Flyers Team Notes

[Philadelphia Flyers]

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[Philadelphia Flyers]

Alex Ovechkin wishes Matvei Michkov would ‘show off a little less’

The best Russian player in NHL history and one of the best young Russians in the game today faced off last week when the Philadelphia Flyers hosted the Washington Capitals.

Matvei Michkov got the scoring started late in the first period with Alexander Ovechkin answering back with a goal of his own less than two minutes later. Michkov then put the Flyers ahead 3-2 in the second period, but Ovechkin got the last laugh as the Capitals came back for a 4-3 regulation win to further their lead in the Metropolitan Division.

Ovechkin got an up-close-and-personal look at Michkov’s play during that game and it’d be hard to be anything but impressed. The Flyers rookie ended a seven-game point drought with a pair of goals on six shots — one shy of the seven shots he fired in the previous seven games.

RG.org’s Sergey Demidov recently had an exclusive interview with Ovechkin and the Russian legend had high praise for Michkov’s game.

“Michkov is a great guy; he’s doing well,” Ovechkin said. “He played against us recently, so I got to see him. But I wish he would show off a little less. Otherwise, everything is great.”

The “I wish he would show off a little less” is a bit interesting as it could be read tongue-in-cheek since Michkov just put up two goals against his squad. However, Michkov’s flashy plays have come under fire before after the Russian rookie attempted a lacrosse goal a few too many times. John Tortorella admitted he’s “lost the damn battle” with Mickhov’s Michigan attempts — and Michigan attempts as a whole.

Ovechkin was then asked about Ivan Demidov, who the Montreal Canadiens selected fifth overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. Although his answer may have been more about Demidov, it could be applied to Michkov as well; especially after his quote about showing off.

“Work, and everything will be fine,” said Ovechkin. “The most important thing is not showing off. Because when anyone shows off, it can come back to bite you in a big way.”

Michkov sits at 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) through 55 games at the 4 Nations Face-Off break. He’s one of several Flyers who can definitely use the two weeks off with just nine points in 22 games since the holiday break after piling up 27 in his first 33.

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‘Very talented’: Ovechkin, Demidov love Michkov’s potential

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...-matvei-michkov-would-show-off-a-little-less/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Looking back at the history of Flyers in international competitions

Since 1972, the Philadelphia Flyers or players from the team have been involved in well-known international competitions. The Super Series in the ’70s through to the ’90s, the 1987 Canada Cup and the 1987 Rendez-Vous competition, and the World Cup of Hockey tournaments all saw Flyers have roles, some more crucial than others. The following is a summary of those competitions. Note this doesn’t include the Olympics nor does it include the annual World Hockey Championships. Just the ones that you either seen at the time, saw and forgot about the next day, or had people tell you about ad nauseum because you weren’t around to witness them.

1972 Summit Series​

The first major series between Canada and the U.S.S.R. was supposed to be a cakewalk for the Canadians. But after losing the opening tilt in Montreal 7-3, Canada won the second game but saw themselves down two games to one (with one tie) after the first four games on their home soil. The U.S.S.R. team won game five and had a distinct advantage, needing to win just one of the remaining three games to win the series and shock the hockey world. But Canada won the sixth game, notable for a slash Bobby Clarke delivered on Russian star Valeri Kharlamov in the second period which seemed to change the fortunes for both sides.

Canada won the sixth and seventh games and won the eighth on Paul Henderson’s late game heroics, giving Canada a 4-3-1 win in the series. Clarke finished third on Canada in points with six (two goals and four assists and had a three-point game in Game 5.

1976 Super Series (January 11, 1976)​

The Soviet Red Army team lost to one team on this four-game trek during this eight-game tour which featured the Red Army playing four NHL teams (Rangers, Canadiens, Bruins, and Flyers) and the Soviet Wings playing four more NHL teams (Penguins, Sabres, Blackhawks, and Islanders). The Flyers lived up to their legendary nickname and hit everything that moved before a rabid crowd at The Spectrum. Ed Van Impe leveled a check on a Red Army player and no penalty was called, the Red Army team left the ice and headed to the locker rooms.

The delay lasted some time before the Red Army returned to finish the game but it didn’t get any better for them. The Flyers won the game 4-1 which featured Joe Watson scoring a shorthanded goal and Philaldelphia dominating with a ridiculous 49-13 shot advantage.

1976 Canada Cup​

The Canadian roster for this tournament featured four Flyers on Team Canada: Clarke, Bill Barber, Jimmy Watson and Reggie Leach. But the roster also featured Phil Esposito, Bobby Hull and Bobby Orr to name a few others. The Flyers didn’t do much in terms of goals or points in this tournament for Team Canada. Leach scored once in an 11-2 laugher over Finland and Barber assisted on a goal by Clarke in a 3-1 win over the Soviet Union.

In the best-of-three final against Czechoslovakia, Canada won 6-0 in the opener. Clarke scored a go-ahead goal in game two but ended up being down a goal in the waning moments. It was there Barber scored a crucial game-tying goal late in the second game before Darryl Sittler scored the series-clinching overtime goal for Canada.

1977 Flyers vs Czechoslovakia​

The Flyers manhandled this team led by Jiri Bubla and a Statsny. Philadelphia dominated their opponents, doubling them in terms of shots on goal (42-21) during a 6-1 victory. Orest Kindrachuk and Mel Bridgman each had a pair of goals while Reggie Leach and Bob Kelly also tallied.

The Stastny brothers (Peter, Anton and Marian) were the first Czechslovakian players to defect to Canada and play in the NHL. Anton was drafted by the Flyers in 1978 (198th overall). Unfortunately for Philadelphia he was deemed too young to be drafted and the selection was invalid. Anton and Peter later played a few seasons together with the Nordiques with Peter ending up being one of the more dominating forwards of the ’80s.

1979 Super Series​

The Flyers didn’t face the Red Army on this jaunt but the Soviet Wings. There was no controversy and neither team left the bench. Instead it was a rather entertaining game. Converting on two of nine power players, the Soviet Wings led 4-2 late in the third when Bobby Clarke scored twice, the second with 16 seconds left of the game. Clarke looked like he batted the puck out of the air to tie things up.

The 1978-79 season shouldn’t be confused with the ensuing season where the Flyers went 35 games unbeaten from October until early January.

1981 Canada Cup​

A rather forgettable tournament if you’re a Canadian and even a Flyers fan. Ken Linseman was a role player on the 1981 team and the only Flyer to make the roster (Barber was an invite but didn’t make the cut. Linseman had one assist in four games as Team Canada got steamrolled in the one-game final 8-1 by the Soviet Union.

1983 Super Series​

The Soviet All-Stars were led by some players who would later end up playing with the Red Wings as “The Russian Five” in the mid ’90s. Igor Larionov and Slava Fetisov had a goal and two assists, respectively, as the Soviet team beat the Flyers 5-1. Pelle Lindbergh was in goal for Philadelphia opposite Vladislav Tretiak and Mark Howe scored the lone goal for the Flyers.

The game was also noteable as the Flyers roster would include four players who at some point went on either coach the team or end up in the front office: Bill Barber, John Paddock, Paul Holmgren and Bobby Clarke.

Rendez-vous ’87​

Often overlooked compared to the Canada Cup that was a few months away, Rendez-vous ’87 was a two-game series in Quebec City in February 1987. The series featured a group of NHL all-stars led by Gretzky, Lemieux, Messier, Kurri and others against the best the U.S.S.R. had to offer. Mark Howe was selected to the team but, due to injury, was unable to participate. The one Flyer player who did was Dave Poulin.

Poulin was in the right place at the right time late in the first game when he deflected a puck from a Mario Lemieux shot with just over a minute left in the third to give the NHL team a 4-3 win.

The Flyers forward also had an assist on the NHL’s third goal scored by Kevin Dineen. In game two the U.S.S.R. won 5-3, scoring three times in the second and putting the game out of reach in the third. Depending on how you view it, the teams split the series at a game each but in terms of total goals, the U.S.S.R. edged the NHL eight goals to seven.

1987 Canada Cup​

Most know how this series turned out. How Gretzky’s pass to Lemieux led to Mario scoring the game-winning shot late in the third and deciding game. However, a few Flyers on Team Canada helped turn the tide. But more on that a little later. Philadelphia had Rick Tocchet, Brian Propp, Doug Crossman and Ron Hextall on the roster as the team first two round-robin games were against Czechoslovakia and Finland. Tocchet scored a goal in each of the first two games while Brian Propp had an assist in each game also. In the semi-finals game against Czechoslovakia, Propp score the insurance goal late in the third as Canada won 5-3.

Back in 1987, Wayne Gretzky feeds Rick Tocchet for a goal during The Canada Cup#NHL #hockey #stanleycup #nhlplayoffs #80s pic.twitter.com/KGUe5z0Lp9

— Historical Sports Goon (@goon_sports) June 13, 2023

When Canada played the U.S., Tocchet also made an impression, namely on an unsuspecting Phil Housley. Tocchet got a minor penalty as he nailed the American defenseman.

1987 Canada Cup. Canada vs USA. Rick Tocchet on Phil Housley. Yeesh. Tocchet did get two minutes. Two minutes for attempted murder. pic.twitter.com/CyUX96cIgP

— The Hockey Samurai 侍 (@hockey_samurai) April 9, 2021

The best-of-three final against the Soviet Union began with two classic overtime tilts, Canada winning the first game 6-5 and the Soviet Union winning the second game by the same score. In the deciding game the Flyers’ contingent were crucial. The Soviet Union stormed out in the first to a quick 3-0 lead, making some people wonder if they were watching the 1981 Canada Cup debacle all over again.

The Flyers, er, Team Canada went to work, chipping away at the lead thanks to coach (and Flyers coach) Mike Keenan probably knowing they needed some dirty goals to get back in the game. Rick Tocchet scored a power play goal to stop the bleeding and get Canada a little closer nearly halfway through the first. Five minutes later it was Propp, with a secondary assist from Tocchet, to make it 3-2. In the second, Canada scored three times, with Doug Crossman getting an assist on Canada’s fourth goal and Propp getting an assist on Canada’s fifth goal with just under five minutes to go in the second.

Lemieux’s late-game heroics won Canada game three with many Flyers contributing during that tilt. The only player who didn’t participate in the tournament was Ron Hextall as Oilers goalie Grant Fuhr was the number one keeper from start to finish.

1990 Super Series​

Not much to write about here folks, the Flyers were edged 5-4 by the Central Red Army in a game that saw Craig Berube and Jeff Chychrun score.

1991 Canada Cup​

The 1991 Canada Cup wasn’t nearly as memorable as its predecessor (what could be). However, it did have a few Flyers participating: Team Sweden had defenseman Kjell Samuelsson while Team Canada included Rick Tochett and Quebec Nordiques draft pick Eric Lindros (who later was acquired by the Flyers in a franchise-altering trade). Although Tocchet had a goal and assist in eight games, it was Lindros who made a name for himself. In eight games Lindros had three goals and two assists.

The points paled compared to the bruising check Lindros delivered on the notoriously dirty, career-ending cheap shot artist known as Ulf Samuelsson. Lindros crunched Samuelsson into the corner and the Swedish blueliner felt every ounce of the hit, laboring back to the bench in a world of hurt.

Canada went on to win the tournament, beating the U.S. 4-1 and 4-2 in a best-of-three. Meanwhile Samuelsson scored a goal in six games for Sweden who were shutout 4-0 in the semis by Canada.

1991 Super Series​

The Flyers lost 4-1 to Moscow Dynamo in a game that saw Rick Tocchet and Moscow Dynamo’s Sergei Bautin fight. Bautin ended up playing two seasons with Winnipeg and served as an enforcer of sorts with 96 penalty minutes in his first season with the Jets and 78 in 54 games in 1993-94.

Months later, while not part of the Super Series, the Flyers played a game against the U.S. National team, playing to a 1-1 uneventful draw.

1996 World Cup of Hockey​

Philadelphia was well represented in this first World Cup of Hockey. Team Canada had Lindros, defenseman Eric Desjardins and Rod Brind’Amour. Meanwhile Team Sweden had Patrik Juhlin and Mikael Renberg (who was selected but couldn’t play due to injury). Finally the U.S. had John LeClair and Joel Otto. The Flyers’ home (CoreStates Center) was also one of the host North American venues as the North American pool featured Canada, United States, Slovakia, and Russia. The European pool had Sweden, Finland, Germany and the Czech Republic.

The best-of-three final may have been problematic for Flyers fans as Canada faced the U.S. in game one at CoreStates Center. Cheer for the franchise player or cheer for country? Canada won the opener in overtime 4-3, but lost both games in Montreal 5-2. Lindros had a decent tournament with three goals and three assists while Brind’Amour and Desjardins each contributed with a goal and two assists. Lindros also had a few big hits, one on Scott Young from the U.S.

The U.S. were led by Brett Hull but LeClair held his own with six goals and four asssist for 10 points. Joel Otto had three points (goal, two helpers) in seven games. As for Patrik Juhlin, much like his short time with the Flyers, he was a non-factor with zero points in four games.

2004 World Cup of Hockey​

If you were to name all 10 Flyers who were part of the 2004 World Cup of Hockey you belong on Jeopardy, not reading the post! Yes, 10! Canada had Simon Gagne, Finland had Joni Pitkanen, Germany had Dennis Seidenberg and the U.S. had Robert Esche and Tony Amonte. The remainder? Well, Sweden had Marcus Ragnarsson and Kim Johnsson and Slovakia of all places had three: Michal Handzus, Branko Radivojevic, and Radovan Somik.

Like the 1996 version, the pools or divisions remained the same. But unlike the previous edition, the final was one game, winner-take-all. Canada edged Finland 3-2 before a sold-out crowd at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. Gagne didn’t do a whole lot with a goal and assist in six games while Seidenberg went pointless in four games. Pitkanen was an extra and saw no action for Finland. Johnsson ended up with a goal and three assists while Ragnarsson went pointless in three games.

Slovakia saw Handzus not play, Somik with no points in two games and Radivojevic got a helper in four contests. For the Americans, Amonte ended up with a lone assist and Esche, the U.S. starter most of the tournament, ended up with a .909 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.52.

2016 World Cup of Hockey​

This tournament was noteable for having teams from Canada and the U.S. but also a Team North America consisting of younger talent. There was also a Team Europe with similar youthful players. Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Couturier were part of Team North America while Team Europe featured Mark Streit and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Canada’s lone Flyer was Claude Giroux while Giroux’s longtime teammate and power play partner Jakub Voracek played for the Czech Republic alongside goaltender Michal Neuvirth.

The tournament was held completely at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre with Canada coming out on top, edging Team Europe 3-1 in the opener of the best-of-three final and 2-1 in the second game. Unfortunately for Giroux, he saw one game and had no points. Streit and Bellemare ended up with two points between them for Europe (Bellemare had a goal and assist). Couturier — on a team featuring Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and the late Johnny Gaudreau — went pointless in three games. Gostisbehere tied Gaudreau for the team leader in points with four (all assists).

As for Voracek, his three games consisted of a goal and an assist. Neuvirth had a tournament he’d like to forget, posting a .880 save percentage and hideous 6.00 goals-against average in two games.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...tory-of-flyers-in-international-competitions/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Danny Briere should take advantage of Flyers’ position in NHL landscape ahead of trade deadline

In a season where the Philadelphia Flyers didn’t have any players that they had to move or else they would walk to free agency, general manager Daniel Briere got ahead of the trade market in late January. That deal with the Calgary Flames landed the Flyers a pair of roster players and draft picks — including another second-rounder — in return for two forwards who hadn’t lived up to expectations in Philadelphia.

Now, amidst the 4 Nations Face-Off break with less than a month until the trade deadline, Briere and Co. need to take advantage of the trade market in his NHL landscape.

Looking around the league, there are six teams with between 57 and 62 points fighting for two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. It’s a bit more decisive in the West with the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames fighting for the last Wild Card spot, but the big guns might want to load up for an arms race.

We already saw the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes make a big trade with the Dallas Stars and Canucks also dealing away first-round picks for some veteran help. The stove is sure to remain hot leading up to the March 7 trade deadline.

Not only are the Flyers in a clear selling spot, but they also hold a few trade chips at positions of need. There’s no rush to trade anyone off the roster with Kuzmenko being the lone pending UFA, but Scott Laughton and Rasmus Ristolainen are going to be in the rumor mill — and rightfully so. It should be a seller’s market for both centers and right-handed defensemen.

Brock Nelson is the top center on most trade boards but it looks more and more like he may just re-sign with the Islanders. After that, there’s not much with guys like Trent Frederic, Nick Bjugstad, Ryan Donato, Jake Evans, and the injured Yanni Gourde as rental options.

Laughton fits right into that bucket but teams also get the luxury of another year of the gritty two-way forward. The Flyers are certainly in no rush to trade their veteran leader but now might be the best time to move Laughton. Teams aren’t likely to be willing to meet the Flyers’ asking price at the next deadline since he’ll only be a rental and they’ll probably keep him around at that point.

As far as right-handed defensemen are concerned, it’s slim pickings on the trade board. David Savard is a rental option with Seth Jones and his $9.5 million cap hit for the next five years another longer-term option. Cody Ceci was already moved and Connor Murphy has also cropped up on some trade boards. Ristolainen’s improved play over the past few years makes him a desirable target for playoff teams.

A trade over the summer could make sense for both Laughton and Ristolainen but teams won’t have that same desperation going into a crucial postseason.

The Maple Leafs are one of the potential landing spots for Laughton and this could easily be their last year with their core four intact as both John Tavares and Mitch Marner are free agents this summer.

Winnipeg is another rumored team for both of the Flyers’ trade chips and the Jets are always looking for players with term due to their city not exactly being a desirable destination for free agents.

The Stars are another team to keep an eye on as they may look to go all-in after back-to-back Conference Finals appearances. Jamie Benn is in the last year of his deal along with several other key players, including potential offer-sheet targets Wyatt Johnston and Mavrik Bourque. Dallas has already dealt for Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci but could still be looking to improve the right side of their defense.

Teams trading for Laughton would have him for two playoff runs and three for Ristolainen. They’ve both shown improved play this season and are exactly what teams are looking for come playoff time.

Nearly two-thirds of the league still has a semi-realistic chance at making the playoffs — or at least can convince themselves they do. There is also a large number of teams that probably think they have a legitimate chance to at least make the Conference Finals and then who knows what happens.

The Flyers are not among either of those groups.

They’re one of a few rebuilding teams that have sought-after trade chips, and perhaps most importantly, they have leverage. They don’t have to trade Laughton or Ristolainen now. Would it help the rebuild? Absolutely. But it may not hurt that much to keep them around at least through the draft or offseason.

Briere and Co. have made it clear that they’re not going to make a trade trade for the sake of making a trade. Teams have to meet their asking price and they’ve shown they’re willing to hold firm on that while also being flexible a bit at last year’s deadline. They got the first-round pick they wanted for Sean Walker by taking back an undesirable contract. Cap space should be weaponized at this point of a rebuild.

All of this is to say that the timing does feel right for Briere to make his next move before this year’s trade deadline. It doesn’t have to happen as the front office has done a great job of giving itself some flexibility, but if things keep lining up in the Flyers’ favor, they might be able to pull the trigger on a deal or two to get more assets to build with.

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Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...mors-deadline-briere-must-take-advantage-nhl/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

How 4 Nations tournament could help Flyers in the long run

Despite not being the flashiest team in the NHL, the Philadelphia Flyers have still managed to be well represented in the NHL’s newest best-on-best international competition.

The Travii will join forces on Team Canada, with Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny both part of the best that the Northern nation can offer. But sadly, the Rasmus renaissance will have to take a hiatus, as Rasmus Ristolainen is injured and will miss out on the tournament despite being selected to represent the underdog Finns.

But Samuel Ersson gets the nod as an injury replacement for the always deep Team Sweden, and while he probably won’t play much, it is an honour to be selected over the other NHL options.

Realistically, these guys won’t be the ones tasked with carrying their nations to glory the way that the McDavid’s and the Matthews’ of the world will; but nonetheless they will spend eight days amongst the elite of the elite, testing how they stack up against the best players in the world.

Usually, the all star break is a time for rest and relaxation, but with the Faceoff taking the place of what has become basically a glorified shinny tournament, there will actually be some things to gain and watch out for as these three Flyers get ready to represent their countries…

Continuing the Konecny and Sanheim Bromance ​

Konecny and Sanheim have lived with one another, been teammates for years, and gotten paid handsomely together. Now, they will get the prestigious honor of getting to represent their nation on the world stage. The pair have graduated to leaders amongst the Flyers roster, and with both having long contracts that will keep them together in Philly for the next while, they look poised to lead the next iteration of contending Flyers teams.

Both have performed as well as could be expected in roles that may be asking a bit much of their skill sets; Konecny as the team’s primary offensive weapon, and Sanheim as its number one defenseman.

That lands them both a spot on a Canadian team which has a copious amount of talent to choose from, an honour for players that aren’t really seen as “elite” around the league like some of the other Canadian stars. However, as Konecny maintains over a point-per-game pace, and Sanheim logs nearly 25 minutes a night, there really is no argument for their inclusion among the best of the best.

These two are going to carry the Flyers into what will hopefully be the team’s next period of success, and as they transition into NHL veterans, they will need to improve their leadership qualities and step up as individuals who set the standard for their younger counterparts. Being around names like MacKinnon, Crosby, and McDavid shouldn’t hurt.

But above all else, these two doing this together should only strengthen a bond that has been growing for years, and having two of your stars already being so tight could help avoid a Vancouver Canucks situation in the future.

Rewarding Rasmus​

There was set to be a lot of fan-fare and discussion regarding Ristolainen heading into this tournament, but an upper-body injury will keep him out for at least the next two weeks. It is still really nice to see this sort of redemption tour continue, for a player who became a bit of a joke during his time in Buffalo.

Now it’s not like Finland had many options on the back end, but it actually felt like Ristolainen was going to be one of the best of them, especially after Miro Heiskanen went down. But still, good on Risto for getting the nod.

Sam’s There Too​

Samuel Ersson is going to be present at the tournament, too. Named an injury replacement after Jacob Markstrom was ruled out with an MCL sprain, Ersson will probably just serve as the third goaltender and only see action if something goes, horribly, terribly wrong. But still, it will serve as a learning experience for the young starter to be in a room filled with his most talented countrymen.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/how-4-nations-tournament-could-help-flyers-in-the-long-run/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers’ Travis Konecny scratched for Canada at 4 Nations

The most anticipated hockey game of the decade is about to take place on Saturday night, but now we will be only seeing one Philadelphia Flyer instead of the two we expected.

It will be a best-on-best matchup between the two giants of ice hockey: Canada vs. the United States at the Bell Centre in Montreal. A rivalry that has been so woven into the very fabric of the modern game. Something magic happens when these two countries face off and we have been without the superstars of the sport participating for so long now. We are buzzing with hype for the puck to be dropped, but without one familiar face.

At Friday’s practice for Team Canada, Sam Bennett was injected into the lineup from being a healthy scratch on Wednesday, to provide his standard ultra physicality and general grit for Saturday night. Unfortunately, that meant that Flyers winger Travis Konecny was the one to be pulled and will be a healthy scratch for the Big Game.

Marchand-Bennett-Jarvis
Cirelli-Point-Hagel

Konecny extra

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 14, 2025

Canada head coach has opted for a familiar trio of players for his fourth line instead of what he had Wednesday against Sweden. The Lightning Line of Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, and Brandon Hagel will serve as the last line with Sam Bennett centering Brad Marchand and Seth Jarvis.

Fortunately, there will still be one Philadelphia representative on the ice. With Shea Theodore suffering an injury Wednesday and out for the tournament, Cooper has more or less been forced to insert defenseman Travis Sanheim on the blue line. We don’t expect him to have a whole whack of minutes, but as it stands, the 28-year-old from Elkhorn, Manitoba will be next to Drew Doughty on Canada’s bottom pairing.

Does this mean Canada is scared? No one can reasonably tell you that Sam Bennett provides more scoring ability than Konecny, but him being a center and knowing how to deal with Panthers teammate Matthew Tkachuk on the other side, could be a realistic possibility. Still, we hate to see Konecny on the sidelines and especially when it could be a very physical and hotly contested game such as Canada vs. USA. Konecny will be missed in the post-whistle scrums around the net.

There can only be one Flyer named Travis representing Canada at a time, we guess.

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Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...is-konecny-scratched-for-canada-at-4-nations/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

4-Nations Face-Off: All-time Flyers edition

The 4 Nations Face-Off began Wednesday night with Canada facing Sweden before a boisterous Montreal crowd. Team Canada saw Travis Konecny in the lineup while Sweden included goaltender Sam Ersson. As proven previously, plenty of Flyers have participated in these tournaments over the years. But how would each nation stack up for a starting lineup of only Flyers players over the franchise’s history?

Well, thanks to a little digging and some tough choices, the four lineups below feature what would be the starting lineup of each country made up of Flyers. Note the three forwards for each country are not necessarily a right winger, center, and left winger. They’re just forwards. Same goes for defensemen as the two listed might have both played the same side of the ice most or all of their careers.

So with that, here’s the 4 Nations Face-Off Lineups, All-Time Flyers Edition:

Team Canada​

Forwards: Bobby Clarke, Claude Giroux, Eric Lindros

Defensemen: Eric Desjardins, Joe Watson

Goaltender: Bernie Parent

It could be debated but it shouldn’t come as a huge shock regarding the three forwards. Two of the three are one-two in terms of points (Clarke with 1210 and Giroux at 900). Clarke, still synonymous with being the name that first comes to mind when thinking of the Flyers, also earned two Stanley Cups and three Hart Trophys. He also is one of the few NHL players to win the Selke Trophy for top defensive forward near the homestretch of his career and also the Masterston Trophy in the early years.

Giroux, unfortunately, played in one final in what was his first full year with the Flyers. Despite critics who believed he was losing a step during the 2016-17 season with just 58 points, Giroux shut those doubters up with his first and only 100-point season (102) but ended up fourth in Hart Trophy balloting. The regular season production didn’t mean being consistently in the playoffs. Giroux has played in 95 playoff games. Unfortunately, 51 of those came in his first four seasons. Regardless, he was one of the best Flyers in their history.

As for Lindros, there was also the one appearance in the final but was far less memorable. Detroit swept the series as coach Terry Murray hinted (well overtly hinted) the team choked. But what a ride over his eight seasons! In 486 games, Lindros had 659 points. And like Giroux, he only had one 100-point season (115 in 1995-96). Yet he was a force to be reckoned with. Delivering devastating hits (and receiving as many if not more over the years) left many fearing him. But injuries and concussions (including the one against the Devils) took its toll.

The three forwards were arguably three of the biggest game breakers the Flyers ever had. While two of the three got to play all or most of their career with the Flyers, Lindros is still the forward that one always wonders what might have been had he remained healthy.

Defensively, what is a bit odd is how few Canadian-born Flyers blueliners played a large chunk of games for them. Outside of Chris Therien (who played 753 games) both Watson (746) and Desjardins (738) are the only Canadian-born blueliners who played that many games. Like Clarke, Watson (who also played with brother Jim) won two Cups with Philadelphia and was part of the infamous 1976 game against the Soviet Red Army. He also ended up with just under 200 points and was a plus-188 over his tenure with the Flyers, including being plus-56 in 1975-76.

Meanwhile Desjardins was one of the talented pieces the Flyers picked up (stole?) in the Mark Recchi trade that also saw Philadelphia land John LeClair. Desjardins ended up with 396 points, including 93 goals, over 11 seasons. Desjardins also might have been the difference in the 2004 playoff run that ended with the seventh game loss to Tampa Bay. Desjardins broke his arm colliding with Jeremy Roenick that January but looked to return for the playoffs. But a fluke accident playing catch with his son broke a metal plate in the arm, ending his season.

In goal, Bernie Parent is the only Flyers goaltender to win two Stanley Cups. Parent played 73 games in 1973-74 and had a ridiculous .932 save percentage. He won the Vezina that season and was second in the Hart Trophy voting. In 10 seasons with Philadelphia he had a .917 save percentage and 50 shutouts. The Flyers have had some decent goaltenders since Parent, but none have ended up getting them over the hump to a Cup victory.

Team U.S.A.​

Forwards: John LeClair, Jeremy Roenick, Paul Holmgren

Defensemen: Mark Howe, Shayne Gostisbehere

Goaltender: Brian Boucher

As part of the Legion of Doom, John LeClair was almost unstoppable with Eric Lindros and Mikael Renberg as linemates. What they wanted to do they did, be it scoring, hitting, or hitting while scoring. LeClair had five consecutive seasons of 40 or more goals in his first five full seasons with the Flyers. In the season he was acquired from Montreal he had five points in nine games with the Habs. In 37 games with Philadelphia he had 49 points. He ended up with 643 points in 649 games with the Flyers.

Jeremy Roenick wasn’t with the Flyers for a long time, but it was a hell of a good time during his stint. His overtime goal against the Leafs in 2004 remains one of the team’s bigger post-season highlights since 2000. Roenick, a Hall of Famer, had 173 points (including 67 goals) in three seasons with the Flyers. Although never scoring a hat trick with Philadelphia, his style of play made him a fan favorite despite being well on the back nine of his career by that time.

Paul Holmgren? Yep. Paul Holmgren. If you check the numbers, Holmgren ended up with a hell of a lot of penalty minutes in his years on Broad Street. But he also ended up with more points than James van Riemsdyk (309 compared to 297) and almost as many goals (Holmgren with 138 over nine seasons, van Riemsdyk with 146 over eight).

On the back end, Mark Howe is head and shoulders above most Flyers defensemen in his years and one of the better but underrated defenseman of the ’80s. Howe spent 10 of his 16 NHL seasons (22 seasons total if you count his WHA years) and registered 393 points in 594 games. He ended up being +87 in 1985-86 and was in conversation for both the Norris and the Hart Trophy but came away empty handed. It was all gravy essentially for Howe who could’ve been paralyzed in 1980 when he ran into the old-style hockey nets (with the dagger-like middle portion at its bottom). The net came off, impaling Howe in the backside, inches from his spinal column.

Shayne Gostisbehere continues to befuddle Flyers fans for one reason: why did they trade him? As he plays well for Carolina with former Flyer Sean Walker, Gostisbehere had some magical moments in his seven seasons here. With 219 points in 381 regular season games, Gostisbehere couldn’t be stopped during his 46-point rookie season. His third year was the best here with 65 points in 2017-18. As the Flyers continue to look for quarterback support on their horrid power play the last few seasons, Gostisbehere had 29 power play points last season for Detroit.

Finally, Brian Boucher made the Flyers quarter-century team earlier this year. And he’ll make this starting lineup for Team U.S.A. Boucher, who made one of the bigger stops in franchise history during a 2010 shooutout against the Rangers in the season, playoff-clinching finale, had four tours with the Flyers, managing to achieve a .904 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against average. Now the color analyst for the Flyers television broadcasts, Boucher also had stops in Carolina, Phoenix, Calgary, Chicago, Columbus and San Jose over 13 seasons.

Team Sweden​

Forwards: Pelle Eklund, Peter Forsberg, Mikael Renberg

Defensemen: Kjell Samuelsson, Kim Johnsson

Goaltender: Pelle Lindbergh

Pelle Eklund (or Per-Erik Eklund if you wish) was an important part of the Flyers success in the mid-80s, particularly in the Flyers 1987 run to the finals. A playmaker more than sniper, Eklund played all but five NHL games in his career with Philadelphia, scoring 118 goals and adding 334 assists. In the 1987 run Eklund had 27 points in 26 games.

As much as Flyers fans rue what happened to Eric Lindros, the key piece they gave away to land him causes as much grumbling. Peter Forsberg won two Stanley Cups with Colorado and became one of the most dominating power forwards of his time. By the time the forward decided to come full circle and sign with the Flyers, he was long in the tooth and hampered by foot issues. Regardless, to end up with 115 points in 100 games with the Flyers shows just how talented he was, and could have been years earlier, in a Flyers uniform.

The third part of the Legion of Doom can’t be forgotten. Nor should Mikael Renberg be. Although not putting up the numbers Lindros and LeClair did, Renberg held his own with 296 points in 366 regular season games. An 82-point rookie season was also nothing to sneeze at as he ended up two shy of the 40-goal mark in 1993-94. After being sent to Tampa Bay, Renberg found himself back with Philadelphia for two more seasons, but by then the production was a shell of what it once was.

This writer didn’t have much affinity for Kjell Samuelsson. Whether he seemed to take bad penalties or just couldn’t get his large frame to hone itself for professional hockey, Samuelsson didn’t look the part. Yet his 14 years in the NHL (nine with the Flyers) suggest otherwise. The large blueliner scored 35 of his 48 career regular season goals in a Flyers uniform. He only played more than 70 games four times over those 14 years. He was instrumental in being a depth, shutdown defenseman in the Flyers’ 1987 deep run.

Kim Johnsson didn’t have a long stay with the Flyers but he was strong in his 291 regular season games here. The blueliner averaged 40 points a season in his first three years in Philadelphia. He also averaged between 23 to 24 minutes per game over that span. Johnsson finished his career with a short stint in Chicago after being traded from Minnesota in 2009-10.

Finally, but certainly not least, the late Pelle Lindbergh was outstanding for his time. Although the analytics might claim otherwise (.887 save percentage and 3.31 goals-against average), Lindbergh played in 65 games in 1984-85, winning 40 of them and also taking home the Vezina. The goalie played eight games in 1985-86 before he was killed in a car accident on Nov. 10, 1985. The first game after his death the Flyers beat Edmonton 5-3.

Team Finland​

Forwards: Sami Kapanen, Ilkka Sinisalo, Ville Leino

Defensemen: Kimmo Timonen, Joni Pitkanen

Goaltender: Antero Niittymaki

Compared to the other three nations, the Flyers haven’t had oodles of Finnish players in their history. But they’ve had a few memorable ones. Perhaps none more than fan favorite Sami Kapanen. Kapanen, who could play both forward and defense if needed, was never leading the team in stats but was one of the key depth players in 2003-04, his first full season with the club. He ended up playing 311 regular season games, scoring 44 times and adding 66 assists for 110 points. Kapanen also became part of Flyers lore when, in Game 6 of their playoff series against Toronto in 2004, he was destroyed on a brutal check by Darcy Tucker. Kapanen, clearly concussed, eventually made it off the ice seconds before Jeremy Roenick put the series to an end with a Flyers victory.

Along with Pelle Eklund, Ilkka Sinisalo was one of the solid pieces in the Flyers runs to the Cup finals in 1985 and 1987. Sinisalo, who was a goal shy of 200 in 526 regular season games with Philadelphia, had two seasons of 35 goals or more and six seasons over 20. Sinisalo concluded his career in Los Angeles in 1991-92 after a cup of coffee with Minnesota in 1990-91. After his NHL career, Sinisalo continued playing in Finland until 1995-96.

Ville Leino should still be sending residual cheques to both Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell. A journeyman NHL forward, the Flyers acquired him prior to the 2010 trade deadline. In his 13 games til the of that season, Leino was doing next to nothing offensively. But Leino ended up on a line with Briere and Hartnell in the playoffs. And magic happened. Leino had 21 points in 19 games with seven goals and 12 assists. The following season, his last under contract before becoming an Unrestricted Free Agent, Leino had 53 points. But with a great playoff the season before, and a decent season in 2010-11, Buffalo inked Leino to a six-year, $27 million contract. His Buffalo years ended after three seasons and 10 goals before the Sabres bought out his contract.

Kimmo Timonen got his Stanley Cup ring in his final NHL game with Chicago. Over his great years with the Flyers, he was (outside of the era the Flyers had Chris Pronger) their go-to guy. Timonen didn’t put up a lot of points in his seven seasons. His job was to shut teams down, and he often did. He was often paired against the opponent’s top lines, driving them crazy in some instances (hello, Sidney!). Three seasons he had over 40 points and ended with a respectable 270 points in 519 regular season games.

Joni Pitkanen had a brief stay with the Flyers. He received votes for the Calder in his rookie year of 2003-04 and was named to the All Rookie Team. He also received a vote or two for the Norris Trophy in his second year. Pitkanen collected 116 points in 206 games over three seasons and, despite being drafted fourth overall in 2002, was traded to Edmonton for Jason Smith and Joffrey Lupul in July, 2007. The blueliner matched his career high of 46 points with the Flyers in 2009-10 with Carolina. He never scored a playoff goal in the NHL.

Artero Niittymaki was one of a few Finnish Flyers goalies to pick from. Heck, Ivan Fedotov was born in Finland despite the fact he’s Russian. Nonetheless, Niittymaki played five seasons with Philadelphia, just inching over the .500 mark in terms of wins/losses but having a .901 save percentage over that time. The keeper ended up with another great season for the Lightning after his days playing for the Flyers were done. Two of his three assists were with Philadelphia also.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/4-nations-face-off-all-time-flyers-edition/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

3 trades Flyers could make to fix their center depth right now

It’s no secret that the Philadelphia Flyers need to improve down the middle. Their center depth is among the worst in the league with Noah Cates and Sean Couturier leading this group of bottom-six centers.

Acquiring a first-line center is going to be important for Danny Briere & Co. during this rebuild. They want to go big game hunting and a pivot should be at the center of attention — and they have said so much in the past. But that may take some time.

With three weeks until the trade deadline, here are three hypothetical (and hopefully realistic) trades that the Flyers could make to fix their center depth right now.

Scott Laughton for Fraser Minten​

The annual Scott Laughton rumors are back again with the Flyers center linked primarily to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Laughton grew up in Ontario and the Leafs have a clear need for a depth center.

The Flyers have made it known that they want at least a first-round pick for Laughton but the Leafs only have two picks in the first two rounds over the next two years, including a 2026 first-round pick. It’s quite possible that the Flyers are after that ’26 first, but Minten could be another target.

Minten, 20, was selected with the 38th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He put up 38 points in 36 games in his final WHL season last year and has 14 points in 32 games with the Leafs (four points in 15 games) and Marlies in his first full professional campaign.

The youngster has been fine at the NHL level and could very well put up similar numbers to Laughton for the length of the veteran’s contract. However, the experience and intangibles that Laughton bring are clearly valued around not only the Flyers locker room but the entire league.

The Leafs should be wanting to load up for this playoff run given their cap situation. John Tavares and Mitch Marner are both free agents this summer and a few of their restricted free agents need raises. This could be their last chance at a Cup with their core four and they’ll need all the help they can get in a tough Eastern Conference. Laughton may not exactly be the upgrade that the Leafs are hoping for, but there aren’t many centers being sold either.

A 1-for-1 deal would likely be a steal for the Flyers, so I wouldn’t be fussed about adding in some sort of mid-round pick swap or the like.

Minten could slide right into Laughton’s lineup spot for the Flyers. John Tortorella seems to prefer Laughton at wing, so getting a younger player who can stick down the middle would be an easy win.

Rasmus Ristolainen for Mavrik Bourque (and Matt Dumba)​

Another team that is in a clear buying position is the Dallas Stars. This is Jamie Benn’s last year under contract, they have to pay a few of their RFAs (including Bourque and Wyatt Johnston), and Jake Oettinger’s cap hit more than doubles next season.

Dallas went out and got Chris Tanev last year, and although the Stars already made a deal for a right-handed defenseman in Cody Ceci, they’re reportedly still in the market for an upgrade — and who can blame them?

Enter Rasmus Ristolainen.

Ristolainen has revitalized his career in Philadelphia to the point where they might be able to get a first-round pick (or similar value) for him without retaining any salary.

The Stars have the forward depth to soften the blow of potentially losing Bourque, especially after acquiring Mikael Granlund from San Jose, but their blue line still has some questions. Miro Heiskanen and Nils Lundkvist are on injured reserve, Ilya Lyubushkin was banged up recently, and their depth is questionable. They’re running Esa Lindell, Matt Dumba, and Ceci on the right side.

Ristolainen would be a clear upgrade over Dumba, who is on the downside of his career. I have the Flyers taking back Dumba and his $3.75M cap hit through next season instead of tying up a retention slot for an extra year. They can always flip Dumba right away or in the offseason if needed.

So what would the Flyers be getting in Bourque?

He’s a little bit older than Minten as he was drafted 30th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. The 23-year-old forward has 16 points in 49 games this season and has taken over 200 faceoffs, so he’s been at center a lot.

Bourque has yet to really find his offensive game at the NHL level but that could just be due to his usage. He had 77 points (26 goals, 51 assists) in 71 AHL games last year after putting up 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists) in his first full professional season. He’s playing more of a checking role for Dallas on the third line.

A draft pick for Trevor Zegras​

This idea is admittedly a little half-baked but I don’t know if it’d be a piece on potential center targets if we didn’t include Trevor Zegras.

The Flyers have reportedly kicked the tires on Zegras and he was usually mentioned with Joel Farabee as a possible part of the package. Although Farabee is now in Calgary, it may be worth it for Briere to take a flier on the polarizing center.

Zegras does carry a $5.75M cap hit of his own through next season so the Flyers may need to move out some money first — perhaps a Laughton or Ristolainen trade. This trade idea is a clear third option and would probably only happen if they were able to move one of their two main trade chips for a young roster player or another draft pick.

I’m not exactly sure which draft pick Zegras is worth at this point or which one Briere would be comfortable giving up, but the Flyers currently hold seven picks in the first two rounds of the upcoming draft. I wouldn’t mind trading at least one of them to give Zegras a fresh start in Philadelphia.

Zegras has battled through injuries the past two seasons with just 30 points in 63 games. However, he had 23 goals and 60-plus points in each of his first two full NHL seasons. The talent is in there and perhaps playing with a Matvei Mickhov or Travis Konecny could help unlock it again.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...uld-make-to-fix-their-center-depth-right-now/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Finland upsets, USA bests Canada in 4 Nations rivalry matchups

Throughout the 4 Nations Faceoff, we’ll be keeping track of all the action and bringing you all of the results in one place.

Sweden vs. Finland​

Saturday saw the tournament’s big matchups taking place — that is, the big rivalry games — and things kicked off with the matinee game between Sweden and Finland, and it was a thriller. Though they hit a bit of a bump in the road early as they failed to capitalize on an early power play, struggling to even get set up in the zone, the Swedes did seem to have the early edge in play, and capitalized on that before the midpoint of the period, when Mika Zibanejad got them on the board.

But the Finns weren’t going to let this game get away from them easily, like it did in their tournament opener against the Americans. They found the equalizer just two minutes later care of Anton Lundell, and added a backbreaker before the period was out — pulling into the lead on a power play goal from Mikko Rantanen with just 14 seconds left in the frame.

But, of course, we know that momentum can be a bit of a pendulum, and it swung back in favor of the Swedes to begin the second period. They saw a good number of their high-skilled forwards creating good looks through the early goings there, but in the end it was a pair of goals from their defensemen that pulled them back into the game. The first came from Rasmus Dahlin, as he dropped down into the crease and was able to chip in a rebound, and the second from Erik Karlsson on the rush. Just as we all predicted.

So the Swedes found themselves back in the lead, but not for long, as the Finns managed to respond with a goal of their own late in the period (this one from Aleksander Barkov) to tie things up again. And despite the best efforts of both sides, that’s a tie that held all the way through the final frame, brining about the need for overtime for the second time this tournament. Unlike the opener for Sweden, though, this one didn’t take long to settle. Inside the first two minutes, we saw Kevin Lankinen make a huge save on Adrien Kempe’s rush chance, lose the rebounded puck, but then have it picked up by Mikhail Granlund, who skated it all the way down to score on Linus Ullmark. And that was all she wrote.

Final: Finland 4 – Sweden 3 (OT)
Next game up (FIN): Feb 17, 1:00 ET vs. Canada
Next game up (SWE): Feb 17, 8:00 ET vs. USA

USA vs. Canada​

If we thought the opening game of the day was a spirited one, the evening matchup between the US and Canada took it to a whole other level. Right off the opening faceoff, Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel dropped the gloves. Once everything was settled down and the next faceoff was set, Brady Tkachuk and Sam Bennett took their turns to square off. After this, a bit of action took place, but after a bit of a jam up in front of the net, Colton Parayko and JT Miller had their own bout of fighting. All told, this was three fights in the first nine seconds of the game, and a tone was certainly set.

But as far as the actual playing of hockey went, that was some good action too. Canada jumped out to an early lead on a goal from Connor McDavid that just felt inevitable, as he got going on the rush and created some separation from the American defenders. This was an early momentum swing in the Canadians’ favor, but it was one that ended up being relatively short-lived. Because, for as much firepower as the Canadians brought to this tournament, goaltending was always going to be their weakness, and it was exploited again in this one. The Americans were able to draw back even in this one just past the halfway point in the first period, on a goal from Jake Guentzel that was decidedly a pretty weak one for Jordan Binnington to give up.

Despite Canada’s best efforts to rally, the US as able to pull ahead in the second period, after Matt Boldy intercepted a pass in the defensive zone and sprung Dylan Larkin on the rush, and he was able to beat Binnington pretty cleanly with a shot one-on-one. And this, it would turn out, would be more or less all she wrote. Canada got the better of the shots in the third period, but couldn’t seem to find a way to solve Connor Hellebuyck. And despite a bit of pressure created with Binnington pulled, the Americans were able to score the empty netter (from Guentzel again) to well and truly put the game away.

Final: USA 3 – Canada 1
Next game up (CAN): Feb 17, 1:00 ET vs. Finland
Next game up (USA): Feb 17, 8:00 ET vs. Sweden

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...a-bests-canada-in-4-nations-rivalry-matchups/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

USA routs Finland in 4 Nations Face-off opener

Throughout the 4 Nations Faceoff, we’ll be keeping track of all the action and bringing you all of the results in one place.

USA vs. Finland​

Much has been coming into this tournament about Finland’s missing three of their top-six defensemen before they even kicked off their first game, the weakness this would bring the team as a result, but you wouldn’t know it, at least from how this game started out for them. Indeed, their offense came up for them first, and they were the ones to open up the scoring for the game early in the first period on a goal from Henri Jokiharju after a nice bit of passing on the rush, getting right through the American defenders. But the Americans, still getting the better of the chances through the early goings, weren’t going to let this one get away from them, and they found the equalizer just under three minutes later, with Brady Tkachuk banking a shot in off of Juuse Saros.

The Americans were beginning to find some good momentum, but the Finns were also doing well to keep them largely contained, at least for a time. They held the Americans to just one more goal in the second period (this one from Matt Boldy), and kept themselves well enough in the game.

But, of course, this couldn’t last forever, and by the time the third period was rolling around, the strength of the American offense was beginning to overwhelm them. It began with the Americans on the power play to start the third period, and making quick work to get themselves rolling — a shot from Matthew Tkachuk all the way up at the right point deflected off a Finnish skater in front and past Saros to give them a two-goal lead. And then just 11 seconds later, the Americans were able to get control of the puck off the faceoff and get moving into the offensive zone, with Auston Matthews setting up Jake Guentzel on the rush for his first goal of the tournament. But wait, there’s more — that early momentum that the Americans found simply could not be slowed down, and they further extended their lead not long after, with Brady Tkachuk scoring a huge goal on the rush, picking up his second of the night and making it three goals for the Americans inside the first three minutes of the period.

Things settled down a little bit from here, as the Americans’ pressure dipped a bit and the Finns were able to lock down their defensive efforts again. For a while there, it looked like that early scoring outburst might be all we got for the rest of the night, but when the Americans got a prime opportunity on the power play halfway through the frame, after Joel Armia took a roughing penalty, they made the most of it. A shot from Zach Werenski from center point made its way through onto Saros but not in, but Matthew Tkachuk was able to corral the rebound in front and chip it in for his second of the night. And this, it turned out, would be all she wrote. There was a bit of pushback from the Finns through the back half of the period, but the game was well and truly out of reach for them. So the Americans came away with a comfortable win, and jump to the top of the tournament standings early.

Final: USA 6 – Finland 1
Next game up (FIN): Feb 15, 1:00 ET vs. Sweden
Next game up (USA): Feb 15, 8:00 ET vs. Canada

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/usa-routs-finland-in-4-nations-face-off-opener/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers prospect stat report: Samu Tuomaala finding his game, Alex Bump on the rise

We’re gearing up for a big week of prospect talk around here, but before we get too deep into it, let’s take a step back and dive into how the prospects have been doing on the stat sheet up to this point.

Prospects Playing In The NCAA

Beginning in the NCAA, the month of January was what the bulk of the season has been, in truth — the Cole Knuble and Alex Bump show. They’re now tied for a lead in overall points among this prospect group — which feels fitting as well, considering as they both got nods for the Hobey Baker award — and have proven to be consistent drivers of offense on their respective teams. And this is impressive for the both of them, but the particulars are in their own ways. That is, Knuble is driving offense on a team that hasn’t had much to go around this season, and sits down in the basement of the Big Ten standings. Meanwhile, though Bump started his season reasonably well, he’s been heating up in a big way down the stretch, and that’s good news, as he’s building momentum for his team at just the right time, with the games meaning more and more as the NCAA tournament draws nearer (Western Michigan, by contrast, is tops in the NCHC and is expected to make some noise come tournament time).

Prospects Playing In The AHL

The numbers for the prospect group on the Phantoms from January aren’t stellar, but scoring was down for the team as a whole on the month, so it’s hard to get too worked up about that. But even within that, we had a few notable steppers forward among the prospect group.

Probably the most encouraging among that group came from Samu Tuomaala, who’s finally started to see his scoring come back to him. He was second in total points scored on the month among this group, but more critically, he put away his first goals since all the way back in November. It’s almost a little poetic — that lengthy goals drought began after a two-goal game back on November 27 against Hartford, and ended on January 29 with a two-goal game in Bridgeport. Now, there’s still a lot of work left for him to do to build his game all the way back up, but there’s a real feeling that a boost in confidence for him will help him jump start that process a bit more.

Away from that, Zayde Wisdom’s continued to tap into his scoring touch, and while he’s been a little inconsistent week over week, the zoomed out look at the month is still quite solid. Emil Andrae’s also gotten involved nicely in his short time back with the team, which isn’t exactly a huge surprise — he’s shown pretty clearly by now that he’s too good for this league — but it’s been good to see all the same. And Massimo Rizzo has taken a big step forward in terms of his production as well, and this has felt like it’s been a long time coming. After taking some time to get back up to game speed and acclimated with how things are run on this new team, he’s been getting some good chances, and now they’re finally starting to go in for him.

Prospects Playing In North American Juniors

On the flip side, it was a productive month pretty much across the board in the junior ranks. Denver Barkey once again ran away with the lead in production, as he got on a heater after being returned to London and once again being left off the World Junior roster, and he hasn’t seemed to slow down in the slightest since then. Jett Luchanko has also been contributing really well in a much less favorable situation (that is, on a much weaker Guelph team), and a trio of defense prospects in Bonk, Gill, and Sotheran have been getting nicely involved in the offensive side as well, at least of late.

And finally, Noah Powell has been producing well in his first handful of games since his change of scenery from Ohio State to Oshawa of the OHL — maybe not a huge surprise to see from a player who’s a little older and a little more physically mature, but it’s still been nice to see him hitting the ground running and ostensibly getting some of his confidence back.

Prospects Playing in Europe

Things are still pretty quiet in the European skaters department. Alex Ciernik had a reasonably productive month as far as the goals are concerned, but that’s made up the bulk of his production for the month. Ilya Pautov’s also building back in the right direction — his eight points on the month are certainly respectable, and he’s closing back in on that point per game mark, which would be more or less where we’d ideally like to see him be by the end of the season, given the caliber of the league he’s playing in. But we’ll see how that all shakes out.

The Goalie Grab Bag

And finally, for the goaltending group as a whole, it wasn’t a great month. Pretty much across the board, for each active goaltender, things have been trending lightly downward. But none of this should be cause for major concern, of course. Kolosov has played so little that it’s understandable that when he is getting in for games, he’s having to shake off a bit of rust. Zavragin’s Goals Against Average has dipped the most, but he’s still comfortably below three, which is a good spot to be in. And Bjarnason’s season averages are still hovering (if only slightly) his numbers from last season, and have not yet dipped below. There’s still plenty of space for rebounding, and nothing’s getting near dire yet.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...maala-finding-his-game-alex-bump-on-the-rise/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Monday Morning Fly By: 4 Nations getting wild

*This weekend’s 4 Nations action featured a USA-Canada game that… well it certainly didn’t disappoint, that’s for sure. Finland-Sweden game was pretty nuts too! We’ve got a full recap of the action. [BSH]

*To the surprise of no one paying attention to literally anything, the crowd in Montreal kicked off Saturday’s game with just about the heartiest round of boos you’ve ever heard. [Inquirer]

*For the first time in what feels like ever, Team USA seems to be legitimately stronger than Team Canada. Particularly on defense, which is what gave Canada fits in this weekend’s game. [Sportsnet]

*This afternoon, Finland has the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever. [ESPN]

*If you made a 4 Nations tourney consisting of only Flyers players, what would that look like? We figured it out, for funsies. [BSH]

*Wait did you know Large and Small Travis used to hate each other?? [Inquirer]

*If you’re a subscriber over at Charlie’s website, you should check out part two of his interview with AGM Brent Flahr, which focuses on defense and goaltending. [PHLY]

*And finally, we’re all still hoping GMDB Does Something once things get back to normal next week. Here’s three trades he could plausibly make to shore up the center depth immediately. [BSH]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/philadelphia-flyers-news-4-nations-getting-wild/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Canada and USA punch tickets to 4 Nations title game

Throughout the 4 Nations Faceoff, we’ll be keeping track of all the action and bringing you all of the results in one place.

Canada vs. Finland​

The final game of the 4 Nations round robin took place yesterday, and they sure kept things interesting. The early game saw Canada and Finland facing off, and through the early goings, it was all Canada. The got themselves on the board early once again thanks to the efforts of Connor McDavid, and from there, they were off to the races. They doubled up on their lead just 46 seconds later on a goal from Nathan MacKinnon, and it looked like this one might have some real potential to get ugly. Now, to their credit, with a timeout taken after that second goal, the Finns managed to settle down a bit from there, but Canada still managed to chip away at it, pulling further into the lead — Brayden Point made it a three-goal game midway through the first period, and MacKinnon picked up his second of the game in the second period to pull them ahead by four.

And as over as it might have looked heading into the second intermission, the Finns came out on the other side of it determined not to go away quietly. It took a little while to build to it, but they got themselves on the board with seven minutes remaining in the frame on a goal from Esa Lindell, and they really seemed to switch on from there. With a steady picking up of steam and two goals scored in just 23 seconds inside the last two minutes of play (both from Mikael Granlund), it looked like they might just be able to mount a full comeback after all. And they had some looks with the goaltender pulled, but ultimately they fell just a bit short. In the end, it was Sidney Crosby to put away the empty netter and seal the win for the Canadians.

Final: Canada 5 – Finland 3
Next game up (FIN): N/A
Next game up (CAN): Feb 20, 8:00 ET vs. USA

USA vs. Canada​

Things got even more interesting in the late game between the Americans and Swedes. The depleted American team — down, most notably, Auston Matthews, Charlie McAvoy, and Matthew Tkachuk heading into the game, who also lost Brady Tkachuk early in the game — were looking to close out the round robin on a high note, but the Swedes weren’t going to make it easy on them.

The Americans got themselves on the board very early, with our pal Sam Ersson letting in a soft goal for Chris Kreider on the rush just 35 seconds into the game. They had the early edge there, but they struggled to build much in the way of momentum, and between that and some struggles on the defensive side, they ultimately allowed to Swedes to get themselves back into this game. Gustav Nyquist got them on the board a little over halfway into the frame after they got things settled down a bit, and then they pulled ahead with just 56 seconds left in the period on a goal from Jesper Bratt after the Americans turned the puck over in the neutral zone.

The thought, then, became something like “if Ersson can lock in, they might have a chance to actually pull this off.” And that’s exactly what happened. Despite the Americans getting their fair share of good looks, Ersson wouldn’t be bested again. He weathered their late surge and left them frustrated at every turn, keeping them from inching back into the game, and sealing a relatively tidy win for Sweden. It didn’t keep the Americans from advancing to the title game, but it was a nice win all the same.

Final: Sweden 2 – USA 1
Next game up (SWE): N/A
Next game up (USA): Feb 20, 8:00 ET vs. Canada

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/canada-and-usa-punch-tickets-to-4-nations-title-game/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Tuesday Morning Fly: The final we all deserve

*After yesterday afternoon’s win over Finland, the Canadians have given us the 4 Nations final no one could’ve seen coming: USA vs. Canada. [Sportsnet]

*This is great news for the league, as the first Canada-USA game drew a TON of viewers. [The Athletic]

*John Tortorella says he’s having fun coaching with Mike Sullivan. Oh, are you, John? Maybe Mike would be good for another job working with you? Like next season, maybe? [Inquirer]

*Unclear at the moment if the American will get Matthew Tkachuck back for Thursday’s final. Would probably be good for them if they did. [TSN]

*One guy they will definitely have? Connor Hellebuyck, who is rapidly making the case for being the best American goaltender of all time. [ESPN]

*The little baby Flyers are up in Quebec playing in the peewee tournament and despite losing their first game, are keeping spirits high. [NBC Sports Philly]

*And finally, remember the Flyers? We kinda miss them. Catch up on what’s been going on with the Prospects in the latest Stat Report! [BSH]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/philadelphia-flyers-news-the-final-we-all-deserve/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Winter 2025 Top 25 Under 25 Flyers: 25-21

The Broad Street Hockey Top 25 Under 25 is back. Instead of waiting until the dead of summer to look at the young crop of players on the Philadelphia Flyers, we have decided to do something we haven’t done in years: Do it in the middle of the season in a more condensed version.

Instead of going player-by-player in separate articles, we’ll take a group of them and in a roundtable format, give our thoughts and feelings about the player and where we ranked them on our own ballots. A total of 10 ballots were submitted from folks here at Broad Street Hockey but of course 10 blurbs about a player taken in the fifth round of a draft a couple years ago, might be a bit much — so if you’re wondering why the numbers may not add up, there’s that.

One more quick thing to note, since this is midseason, we gave a birthdate cut-off of Dec. 31, 1999. With that, the only player that has now officially aged out is Sam Ersson.

Enough blabbering on about the process, who made the list and who is no longer eligible, let’s get to talking about some guys.

25: Ilya Pautov, RW​

Primary Team: Krasnaya Armiya Moskva, MHL
2024-25 Stats: 15 G, 45 Pts in 40 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: NR
Age: 18
Acquired: 6th round (173rd overall) in 2024 NHL Draft

Thomas (Ranked #22): Pautov is a favorite of mine and it might just be because of what he represents. By throwing a sixth-round selection at a player buried deep in the Russian juniors and will slowly make his way up to the KHL, eventually, the Flyers demonstrate how much they have changed. We might never see Pautov in the Orange and Black (of Philadelphia or Lehigh Valley) but it’s a gamble on a very skilled player, who shows flashes of elite offensive ability, to make an impact several years down the road. He will probably need to make the KHL next season for me to keep up any optimism about him as a player.

Maddie (Ranked #17): That 17 ranking feels a little high, but I think that’s a testament to how tight the back half of these rankings are, at least for me. I really like Pautov. He’s been a little inconsistent this season, but I’m willing to forgive that to a degree in a league that’s as weird and messy as the MHL can be. But he’s still shown some of those flashes of high-end offensive ability, and that’s encouraging. And, like Thomas, I really like him for what he represents in his profile as well – a swing taken on a potentially high-upside, if pretty projecty player.

Jacob (Not Ranked): I do these rankings mostly based around players who I think have the best chance to be impact players at the pro level, and I’m still doubtful about Pautov’s ability to actually be an NHLer. The MHL is a very strange place to play hockey, and it’s hard to get a read on a lot of the players there before they actually make the KHL. If he becomes a KHLer next season, he’ll probably make my rankings.

Jason M (Not Ranked): Pautov wasn’t on my radar for this list. Nothing against him but being a sixth-round pick it’s a low-risk gamble. Then again Hunter McDonald was a sixth-round pick in 2022, so maybe he’s in the cards down the road. Pautov was third in scoring on his MHL team. It’s difficult to predict what he could evolve into, but he has plenty of time to hone his game. Let’s see what he might do on a higher-tiered level like the KHL. And as for sixth-round Flyers picks and good fortune? Rick Tocchet, Antero Niittymaki, Roman Cechmanek, Dennis Seidenberg and, more recently, Olle Lycksell have been plucked in the sixth round.

Cole (Ranked #23): Starting off the pool of not-so-great prospects on the back-end of this ranking, I’m actually quite fond of the player. Similar to Thomas and Maddie’s thoughts, the Pautov pick is a great sign about the draft process of the Flyers, and I think that Pautov is a fair gamble considering his skillset. Low-risk, long-term project that might just be something if he can find his way to the KHL.

24: Massimo Rizzo, C/LW​

Primary Team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms, AHL
2024-25 Stats: 5 G, 15 Pts in 32 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 15
Age: 23
Acquired: Trade with CAR

Thomas (Not ranked): For some reason, Rizzo does nothing for me. I was quietly excited to get him from the Hurricanes as an older college player who might explode in his first season of pro hockey and then find himself on the Flyers before he turned 24 – but, it doesn’t feel like that is happening. Rizzo is either going to be a scorer in the NHL, or hang out in the minors for the rest of his career. He doesn’t really have the other side of his game and while that led to college success in Denver, it isn’t even really helping him in his first year with the Phantoms. A big we-shall-see player, but right now I like the present and future of 25 other players.

Maddie (Ranked #23): We haven’t seen a whole ton from Rizzo this season, between the time he missed at the beginning of the season after appendectomy surgery and the time he spent trying to work himself back up to game speed on the fly, but it feels like things have started to click for him a bit more over these last few weeks. I think he definitely needs to do some polishing to his game, but there could well be something there. And between that potential and the pure virtue of his positional value in the organization (they are just so thin on centers right now), I think he’s going to get a long lead to work to figure it out.

Jason M: (Ranked #24): When you’re a seventh-round draft pick, you’re already behind the eight ball regarding an NHL career. Rizzo hasn’t lit up in Lehigh Valley with just five goals in 30-plus games. And considering he’s turning 24 this coming summer, he would probably be further down the depth chart of most teams. But the Flyers aren’t like most teams, and they need centers. He’s probably a long shot to make the big club next year, but if Scott Laughton is shipped out and/or Briere can’t land a center this summer (I think he will) he could move into the discussion with a great training camp.

Jacob (Not Ranked): There were hopes that Rizzo could use his success at the University of Denver as a springboard to jump directly into an NHL bottom six job, but he just hasn’t taken any steps in Lehigh Valley. As the Flyers forward prospect pool continues to grow, Rizzo’s path to the big club is going to become very difficult, and as a 23-year old prospect, he isn’t exactly going to demand a long look.

Cole (Not Ranked): I didn’t rank Rizzo, largely because I don’t see any long-term fit for the player on the Flyers and I don’t believe in the skillset. As currently stands, Rizzo’s a player that spent four years at the college level, and made no real improvements in his first year of the pros. That’s not an archetype that typically has that much more runway to develop – and we have seen zero evidence that Rizzo can be an NHLer as currently stands. Maybe one day, but I think the player we saw in preseason/development camp is probably pretty close to the final product for Rizzo.

23: Alexis Gendron, RW​

Primary Team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms, AHL
2024-25 Stats: 15 G, 22 Pts in 42 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: NR
Age: 21
Acquired: 7th round (220th overall) in 2022 NHL Draft

Maddie (Ranked #20): I’m a big fan of Gendron’s game. I loved his tools last year when he was playing in the AHL, even if he often looked pretty overmatched physically, and I think he’s done really well this season to continue to build on his game at this level. His scoring is translating very nicely already, he’s proved he can be a consistent driver of offense at this level, and he’s already made positive strides on the smaller details of his game, on making sure he’s not completely scoring focused, and remaining engaged in play away from the puck when he’s not scoring. In short, he’s done everything that’s been asked of him up to this point, and he’s taken a huge leap forward in his development as a result. There’s still a lot of work for him to do yet, but dare I say, if he’s able to keep that rolling, he has a real shot to get a look at the NHL level (which isn’t something we’re often able to say about a seventh-round pick).

Thomas (Ranked #19): Gendron is the most fun name to say in the entire Flyers organization. Alexis Gendron. Gennnnnn-dron. You feel so cultured and so French-Canadian. Outside of linguistics, Gendron is making an effort to take his game to the next level in the AHL. He was an easy bet as a seventh rounder in 2022 and now is steadily improving. I feel like he just needs the right opportunity to really explode. He was the best scorer in the QMJHL while he was there, so the tools are there. We just need a coach that doesn’t care that he is short.

Jason M (Unranked): Gendron isn’t on my radar yet. He has 15 goals, tied for the team lead in Lehigh Valley. And more importantly he’s still a newish 21 years young, so plenty of time for him to turn into something valuable. Or for the Flyers to see what they have in him and can they mold him into something of value. He did have some playoff experience in the QMJHL last season with 18 points in 15 games for Drummondville. Again, a seventh-round pick isn’t something that’s guaranteed. If he can be something in terms of the rebuild then it’s a win for Briere.

22: Cole Knuble, C​

Primary Team: Univ. of Notre Dame, NCAA
2024-25 Stats: 9 G, 30 Pts in 26 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: NR
Age: 20
Acquired: 4th round (103rd overall) in 2023 NHL Draft

Maddie (Ranked #21): Knuble’s a really interesting one for me. He’s scoring a ton on a not very good team, and one that’s historically run a system that can suppress offense a bit, and that feels pretty notable. It’s a shame Notre Dame isn’t going to get into the NCAA Tournament and we won’t be able to see what he can do when the stakes pick up, but he’s already coming out of this season with a Hobey Baker longlist nomination, and that’s a significant nod for a sophomore and a fourth rounder. I still have some questions about how well his game will translate to the next level, but if he hits, that’s good news for the arc of the rebuild.

Thomas (Ranked #14): I might be a hypocrite for this one, but I do like how projectable Knuble’s skills are. He feels like a center who is good at a lot of things but master of none. As Maddie points out, he is lighting it up for Notre Dame during a breakout season which could earn him a professional contract; so there’s the offense. Mix in him being a physical threat and a creator in the offensive zone, there are traits that most prospects would need to add later on to make it.

Jacob (Not Ranked): I left Knuble off my list in favor of adding Boston University’s Devin Kaplan, but the son of Mike was probably the last cut. The Notre Dame product has looked really solid and well-rounded at the NCAA level, and looks like he has discovered a bit more of a scoring touch. 30 points in 26 games is a decent level of production, and he looks like a player who can really work himself into the mix with a strong next season.

Jason M (Ranked #22): Knuble leads Notre Dame with 30 points in 26 games. He might get a longer look or consideration based on the surname, but my guess is he’s still quite a distance from being anything other than a Development Camp invitee and an early training camp cut when the time comes to interact with the big club. He got some kudos for his 2024 development camp play. And being a center, the Flyers can’t turn the other cheek given how scarce they are in that position. He’s going to need a breakout year at some point. Hopefully it’s in 2025-26.

Cole (Not Ranked): Similar to Jacob, Knuble is #26 for me in this ranking, and that really comes down to how translatable I think his game is as currently stands. I prefer to take shots on players that are really good at one particular thing, and while Knuble has found a scoring touch this season, I don’t know if I see something that Knuble could excel at in the NHL. We’ll see, but for now, he sits just outside my rankings.

21: Helge Grans, RD​

Primary Team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms, AHL
2024-25 Stats: 7 G, 18 Pts in 44 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: NR
Age: 22
Acquired: Trade with LAK

Thomas (Ranked #17): I definitely see something there in Grans. Nothing flashy or capable to get someone to their feet, but just a steady guy who will serve any team well in the bottom pair. Considering he has been regularly playing pro hockey since 2019 and has just been slowly cooking away now in the AHL, he should take a jump eventually. We got to see him with the Flyers this season and he did not look out of place at all. The ceiling is low but good enough.

Maddie (Ranked #19): Sort of picking up on Thomas’s point, I see Grans as something of a higher floor, low ceiling type of player. He’s already shown himself to be pretty capable in NHL minutes, and while I don’t really think of him as a long-term depth option at the NHL level, I think he’s a guy who could be dependable in the seventh defenseman role. It’s not exactly the most exciting projection, but it is valuable for the organization.

Jason M (Ranked #13): Perhaps I’m drinking the Brad Shaw-flavored Kool-Aid but I think Grans could end up being a diamond in the rough if given the time to develop. As of Monday he was tied with Louie Belpedio for most points by a defenseman (18) although he’s second worst in terms of plus/minus among blueliners (-9). He should also end up surpassing his career-high in AHL games played this season. He already has 44 under his belt with 23 games left in the Phantoms’ season. He played 59 for the Ontario Reign in 2022-23. In short, I have hope he’ll be something down the road.

Cole (Ranked #14): Grans really impressed me in his short stint with the big club this season, and it really forced me to recalibrate my opinion on Grans. I had thought Grans would at best be a journeyman, up-and-down fringe player. That still feels like the most likely outcome, but as Thomas and Maddie mentioned, there’s a decent chance he’s a bottom-pair guy. Cool that Grans has turned into something of value for the organization.

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Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...5-under-25-gendron-pautov-grans-knuble-rizzo/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Phantoms look to rebound after fizzling out in weekend three-in-three

With the Flyers still off for the 4 Nations break, the Phantoms were on full display for anyone who was looking to keep up with some of the action taking place elsewhere in the pipeline. It was going to be a busy slate of action for them, with their fifth three-in-three of the season on deck, but it was another good test emerging of not just the team’s conditioning level, but also their focus and attention to detail, and, ultimately, their ability to carry momentum over from game to game.

All told, the weekend started out well for them. They began with a trip up to Wilkes-Barre on Friday for the next installment of what’s been, no doubt about it, an especially heated rivalry through the first half of the season. And though this ended up being yet another game where the Phantoms had to rally and come from behind in order to stay in it, they managed to do just this, pulling even from a one-goal deficit in the third period and hanging on to win it in the shootout. And then back at home on Saturday, things settled down for them a little more, still, as they cruised to a relatively tidy win over Syracuse — beating them by a 4-2 margin, never once trailing on the scoreboard and limiting the Crunch to just 18 shots on goal across the whole of the game.

And this was a game where, while they weren’t absolutely perfect, it felt like things were trending in the right direction for them. “We won the checking game,” head coach Ian Laperriere said after the game, when asked about the key to their success. And it really was that simple — they were hard on pucks and focused in their defensive zone coverages, and they didn’t give up a lot for Syracuse to work with, and in the stretches when their play did slip a bit — the second period — they were able to block a ton of shots to help erase some of their mistakes.

It was a good effort for them, but the next task ahead of them, the rematch with the Penguins on Sunday, wasn’t going to be an easy one. “I feel like it’s whoever manages the puck and the game the best that’s gonna come out the winner,” Laperriere said, “and we need to be better about when we take penalties and where we take those penalties… and the puck management’s going to be key for us.”

Key indeed was puck management in that Sunday game, and puck management was exactly the thing which sunk them in that game, in the end. In truth, it was a game that they never really felt that they had control over. They looked lost in their coverages, they were overcomplicating plays that didn’t require it, and they were at times incredibly careless with how they were handling and moving the puck. Laperriere pointed to their second period as being particularly troubling, noting that in the “second period we just turned the puck away, too many turnovers. And I don’t know, we’ve gotta learn. And especially [with] three-in-three, it’s all about how you manage the puck, and we managed the puck poorly.” The middle frame may have seen their low point reached in terms of process, but the bad habits were spread across the whole game, and that made this another particularly tough loss to swallow.

Now, some grace should be given considering this was the third game of the weekend and anyone would be expected to run out of gas to some degree in the face of that, but it was also the third of a three-in-three for the Penguins as well, and while they also showed some signs of fatigue and struggles in managing the puck, they didn’t let this one get away from them to the same degree that the Phantoms did. Once again, it was a question of who could manage the puck better, and the Phantoms were bested yet again.

And, like Laperriere also alluded to after the game, the Phantoms did come away from this stretch with four of six available points on the weekend, but the lingering feeling is that they could have played better across the whole of it. Again, the issue of being able to sustain momentum that they’ve worked hard to build has reared its head, and now they’re back at the square one of having to rebound from a pretty deflating game and get rolling again.

But, if nothing else, there’s a good opportunity for them to find their form again. The Phantoms kick off the first of four game on a road trip out West to face Grand Rapids, Rockford, and Milwaukee tonight — teams they don’t often face and don’t have as much of a book on. But teams love to talk about road trips as an opportunity to strip away any distractions and just be with each other, to get comfortable, and to buckle down and really focus on their game, and that’s just what lies in front of them now. It’s a long season of challenges in many forms, and we’ll see how they fare in this next one.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...after-fizzling-out-in-weekend-three-in-three/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Travis Konecny scratched (again) for 4 Nations Final vs. USA

There will be only one Philadelphia Flyers skater participating in one of the biggest international hockey games in the modern era Thursday night.

As Canada and the United States get ready to collide at center ice in Boston for the 4 Nations Face-Off final, for the privilege to lift a trophy that will never be seen again, the lineups have started to take shape. Unfortunately for all of us, Canada has opted to have Carolina Hurricanes winger Seth Jarvis instead of Travis Konecny. The Flyers forward will be watching the first best-on-best between the two hockey powerhouses up from the press box.

Seth Jarvis is in tonight for Travis Konecny https://t.co/G34Jx8BemU

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 20, 2025

Konecny will have his tournament finished with two games played, no points earned and a minus-3 rating. Despite the unfortunate scoresheet, the 28-year-old played a fairly solid game in his ultra-depth role on the star-studded team. Finishing his checks and all the underlying stuff to not really get noticed, but he also didn’t do enough to stay in the lineup above the younger Jarvis.

And while we want our Flyers out there on the ice, to see Jarvis in the lineup gives you an objectively warm feeling. Just four years ago, the Hurricanes forward was cut from Canada’s World Juniors team as he was in the middle of his development. And now, having signed his big-ticket contract, established himself as one of the best players on a Cup-contending team, and now is in the lineup representing his country in a best-on-best tournament playing alongside players he grew up watching. A Disney movie on ice if you’ve ever seen one.

The Flyers won’t be without a representative, though. Defenseman Travis Sanheim will still be in the lineup and will consistently be one of the more underrated players on this roster as a big, mobile blueliner. So far, Sanheim has played in two games, earned one assist, and has a minus-1 rating on the tournament.

It all comes down to one question: Are you cheering for the Flyers in this tournament or for the country the Flyers exist in?

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Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...y-scratched-again-for-4-nations-final-vs-usa/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Winter 2025 Top 25 Under 25 Flyers: 20-16

It’s time for the second group of players in Broad Street Hockey’s Top 25 Under 25 in the middle of this 2024-25 season.

In this range of the typical ranking, there is usually a clash. A clash and mis-mash of AHL depth players who could serve some support roles in the NHL down the road, or some prospects that we feel good about but aren’t high-end enough to really shoot up the list.

It’s the same for this midseason ranking, unsurprisingly.

20: Alex Ciernik, LW/RW​

Primary Team: Nybro Vikings IF, Allsvenskan
2024-25 Stats: 10 G, 21 Pts in 42 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 20
Age: 20
Acquired: 4th round (120th overall) in 2023 NHL Draft

Jason M (Unranked): The native of Wolfsburg, Germany isn’t on my radar for perhaps the foolish fact he’s not a center, a position I’d like the Flyers to beef up sooner than later. Ciernik, who had concussion issues in 2023-24, fortunately has avoided those issues this season. For a player that has punched above his weight when it comes to the league levels and competition he’s played against, it’ll be interesting to see if his play-making skills can make the grade with the Flyers when the time arrives.

Maddie (Ranked #16): Ciernik’s behind the curve a little bit as far as his development goes due to the time he’s missed with injuries last season, and he’s definitely more of a long term project regardless, but I still find myself really intrigued by him as a prospect. He brings a ton of speed, and a potentially high-end offensive tool kit, and if he can figure it out at the pro level whenever he eventually graduates to North America, that would be a big boost for the organization. Now, a lot has to go right between now and then, but I’m also a bit predisposed to like a player of Ciernik’s profile, and I think that’s reflected here.

Thomas (Unranked): Having completed my ranking on gut reaction alone, I really don’t know why I left Ciernik off this list. Maybe it is just that he is already getting to an age where you have to prove you can be something of note or else you’re destined to reach a peak of being a solid top-division player somewhere in Europe. I understand Ciernik has had a rough injury history, but there just needs to be something else and a 20-year-old winger not lighting the world on fire in the Allsvenskan does not give me a whole lot of hope.

Jacob (Unranked): It’s really just a case of development being stalled by injury. CIernik is behind the 8 ball, and about to have to contend with a lot of new bodies after the Flyers cash in their stockpile of selections at the upcoming draft. The best case scenario sees him playing in Lehigh Valley two years from now at 22, and I just don’t think that unless he does something special in the Allsvenskan, he will ever get a serious look at an NHL job as an undersized forward in an organization that already has those in spades.

19: Jack Berglund, C​

Primary Team: Farjestad BK, SHL
2024-25 Stats:
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 24
Age: 18
Acquired: 2nd round (51st overall) in 2024 NHL Draft

Jacob (Ranked #17): I struggle to get a read on Berglund, his measurables are enticing, and he puts up good numbers in the J20 Nationell as a 6’4 behemoth, but I’m just not sure what he is exactly “good” at yet. He’s still raw and has a lot of time to develop, but for now he seems to be a bit of an unknown. For some reason I like the sort of gangly potential that he provides as a middle to bottom six centre. I think if he can find some tools and become a little nastier playing with men in the SHL, there could be something there worth exploring.

Jason M (Ranked #14): Jack Berglund we hope will not be mistaken for Nic Deslauriers. He has somehow ended up with 25 penalty minutes in just two games with Sweden’s BIK Karlskoga. Aside from that stat, he’s with his third team in three different leagues in 2024-25, from the juniors to upper tiers. Berglund has size. And being just 18 and weighing over 200, he could fill out into something. Unfortunately he broke his hand and was out of commission for the World Juniors. Like most of these guys, time will be the judge. Hopefully it works out for him.

Cole (Ranked #18): The jury is still out on what Berglund really is as a prospect, but I didn’t want to hold it against him just yet, considering his draft position. There are some noticeable physical tools about Berglund, and the fact that he was apparently wearing way too large skates ahead of his draft year. We kinda just haven’t seen him in meaningful action against players his own age yet, as he was injured for World Juniors and plays in a league of men in the SHL now. Not sure about Berglund quite yet, but no reason for me to drop him down at the moment.

Maddie (Unranked): Berglund being unranked for me isn’t so much a knock on him a prospect as it is me leaving space on my ranking for players who are a bit older, a bit more advanced in their development, and also, like the guys have said, whose projection is coming to me a little more clearly. Like Jacob said, he’s still pretty raw, and with him being out with the broken hand up until just last weekend (and bounced around between levels to a frankly insane degree before that) it’s been hard to see any developmental progress from him. He’s still raw, and I’m hedging on him a little bit until I’m able to see a bit more. So it goes.

Thomas (Ranked #24): I did rank Berglund but I lean more towards Maddie’s point of view than some of the others that graded the young center higher. Maybe more than anyone in the entire Flyers system, there is a hard ceiling for what Berglund could be at the NHL level. He hasn’t shown a whole lot more than being a potential long-term bottom-six center who is Big and might be able to kill penalties, but that’s that. There are some interesting points like not fitting into his skates right during his draft year and weird injuries that have been pointed out, that make you scratch your chin a little bit and ponder about him becoming something else in a couple years, but for now it’s down here.

18: Spencer Gill, RD​

Primary Team: Rimouski Oceanic, QMJHL
2024-25 Stats: 6 G, 33 Pts in 48 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 25
Age: 18
Acquired: 2nd round (59th overall) in 2024 NHL Draft

Jacob (Ranked #13): I’m really high on Gill, the 6’4 smooth skating defender from Rimouski is very adept with the puck and has shown a willingness to move up the ice with conviction. If he can continue to develop his defensive game and fill into his frame more, he could become a real asset on the Flyers blueline with a high ceiling. He was a gold medalist with the Canadian U-18 team, and I’d look for him to maybe start to generate some buzz next year if he can make the World Juniors roster.

Jason M (Ranked #12): Of the prospects I’m excited to see, Gill is near the top of that list. He’s got size, he’s a Maritimer like myself, and he has put up 33 points with Rimouski in the QMJHL. He’s also a plus-30 over that time, second on the team and tops among defensemen. Gill isn’t a stay-at-home, bottom-pairing blueliner. If he remains healthy he should be a piece of the rebuild that could be a real gem when the time comes. Hopefully he doesn’t take as long to blossom as Sanheim did.

Maddie (Ranked #22): Gill’s another one like Berglund for me where his ranking is somewhat reflective of the fact that I just haven’t seen as much of him yet, but he’ll almost certainly move up after a full season of post-draft watching. Because Gill is definitely an intriguing prospect. There’s a lot to like in his skillset on its own, but also a lot to like about what it offers for the Flyers defense group in the big picture (that is, a bit of stylistic cohesion, but coming from a bigger player, for balance, which the organization is clearly prioritizing). His game certainly needs a lot of polishing, but there’s some really interesting potential there.

Cole (Ranked #17): Gill’s my favorite non-Luchanko pick of the 2024 draft class, and that hasn’t changed over the course of his QMJHL season with Rimouski. He’s a bit mistake prone still, but that’s to be expected with a puck-moving, raw defenseman in juniors that has a bit of a scoring touch. He’s got all the physical tools and skating ability to have high-end second pair upside, and the Flyers coaches (if Brad Shaw is still here in a few years time) can really maximize Gill’s skillset. Look for him to be even higher on the ranking come this time next year.

Thomas (Ranked #20): While I ranked him in the same vicinity as others, I am way less confident that Gill is something of note. Maybe it’s my bias against the entire notion of the QMJHL being able to produce high-end NHL players beyond the obvious ones and the fact that no one cares about defense over there means it is a crap environment for development. Or maybe it’s the fact that even in that environment, Gill is not even a point-per-game defenseman, which is typically what happens for any blueliner coming out of the QMJHL who is worth something. There is a reason why the only two defensemen taken out of the QMJHL in the first round through the last 10 years, are Thomas Chabot and Noah Dobson. And that there have been zero QMJHL players taken in the first round through the last two drafts. They just don’t have a lot going on there. Gill is still very young and has room to grow into something more, but I’m a little more hesitant on him.

17: Hunter McDonald, LD​

Primary Team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms, AHL
2024-25 Stats: 2 G, 14 Pts in 49 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 16
Age: 22
Acquired: 6th round (165th overall) in 2022 NHL Draft

Jason M (Ranked #9): Another imbiber of Danny’s and Keith’s Kool-Aid? Well, his game is not doing much offensively but knocking opponents on their backsides in his own zone. He should get a longer look in the Flyers’ training camp next September, particularly with Erik Johnson sent out to pasture and Egor Zamula not really solidifying a position among the three pairs. McDonald might need another year in the AHL, but it would be exciting to see if the fuss is real or just fuss. Note I also drooled over having Sanheim, Provorov, Morin, Haag and Myers in the pipeline when they were drafted. We know how that went.

Maddie (Ranked #18): Sort of picking up on Jason’s thought, unless he kicks it into overdrive down the stretch with the Phantoms, I would definitely say McDonald needs another year in the AHL, just for the fact that he’s still struggling some, even past the midseason point here, with his reads and the speed at which things are coming at him. The team’s hoping he can be a bruiser, and he certainly has the physical side of his game down, but at times it feels like it’s almost working too hard to overcompensate for times when he’s getting beat. But all of that said, with the Flyers’ defense group trending smaller, there’s value in finding and developing someone who can add a bit of balance to that, so McDonald’s certainly going to be given some runway, in hopes that he can grow into that role.

Jacob (Ranked #19): To me, McDonald screams Vincent Desharnais; a bottom pair, big bruiser who just doesn’t have any above average positive impact on the ice outside of being Big. Maybe the organization can wrangle the raw meanness and bravado of McDonald and at least have him serve as the 6th or 7th defensive option, but I don’t think the ceiling here. The thought process of developing a player like that within the culture of your own organization, rather than acquiring one down the line, is sound.

Thomas (Ranked #18): Here is where the balance of evaluation sort of kicks in. Gill is lower for me because he hasn’t shown a whole lot at a high level. Hunter McDonald was solid at North Dakota and now isn’t looking completely out of place in his first year of professional hockey this season. There’s just a larger sample size so I feel more confident in saying that he is higher in an overall ranking of every single player in an age group that is at vastly different periods of their development. Hunter Hit Big He Strong.

16: Aleksei Kolosov, G​

Primary Team: Philadelphia Flyers, NHL?
2024-25 Stats: .870 sv%, 3.45 GAA in 15 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 14
Age: 23
Acquired: 3rd round (78th overall) in 2021 NHL Draft

Jason M (Ranked #15): Aleksei Kolosov is 15 games into his NHL career and he might have become Morgan Frost 2.0: the goalie edition. At least for the Flyers. The three-goaltender rotation has come and gone and sees Kolosov down in Lehigh Valley with Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov ahead of him on the depth chart. The Belarus native didn’t make a splash to start. And with the solid performances seen by Carson Bjarnasson and Yegor Zavragin in their respective careers, Kolosov might be the odd man out even if the Flyers see him as a “bridge” goalie before Bjarnasson and/or Zavragin enter the picture.. He’s only 23, and has room to grow. But he hasn’t made a great first impression.

Cole (Ranked #10): There’s a lot going on with Kolosov, but I still believe in the player and the raw athleticism that Kolosov has. I feel like there’s a real good goalie in there somewhere, even with the dreadful NHL stats this year. At the same time, the only way that real good goalie is going to be the outcome is if Kolosov is actually playing and developing. And, well, that’s been a bit of a struggle this past year and remains incredibly clouded moving forward. Depending on how it all shakes out, could easily see Kolosov being a massive riser or faller on this list next edition.

Maddie (Ranked #11): I think Cole put it perfectly, that there’s just a lot going on here. Kolosov’s shown some flashes of potentially high-end play, but it’s also clear that he’s still a little raw and could use some further developing. Which, to be sure, isn’t surprising from a freshly 23-year-old goaltender in his first season in North America, but the fact that he isn’t getting the playing time at any level, for whatever reason, to continue tinkering with his game makes me wonder if that development is going to end up stalling out. Hopefully not! But time will tell.

Thomas (Ranked #21): Yeah, a lot going on. His whole situation certainly has put a mark on his reputation among the fan base, but when you really boil it all down, Kolosov is still just an average goaltending prospect. He is certainly athletic and has achieved a certain level overseas, but he is at the bottom of the three-headed goaltending prospect pipeline the Flyers currently have and he might just top out as a farmhand (so going back to Belarus).

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/winter-2025-top-25-under-25-flyers-20-16/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Winter 2025 Top 25 Under 25 Flyers: 15-11

The midseason edition of the Top 25 Under 25 rolls on. Here we are, continuing to look at players who could be the future of the Philadelphia Flyers and seeing where they stack up against each other, but in a much quicker manner than the full deep dives we do each summer.

Today we’re looking at the middle of the pack. A position where you hope these players eventually play NHL games, or they already have but just aren’t going to make as big of an impact as some younger prospects.

A total of 10 ballots were submitted from folks here at Broad Street Hockey but of course 10 blurbs about a player taken in the fifth round of a draft a couple years ago, might be a bit much — so if you’re wondering why the numbers may not add up, there’s that.

Let’s check in and see who made the middle of the ranking.

15: Samu Tuomaala, RW​

Primary Team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms, AHL
2024-25 Stats: 11 G, 31 Pts in 43 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 13
Age: 22
Acquired: 2nd round (46th overall) in 2021 NHL Draft

Jason M (Ranked #17): He’s slipped a wee bit from the summer rankings. Although he should come close to equalling or surpassing his totals from last season, it’s been an up and down year for Tuomaala. And unlike Andrae, that up and down has been on the ice, not being called up to the Flyers and back down to the Phantoms. If the Flyers ship out a few players for picks at the deadline, we might see Tuomaala get a chance with Philadelphia for a stretch if they’re out of the playoff hunt and want to keep Anthony Richard or Rodrigo Abols in the AHL. He’s shown glimpses at times, but the consistency is lacking.

Thomas (Ranked #16): Piggybacking off Jason’s point, it has been a little bit of a rough go for Tuomaala in general perception. The production is still there but his overall impact of a game has not changed – he is not wholeheartedly driving play down in the AHL and at 22 years old, this is when the turning point really is. With Jakob Pelletier and potentially more incoming talent, Tuomaala has a very outside chance of even making the Flyers’ roster next season, so where do we really go from here?

Maddie (Ranked #24): I think some recency bias has crept into my ranking here, with the cold streak that Tuomaala found himself on over the last few months, but on the whole, I haven’t really been loving what I’ve seen from Tuomaala with the Phantoms through most of this season. He showed early in the season – and he seems to be inching back to this – that he has some real scoring strength in his game, but in the areas away from this that the development staff have been working to get him to improve, he hasn’t been making notable strides, so when he’s not scoring, he’s not doing a whole lot else. And this is going to make him a tough sell as a long-term NHL option, and my concern is that if he doesn’t figure it out soon, he’s going to be jumped on the depth chart by some of the younger wingers coming in. He still has some runway ahead of him, but the clock is ticking here.

14: Carson Bjarnason, G​

Primary Team: Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL
2024-25 Stats: .911 sv%, 2.95 GAA in 29 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 22
Age: 19
Acquired: 2nd round (51st overall) in 2023 NHL Draft

Jason M (Ranked #19): A future answer in goal for the Flyers? He’s posted fine numbers this season and is down over a goal (4.00 to 2.98) in his goals-against average and up 28 points (.882 to .910) in save percentage from his rookie season in Brandon to this current season. He’ll also be playing meaningful games as Brandon is in the playoff race, hoping to secure home ice advantage while having some comfortable distance from being on the outside looking in. A strong finish to the season and a decent playoff run could only help Bjarnason’s confidence going into the offseason.

Thomas (Ranked #17): Bjarnason was going to need to really show out in his final junior year and he has quickly established himself as one of the WHL’s better goaltenders. He’s fifth in the league in save percentage and is first among all drafted netminders who have projectable tools. And after making Canada’s World Juniors roster and showing some real good netminding in Philadelphia last summer, he has quickly put himself much closer to Yegor Zavragin (who we will talk about later) as the Flyers’ top goaltending prospect.

Maddie (Ranked #14): I feel like Bjarnason is having a good but not stellar season, and my general feelings on him are a little bit middling as a result. His track record through junior hockey’s been solid, and I do see him as having good pro potential (which we’ll see beginning next season when he graduates to the AHL), but I’m just not quite as excited about him as I am Zavragin. I don’t want to get too into the weeds with comparing those two, so I’ll just leave it here – Bjarnason is still a very good goaltending prospect, and it’s been a while since the organization has had the legitimate goaltending depth that he’s contributing to, and that’s a very good thing.

13: Alex Bump, LW​

Primary Team: Western Michigan Univ., NCAA
2024-25 Stats: 14 G, 32 Pts in 28 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 21
Age: 21
Acquired: 5th round (133rd overall) in 2022 NHL Draft

Jason M (Ranked #21): Bump has had a good season for his university team, leading them in points and tied for most goals. He’s also been on a roll of late and was a Hobey Baker Award nominee. Clearly he’s moved up (I avoided the pun, people) the rankings since the summer. With any luck he’s able to showcase his talents with a deep run in the NCAA playoffs.

Thomas (Ranked #15): To me, Bump is a good-at-all, master-of-none type of winger. He has a NHL quality to his game that just screams a dependable middle-six contributor who might score 20 goals once or twice throughout his career. He doesn’t have one particular area that will set him above the rest, but there is nothing to really complain about in his game. We aren’t ranking him higher because of his low ceiling, but he still comes close to making the top half of the list because he most likely will play his fair share of NHL games.

Maddie (Ranked #15): I’m a big fan of Bump’s game. He might not have one area that he particularly pops in, but he projects as a good utility-type player, and he already plays close to a pro-style game. That might not blow viewers away, but there’s a lot of value in that to the organization – the high skill players make the most noise, players like Bump do a lot to support them (and, particularly the younger ones, at a lower cost). With how much the organization has been talking him up recently, one imagines he signs after the season, and the hope is that he can show well in the run that Western Michigan is primed to make in the NCAA Tournament.

12: Jakob Pelletier, RW/LW​

Primary Team: Philadelphia Flyers, NHL
2024-25 Stats: 4 G, 11 Pts in 24 GP (with CGY)
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: N/A
Age: 23
Acquired: Trade with CGY

Jason M (Unranked): Yes he’s under 25 but was an oversight on my part. Recently acquired from the Flames, Pelletier should get a look down the homestretch. He’s a well-liked guy but that doesn’t mean much if he can’t produce. He’ll be given a shot. Probably he’s another project or work in progress. But it’s a good return (plus Andrei Kuzmenko and the second-round pick) for seeing Morgan Frost leave for a fresh start and Joel Farabee’s contract head out West too. I hope he sticks but I’m not getting my hopes up.

Thomas (Ranked #12): Pelletier is a guy that is so easy to root for. Not the biggest (that is my nice way of saying he is small) but he gives it his all on every shift and actually cares about all three zones of the ice. Considering he is far too good to stick around in the AHL but the Flames kept him down there for some reason, it still feels like there is untapped potential here. He won’t make the top 10 just because of the unknown factor and his age, but he could easily rocket up the rankings if he has a very good stretch to close out the season.

Maddie (Ranked #11): I still don’t have a great handle on Pelletier’s game yet (hopefully that will change on the other side of the break here, now that his visa issues are finally resolved) but given he track record as a more or less established NHL player at this point, he gets an automatic spot in the top half of the ranking for me. Like the guys have said, there could be some real untapped potential here, and that’s something to be excited about, to see how that plays out over the rest of the season.

11: Yegor Zavragin, G​

Primary Team: SKA St. Petersburg, KHL
2024-25 Stats: .914 sv%, 2.63 GAA in 33 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 17
Age: 19
Acquired: 3rd round (87th overall) in 2023 NHL Draft

Jason M (Ranked #20): He was tearing it up early this season in the KHL with an unconsciously high save percentage. That’s levelled off to .907 (not bad, hell the Flyers would take it now!). Perhaps it’s years of being jaded, cynical or numb to the belief a Flyers goalie prospect can stop a puck when it matters. Please prove me wrong Yegor or Carson, I am begging you. As for his talent, if he’s just scratching the surface at age 19 of what he could develop into, then Flyers fans could be in for a treat for a long time. A great first impression, but a long way to go yet.

Thomas (Ranked #10): Zavragin has already done something no typical goalie prospect does. It is not normal for an then-18-year-old netminder to be a KHL club’s starting option and that club be one of the best in the league with Gagarin Cup aspirations. That alone is something saved for the very best. The Shesterkin, Sorokin, Vasilevskiy-type goaltenders are the ones that do this and Zavragin is suddenly thrown in that group. Now, Vasilevskiy and Bobrovsky both had better Draft+2 seasons than the Flyers prospect is having right now, but Zavragin’s .914 save percentage on the season is better than Sorokin, Askarov, Shesterkin, Kochetkov, and so many others. The hype is real.

Maddie (Ranked #13): Like Jason mentioned, Zavragin’s come back to earth a little bit after an absolutely scorching start to the season, but even with that drop-off, he’s still sitting at that very solid .907 SV%. I’m trying to keep expectations reasonable because he’s still so early in his development, but you can’t deny how impressive the work he’s done up to this point is, and there’s no question he’s the organization’s top goaltending prospect outside of the North American pros, and it sure feels like he’s going to be putting some legitimate pressure on those over here before too long. There’s a lot to be excited about in his trajectory.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...mp-tuomaala-zavragin-bjarnason-pelletier-nhl/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Should the Flyers try to sign Brad Marchand?

Don’t you hate everyone looking at the Philadelphia Flyers in disgust? Waking up every morning knowing that your favorite hockey team is one of the most loathed groups of hockey players who are just miserable to face because of how annoying they can be on the ice? Well, some of us want that again.

They might have an opportunity this summer if they really want to do some persuading.

During Canada’s celebration for winning the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament Thursday night, winger Travis Konecny needed a helping hand to get his medal. He was a healthy scratch and was unable to participate in Canada’s 3-2 victory over the United States, but he still earned his medal for the two games he participated in. So in comes Brad Marchand to carry the Flyers winger on his back so he doesn’t have to look super silly and scuttle his way over and potentially ruin his suit.

BRAD MARCHAND CARRIED TRAVIS KONECNY TO HIS MEDAL pic.twitter.com/fkFz3TB461

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 21, 2025

While it was nothing more than a happy moment between two international teammates who share the same passion for being extremely annoying pests on the ice, it got us thinking. Should, just maybe, the Flyers go out and really try to sign Brad Marchand this summer?

The Bruins captain is going to turn 38 years old before he hits free agency, but somehow, he is still playing some very sound hockey on a mediocre team up there in Boston. With 20 goals and 44 points in 57 games this season, the production is still there and almost every single underlying metric you want to look at to get a peek under his hood, he is still driving play. Hell, HockeyViz still has his total impact on the game at above a first-line forward level, playing even better overall hockey than he was in his late-20’s.

Marchand is still an impactful player at his age, so we know that he would obviously make this team better, but what does it mean with the context of where the Flyers are at and what his situation could be? If the Bruins trade him before the deadline — essentially waving the white flag on their season — the likelihood of him not returning to Boston goes up tenfold. He probably is going to be aiming to get some security on what should be his final NHL contract, so he might just go to the team that can give him the length of deal that he wants. That is where the Flyers might just be fine with trying to coerce the Nova Scotian down to Philadelphia.

The Flyers will have approximately $26 million in cap space this summer and unless they sign one of the pending restricted free agents like Cam York or Tyson Foerster to a mega long-term deal, there should be a good amount of extra room to have some fun. And what would be more fun than adding Marchand to this team and essentially being the elder statesman for Travis Konecny to get even more annoying and more pesky? We can’t think of a whole lot.

Now, is this some foolproof plan that the Flyers should commit long hours of the day to? Probably not. Does it make sense if they want to rebuild? Probably not. Would Marchand sign with the Flyers over some other Eastern teams like the Rangers or Devils, unless they pay him millions more? Probably not.

We can have some fun thinking about Marchand and Konecny getting under the skin of just about every single team they face, though. Let us have fun before reality sinks in.

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Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...-should-the-flyers-try-to-sign-brad-marchand/