdale caused some havoc seconds later with Zegras and Bobby Brink having grand chances to tie the game. Drysdale took a tripping penalty with 48 seconds left in the power play, resulting in more four-on-four hockey prior to a Carolina shortened man advantage.

PS: one more power play

After a slashing call early in period three, the Flyers once again tried to solve Carolina’s penalty kill. Zegras, acting as the quarterback, tried to make some magic. Noah Cates had a great chance to tie it but missed. Cates, who got filled in just after the chance, ended up taking a minor which once again negated a power play. It’s bad enough the Flyers are finding it difficult scoring with two minutes, they can’t shoot themselves in the foot halving their man advantage with penalties of their own. Philadelphia had some chances four-on-four, including Hathaway, Tippett, Abols, and Christian Dvorak all almost tying things up. All came up empty-handed.

Seriously, wtf?

The Flyers were initially four-on-four after Emil Andrae and a Canes player got into a tussle. However, the duo of Couturier and Owen Tippett looked beyond lost in their coverages and trying to make a simple clear. Both had a few occasions to do so, but couldn’t execute when needed. Even when the captain slowly crawled over the center line to make a change, he simply rifled the puck into the boards near the Flyers bench. The bounce caused a three-on-one for Carolina. Vladar was able to keep the gaffes from costing Philadelphia on the scoreboard. But just one brain cramp after another.

Shootout foibles

Although the Flyers couldn’t score to continue the shootout, perhaps the biggest question was the status of Vladar. The goalie took a knee to the side of the head after Jackson Blake’s attempt and was holding his head afterwards. Hopefully it’s nothing that could keep him out of the lineup.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...nce-again-lose-in-a-shootout-to-carolina-3-2/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers’ 3 Stars of the Week: Trevor Zegras continues to shine

The Philadelphia Flyers walked through the quicksands of increasingly tough opponents last week and proceeded to do everything that they are known to do this season. Nothing major was figured out — there were no breakthroughs or discoveries that have us all giddy at the thought of going through more of this campaign. It was the Flyers trying to play Rick Tocchet-style low-event hockey against some of the NHL’s best teams and getting some loser points out of their efforts.

A nice and tidy 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks was a nice little establishing note — to recognize that despite some improvement, that team is still below them in terms of overall talent and ability — but then with three games against the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes to wrap up the week, it was staring down the barrel that could send us tumbling down some real pessimism.

Well, an overtime loss to Vegas and then back-to-back shootout losses to the intradivisional Hurricanes gave the Flyers three points in the standings and three performances that were neither comfortable or concerning. There were no signature games woven in the week but instead we got some Flyers examples of withstanding and pushing through .

Four points in those four games is just about what we kind of expected.

Anyways, let’s look at some players who did some stuff.

3. Carl Grundstrom​

2 goals, 3 points, not scored against while on the fourth line

Carl Grundstrom is my third star for just being able to come up in a bad situation. The Flyers’ fourth line was a complete disaster and while fourth lines are not really consequential in the grand scheme of things, to have zero goals scored while that bottom-tier trio was on the ice for this team, was just overall bad.

So, in walks Grundstrom to take over for Nikita Grebenkin as he tries to do a Tyson Foerster impression for the time being, and almost instantly he makes an impact. Grundstrom scored in the Flyers’ win over the Sharks for the first goal from the fourth line of the season.

Not a bad way to greet your former team! #SJSvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/0jWvEe5k4G

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) December 10, 2025​

Thankfully, he wasn’t done there. The 28-year-old winger managed to score again with an absolute snipe off the rush, to tie the first game against the Hurricanes and eventually force the extra period.

For doing this, he has more than earned a regular spot in the lineup (while there is one). Pushing the Flyers’ fourth line into not being a complete disaster offensively felt like a Herculean task and Grundstrom was able to have a very good week to at least temporarily calm down that pressing need to change something up with that trio.

2. Christian Dvorak​

1 goal, 5 points, 9 shots, and looked good

Dvorak has done everything asked of him and then some and last week was a great example of that. His line basically drove the Flyers offensively and while there’s nothing flashy coming off the stick of the veteran center, he was just there a whole lot and that is why he managed to score five points in the four games against some tough opponents last week.

It is truly hard to really expand on Christian Dvorak of all players when the reason he got a whole lot of those points, that led him to being the second star of the week, is the first star of the week.

1. Trevor Zegras​

3 goals, 3 primary assists, 6 points, and was clearly the Flyers’ best player in most games

It certainly feels like Trevor Zegras is just driving this whole thing right now. Sure, some players are chipping in but this week was really just Zegras trying to control a whole lot for the Flyers and converting a solid amount of his chances.

ZEGRAS TIES IT WITH LESS THAN 2 MINUTES LEFT pic.twitter.com/7oLgaDKC9x

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 15, 2025​

And right now, the puck is ending up in the back of the net when Zegras is out there. And with three goals and all three of his assists being primary, when those goals happen it is because of things that Zegras specifically does. He’s not just skating by and managing to pick up some points — Zegras is the focal point of the offense when he is on the ice and this past week a whole lot of goals happened when he was out there.

Simply for that, Zegras more than earns the first star of the week in what ended up being a mildly interesting week for the Flyers.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/flyers-3-stars-of-the-week-trevor-zegras-continues-to-shine/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Tuesday Morning Fly By: Allons-y

*The boys are back at it tonight in Montreal looking to get off the schnide. Finishing a game in 60 minutes, that’d be a nice change too. Anyhoo, yesterday we learned the Flyers will be having a special “Fourth Wing” game in March. Does this mean anything to you? If so, do you like this? [Flyers]

*That Trevor Zegras, he’s so hot right now. Seriously though, kid’s having a career year. It’s been very fun to watch. [Inquirer]

*Related, you’ll never guess who’s headlining this week’s 3 Stars. [BSH]

*Alright so if you had to pick which Flyers’ prospect is the one rising fastest through the farm-system ranks, who ya got? Discuss amongst yourselves. Then see what these people think. [The Athletic]

*Looking around the league, the Sabres are trying to fix things, presumably. Kicking it off by firing the GM, as one does. [TSN]

*And finally… anyone else already full in Holiday Mode? Zero motivaton over here. Anyway, we’ve got the Flyers version of the 12 Days of Christmas. Very important content. We suggest you read it. [BSH]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/tuesday-morning-fly-by-allons-y/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers @ Canadiens: How to watch, lineups, and gamethread

The Flyers are back at it on the road again tonight in Montreal, as they look to snap their three-game losing streak and begin putting together a bit more in the way of positive momentum. And with some changes made to the lineup and some shuffling done with the forward lines, the Flyers are looking for anything that can bring them that extra bit of jump to draw them closer to that aim.

Puck drop: 7:00 p.m.
How to watch/listen:
: NBCSP
: 97.5 The Fanatic

Pregame reading​

• Huge news! Rasmus Ristolainen’s back! [BSH]
• Carl Grundstrom has really been popping in his most recent stint with the Flyers, and it’s beginning to force some questions about how the Flyers are handling the bottom of their forward lineup. [BSH]

Pregame watching​

By the numbers​

Philadelphia Flyers – 16-9-6 (4th in Metro)

Goals: Trevor Zegras (13)
Assists: Trevor Zegras/Travis Konecny (19)
Points: Trevor Zegras (32)

Montreal Canadiens – 17-11-4 (3rd in Atlantic)

Goals: Cole Caufield (17)
Assists: Nick Suzuki (28)
Points: Nick Suzuki (37)

Projected lineups​

Philadelphia Flyers

Trevor Zegras – Christian Dvorak – Travis Konecny
Carl Grundstrom – Sean Couturier – Owen Tippett
Matvei Michkov – Noah Cates – Bobby Brink
Nic Deslauriers – Rodrigo Abols – Garnet Hathaway

Cam York – Travis Sanheim
Emil Andrae – Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler – Rasmus Ristolainen

Dan Vladar
(Sam Ersson)

Montreal Canadiens

Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Zack Bolduc
Juraj Slafkovsky – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Josh Anderson – Jake Evans – Alexandre Texier
Jake Evans – Joe Veleno – Brendan Gallagher

Lane Hutson – Noah Dobson
Arber Xhekaj – Alexandre Carrier
Jayden Struble -Adam Engstrom

Jacob Fowler
(Jakub Dobes)

Storylines to watch​

Ristolainen’s return

We mentioned this off the top, but the biggest headline coming into tonight’s game is Rasmus Ristolainen getting back into action for the first time since March. It’s been a long road to recovery, and the road to getting all the way back up to game speed will likely extend a bit beyond even this game, but all the same, it will be nice to see him back in the mix after such a long absence. He’ll have the benefit of easing back into things — the pairing of Emil Andrae and Jamie Drysdale, despite a few hiccups, has been working well on the whole so they’ll be holding on to that second pair usage, meanwhile Ristolainen will see some more limited usage on that third pair alongside Nick Seeler. That’s a shutdown pairing if we’ve ever seen one, and it will be interesting to see how that potential fit works together.

A different mix up front

The back end isn’t the only place in the lineup that’s seen some shuffling heading into this game, as the Flyers continue to mix things up to look for the right arrangement of pieces in their forward group. Tonight, we’ll see Carl Grundstrom promoted to the second line to play alongside Sean Couturier and Owen Tippett, which seems a deserved nod for some work well done over this current stint. Meanwhile, Matvei Michkov will drop down to play with Noah Cates and Bobby Brink, in hopes of giving that line a bit of a boost offensively.

We’ll also see them going back to the fourth line of Deslauriers, Abols, and Hathaway for this one, which is not a line that’s been terribly successful for them, to date, but Nikita Grebenkin’s gone cold over these last few weeks, so at the same time, it’s not a tremendous surprise to see him sat for a game as they go for a different look. Namely, with Deslauriers sticking in the lineup tonight, it feels all but obligatory that we assume some rematch between him and Xhekaj is coming (or at least expected by the coaching staff), but we’ll see how that plays out.

No more bonus hockey

We mentioned already that the Flyers are on a three-game losing streak, which is bad enough as it is, but even worse is the fact that each of these losses have come outside of regulation (in overtime to the Golden Knights and then both in the shootout to the Hurricanes). Obviously, the biggest hope for this one is that the Flyers will be able to come out for this one with some jump, pull off a win, and get themselves back on track and moving in the right direction again, but the close second hope is that whatever outcome this game brings, that it comes in regulation. It’s been entirely too much bonus hockey around here, let’s give it a bit of a rest, shall we?

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/flyers-canadiens-how-to-watch-lineups-and-gamethread/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Wednesday Morning Fly By: 60 minutes, what a concept

*Not only did the Flyers get back into the win column last night, but they did it by completing a game in the minimum required number of minutes! It was great! RECAP!

*Big news yesterday ahead of the game was the confirmation of the triumphant return of Rasmus Ristolainen! [Inquirer]

*For the first time in nearly a year, the Flyers defense is fully healthy. What a time! [NBC Sports Philly]

*Obviously with Risto back in the mix the Flyers’ D pairs had to change a bit, but Ricky Tacos did a little line juggling last night as well. [BSH]

*When we were saying that Carl Grundstrom playing well should have Tocchet rethinking the way he constructs his fourth line, we didn’t exactly mean for Tocchet to do all that. Grundy has been a great addition to the lineup, though. [BSH]

*You may not have known this, but apparently the Flyers are still actively shopping for another center for this team. Not shocking though, eh? While Dvorak is having a surprisingly good year he’s clearly not the solution at 1C long term. [The Athletic]

*And finally, because NHL GMs are mostly boring dorks, we don’t get big splashy trades like the one that sent Quinn Hughes to Minnesota very often. So why not get into a full breakdown of how and why it happened? [ESPN]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/wednesday-morning-fly-by-60-minutes-what-a-concept/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers’ Tyson Foerster now out for rest of the season

Philadelphia Flyers winger Tyson Foerster is currently out with an upper-body injury but we just got some even worse news.

Announced by the team on Wednesday morning, after combing through their options going forward in his injury recovery, the decision was made for Foerster to undergo surgery. A successful surgery took place on Monday but now, the recovery timeline has been extended to five months.

Injury update: After further medical consultation and diagnostic testing, Philadelphia Flyers forward Tyson Foerster underwent successful surgery on his arm on Monday, Dec. 15.

Foerster is expected to make a full recovery and will be out five months.https://t.co/t4H3wIIYzh

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) December 17, 2025

Foerster suffered his injury on a completely freak play. During the Dec. 1 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, just minutes after scoring a goal, the 23-year-old winger wound up for a giant one-timer effort and instead of sending a rocket into the back of the net, he whiffed on the puck and crumpled down to the ice, clutching his right shoulder. It was not a pretty sight whatsoever and the best we were all hoping for was some awkward dislocation that would put him on the sidelines for a week or two.

Unfortunately, it was not that and was set to be a long-term absence, but now it’s going to be so much longer than we thought.

Originally, when Foerster was first declared out with his injury, he was set to miss two to three months. Which is obviously terrible but with some quick future-looking and glaring at the calendar, the key Flyers winger was potentially going to return to the ice shortly after the Olympic break, or at the very latest in early March. We were all dreaming of this possibility for him to re-join the team with the Flyers still in the middle of playoff contention and provide a substantial boost to this team as they make the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Instead, Foerster will now be out for five months — and by the wording provided by the team, this is now five more months — which takes his absence through the remainder of the regular season.

Flyers are going to severely miss Foerster​

When the original timeline was still in-tact, there was a sense that the Flyers can try and patchwork this lineup together to try and withstand Foerster not being there. For the work the 23-year-old does on both ends of the puck and in all three zones, he’s not really replaceable, but throw a couple hot streaks from unlikely sources and then we could just try to push through a few more weeks of Foerster-less Flyers, and it’s doable. Now, he’s just not coming back unless Philadelphia miraculously has a deep playoff run.

Players like Carl Grundstrom have stepped up for the time being, but that doesn’t really feel sustainable for the remaining 50 games of the season. And with young wingers like Nikita Grebenkin not taking full advantage of his increased opportunity, and Alex Bump not quite being ready for his call-up to the NHL, there doesn’t appear to be a sure-fire solution to Foerster missing for the rest of the season.

The Flyers might just continue to try and persevere through this absence, as long as Grundstrom keeps on scoring some timely goals, or they could bring a young winger up to really try and get something with a little bit more firepower cooking in the lineup. At least they now have even more time to make those choices and give the Bumps and Barkeys of the world a month or two longer to see if they really deserve that opportunity.

We’ll see just how this might affect the Flyers’ season plans, but for now it’s just terrible to think we’re not going to see our favorite winger from Alliston, Ontario in the Orange and Black again until next fall.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/flyers-tyson-foerster-now-out-for-rest-of-the-season/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Rasmus Ristolainen showed why Flyers missed him in return from injury

It is weird to think that the Philadelphia Flyers have gone through their entire season up until now with a massive glaring hole on their blue line, but they have. Rasmus Ristolainen has been out with an injury dating all the way back until the end of last season and finally managed to return to the ice Tuesday night in Montreal as the Flyers took on the Canadiens.

The overall consensus has been that Ristolainen is a solid player but it’s not detrimental to have him in the lineup, like it is with someone like Travis Sanheim. A nice-to-have defenseman that certainly turned around some of his reputation with his time in Philadelphia, but not really someone who will lead the charge from the back. But in his return to the ice, he showed more of what we had no idea the Flyers were truly missing.

Ristolainen was able to do more of what he’s been known for: Have a level of physicality while also not really giving too much to the other team. It’s a careful balance that he has slowly been able to nail down more and more but it seems like since his last game all the way back in March, the idea of Ristolainen being able to bring that level of balance between physicality and not committing too much to that bit it ends up hurting the Flyers, really went away. No one really thought too much about what the team could look like with him back on the ice.

Even heading into Tuesday, the feeling was “Oh, Ristolainen is back. Nice.” over anything else. No true excitement.

And then in the first minutes of his game, he delivered a massive hit against Juraj Slafkovsky and drew a penalty as Ivan Demidov, for some reason, thought it was a dirty hit and wanted to fight the Flyers defenseman.

HUGE HIT BY RASMUS RISTOLAINEN ON SLAFKOVSKY AND THEN HE DRAWS A PENALTY. WELCOME BACK.#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/CrKdN1gPoO

— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) December 17, 2025​

It took a play like this for us to all go “Oh yeah, right” and realize that this is what he can truly bring to the ice. He’s not going to control the offense or really shut down an opponent every single night (sometimes he will, though) but what Ristolainen can do is bring so much more physicality and an actual ability to separate opponents from the puck, or at the very least hit someone and cause a young winger to cause a fuss and take a really stupid penalty.

Flyers have missed Ristolainen’s physicalty so much​

But it is something the Flyers have missed. Nick Seeler has tried his best to take on the burden of being the big, mean, rugged blueliner for the Flyers, and Noah Juulsen has shown flashes of being able to do that but lately has taken more of a backseat. But given that those two were regularly not featured in the top four and the defensemen who were getting the most minutes for the Flyers don’t really have physicality as their most premier attribute.

The four of Cam York, Emil Andrae, Jamie Drysdale, and Sanheim will probably continue to form the top four of this Flyers blue line for the majority of this season, so it’s not like Ristolainen is really going to overhaul the defense to an inconceivable degree. But, it is nice to have someone on the ice again who is a real, true threat to lay someone out once again. A defenseman where opposing forwards will know when he’s on the ice because they cannot be caught with their head down or not paying close enough attention along the boards.

Who knows if Ristolainen will be able to keep this up or provide more examples of laying dudes out for the rest of the season, but at the very least the Flyers’ blue line looks more whole. No patchworked third pairing anymore, but an actual NHL-level hockey player filling each role on the back end and doing it well. Now all we can hope for is for players to stay healthy so that we don’t have to think about a third pairing being made up of Egor Zamula and Adam Ginning ever again.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...-why-flyers-missed-him-in-return-from-injury/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Thursday Morning Fly By: Well that stinks

*All there was to talk about yesterday was the fact that Tyson Foerster is done for the season. And that, dear reader, sucks. And that’s all there is to it.

• BSH
• Inquirer
• NBC Sports Philly
• PHLY

*So how are we feeling about the possibility of playoffs with TyFo out of the picture? Still think that’s a thing that is possible? [The Athletic]

*If they do make it it’ll be in no small part because of the stellar play of Dan Vladar, who is one of the most improved goalies in the league so far this season. [ESPN]

*When it comes to the Travii’s Olympic hopes and dreams, it looks like things are still going strong for Large Travis but, regrettably, Small Travis’ dream may be dead. [Sportsnet]

*Speaking of playing for your country, the World Junior Championship is right around the corner and we should be seeing a few of Our Boys out there this year. [Flyers]

*And finally, oh wow look at this cool goal!! [TSN]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/thursday-morning-fly-by-well-that-stinks/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers @ Sabres: How to watch, lineups, and gamethread

The Philadelphia Flyers are up in Buffalo to take on the Sabres in the middle of a fairly lengthy point streak. The last time these two teams faced one another was just earlier this month and it resulted in a 5-2 lashing by the Flyers — could we see more of the same or with Buffalo in their new management era, will they put up more of a fight?

Puck drop: 7:30 p.m.
How to watch/listen:
: ESPN+/HULU
: 97.5 The Fanatic

Pregame reading​

• Flyers got some very bad news on Wednesday, as Tyson Foerster required to have surgery on his arm and is now, instead of just a few months, will be gone for five — and that most likely means his season is done. [BSH]
• Rasmus Ristolainen made his return to the ice after his own lengthy injury-caused absence. So, now with another defenseman added to the mix, is it safe to say that someone like Egor Zamula is going to get pushed out of the roster? [BSH]

Pregame watching​

By the numbers​

Philadelphia Flyers – 17-9-6 (3rd in Metro)

Goals: Trevor Zegras (14)
Assists: Travis Konecny (20)
Points: Trevor Zegras (33)

Buffalo Sabres – 14-14-4 (8th in Atlantic)

Goals: Tage Thompson (16)
Assists: Rasmus Dahlin (22)
Points: Tage Thompson (29)

Projected lineups​

Philadelphia Flyers

Trevor Zegras — Christian Dvorak — Travis Konecny
Carl Grundstrom — Sean Couturier — Owen Tippett
Matvei Michkov — Noah Cates — Bobby Brink
Nic Deslauriers — Rodrigo Abols — Garnet Hathaway

Cam York — Travis Sanheim
Emil Andrae — Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler — Rasmus Ristolainen

Sam Ersson
(Dan Vladar)

Buffalo Sabres

Tyson Kozak — Tage Thompson — Josh Doan
Noah Ostlund — Josh Norris — Alex Tuch
Zach Benson — Ryan McLeod — Jack Quinn
Beck Malenstyn — Josh Dunne — Jordan Greenway

Rasmus Dahlin — Mattias Samuelsson
Bowen Byram — Conor Timmins
Owen Power — Michael Kesselring

Alex Lyon
(Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen)

Storylines to watch​

Pressure is on in Buffalo

This is the first game the Sabres are playing since they fired general manager Kevyn Adams and set on this new journey with Jarmo Kekäläinen in charge. That gives them a whole lot of pressure to start this era on the right foot and not show that they are still very much the same Sabres we have come to know as complete failures for the last 14 years.

Even though there’s no coaching change (yet), could we see some Buffalo players have more jump in their step? Could they really be trying to impress their new general manager so that they are seen as a vital piece and then don’t have to uproot their life in a couple months ahead of the trade deadline?

Flyers’ power play will face a tough matchup

For some reason, the Buffalo Sabres own the third-most successful penalty killing unit in the NHL right now. With an 84.9% success rate, only the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche have managed to keep opposing power plays at bay better than the Sabres have this season. That feels a little crazy, but they’ve found something that has worked.

But, the one bright spot that we can maybe see the Flyers take advantage of, is that while the Sabres have been able to kill off some penalties at a high rate, they certainly do allow a whole lot of chances. Buffalo has the fifth-highest mark in terms of shorthanded unblocked shot attempts per 60 — basically, teams are getting their shots off against the Sabres penalty kill but it’s just not resulting in a lot of goals right now. Could the Flyers be the team that breaks the levee and floods in some power-play goals tonight?

Can Grundstrom stay this hot?

Ever since being back in the lineup, and really ever since being recalled as Tyson Foerster’s replacement, Carl Grundstrom has been red-hot. The 28-year-old depth winger scored enough to earn a promotion up the lineup next to Sean Couturier before Tuesday’s game in Montreal, and then rewarded Rick Tocchet’s decision by scoring his third goal in five games.

It’s not going to last forever, but can Grundstrom really just keep on scoring consistently enough to not have the Flyers worry about the wide-open hole Foerster left in the lineup?

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/flyers-sabres-how-to-watch-lineups-and-gamethread/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Friday Morning Fly By: Still stumbling

*With Tyson Foerster out for probably the rest of the season, it’s looking like the ripples from that absence will be far reaching. [BSH]

*You might recall that as recently as Wednesday, we were musing around here that Egor Zamula’s days with the Flyers might be numbered. [BSH]

*Well, this turned out to be incredibly true, and he found himself on waivers yesterday afternoon. And we’ll see later today if he’s claimed and truly on his way out the door, or if he’ll soon be Phantoms bound instead. [BSH]

*Our pal Charlie sat down with Danny Briere to chat about a whole lot of things relating to the team, how they’re approaching this season, and how they’re building out and looking to progress their rebuild. [PHLY]

*They touch on Matvei Michkov’s usage in there, and we have a little bit more talk about it here. [Inquirer]

*Oh, and we should also mention that the Flyers played a game last night! There were certainly some things to like in that one, but ultimately it did not go the Flyers’ way. [BSH]

*It was a tough loss, which saw their five-game points streak brought to an end. [Inquirer]

*Really, that was a game that we’re stepping away from feeling pretty grumpy about. [PHLY]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/friday-morning-fly-by-still-stumbling/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers surprisingly recall Denver Barkey from AHL

The Flyers have a few games before the Christmas break, but in the meantime they might be getting some assistance from Lehigh Valley. The club is recalling winger Denver Barkey from the Phantoms and made the news official Friday evening.

Transactions: We have recalled forward Denver Barkey from the @LVPhantoms (AHL).

Additionally, defenseman Egor Zamula has cleared waivers and has been loaned to Lehigh Valley.

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) December 19, 2025

There’s no word if the callup is to replace a winger or forward who is banged up. The most logical reason could be to address the dearth of production on the fourth line. Barkey would certainly bring some offensive prowess to the bottom trio of forwards. Thus far Garnet Hathaway has no points through 33 and is the only player in the NHL to not record a point in that many games. As well, Nic Deslauriers also is looking for his first point of the season. The only bright spot in what has been an extremely dim fourth line is Rodrigo Abols, who has a goal and an assist thus far.

Where might Barkey fit in?

The addition of Barkey could possibly increase the production while rewarding the forward for his solid play thus far. As well, it might give him a little more playing time before the Christmas holidays. The Phantoms round out their pre-Christmas schedule Saturday against Hartford and don’t play again until Dec. 27 when the Phantoms host Charlotte. Should Barkey end up in the Flyers lineup Saturday afternoon against the Rangers, he might also get some minutes against the Penguins on Monday night before the Flyers visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night before the break. As well, with the power play regressing as much as it’s been in recent games, head coach Rick Tocchet might have the moxie to see if Barkey is capable of possibly helping on one of the two units. That might be a long shot, but few could’ve envisioned the young forward being called up this soon into the season.

Barkey, selected in the third round (95th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft, has had a strong rookie season in the American Hockey League. Through 26 games, Barkey has seven goals and nine assists for 16 points thus far. He’s had a four-point game (one goal, three assists) last month against Bridgeport and had his first multi-goal game on Nov. 16 in a 7-3 Phantoms win over Springfield.

As well, with news that Egor Zamula cleared waivers, the Flyers have loaned him to the Phantoms. The demotion might not result in a lot of playing time as the Phantoms have a boatload or glut of blueliners who are all trying to get a finite amount of ice time. Whether Zamula sees a lot of action or not remains to be sees. But it’s probably not a huge priority of the Flyers to ensure he gets minutes, especially with younger prospects in the pipeline the organization wants to develop.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/flyers-surprisingly-recall-denver-barkey-from-ahl/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Alex Bump leaves Phantoms game with apparent injury

The hits keep on coming for the Phantoms. They’re already dealing with a lineup missing a couple of their key players — Helge Grans has been out with an injury since last weekend, and Denver Barkey was just called up to join the Flyers ahead of tonight’s game — and another blow came their way just as they were kicking off tonight’s matchup against the visiting Bridgeport Islanders.

With the newly arranged top line getting the start — Tucker Robertson promoted in the lineup to take Barkey’s place alongside Lane Pederson and Alex Bump — the trio was looking to get this one started with some jump and begin a statement effort after a tough loss last time out on Wednesday.

I don't see Alex Bump out there to start the second period here in Allentown. He took kind of a weird hit on his first shift, and looked like he was working his shoulder on the bench? He did take a couple more shifts after that, but went down the tunnel later in the period. pic.twitter.com/z9hSBxRLO2

— Madeline Campbell (@madelinecampbll) December 20, 2025​

Instead, things were quickly scrambled on them when, just 25 seconds into the game, Bump took an awkward hit along the board on an entry rush and immediately appeared to be in some discomfort. He cut his shift short, heading straight to the bench and spending some time speaking with the athletic trainer, and appeared to be working his shoulder loose (or something in that vicinity). Bump was out there for his next shift, though, and took a couple more after that, but somewhere around the midpoint of the period, he exited the game and did not return.

Alex Bump took a big hit in the second period tonight in Syracuse. He got to the bench under his own power, but I don't think I've seen him take a shift since pic.twitter.com/0FJtfB4Kxn

— Madeline Campbell (@madelinecampbll) December 13, 2025​

It’s worth acknowledging that this isn’t the first time he found himself looking more seriously banged up during a game recently — last weekend in Syracuse he took another awkward hit along the boards and missed around half of the period being tended to in the locker room, though he was eventually able to return to that game. Now, it’s unclear whether these two dings are related, but he’s certainly been taking a particular beating, of late.

And it goes without saying that if this injury is of the more serious variety, and Bump is forced to miss really any amount of time, it would be a huge blow for the Phantoms. Their lineup is already depleted, and their offense has turned anemic over these last few weeks. They’re struggling to generate much offense up and down the lineup, and as equally up and down as his individual play has been, the last thing they need is to lose their leading points scorer in Bump.

The Phantoms are back at it again tomorrow night against the Hartford Wolf Pack, before they’re off for the next week for the holiday break. We’ll see what the lineup looks like for that one, and how they’re able to close this stretch out.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/alex-bump-leaves-phantoms-game-with-apparent-injury/