RSS Flyers Team Notes

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers vs. Senators: How to watch, lineups, and gamethread

It’s here. The last game we’ll be watching of this dang Philadelphia Flyers team for a whole 20 days. Should we try to savor it? Maybe take in every single minute so that we can keep it in our heads until they return on Feb. 25? Maybe. Or, we could just get through it as fast as possible so we can relax for a little bit. They’re facing Claude Giroux and his Ottawa Senators, by the way.

Puck drop: 7:00 p.m.
How to watch/listen:
: NBCSP
: 93.3 WMMR

Pregame reading​

• Despite being just one of two players from Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off team not heading to the Olympics, and playing on a team not on a playoff trajectory, Travis Konecny has remained a consistent force. [BSH]
• Yesterday marked 1,000 days since the Flyers hired Danny Briere as general manager. Let’s break down exactly what he’s done. [BSH]

Pregame watching​

By the numbers​

Philadelphia Flyers – 25-20-10 (6th in Metro)

Goals: Travis Konecny (22)
Assists: Travis Konecny (32)
Points: Travis Konecny (54)

Ottawa Senators – 27-22-7 (8th in Atlantic)

Goals: Tim Stutzle (27)
Assists: Jake Sanderson (35)
Points: Tim Stutzle (60)

Projected lineups​

Philadelphia Flyers

Nikita Grebenkin — Christian Dvorak — Travis Konecny
Denver Barkey — Trevor Zegras — Owen Tippett
Matvei Michkov — Noah Cates — Bobby Brink
Garnet Hathaway — Sean Couturier — Carl Grundstrom

Travis Sanheim — Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York — Jamie Drydale
Nick Seeler — Noah Juulsen

Dan Vladar
(Aleksei Kolosov)

Ottawa Senators

Drake Batherson — Tim Stutzle — Claude Giroux
Brady Tkachuk — Dylan Cozens — Ridly Greig
Nick Cousins — Shane Pinto — Michael Amadio
Stephen Halliday — Lars Eller — Fabian Zetterlund

Jake Sanderson — Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot — Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven — Jordan Spence

Linus Ullmark
(James Reimer)

Storylines to watch​

Last game before Olympic break for everyone

It’s finally here. The last game we’ll see the Flyers play for a couple of weeks and it involves a whole lot of Olympians. Of course, the ones we know in Travis Sanheim, Dan Vladar, and Rasmus Ristolainen; but on the other side of the ice there are some high-end players who might just be trying to save themselves for Milan. Do we think Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson might not go all-out in a game in Philadelphia before trying to win gold for Team USA? Maybe. Or maybe Tim Stutzle will try to monitor his efforts before he becomes Germany’s second weapon next to Leon Draisaitl next week? No one knows, but it might at least play a part.

Bye bye Flyers, for 20 whole days.

Claude Giroux’s return, of course

It might be getting a little stale and him being on this team is more of a distant memory than we would like, but Claude Giroux is returning to Philadelphia once again. It is now his sixth game facing the Flyers as part of the visiting team, all with the Senators, and he has certainly been a productive forward during those reunions. From earning three assists in his first game back since the trade in 2022 that sent him to the Florida Panthers, to earning a tidy single assist in the game earlier this season, Giroux has never been left off the score sheet whenever he has come back to Philadelphia. With a total of one goal and eight points in the five games, he certainly likes being back in the building.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/flyers-vs-senators-how-to-watch-lineups-and-gamethread-2/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Takeaways: Flyers score late but Senators win it 2-1 in overtime in tight-checking game

The Flyers scored late to tie the game 1-1 and earn one point thanks to Jamie Drysdale. However, it was the only point they got as Ottawa defeated Philadelphia in overtime 2-1, leaving the Flyers with 61 points at the Olympic break.

The Basics​

First period: No scoring
Second period: 9:55- Nick Cousins (Shane Pinto, Michael Amadio)
Third period: 18:46- Jamie Drysdale (Bobby Brink, Trevor Zegras)
Overtime: 0:47- Tim Stutzle (Brady Tkachuk)
SOG: 16 (PHI) – 27 (OTT)

Some Takeaways​

Almost whistle free

The opening period went quite quickly. Both teams had the neutral zone clogged up well. And both sides played as if all players had planes to catch to begin their break immediately afterwards. Low event and not much angst or vitriol from either side. The only big hit came courtesy of Garnet Hathaway who nailed defenseman Artem Zub in his own end. As well, the lone penalty was against Ottawa’s Drake Batherson for hooking with under a minute to go in the first.

Although the power play went away rather timidly, Philadelphia had an extended shift in Ottawa’s zone which had the Sens on the heels. Unfortunately the Flyers couldn’t capitalize. The tone of the game wasn’t all that different from start to finish. It sort of felt like an exhibition game, with the atmosphere more on simply getting through the game in one piece than anything else. Late in the second, the Flyers had the Senators in a world of hurt as Dylan Cozens lost a skate blade and the Flyers were briefly dominating Ottawa.

Michkov does some good, nyet on the backhand passes

Matvei Michkov’s opening shift saw him dumped in the corner by former Flyer Claude Giroux. With the controversy a little bit behind him and the coach after Philadelphia general manager Danny Briere attempted to clear the air somewhat. However, he made a bad cross ice pass on the subsequent shift which nearly cost Philadelphia a too many men on the ice penalty. In the second Michkov had a decent opportunity to break the scoreless game with a backhand chance, but James Reimer turned it aside.

If Michkov can get the backhand pass in his own end out of his game, it will be a huge plus. In the second he made a similar mistake, this time with Dan Vladar bailing him out. Aside from a shift late in the middle period where Michkov made two laps around Ottawa’s defensive zone, the forward was like most of the Flyers: not making much of a difference.

Tippett one of a few who showed up

Owen Tippett continued playing well, anticipating a faceoff win and getting the puck right off the hop. The play resulted in a near chance by Denver Barkey seconds later but he couldn’t cash in against Ottawa goalie James Reimer. Philadelphia wasn’t exactly sluggish to start, but were still waiting for their first shot on goal over nine minutes into the contest. While that’s not a credit to the Flyers, Ottawa’s defense has been one of the better ones in the league. They don’t give up a lot. But you’re not helping your cause much when you can’t get a shot against them.

Tippett nearly had the first shot on a behind the back shot but it was blocked by Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven. He finally set up Barkey for the first one with under five minutes left in the first, resulting in a Bronx cheer from the hometown fans. And while he wasn’t lighting things up regarding the various underlying metrics, he appeared to be putting in an honest effort.

Total team being rather terrible through two

Through two periods of play, Rasmus Ristolainen, Travis Sanheim, and Trevor Zegras were the only Flyers above 45 per cent in terms of expected goals for. There were eight skaters who were under 20 per cent in the same metric. With such a rather poor effort across the board outside of a few players (and one goaltender), Philadelphia needed the riot act read to them in the second intermission.

Vladar very good, slightly pissed off

Dan Vladar was tested a few times early thanks to some missed assignments and a bad turnover by Travis Konecny. His best save early was against Shane Pinto as Philadelphia had their wires crossed in their own zone. It was an eventful period for Vladar who lost his stick while making the save. He was later in a collision with Giroux but neither one was hurt. In the middle frame, Vladar made a fantastic save on a delayed penalty to the Flyers as Nick Cousins was foiled when the Flyers keeper got his right pad on the puck. On the ensuing penalty kill, Vladar stoned Thomas Chabot on a clear one-timer, keeping the Flyers in it despite being outshot 12-4 nearly 28 minutes into regulation.

The goalie couldn’t do much on Ottawa’s opening goal. A Shane Pinto shot through traffic was picked up by former Flyer (and punchable face owner) Nick Cousins who powered his way through the dirty area before Barkey was able to get the puck.

Nick Cousins was drafted 68th overall by the Flyers in 2011. Since leaving the organization in 2017, he's played 19 games against them. Now, he finally has his first career goal against Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/pSAQWjGOMt

— Andrew Wilimek (@AndrewWilimek) February 6, 2026

Vladar looked somewhat upset in the television timeout afterwards, heading to the bench and clearly voicing his opinion about something he didn’t like. Given the fact the shots were 18-5 at the time, maybe it was to light a fire under the backside of his teammates. Had the team had the same work ethic or attention to detail as Vladar had on this night it might have been a different story through 40 minutes.

Third period more of the same

Although the Flyers were still just one shot away from tying things up with 13 minutes to go in the third, they could not get much momentum going. Everywhere a Flyer turned they were met with a stick, body or some combination of the two from Ottawa. Head coach Rick Tocchet juggled the lines a bit to find some combination to tie it. Sean Couturier had an excellent chance coming in from the wing, looking as if he finally ended his goal streak but Reimer got his left pad on it.

With the goalie pulled, and Tippett, Cam York and another Flyer in front, Jamie Drysdale managed to beat Reimer to tie things up at 1-1. It was the fourteenth shot on goal for Philadelphia, but the one that counted the most.

JAMIE DRYSDALE! THE FLYERS TIE IT WITH THE GOALIE PULLED WITH 74 SECONDS LEFT!
pic.twitter.com/sg2PjbR37S

— SleeperNHL (@SleeperNHL) February 6, 2026

Unfortunately, the Flyers lost the game in overtime. Konecny was part of a two-on-one but shot the puck wide. The puck went up the other end and Senators forward Tim Stutzle ended it with a great move against Vladar.

TIM STÜTZLE ARE YOU KIDDING ME??????

WHAT. A. GOAL.#SENS WIN IT IN OVERTIME THANKS TO THE GERMAN.

SIMPLY SENSATIONAL.

OTTAWA BENT BUT DID NOT BREAK. MASSIVE TWO POINTS. LFG!!!

pic.twitter.com/JTRypOtD4A

— SENS TALK (@senstalk_) February 6, 2026

All stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and NHL.com

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...in-it-2-1-in-overtime-in-tight-checking-game/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Missed opportunities marred Flyers’ final game before Olympic break

The Flyers, riding high after snapping their losing streak with a big win over the Capitals on
Tuesday, went into their final game before the break with a significant challenge on their hands — keeping their positive momentum rolling now that they finally had it. And while there were pieces in the matchup which worked in their favor, between a similarly matchup Senators team broadly, but more precisely one starting a 37-year old James Reimer only a handful of games into his stint with Ottawa after a recall from the AHL, the Flyers ultimately failed to capitalize on runway that they had in front of them.

What went wrong​

The issues facing the Flyers in this game were numerous, but most foundational to their struggles was their inability to get much of anything going as far as their offense was concerned. It was a meager two shots on goal that the Flyers were able to generate through the first period of play, and this would be an apt tone setter for the rest of the game. The offense was, in a word, anemic, and while they were able to break through with a bit of scoring late in the game, and while this was enough to get them to overtime and earn them the one standings point, there’s no doubt still that there were opportunities to pull away in this game left on the table.

And even in an immediate impression of how this one unfolded when it was all said and done, it was not hard to pinpoint where it went wrong.

“A lot of missed nets,” was head coach Rick Tocchet’s assessment after the game. “Blocked shots. You’ve got to be able to… you know there’s some skill to that, to be able to fake shots and go around people. It seems like you get struggling scoring goals [and] you’re, you just put your head down and shoot. So there’s got to be a little bit more skill when it comes to that. And then there was a sequence there where we had the puck a lot, we had about four missed chances, shots over the net. So that’s a thing we’ve got to keep working on.”

It’s no secret that the Flyers are in the midst of a difficult stretch — with just four wins through the whole month of January and a precipitous dropping down the standings looming, the Flyers have quickly found themselves in desperation time, but are struggling to balance the need to get back to their fundamentals of their game which will ground them with executing on some of the higher level plays which are equally necessary to helping them stack some wins. And chief among that is their ability to manufacture quality offense.

“There’s skill to that,” he went on. “I mean, it’s taking a little bit, there’s technique, taking a little bit off the shot. Sometimes when you have somebody going to the net, sometimes you don’t have to pick a corner, you’re looking for like a location shot, they call it, where there’s a rebound and somebody puts it in. Those are plays too. It’s hard to score from the blue line with nobody in front. You know, you’ve got to shoot the puck where you’re hitting the net where there’s a rebound, or somewhere you can get a retrieval. And that’s something we’ve been working on, and it’s experience, and things like that.”

The experience of it all​

The note on managing these game situations well and coming through with better shot selections being a matter of experience in Tocchet’s eyes was, though, a bit of a strange one in some ways. After all, this Flyers’ lineup struggled pretty unilaterally to get the chances they were creating actually on net, and it’s not as though the veteran group saw the most efficiency there.

In fact, it was only four players in the lineup who, across all situations, were able to get half or more of their attempts on net, and they overwhelmingly came from the group of players aged 25 or younger — it was Noah Cates and Denver Barkey with one of two shots on goal, Jamie Drysdale with two of four, and then Matvei Michkov who got both of his two shot attempts on goal.

So, perhaps it is experience which might drive more success in this area over a longer term, but it was not their most experienced players who delivered their most efficient efforts last night.

All the same, whether experience is the difference maker or not, last night made it abundantly clear that there’s still quite a bit of tinkering that needs to go into the team’s approach to generating offense. Now, on the other side of the Olympic break, the schedule isn’t going to be lightening up any, and they’re not going to have the benefit of a wealth of practice time to polish things out, but the hope is that a bit of a reset from the time off, a return when things might feel a little less dire, can help them along as well.

All stats via Natural Stat Trick.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...arred-flyers-final-game-before-olympic-break/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Takeaways: Phantoms battle hard but lose to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 6-5 on Friday night

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms had a season-high 41 shots and scored five times, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton were one better thanks to Matt Dumba’s hat trick and a sensational night from goaltender Joel Blomqvist for an entertaining 6-5 victory over the hosts Friday night.

The basics​

First period: 1:14- Matt Dumba (Ville Koivunen, Tristan Broz) 4:11- Ville Koivunen (Tristan Broz, Melvin Fernstrom), 15:34- Lane Pederson (Unassisted) (SHG)
Second period: 1:40- Maxence Guenette (Anthony Richard, Adam Ginning), 4:09- Matt Dumba (Melvin Fernstrom, Tristan Broz), 19:02- Phil Tomasino (Devin Kaplan, Oliver Bonk)
Third period: 3:57- Aidan McDonough (Atley Calvert), 7:32- Rafael Harvey-Pinard (Matt Dumba, Aidan McDonough), 9:21- Matt Dumba (Ville Koivunen, Tristan Broz), 10:49- Lane Pederson (Christian Kyrou, Cooper Marody) (PPG), 18:24- Jacob Gaucher (Maxence Guenette)
SOG: 41 (LHV) – 23 (WBS)

Some takeaways​

Special teams show some pop but not enough

The Phantoms went to the power play five minutes and change into period one. And with a middle-of-the-pack unit, Lehigh Valley got some traffic in front of Penguins goalie Joel Blomqvist but couldn’t bury it. They also had a decent second half to the first power play, finding a few seams but Blomqvist stood tall for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. After a strong start by the Penguins, Lehigh Valley responded with the next seven shots.

The Phantoms’ second power play of the first didn’t have much oomph as defenseman Oliver Bonk had his shot from the point blocked. Meanwhile, Lehigh Valley’s penalty kill was put to the test after blueliner Helge Grans went to the sin bin. The Penguins, as horrid in the American Hockey League as the Flyers are with the man advantage, coughed up the puck with a bad cross-ice pass at the Phantoms blue line. Tucker Robertson intercepted the pass and dashed up the ice, beating Blomqvist with a nifty move to give Lehigh Valley a much-needed boost.

That is Tucker Robertson ‍ #LVvsWBS | #LVPhantoms pic.twitter.com/P9rQjXZ6zR

— Lehigh Valley Phantoms (@LVPhantoms) February 7, 2026

Seconds later, the Phantoms had an almost comical four-on-one but couldn’t tie things up. Lehigh Valley scored a power play goal midway through the third, making it a 6-4 game and giving the Phantoms a puncher’s chance at a comeback. In the third, the Phantoms had a few chances to make it a one-goal game in the dying minutes but just couldn’t cash in on their numerous opportunities. They did score seconds after their last power play of the night when Maxence Guenette made a great pass to Jacob Gaucher who redirected it in quickly.

Flyers brass in attendance

With Philadelphia not doing much of anything for the next little while, Flyers general manager Danny Briere and Philadelphia’s President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones took in the game Friday evening. And they couldn’t been pleased with Lehigh Valley’s start. The Penguins hemmed the Phantoms in early and often, opening the scoring just over 70 seconds into the contest when veteran NHLer Matt Dumba fired a one-timer in the slot beyond Bjarnason.

Dums from the top of the slot! pic.twitter.com/h4AqzgMngd

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 7, 2026

The Penguins didn’t let off on the gas. Lehigh Valley again were caught in their own zone when Ville Koivunen beat Bjarnason who had some traffic in front for a quick 2-0 lead.

Koivy sends another one to the back of the net for us, and Fernstrom collects his first AHL point with the assist! pic.twitter.com/PrYkyYE4yG

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 7, 2026

The Phantoms nearly cut the deficit in half when Hunter McDonald beat Penguins goalie Joel Blomqvist but couldn’t beat the iron.

Tomasino has his chances

Former Penguin Phil Tomasino had his share of opportunities to score, none better than late in the second period when he was alone in front. However his wrister was quickly gloved by Blomqvist without much hassle. The second period didn’t feature a lot of chances after Dumba’s second goal of the night, as both teams seemed to lock things down a bit more than they did in the opening 20 minutes. Late in the second, the Phantoms started taking it to the Penguins with a few prime chances from Jacob Gaucher and Alexis Gendron. Both shots were in close but were denied by the netminder.

Finally, after more pressure from Lehigh Valley — with two Phantoms basically blinding Blomqvist, — Tomasino put a tap-in behind Blomqvist to tie things up with just under a minute before the second intermission. Tomasino led all forwards on both teams with five shots through 40 minutes.

Snuck that one right in #LVvsWBS | #LVPhantoms pic.twitter.com/2c2iaXYgii

— Lehigh Valley Phantoms (@LVPhantoms) February 7, 2026

Warm-up Olympic-inspired jerseys

During the pre-game warm-up, the Phantoms could be seen wearing Olympic-inspired jerseys with each Phantom wearing the colors of their respective nations. Whether it was Adam Ginning wearing the yellow and blue of Sweden, or Zayde Wisdom and Phantoms starting goaltender Carson Bjarnason sporting Canada’s colors, the jerseys were well-timed with the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics which took place earlier in the afternoon in Italy.

Max-imum effort

Phantoms defenseman Maxence Guenette (who had a helper late in the game) was having a rather so-so game after the first period but tied things up for Lehigh Valley early in the second. Guenette’s goal was his first of the year against a goaltender as his other tally was an empty-netter.

Anyyywaayyy, that was a SNIPE!#LVvsWBS | #LVPhantoms pic.twitter.com/Xb7zSp7pZa

— Lehigh Valley Phantoms (@LVPhantoms) February 7, 2026

They nearly took the lead seconds later but a shot hit the post, much to the surprise of fans who thought they had scored. No dice. Sadly, minutes later Dumba’s howitzer of a shot beat Bjarnason to give Wilkes-Barre/Scranton the lead again.

A for Dums’s second of the night! pic.twitter.com/3oyRWSSmRA

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 7, 2026

Dumba also earned a point on the Penguins’ fifth goal of the night. But that was before he put the game on ice with his third of the night for the hat trick. The third goal was similar to his first of the night where he snuck in without much difficulty to put the puck behind Bjarnason.

Bjarnason has bumpy ride

After giving up the first two goals of the game, Bjarnason (who has the Phantoms mascot Melvin on the back of his goalie helmet which has new artwork) composed himself and made a very solid save in the first against Rafael Harvey-Pinard in close. It could’ve been a game-changing goal given how well Wilkes-Barre/Scranton have played against the Phantoms. But by keeping it a two-goal deficit, it game his team a chance to cut the deficit in half. Late in the first, the goalie thought he had the puck covered but it looked to be loose. The Penguins weren’t able to bang the puck home fortunately.

Although Bjarnason didn’t stop both Dumba goals, he was able to settle down through much of the second when he stopped a similar shot from the point courtesy of Penguins defenseman Owen Pickering. The goalie also made a key save early in the third when he fought through some traffic to stop Alexander Alexeyev and swallowing up the rebound. The biggest concern with Bjarnason was minutes after the Alexeyev stop when he collided with an falling opposing player. He took some time to get up but remained in the game after being pushed deeply into his net.

Bjarnason didn’t have much puck luck in the third when he made a strong save but could get across to stop the rebound as Aidan McDonough buried it behind a diving Phantoms goalie. That seemed to open the floodgates for Wilkes-Barre as they began distancing themselves from Lehigh Valley.

Hunter has some hits

Phantoms defenseman Hunter McDonald was his usual churlish self on this night. In the second he delivered a heavy hit on a Penguin but seemed to take as much punishment as he delivered. He got up okay but was holding his neck briefly after the collision. McDonald’s game mirrored Lehigh Valley’s heavy approach most of the night. With about 13 minutes to go in regulation, the Phantoms had 17 hits compared to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s eight.

With the game not technically over, Phantoms’ Garrett Wilson nailed Ryan McAllister up high and near the head region. The hit resulted in Zach Gallant fighting Wilson and Wilson dropping him with a right hook. Wilson’s hit on McAllister was deemed to be legal, resulting in the Phantoms forward getting just five minutes for fighting.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...to-wilkes-barre-scranton-6-5-on-friday-night/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

3 Flyers who probably don’t want an Olympic break

The Flyers finished their pre-Olympic gauntlet Thursday night with a 2-1 overtime loss against the Ottawa Senators. The Flyers capped off this stretch of 56 games with a record of 25-20-11. And while some players we mentioned previously well more than happy to see the Olympic break now for a few weeks, there are a few other players who maybe hate the fact they’re now having some down time. It’s not every Flyer, but we take a look at three Flyers who are playing quite well of late, and would just as soon want to keep playing versus watching the world’s best face off in Italy for Olympic gold.

Travis Konecny​

Konecny has his bumps and bruises, and he started off the season rather slowly. However, what a difference a new calendar year makes. While the winger has been consistent most of the year, he’s been one of the few Flyers in recent weeks who has seemingly upped his game, rising to the pressure of the games when a lot of his teammates are struggling with embracing that pressure. Since the turn of the calendar year, Konecny has amassed nine goals and nine assists for 18 points. He’s been pointless in just five of the games in 2026 while registering four consecutive multi-point games before not registering anything against Ottawa on Thursday night. One of the more impressive individual performances was Konecny — clearly not 100 per cent healthy — pulling Philadelphia back into the fight against Columbus on Jan. 28 with a hat trick only for the Flyers to lose in regulation.

TRAVIS KONECNY HAT TRICK TIES IT pic.twitter.com/hm6KOktXe0

— Nasty Knuckles (@NastyKnuckles) January 29, 2026​

Perhaps it’s because he wants the Flyers to make the playoffs, and detesting the fact they could be on the outside for a sixth consecutive season this spring. Or it could be that he wasn’t selected for Team Canada’s roster at the Winter Olympics and has a huge chip on his shoulder because of the snub. Regardless of what is causing him to play so well, it’s a style and resilience that a lot of other current Flyers could draw inspiration for when the final stretch of 26 games starts on Feb. 25. Konecny was seemingly in Trevor Zegras’ shadow for much of the first half, but is shining of late, particularly when players need to rise to the occasion.

Owen Tippett​

If there’s been a player who’s been the proverbial pulse of the Philadelphia Flyers this season, that distinction would most likely go to winger Owen Tippett. Tippett has been a force and quite visible each and every shift of late. His speed is more of a weapon this year, his style is becoming more of a power forward judging by the checks he’s delivered to get himself going, and as he goes, so goes the Flyers. In 25 games where the Flyers have won heading into Thursday’s game, Tippett has 14 goals and 11 assists for 25 points and is a plus 13 on the plus/minus scale. Meanwhile in losses he just has five goals, five assists for 10 points and is a rather dreadful -20. In short, if Tippett is flying, the team is more often than not soaring. When he’s not, they’re floundering at best.

The forward is just one goal away from matching last season’s total. And he still has 26 games to surpass that total. With 35 points so far, it’s quite conceivable Tippett ends the season in the 50-point to 55-point range, meaning he could surpass his season-high total of 53 points back in 2022-23. He could also eclipse his high in goals with 28 in 2023-24. There appears to be a 30-goal to 35-goal scorer in Owen Tippett. This recent stretch has only solidified that notion. Hopefully he picks up exactly where he left off with some time for rest.

While he was still with a few question marks after last season where he didn’t take that next step, Tippett looks like he could be here for a long time.

Jamie Drysdale​

Jamie Drysdale has been having a fine year. In just 53 games thus far, he’s got five goals and 18 assists for 23 points. Last year he had seven goals and just 13 assists for 20 points. So he should surpass his goal total of last year while possibly ending up with career highs in goals and points. Perhaps even more impressive is how well the youngster has developed on the other side of the puck. Defensively Drysdale is just a -6 in the plus/minus scale. Compare this to -32 last year and (and -26 when he scored a career high of 32 points) and you get the sense the blueliner has turned a corner of sorts.

Drysdale managed to score goals this week against Washington and Ottawa, the latter a game-tying goal late with goaltender Dan Vladar pulled for the extra attacker. He appears to be taking that next step in his development. A few players might relish the time off to watch the Olympics and have some down time, but Drysdale isn’t one of them. He’s evolving into a top four defenseman and has a goal and four helpers on the power play, which isn’t bad considering just how terrible the special team has been. With a fresh set of legs under him and his game developing into one of consistency, the Flyers defenseman is probably chomping at the bit to get back on the ice for the remaining 26 games.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/3-flyers-who-probably-dont-want-an-olympic-break/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Takeaways: Phantoms fall behind early, drop matchup with Islanders 5-1

The Phantoms hit the road for a quick trip up to Bridgeport this evening, for the final game of the weekend and their final game before the break. They were looking to close this one out on a high note, and prevent the Islanders from gaining any more ground on them in the standings, but between a stilted offensive effort and a bit of shaky goaltending, they struggled to get themselves off the ground, and instead came away with another quite lopsided loss.

The basics​

First period: 6:09- Adam Beckman (Drew, Maggio), 12:50- Liam Foudy (Highmore, McWard), 16:11- Matthew Maggio (Beckman, Drew), 19:04- Lane Pederson (Richard, Tomasino)PPG
Second period: No scoring
Third period: 10:45- Liam Foudy (George), 19:55- Liam Foudy (Beckman, Thiesing)EN
SOG: 32 (BRI) – 20 (LHV)

Some takeaways​

Starting on time

The Phantoms were looking to close out this weekend (and the final bit of action before their brief All Star break) well, and bounce back from a tough loss to the Penguins last night. And there was all but certainly a particular hope to find a way to start this game better, after a poor start was one of the things that really sunk them last time out, but this pretty pointedly did not pan out for them.

The Phantoms came out with reasonably good energy, but their execution was simply not up to the level it needed to be at. For their own part, they were having trouble stringing together chains of passes, and hitting the net with the chances they were able to create, and their poise with the puck on the defensive side was lacking — the team was plagued by turnovers and bobbling of pucks at the worst times. And once again, all of this amounted to them falling behind early and putting themselves in a position where they have to be chasing the game, rather than dictating it themselves.

Kolosov struggling

After backing up last night at home, Aleksei Kolosov, back from his most recent stint up with the Flyers, was given the start tonight, tasked equally with stopping the bleeding for his team and also bouncing back from a difficult showing in his last time out. And this, too, was a struggle.

It was a three goal hole that the Phantoms found themselves in, and none of those goals were great looks for Kolosov. The first saw him make an aggressive play, coming out beyond the blue paint to make an initial stop on an incoming rush chance, but the rebound sent out to the left circle was picked up by a trailing player (who the Phantoms defender could not tie up), and Kolosov was too out of position to defend agains the second chance. His second and third goals against played out similarly — misplays with the puck behind the net set up scrambles in front, and Kolosov couldn’t seem to pick up where the puck was going in the midst of it all, and ended up getting beaten. All three of these plays were ones, in fairness, where the support in front of him certainly could have been better, but the work Kolosov was doing for his own part was not overly sharp, either.

There’s credit due here, too, for how Kolosov was largely able to settle in as the game went on. The Islanders did throw a lot at him in this one — 32 shots across the whole of the game — and he was able to keep things under control through the whole of the second period, but when the big moment came in the third period, when they really needed him to bail them out one more time to keep their game alive, he lost track of the puck carrier in a bit of traffic in front of him and let in the fourth goal against him of the night. And that, truly, was the game for the Phantoms.

The power play breaks through

This game was largely a bit of a struggle for the Phantoms to generate offense, but they did still manage to pull together some bright spots. Most notably, the Phantoms were once again able to break through on the power play tonight, as the play for a bit of cycling culminating in a quick pass over to Lane Pederson in the left circle for a snipe once again paid dividends for them. Pederson, too, picking up right where he left off before his recall, notched his 16th goal of the season tonight, and his third in as many games.

The Phantoms would have two more opportunities on the power play (including one late in the third which was turned into a two-man advantage with Kolosov pulled), and while they were able to create a few more good looks, they didn’t look quite as threatening as they did on that first attempt of the night, and ended up leaving some looks on the table with some bits of overpassing (but more on that later).

Tomasino buzzing

Another bright spot for the Phantoms on the offensive side of things was the pop that Phil Tomasino was able to bring. His production has been waking up nicely — his picked up a goal last night and assisted on Pederson’s goal tonight — and this has been driven nicely by quite a focused underlying process. Tomasino has been, in short, buzzing recently and tonight was no exception. He’s playing with some nice pace and bringing a high level of creativity to the chances he’s creating. Now, tonight didn’t see him looking the most efficient in his generation either — he had a few misses on shot attempts from prime scoring areas — and while he really does need to start burying those soon, the fact that he’s at least getting the opportunities feels like a sign of good things to come.

On the defensive side, too, he stepped up with a big play late in the game — of course, the Islanders did still ultimately come away with the empty netter before long, and Foudy still completed his hat trick, but the point stands and it was a nice effort for Tomasino, all the same.

Frustration creeping in

This game was, in a lot of ways, a tough one. We’ve alluded to it a couple of times by now, but the Phantoms did some good things to get themselves into the right areas to score from, but they just weren’t able to capitalize on that work. Whether it was a bit too much passing, not quite enough urgency on the setups, or a shot sailing wide of the net, the execution just simply was not there for them tonight. And in all of this, it’s impossible to avoid the feeling that in these struggles, some frustration was beginning to rear its head in their games.

It’s understandable, in a way, as this stretch more broadly has been a really challenging one, but it’s reinforced that perhaps the break is coming at just the right time for the Phantoms. Some reinforcements might well be on the way on the other side of it, but even more critically, the hope here is that a chance for a reset will serve them well. They’re pressing a bit, and that’s getting in the way of even the things that they are continuing to do right. It’s a bit of a tough spiral, but perhaps a bit of time off to regroup will give them the chance to snap out of it.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...behind-early-drop-matchup-with-islanders-5-1/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers prospects Porter Martone, Shane Vansaghi shine versus Michigan

It was the first time Michigan and Michigan State met as the nation’s top two teams, and, much like their previous matchups, they split the weekend series. The Spartans came out strong on both nights, but the Wolverines mounted a comeback in game one. Flyers prospects Shane Vansaghi and Porter Martone each found the back of the net during the series.

Game 1: Michigan State 3, Michigan 4 (OT)​

After a tightly contested opening stretch with both teams feeling each other out, Charlie Stramel broke through for Michigan State, finishing off a slick slap-pass from Porter Martone to open the scoring.

Charlie Stramel gives us a 1-0 lead late in the first period! pic.twitter.com/rNPSrEf4NF

— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) February 7, 2026

Nick Moldenhauer answered shortly after, tying the game at one with a redirection at the top of the crease. Friday night featured no shortage of deflection chances for either side, it appeared to be the focus of both teams.

The second period marked Michigan State’s strongest stretch of the game. The Spartans outscored Michigan 2-0 in the frame and carried a 3-1 lead into the third. Shane Vansaghi notched his third goal of the season during the push, powering his way to the net before finishing with a quick shift from backhand to forehand to lift the puck over Stephen Peck.

Shane Vansaghi breaks the tie to give us a 2-1 lead in the second! pic.twitter.com/c5cE11I0Tq

— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) February 7, 2026

Vansaghi was noticeable in both games, consistently pressuring on the forecheck and disrupting Michigan’s breakouts. With his goal Friday, he now sits at three goals and six assists through 26 games this season.

Just two minutes after Vansaghi’s goal, Owen West extended Michigan State’s lead to 4-1. While Martone did not record a point on the play, he provided a perfect screen that allowed West to beat the goaltender cleanly.

Midway through the third period, the Wolverines capitalized on an odd-man rush to pull within one. Vansaghi rotated back defensively on the play, but miscommunication between him and Sean Barnhill left Asher Barnett alone in front against Trey Augustine.

Later, on the power play, it appeared that Martone had restored State’s two-goal lead, but his shot rang off the inside of the far post and stayed out. Moments later, Kienan Draper buried a shorthanded goal to tie the game in a massive momentum swing.

Martone, surprisingly, did not see the ice in overtime. On the second shift of extra time, Eric Nilson was called for tripping, sending the Spartans to the penalty kill. Jayden Perron capitalized, scoring the game-winner for Michigan. Although both teams played disciplined (just one power play for each team), special teams ultimately proved to be the deciding factor. Michigan’s penalty kill and power play produced both the shorthanded equalizer and the overtime winner.

Game 2: Michigan State 5, Michigan 2​

On Saturday night, Michigan State once again came out with the stronger start. Already holding an 8-3 edge in shots, Gavin O’Connell opened the scoring as the trailing forward. Anthony Romani spotted him with a cross-ice feed near the blue line, and O’Connell beat Jack Ivankovic, who made a somewhat surprising return from injury, with a shot from just above the slot.

With just under four minutes remaining in the first period, Martone struck on the power play to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead. The goal was nearly identical to his attempt Friday night that rang off the inside of the post and stayed out.

Porter Martone waits for the Stramel screen and picks his spot to make it 2-0! pic.twitter.com/etjfIJm8nH

— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) February 8, 2026

Stramel set a perfect screen on the power-play goal, and Martone showed patience by waiting until Stramel was fully in position before releasing his shot.

Stramel continued to make his presence felt early in the second period, finishing off a sweet pass from Maxim Strbak at the far post to extend the lead. The Spartans kept the pressure on from there. Just 90 seconds later, Tiernan Shoudy pushed the lead to 4-0, capping off a well-executed odd-man rush from the fourth line. Griffen Jurecki cleared space by driving the defender back, and Tommi Mannisto delivered a cross-ice pass to set up the finish.

Later in the game, Mannisto added one of the more impressive empty-net goals of the weekend, winning a footrace against Michigan defenseman Ben Robertson and scoring while falling to the ice.

The Flying Fin! Tommi Mannisto makes it 5-2 on the empty netter! pic.twitter.com/TYq4COdgXa

— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) February 8, 2026

When he turns pro, Mannisto should draw legitimate interest from NHL teams as an undrafted free agent. He still has another year of NCAA eligibility remaining, but he projects as an effective depth winger who can kill penalties and occasionally surprise opponents with his speed.

Shortly after the Shoudy goal, Michigan State’s top line went to work, sustaining extended pressure in Michigan’s zone. Martone slipped a pretty touch-pass through the middle of the ice to Stramel, who likely would have had his second goal of the night if not for friendly fire at the top of the crease.

Michigan responded with a push late in the second period, carrying it into the third with goals from Perron, Friday’s overtime hero, and Moldenhauer. For a stretch, it became the Trey Augustine show, as he turned aside chance after chance to preserve the lead. After the Spartans successfully killed off Michigan’s third power play, Mannisto effectively sealed the win with his empty-netter. The Spartans’ penalty kill had a great night, killing off all three of Michigan’s power plays and allowing zero shots on goal.

Martone took three minor penalties over the weekend, all coincidental minors that came after the whistle. While it would be ideal to see him rein that in, it’s not as if he was putting his team in shorthanded situations. Further, the roughing call against him Friday was incredibly soft. Even so, Michigan State is at its best with him on the ice, and he needs to keep himself available. He now sits at 16 goals and 20 assists through 26 games this season.

For Michigan State, the series offered both encouragement and lessons, showing their ability to dictate play at even strength against a top opponent, while finding out just how thin the margin for error is against elite competition. The Wolverines gave them third-period scares on back-to-back nights, something the Spartans will need to clean up as they push toward the end of the season.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...martone-shane-vansaghi-shine-versus-michigan/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Friday Morning Fly By: The loserest point

*Without much in the way of hyperbole, that was the worst hockey game I have ever seen. An embarrassing effort, if you could even call it that. Surely you want to read about it, so…RECAP!

*The Flyers were looking for build some momentum last night heading into the Olympic break — like okay obviously winning is good but you’re off for 19 days boys I’m not sure that’s how “momentum” works, exactly — and they absolutely did not succeed in doing that. [Inquirer]

*Ricky Tacos wants everyone to shut the heck up because things aren’t really that bad at all! The Flyers have just as many points as the defending Stanley Cup Champions who are <checks notes> having the worst season ever. [NBC Sports Philly]

*There have be at least a couple of bright spots over the course of this month or so long slog we’ve been going through, chief among them the play of Travis Konecny. [BSH]

*Too early to start talking NHL Awards? Absolutely not, folks! We’re talking awards! [ESPN]

*And finally… looks like this Gavin McKenna kid has some character flaws. Not sure you want to draft a guy like this in the top ten. He should probably fall to like… 12 or 13, if you ask me. [TSN]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/friday-morning-fly-by-the-loserest-point/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Introducing the 2026 mid-season Flyers Top 25 Under 25

We’re only just entering the first full week of this Olympic break, but already it feels as though things have been slowed down to a crawl in the hockey world for ages. It’s high time for us to find something to sustain us through these sure to be quiet next few weeks, and there’s no better time than now to get into our favorite biannual series. It’s Top 25 Under 25 season again!

The concept of the series is simple — your very favorite contributors from the website here all make our personal rankings of the best players under the age of 25 in the organization, based on whatever criteria makes the most sense to us individually, and then those lists are averaged out to come up with our final ranking for the collective. If you weren’t with us over the summer, or just need a bit of a refresher, here’s how the pieces fell in our last ranking.

The midseason ranking is a particularly fun one, as unlike the big ranking over the summer, when we spend a lot of time digging into the players, what they do well and how they fit into the organization and its timeline for contention, this time around we spend a bit more time talking with each other about the players and our rankings of them. It’s a nice change of pace, if we do say so ourselves, but before we dive too deeply into that, let’s get into the ballot a little bit more.

That ranking that we compile over the summer in the aftermath of the draft and the busy part of trade season is usually the one where we see the most change in the ballot, but we do have some key arrivals and departures to highlight before we get too deep into this.

The Departures​

As far as graduates from the list go for purely age related reasons, we only had one this time around. Cam York turned 25 back on January 5, so he just missed the cut of eligibility for one more ranking, but that’s just how it goes. He went out on a high note though, certainly, as he cracked last summer’s list at the fifth spot, which was certainly respectable indeed.

Of course, York isn’t the only player we saw leave the ballot. The Flyers had a few prospects who have been moved out of the organization entirely over these last six months, as they’ve worked to take a more proactive approach to their prospect management, moving on from players who are log jammed and don’t seem to have an easy path to contention for an NHL job. With this in mind, each of J.R. Avon, Samu Tuomaala, and Ethan Samson were sent out in trades over the last few months to be given a change of scenery, to see if more of their games can be unlocked elsewhere.

The Additions​

And while the scale is not the same as after a draft, we do still have a handful of new players to welcome into the mix for this iteration of the ranking. As a result of those trades that we mentioned above (and a couple that we haven’t yet), the Flyers added a handful more interesting young players into their mix, all of whom are in the mix down in the Phantoms’ lineup. The trade for Avon brought in forward Tucker Robertson, and the swap for Tuomaala brought defenseman Christian Kyrou, both of whom have been settling really nicely into meaningful roles with the AHL squad. Along with that, it was a swap of defensemen which sent Samson out and saw Roman Schmidt as the return, and while he’s struggled at times and hasn’t been able to hold on to the same volume of minutes that Samson did, he’s certainly delivered on the physical presence that the organization seemed to be looking to add.

On top of that, the Flyers made a couple more trades early in the season which sent out older organizational pieces (more or less) and brought back in some younger players. The first week of the season saw them send Ryan Ellis’s contract and a conditional pick to San Jose for Carl Grundstrom as the main return, but defenseman Artem Guryev (who’s bounced back and forth between Reading and Lehigh Valley so far this season) was also part of the return. Additionally, the Flyers made a move to send Dennis Gilbert to the Senators, who needed a bit more veteran stability on the back end, and in exchange the Flyers were able to give Max Guenette a change of scenery, as he was toiling away in contract holdout limbo, and he’s settled in nicely with his new team quite quickly.

When all of that shuffling has been said and done, this is what our complete pool of under-25 players in the organization is looking like:

Artem Guryev	Bobby Brink	Max Westergard
Carter Amico	Cole Knuble	Nathan Quinn
Christian Kyrou	Denver Barkey	Nikita Grebenkin
Emil Andrae	Devin Kaplan	Noah Powell
Helge Grans	Heikki Ruohonen	Owen McLaughlin
Hunter McDonald	Ilya Pautov	Porter Martone
Jamie Drysdale	Jack Berglund	Ryan MacPhereson
Luke Vlooswyk	Jack Murtagh	Santeri Sulku
Maxence Guenette	Jack Nesbitt	Shane Vansaghi
Oliver Bonk	Jacob Gaucher	Trevor Zegras
Roman Schmidt	Jett Luchanko	Tucker Robertson
Spencer Gill	Karsen Dorwart	Tyson Foerster
Ty Murchison	Massimo Rizzo	Aleksei Kolosov
Alex Bump	Matthew Gard	Carson Bjarnason
Alex Ciernik	Matvei Michkov	Yegor Zavragin
Alexis Gendron

Now, the contributors here have made our rankings, and the complete sentient blog collective ranking has been compiled, and all that’s left is to work our way through it, which we’ll begin over these next couple of days.

And let us know as we go how it’s looking! If you’re playing along at home, how is our list lining up with yours? Let’s have a bit of fun during these doldrums of the mid-season.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/introducing-the-2026-mid-season-flyers-top-25-under-25/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

3 storylines for the Flyers at the 2026 Winter Olympics

We won’t be watching the actual hockey team the Philadelphia Flyers on the ice for more than two weeks but some of their players will be gleefully on our screens participating in the 2026 Winter Olympics. Defenseman Travis Sanheim for Canada, goaltender Dan Vladar for Czechia, and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen for Finland, have already made their way across the Atlantic and are preparing for the men’s tournament to start Wednesday.

While there aren’t any first-line stars who will be getting all the headlines coming out of Milan, the Flyers’ trio of internationals will still be playing fairly important roles on their respective Olympic rosters.

Before the action gets going though, what’s some stuff we really should keep an eye on as we progress through the next couple of weeks when it comes to these Flyers playing overseas?

How many minutes will Travis Sanheim get for Team Canada?​

A whole lot of the narrative surrounding Travis Sanheim last season was just how much of a workhorse he was. Playing almost half of the game from the blue line, the 6-foot-4 mobile defenseman was doing just about everything he could to control play through all 82 games. And he’s still doing that but getting a little less of the spotlight with other defensemen like partner Cam York and Jamie Drysdale really improving and removing some of that burden Sanheim had last year.

But maybe out of any defenseman on the roster, Sanheim could use a little bit of a rest. Almost three entire weeks to kick your feet up, train, and recover as we had into the final games of what has been a not-so-good season? That’s probably ideal for the guy that has barely missed any hockey since he’s debuted with the Flyers nine years ago.

But no, Sanheim will be once again — as he did last season during the 4 Nations Face-Off — be actually playing hockey during the mid-season break for an international tournament. Now, we’re just hoping that he can continue to stay healthy and not pick up a freak injury in Italy.

The 29-year-old’s role on Team Canada’s blue line isn’t going to be the same as his in Philadelphia, thankfully. Either on the bottom pair or even as a healthy scratch, Sanheim is more in a support role and could be just trying to outwork opponents and transition the puck up the ice alongside the likes of Drew Doughty or Colton Parayko. It eases the concern ever so slightly that he’s going to be playing fewer minutes, but all the practice time and still having to go through the game rituals as everyone else is not, makes us concerned just a little bit.

Dan Vladar might just save the crease for Czechia​

There is a world that Dan Vladar has to play hero for the second time this season. As the main free-agent acquisition for the Flyers last summer, Vladar needed to be able to provide just some sort of league-average goaltending as the team tried to figure some other stuff out. Considering that the Flyers have not had that in some time, it would be like the most sweet and not-so-subtle breath of fresh air.

This performance cemented Vladar’s status on Team Czechia’s roster for the Olympics and he is now part of a three-headed trio of NHL netminders. Utah’s Karel Vejmelka and Anaheim’s Lukas Dostal round out the group and while those two have much more status surrounding them — the former being one of the hardest working netminders in the league, and the latter being crowned the Ducks’ crease almost automatically after putting up some solid numbers — Vladar could come out on top as the tournament progresses.

You don’t even have to look too far for that to become a possibility. Vladar has both a better save percentage and goals against average than his two Czech teammates for their respective NHL teams. The Flyers netminder has played fewer games, but just barely with 33 appearances compared to Dostal’s 38 and Vejmelka is notorious for how much he plays and it shows with his NHL-leading 44 appearances.

Even so, it might all just come out in the wash and whoever gives Czechia the best performances through the first few games might just take the ride through the knockout stage. So, why couldn’t that be Vladar? He might be the third of three to start the tournament but we’ve seen him take over games very recently and Czechia shouldn’t be tied too tightly to one of these netminders already.

Rasmus Ristolainen is going to get injured again, isn’t he?​

Trying to just discuss Rasmus Ristolainen makes me scared that he might get injured because of it. There has been no man more fragile on the Flyers this season than the Finnish blueliner, but somehow he narrowly avoided more injuries right before the Olympic break to be able to get back and play some minutes for his country.

The only problem is that unlike Sanheim and Team Canada, Finland will be heavily relying on Ristolainen to play in a big role. Some projections even have him on the first defensive pairing alongside Dallas Stars star Miro Heiskanen before the tournament. This is a recipe for potential disaster.

While this season, he is not performing up to the standard he set when John Tortorella was in charge, Ristolainen still could play a vital role for the Flyers as they finish out the rest of their season. Whether that is on the ice and not completely falling apart to the slightest bit of pressure, or being a potential future trade asset.

We’ve already suffered through Ristolainen being too injured to be traded once before, and then last season the Flyers just wanted too much for their tall Finnish defenseman. But now? With just one season remaining on his contract, there should be a little bit more appetite for a deal before the March 6 trade deadline, but that is impossible if he is run ragged on the top pairing for the Olympics and comes back to Philadelphia held together by duct tape.

And even if Ristolainen isn’t moved by the deadline, him being able to go through an entire Olympic schedule and then play for the rest of the season is crucial for any offseason trade. No acquiring team would want to get a player they think can barely play for 40 games without having a lengthy absence. Let’s just hope that he can keep it together long enough for him to maybe even find some greener pastures elsewhere.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/3-storylines-for-the-flyers-at-the-2026-winter-olympics/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers prospects Jack Murtagh and Owen McLaughlin fall short in Beanpot championship game

Things might be a little quiet in the professional realm of the hockey world, but there’s been no shortage of action unfolding across many of the lower level leagues.

This week brought the conclusion of one of the more major in-season tournaments in the college game, with the championship game of the Beanpot taking place last night. It’s always a great game to tune in for, but this year’s matchup was especially heated — after defeating Harvard and Northeastern, respectively, in last week’s semifinals, Boston College and Boston University were set to square off in the title game, the next installment in meetings of the storied rivalry, and a matchup, too, in which the Flyers found themselves well represented by a couple of members of their prospect pool.

Coming up short​

For the viewers rooting for Boston University and these Flyers prospects, this was a bit of a rough one. But it didn’t start out that way. The Terriers came out with some good jump and got on the attack early, and were able to get on the board just past the two-minute mark care of a goal from Brandon Svoboda. And the Terriers did have a chance to pull away in the first period, but between the momentum gained from two big penalty kills for the Eagles, and the boost from pretty immediately scoring on their first power play of the night after killing that second power play (Bruins prospect Andre Gasseau picked up that goal, what would be his first of the night), the Eagles were slowly pulling the edge in play back in their favor.

The tied score held through most of the second period, but once the Eagles were able to break the seal, as it were, the floodgates were opened — Will Vote pulled them into the lead inside the final six minutes of the second period, and Lukas Gustafsson doubled up their lead with a power play goal late in that frame, and then Gasseau added another on the power play and grabbed his second of the night on the other side of the intermission. And while Cole Eiserman was able to tally one on the power play late in the third to give the Terriers a bit of life, it was too little, too late. The Eagles would get that one right back, with Dean Letourneau scoring just 1:12 later, before Vote hit the empty net with 1:11 remaining to make it a 6-2 score, and well and truly put the game away.

The win was certainly a meaningful one for Boston College, as it marked their first in the tournament in 10 years — a bit jarring of a fact considering how loaded that team has been over the last few seasons, but that’s part of the fun of a single elimination tournament like this — but on the flip side, it will also have been an especially deflating loss for the Terriers. With this making, officially, five losses and one tie over their last eight games against in-conference opponents, and only five games remaining in their regular season, Boston University is running out of runway, and an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament is looking more and more out of reach. And what a far fall indeed for last year’s NCAA championship runner up.

Prospects in focus​

While they were used somewhat sparingly, it was nice to see a pair of Flyers prospects in the mix in a game as big as this one was — especially considering how unstable the outlook on a run through the NCAA tournament is looking for them. Freshman forward Jack Murtagh started this game on the fourth line, and despite not getting a ton of minutes to work with in this one, he still did well to deliver some nice flashes when his number was called. He was pretty immediately noticeable in the first period, coming out with some good jump, and not long after Svoboda got the Terriers on the board in the first place, Murtagh was able to set him up for a great next chance, with a slick little cross-ice setup to a prime scoring location (which was still impressive even though Svoboda ultimately missed the net on the shot). Murtagh was also able to come up with a good individual chance of his own late in the second period, when he was able to set up something of a one-man cycle, carrying the puck through traffic up by the blue line and then weaving down lower inside the left circle for a shot. This would be his lone shot on goal of the game.

As for senior Owen McLaughlin, his impacts were even more limited. He’s been bounced all around the lineup for the Terriers throughout this season, having spent some time as their second line center, or shuffled over to one of the third line wings, but since the last weekend of January, McLaughlin has been used as the team’s extra forward and seen his usage drop even more dramatically. We didn’t see too much of him at all in this game, and while he was able to bring some good pace in the shifts he did get, he was held without so much as a shot attempt on the night.

For McLaughlin, this will be a bit of a particular disappointment, falling short in this tournament, in what will be his final season of college hockey, but for Murtagh, whose college career is only just beginning, this will be a useful bit of experience that he can carry with him. Despite the struggles this Terriers team has faced this season, broadly, their outlook for next season should be more positive, and Murtagh can go into it with a bit of knowledge in the back pocket about how one must play when the moments are the biggest, and the lights are the brightest.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...hlin-fall-short-in-beanpot-championship-game/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Wednesday Morning Fly By: We’re Team Czechia in this house

*It’s Flyers At The Olympics Time! We (and by we I mean me, the person writing this, who is technically sort of in charge, and I did not consult anyone else so the views expressed here may not reflect the views of Broad Street Hockey as a whole) are rooting for Team Czechia around here, and our boy Dan Vladar is pumped and ready to go! [Inquirer]

*Presumably Rick Tocchet is also pumped and ready to go. [Inquirer]

*In fact it’s probably safe to assume that all of the NHLers competing in Italy are super, super excited about this, as most of them have been waiting most, if not all, of their careers waiting for this opportunity. [TSN]

*All the boys have to wear neck guards during this tournament, and naturally there seem to be some mixed reviews on this mandate. [Sportsnet]

*The Beanpot was also happening this week, and unfortunately the two Flyers Kids involved did not come away with the title. [BSH]

*While we’re talking Flyers, this break is a good time for some reflection on this season so far. One thing to note is that Jamie Drysdale has really taken another stop forward this year, and that’s very good for the Flyers. [BSH]

*And finally… let the 25 Under 25 content begin!! First up, as is tradition, are the honorable mentions. You almost made it, boys. Maybe next year. [BSH]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/wednesday-morning-fly-by-were-team-czechia-in-this-house/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Could Flyers trade Owen Tippett at the deadline? NHL insider weighs in

The Philadelphia Flyers are firmly stuck in a position that no team truly wants to be in. With the Olympics going on and weeks away from the NHL resuming again, the Flyers are eight points out of a playoff spot with several teams in competition. But, they aren’t bad enough to truly sink to the bottom for one of the top draft picks this June.

With that in mind, what can they even do as the trade deadline approaches on March 6? Well, it could involve trading Owen Tippett.

On the latest episode of The Chris Johnston Show, NHL insider Chris Johnston was asked if there is any possibility that the Flyers could deal out the 26-year-old winger before the deadline. Tippett’s name has been in trade rumors consistently enough for it to be a viable question, but it’s much more complicated than a non-playoff team just selling off one of their players.

Chris Johnston discusses Flyers’ trade deadline plans involving a potential Owen Tippett trade​

Tippett is heavily involved in this Flyers offense and is more than just some rental forward looking to go win a Stanley Cup before hitting free agency. The Peterborough, Ontario native is signed with the Flyers through the 2031-32 season at a very reasonable $6.25-million AAV.

And still, Johnston sees that it could be a sign of something needing to happen for the Flyers.

“It’s a question. I don’t think Philadelphia has fully landed on their direction yet,” Johnston said. “Look, they’re not in a spot where they feel like they have to trade anyone. I do know that. That they want to be growing the roster up but you know, it’s been a tumultuous couple weeks leading into the break. And actually, reflecting on the teams, there might not be many NHL teams who can benefit from the break than Philadelphia, with just some of the smoke billowing around them.

“I don’t know yet which way Philadelphia is going to go. And I don’t think they know which way they’re going to go at this deadline. I’m not suggesting that they’re going to be a big buyer, but to what degree are they going to sell? What do they consider? I’d be surprised if we’re talking about Tippett being moved at the deadline, but I also can’t rule it out entirely because, you know. Clearly part of the reaction to everything that’s gone on is that the expectations have gone up and they have to find a way to take steps forward as an organization. And sometimes to do that, you have to consider moving out players who have been pretty productive for you, too.”

There’s nothing definitive one way or the other, but it’s certainly interesting to hear that the Flyers need to basically decide how much they’re going to sell off this deadline, from a national reporter.

The Flyers don’t have a lot of players who would easily depart this roster in a straight sell job at the trade deadline. There’s the obvious veterans like Garnet Hathaway and Noah Juulsen who most wouldn’t really notice have left the roster, but outside of that and Rasmus Ristolainen getting some interest for some reason, it might be a fairly quiet deadline. That is, of course, unless the Flyers do see this as an opportunity to move Tippett or someone like that.

As Johnston said — while referencing the Matvei Michkov and Rick Tocchet drama that we saw before the Olympic break — the general expectations surrounding this team have gone up. More and more people are not fine with the roster as it stands and want to see change and upgrades very soon. And while Tippett is certainly a good player in his own right, as someone who can score 20 goals at a minimum, trading him might be a way to do that.

It is a conversation that almost every single Flyers fan has when talking about the future of this team, but it’s a fact that there are too many wingers. With Denver Barkey’s breakout, even if the current roster was fully healthy, there would be too many — and then factor in Porter Martone’s eventual arrival either later this season or this fall at the earliest, and there is an evident logjam. Tippett might just be the perfect candidate to deal, as a winger who has value but also isn’t regarded as a core piece moving forward, who would then bring back the defenseman or center that the Flyers need.

It might not be a decision that the Flyers make as soon as this trade deadline, but it’s a decision they will need to make eventually.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...ippett-at-the-deadline-nhl-insider-weighs-in/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Thursday Morning Fly By: All flash, no Finnish

*The men’s hockey tourney kicked off yesterday and it was a bad start for our boy Risto. We’ve seen a bit of a debate… does this count as playoff Risto? Discuss. [ESPN]

*In case you’re still not sure, here’s a handy guide to tell you which of your favorite NHLers are playing where in these Olympics. [The Athletic]

*And in case you need a reason to be excited about all of this, here are three reasons to be exactly that. [Inquirer]

*Naturally most of the hockey world is focused on Team Canada, and since our boy Sanny is a part of it, here’s some things to watch on that team, specifically. [Sportsnet]

*Anyway, the Flyers. The Owen Tippett rumors are kicking around again. Probably because everyone is bored and there’s nothing else to talk about. [BSH]

*Given the Flyers’ current “rebuilding” status, we’d like to see The Kids start to get some more meaningful minutes once play resumes later this month. [BSH]

*Speaking of, one of those kids we’d like to see get a little more time is Denver Barkey, who has proved himself to be ready for the NHL way sooner than anyone expected — including himself. [PHLY]

*Yesterday we started getting into the meat and potatoes of the 25 Under 25, with a look at the guys that ranked 23-25. [BSH]

*And finally, an organization like the Flyers has quite a lot of memorable performances by individual players, so it’s hard to determine which were the best. We did that, though. We have the skills. [BSH]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/thursday-morning-fly-by-all-flash-no-finnish/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Bobby Brink might be odd man out in Flyers’ near future

Flyers winger Bobby Brink has set a career-high in goals for a season with 13 this year, and with roughly one-third of the season left to go. He probably will be hard pressed to achieve the 41 points he amassed last season, yet he could conceivably find himself in the 33-point to 35-point range at his current clip. Besides his production, Brink has also established himself as one of the hardest-working forwards the Flyers have. It’s a far cry from the forward the Flyers drafted back in 2019. At the time he was coming off a 68-point season with the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL. And in 2021-22 he had 57 points at the University of Denver while also being an impressive +27 on the plus/minus scale.

Yet since the Flyers drafted him in 2019, the offensive prowess Brink showed in previous tiers hasn’t been visible. Through 196 National Hockey League games, he’s at just under a 0.5 points-per-game pace (92). And he seems to be at best a middle six winger on a team that is still struggling mightily to score goals and generate chances. He’s no longer exactly a youngster as he’ll turn 25 in July, but isn’t quite at the age where you would want to completely give up on him. In short, Brink is a bit in no man’s land with the Flyers for a few reasons. Although he’s been one of the keys in the effectiveness of the line with himself, center Noah Cates, and winger Tyson Foerster, Brink is going to start facing some heat from those who are eager to make their case for a roster spot, namely Alex Bump, Porter Martone, and Shane Vansaghi. Toss in the fact the Flyers already have a glut of wingers like Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Foerster, Matvei Michkov and (most likely) Trevor Zegras at their disposal, and you see that Brink — as much as he is liked — might not have much of a future in Philadelphia’s top nine.

What makes Brink appealing​

When Bobby Brink entered the league, he was seen as a small forward who knew how to play one side of the puck. In his own end, he wasn’t exactly going to be mistaken for Sean Couturier. Brink had issues in terms of defensive coverage and simply having the will or smarts to retrieve pucks in his own end and make the necessary clears. The low point was when he was on the wrong end of a defensive miscue and screed from John Tortorella in a blowout against Tampa. Torts instructed him using different four-letter and seven-letter words to get to the bench and off the ice. Tortorella once even suggested Brink was averse to checking as he probably didn’t know how to spell the word. In short, he wasn’t doing much offensively and was becoming a defensive liability.

But all of that changed over time. Brink developed a work ethic that didn’t seem to gel with his physical stature. Whether it was body positioning, a willingness to finish his checks, or simply putting in the grunt work to win far more one-on-one puck battles than he lost, the forward’s game was enhanced. He wouldn’t be mistaken for a sniper like Foerster or Tippett, but he could be dependable when it came time to shutting down another line. As well, Brink will remain a restricted free agent at the end of this season when his two-year $3 million deal ($1.5 million average annual value) is done, so the Flyers (or some other team in a trade) will still retain his rights for his next contract.

So while there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of high-end talent that Brink has shown thus far, he remains a cheap, dependable winger that can fit into a variety of roles when called on. That makes parting with him difficult, but making him a bit more enticing as trade fodder for another club.

Is Brink a fit for the future?​

With the current depth on the wing, and the lack of centers that the Flyers currently have on their roster, Brink probably has a few things working against him through no fault of his own. For one, his size doesn’t exactly make him a power forward. Nor does it make him fourth-line material. A typical fourth-line player tends to be big, aggressive, not afraid of physicality but essentially spotted 10 to 12 minutes a night. It’s an energy line, and the type of line that Brink isn’t equipped for moving forward. He wouldn’t be a great fit along the likes of Nikita Grebenkin, Garnet Hathaway or Rodrigo Abols, among others.

Nor does his skill set put him at a level like Michkov, Foerster, Konecny, nor Tippett. Perhaps the biggest hurdle Brink has is trying to keep his spot in the lineup that should have Porter Martone arriving either in the latter stages of the 2025-26 season or next season barring injury. As well, Denver Barkey has definitely made inroads into keeping a spot the rest of this season and looking forward into next. Barkey has a small sample size — and seems to have hit a little bit of a wall lately — but he seems intent on ensuring he’s with the big club next October. Toss in others such as Phil Tomasino, Alexis Gendron, Alex Bump and others who are with Lehigh Valley, and the current horde of wingers the Flyers have becomes almost too much. It’s not that Brink isn’t currently better than some of those players mentioned, it’s just that he truly hasn’t distanced himself enough from a lot of current and foreseeable Flyer wingers.

If Brink remains with Philadelphia, chances are he’s not developing into a 30-goal or 35-goal scorer a few years from now. He would be useful in some respects, but if you’re looking at a contending team, he would be life and death to be in the top nine forwards. As a result, Philadelphia could be looking at trading Brink. The answer is when they might pull it off.

At the deadline? The Draft? The summer?​

It’s safe to say that Bobby Brink is going to be with the Flyers the rest of the season. Unless a deal falls on Flyers general manager Danny Briere’s lap that has him landing a quality, young high-end center in exchange for Brink and other pieces, a hockey trade at this time of the year seems a long shot. Especially given how many teams still believe they have a chance to make the playoffs. The handful of games between the end of the Olympic break and the deadline could be pivotal in seeing what Briere does and where the team stands. So, it would be a safe bet to suggest Brink will be with the club the rest of the season.

When the season concludes is where things get a bit more foggier. The Flyers could extend Brink for a Foerster-esque short-term bridge deal to see where he is and the team is in two seasons. Or, knowing a trading partner would have control of Brink for the foreseeable future, Philadelphia might kick the tires on a few teams to see if Brink is a piece that can land an asset or high-end draft pick. Again, Brink isn’t a guy that’ll see the Flyers jump several spots in the first round if they part with him in a trade, but a package with him and other parts could do the trick. However, much like the trade deadline, it seems like it’s a bit of a long shot.

If Brink is going to be moved, it’s probably going to be after free agency. It’s almost a given that Philadelphia will give Brink a qualifying offer before the June 30 deadline. They would be idiots to let him go to unrestricted free agency without the offer and lose him for nothing. Teams will have most of their rosters lined up for 2026-27 by then or at least see what holes need to be filled and start phoning other general managers. So while Brink and the Flyers could agree on an extension, it certainly wouldn’t mean Brink’s deal would come with a no trade or no movement clause. A 25-year-old forward on what should be a frugal cap hit could entice a team to take a chance on Brink, and in return the Flyers could be getting an asset for both now and down the road.

It’s hard to root against a smaller player like Bobby Brink who battles hard each game. He’s developed into a fan favorite of sorts for his work ethic. That said, it’s harder to see where he fits in the grand scheme of things as a Philadelphia Flyer, especially if they want to become contenders.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/bobby-brink-is-the-odd-winger-out-of-the-flyers-future/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Friday Morning Fly By: Free Travis

*The Canadian men and the American men kicked off yesterday — not against each other, mind you, they just both played — and it was a good start for both teams. Team USA defeated Latvia, to the surprise of noone. [ESPN]

*And Canada put up five on Lukas Dostal on their way to a shutout victory over Czechia. Maybe should’ve started Vladdy Daddy, hmm?? [Sportsnet]

*It’s so cool that Travis Sanheim is getting to live out his life-long dream of playing for Canada in the Olympics, isn’t it? [Inquirer]

*WELL RICK TOCCHET* SCRATCHED HIM AND HE DIDN’T PLAY AT ALL. Put him in, jerks! (*It wasn’t Rick Tocchet. This is a joke. Settle down.) [BSH]

*Anyway back to Dan Vladar, who also should be freed from his prison… he rules. And it was one little chat that may have helped motivate him to give the performance we’ve been seeing so far this season. [NBC Sports Philly]

*Looking ahead, we may find that it is Bobby Brink who finds himself as the first move to loosen up this logjam at wing that the Flyers have to clear. [BSH]

*And finally, we’re looking at numbers 20-22 — or 22-20, more accurately — in the latest edition of our 25 Under 25 series. [BSH]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/friday-morning-fly-by-free-travis/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers Top 25 Under 25, Winter 2026: #19-17

Welcome to the Philadelphia Flyers Top 25 Under 25 ranking, Winter 2026 edition. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be putting out our ranking of the, well, top 25 players in the Flyers organization who are under 25 years old. A total of 13 writers at Broad Street Hockey submitted ballots and here is the consensus ranking.

More and more of our rankings are being revealed and now we’re getting into the real meat of it. From here on, it really seems like it involves players who could play a role on the Flyers in the coming years. That, or have at least an elevated chance compared to more long-shot prospects or college graduates playing pro hockey at 23 years old.

Let’s get to it. And this time it’s talking about a trio of 19-year-olds.

19) Heikki Ruohonen​

Primary Team: Harvard University, NCAA
2025-26 Stats: 3 G, 13 Pts in 21 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: Unranked
Age: 19
Acquired: 4th-round pick (107th overall) in 2024 NHL Draft

Jacob (Ranked #22): The World Junior performance that Ruohonen was able to put together showcased the very best of his skillset. No one part of his game really stands out, but he stays ahead of the play and can play all three situations. He still lacks the x-factor skill that could propel him into NHL contention as soon as next year, but there is no doubt that he is ahead of schedule in his development as of right now. The rest of his freshman season at Harvard should be very interesting to watch.

Joe (Ranked #15): I’ve been a believer in Heikki “The Ruiner” Ruohonen for a while, ranking him 16 in our summer iteration of this list (and if he makes it to the NHL, we’ve gotta work to make that nickname stick). He’s having a fine rookie season at Harvard, but it’s his World Junior performance that stands out: he wore an “A” for the Finnish team, potting three goals and nine points in seven games–leading the Finns in scoring–and helping the team finish fourth in the tournament. For a fourth-round pick, that’s pretty good, and there are a lot of qualities to his game where you can see Ruohonen becoming a reliable, bottom-six center who plays with pace. He’s probably still a year or two from turning pro, but that’s okay–the Flyers can wait.

Another day another Heikki Ruohonen assist #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/MNqvht7Gf0

— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) January 5, 2026​

Brad (Ranked #16): Ruohonen is really intriguing to me because, in my opinion, it’s hard to pinpoint a real weakness in his game: he just seems to be solid all around. He’s not the fastest skater, but he’s not lagging behind. He’s shown some offensive creativity, especially at the WJC, and isn’t allergic to shooting the puck. He can be relied on defensively and, while he doesn’t hit everything that moves, he’s not averse. While certainly not a guarantee, he has a real shot at making the NHL, and if all goes well, he could end up being a third center who kills penalties and can maybe play up the lineup in a pinch. On the higher end of potential outcomes, I’m picturing Noah Cates, but a little more physical, and maybe not on the stats folks’ Selke ballots. Ruohonen could definitely be a riser by this time next year.

Cole (Ranked #16): Ruohonen’s really been a breakout in the Flyers system this year, and he’s really raised his chances of making it to the big club at some point down the line. After his draft, Ruohonen’s motor was never the question, it was everything else that needed to catch up. Well, over the course of the season at Harvard and at the World Juniors, he’s really made strides. He’s gotten so much stronger along the boards, is attempting and successfully completing creative offensive plays, and is reliable defensively. Since his breakout at the World Juniors, he’s registered 8 points in 9 games at Harvard and his offense continues to tick upwards. Lots to like, even if his upside is ultimately an effective bottom-six center.

18) Spencer Gill​

Primary Team: Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, QMJHL
2025-26 Stats: 0 G, 0 Pts in 2 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 18
Age: 19
Acquired: 2nd-round pick (59th overall) in 2024 NHL Draft

Joe (Ranked #19): It’s such a drag that Gill suffered an injury early in the season; it makes it difficult to judge what kind of player he’s going to be. He’s signed an ELC, too, so the NCAA route is closed to him next season. There’s still a lot of potential in the player–he’s a solid passer, has size, and is a coveted right-shot defenseman–but we’re left to measure his progress in only the 2024-25 season when he was still with Rimouski, before the trade to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. He’s quite young for his draft class (a mid-August birthday), so the runway’s still there, at least, but Gill’s going to be a project.

Brad (Ranked #19): As Joe said, Gill is a really difficult prospect to rank right now. With his size, position, and puck moving abilities, there’s a lot to like about him. However, the amount of time he’s missed is concerning, and who knows how missing that much time could affect his development. Blainville-Boisbriand did say that Gill is expected to return to the lineup this weekend, so hopefully he’ll be able to show us something and finish the season strong.

Jacob (Ranked #17): When Gill was selected in 2024, he immediately became one of the Flyers prospects that intrigued me the most. His ability to make up ground and deliver a good first pass at his 6 ‘4 frame would make him a tantalizing prospect if he was just able to stay on the ice. Injuries have hampered his development, and there is a chance that Gill may be lagging behind when compared to some other names in the Flyers system, but his skillset is so varied for a defenseman of his size, that he will stay on my version of this list indefinitely regardless of his injury history.

Cole (Ranked #19): I’ve been a massive fan of Spencer Gill since the Flyers drafted him in 2024, but man he can’t catch a break. Gill has been raved about in each development camp, and pretty much anytime Brent Flahr and the Flyers have seen him. Prior to his major injury this season, Gill was poised to be the breakout defenseman in the system this season. His combination of raw physical skills, smart use of his reach, and puck-moving abilities have all the makings of an NHL quality defenseman. I’d even argue there’s No. 4 upside with Gill, but that will all go to the wayside if he can’t figure out how to stay healthy.

17) Shane Vansaghi​

Primary Team: Michigan State University, NCAA
2025-26 Stats: 3 G, 9 Pts in 26 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 17
Age: 19
Acquired: 2nd-round pick (48th overall) in 2025 NHL Draft

Brad (Ranked #18): Vansaghi hasn’t had the bump in offensive production that we were hoping to see from him this season, but there is still a solid foundation here. He makes the majority of his impact on the forecheck and along the boards, with occasional offensive flashes. He plays a very heavy game, and with good defensive instincts, he’s a player with a really high floor. Until his offensive game picks up, his ceiling feels limited, but I do believe there’s an NHL player here. One interesting note on Vansaghi is that about midway through the season he switched wings (from right to left) and this switch hasn’t seemed to hurt his game at all. If anything, he’s been playing better since the change, with one of his better showings coming against Penn State two weeks ago. With the Flyers stacked on the right, Vansaghi having the flexibility to play either wing is certainly a plus.

#Flyers prospect Shane Vansaghi scored in MSU’s 4-3 OT loss vs. top-ranked Michigan.
pic.twitter.com/6naxo4v9yw

— Will James (@wmjsports) February 7, 2026​

Joe (Ranked #20): The Vansaghi pick was one of my favorites from the 2025 draft–a great selection in the middle of the second round. His season hasn’t gone quite according to play, playing a limited role for Michigan State, and he wasn’t that effective at the WJC, either, suiting up for only three games, scoring zero points, and carrying a minus-4 rating. I do think we’ll be seeing him turn pro sooner than later, though: he’s a sophomore this year, and at 6-foot-2 and 216 pounds has the physical tools to hold up in the pros. Most importantly, his game’s suited to a fourth-line role; he could get minutes in the NHL as a rookie that way, similar to how Nikita Grebenkin is being utilized this season. It’s easy to envision a world where Vansaghi’s a long-term replacement for Garnet Hathaway, and Vansaghi has enough skill and hockey sense on top of his high-end physicality to hope the ceiling’s even higher than that, so long as his skating improves. Easily one of my favorite prospects in the system.

Cole (Ranked #25): Truthfully, I think I ranked Vansaghi a good bit lower than I should have, especially considering Vansaghi’s likely NHL floor. At his best, Vansaghi likely tops out as a darn-good fourth line caliber player that can move up the lineup in a pinch if absolutely necessary. While he’s shown flashes in his offensive game this year, the offense has just been incredibly inconsistent so far. His point-per-game pace at Michigan State is less this year (.34) than it was in his freshman year (.43), and I think there’s legitimate worries that Vansaghi will never reach another gear offensively. We’ll see, but I think it’s been a somewhat disappointing year for Vansaghi relative to expectations after the draft.

Jacob (Ranked #18): Counter to what Cole just said, I’m starting to think that maybe I ranked Vansaghi too high. The other second round picks that the Flyers selected in that same draft, Jack Murtagh and Carter Amico, both fell below Vansaghi on my list, but realistically, they both probably have higher potential NHL ceilings than the MSU winger. His second full season at Michigan State has been similar to his freshman year production-wise, and while his heavy playstyle should be able to translate to the pro game… you’re left wondering what his ultimate NHL upside will be, especially for a team who already possesses a host of NHL caliber wingers.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/flyers-top-25-under-25-winter-2026-19-17/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Could the Flyers trade Emil Andrae at the deadline?

The NHL trade deadline always delivers a surprise or two, and with the Flyers stuck in a precarious situation, nothing can be ruled out. Could one of their young defensemen end up being the surprising move of the deadline?

Andrae’s rollercoaster tenure​

Philadelphia Flyers’ young 23-year-old defenseman Emil Andrae has had a tumultuous tenure over the past three seasons since being called up to the NHL. Since the 2023-24 season, Andrae has played 86 games over the three-season stretch. He hasn’t had a chance to stick as an everyday defenseman on a Flyers team that’s not very strong on the backend. The soon-to-be 24-year-old is a restricted free agent come season’s end; however, he is under team control until the 2029-30 season, when he could become an unrestricted free agent.

His time with the Flyers has been a bit of a roller coaster. Andrae has been sent up and down between AHL Lehigh Valley and the Flyers many times over the last three seasons, including the beginning of this season, where he started the season up in Allentown with the Phantoms.

Andrae fell out of favor with the previous coaching staff after having a solid start to last season. He was sent to the AHL in December of 2024, then was recalled in February of 2025 for a week, and then sent back down to Lehigh Valley again, then was recalled after the trade deadline and remained with the Flyers for the remainder of the season.

This season has been slightly more productive for Andrae, who currently has 11 points in 40 games and is a plus 11. Last season, in almost the same number of games, Andrae had 7 points in 42 games and was a minus 5. According to MoneyPuck, the 23-year-old defenseman is third on the team in On-Ice Goals percentage at 58.9 percent and ninth in On-Ice Expected Goals percentage at 51.9%.

However, he has been getting sheltered minutes on the second or third defensive pairings, while averaging just 16:54 time on ice, which ranks sixth among Flyers defensemen this season.

Where does he fit on the depth chart?​

The concern with Andrae moving forward isn’t about whether he can handle the NHL game; it’s where exactly he fits on this team long term. At 5-foot-9, Andrae doesn’t fit the physical profile the Flyers appear to be prioritizing along their blue line. He’s currently behind the Flyers’ other smaller defensemen – Jamie Drysdale, who is 5-foot-11, and Cam York, who is 6-foot – on the depth chart.

As of recent, Andrae hasn’t just fallen behind those two guys on the depth chart; he has been acting as the Flyers’ seventh defenseman in head coach Rick Tocchet’s system. Noah Juulsen played the last five games before the Olympic break over Andrae, who was a healthy scratch and watched from the press box. Tocchet noted the healthy scratching as an attempt to get Noah Juulsen into the lineup because of the Flyers’ struggling penalty kill; however, in those 5 games, Juulsen only saw 1 minute and 51 seconds of penalty kill time according to NHL stats. Has Andrae fallen out of favor with yet another Flyers coaching staff?

With Oliver Bonk, Ty Murchison, Helge Grans, and Christian Kyrou all pushing for an opportunity at the NHL level, the Flyers have a slight logjam of young defensemen pushing for one spot. And with Andrae – now three seasons and 80-plus games into his NHL tenure – could he be the guy the front office looks to move to clear a roster spot?

Andrae could be moved at the trade deadline, but a trade in the offseason seems more likely – especially with Ty Murchison being out for the season with an upper-body injury, and Oliver Bonk, Helge Grans, and Christian Kyrou still developing at the AHL level. It wouldn’t surprise me if, during the offseason, Andrae is packaged in a trade to try to acquire either a top 4 defenseman or a top 6 center – both of which the Flyers severely lack.

Whether it’s at the trade deadline or later this summer, Emil Andrae’s future with the Flyers hangs in the balance.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/could-the-flyers-trade-emil-andrae-at-the-deadline/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers Top 25 Under 25, Winter 2026: #22-20

Welcome to the Philadelphia Flyers Top 25 Under 25 ranking, Winter 2026 edition. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be putting out our ranking of the, well, top 25 players in the Flyers organization who are under 25 years old. A total of 13 writers at Broad Street Hockey submitted ballots and here is the consensus ranking.

In our second batch of young Flyers that we’re ranking, there’s a controversial goalie, a surprise college player that is turning into a solid pro, and someone as young as can be but not really shining in their freshman year.

It’s starting to get a little bit more fun to see where players land.

22: Aleksei Kolosov​

Primary Team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms, AHL
2025-26 Stats: .900 SV%, 2.75 GAA in 22 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: Unranked
Age: 24
Acquired: 3rd-round pick (78th overall) in 2021 NHL Draft

Maddie (Ranked #18) : I might have been a little bit dramatic last time around, and Kolosov dropped off my list entirely because as of the summer, I still wasn’t entirely convinced that he was going to show up for camp, and we might never see him again. So, with that in mind, credit to him for being a good sport and presumably coming to terms with his need for development at the AHL level, and between that and the good work he’s put in to advance his game this season, he’s returned to my list. That said, though, you’ll see that he’s ranked a decent bit lower than Carson Bjarnason for me, because I feel generally that Bjarnason’s been more consistent so far this season, and some of Kolosov’s focus issues (more on those later too) have placed a ceiling on my projection for him. But, of course, he’s still developing, so maybe that gets polished out down the line, but there’s still a lot of work left for him to do, by my estimation.

Thomas (Ranked #22): Kolosov has been on a reputation rollercoaster the last dozen months. As Maddie pointed out, he deserves at least some credit for finally realizing that he shouldn’t be so stubborn about being in the NHL, and should be in the AHL. He’s performed decently there for the Phantoms, but then also when he’s been needed by the Flyers this season it has been a disaster among disasters. He has claim to be the worst goaltender in the league statistically. He’s obviously still developing so there’s some faith that he figures it out and turns into someone capable of at least being an average backup.

Evan (Ranked #11): I’m not a huge Kolosov fan by any means, but I do have him much higher on my list than I think I realized. We’ve seen probably the worst case scenario play out for him over the last two years, and I think it’s left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth. This season, he’s got better numbers than the other goalies in Lehigh Valley and taken the majority of the starts, and is clearly the next goalie in line to take NHL games when injuries arise to the Dan Vladar and Sam Ersson duo. He’s had decent NHL minutes this season. Just by organizational pecking order and proximity to the NHL, I ranked him higher than many of the college or junior players, even if there’s more questions about his true upside. The goaltending carousel in Philadelphia is a wild ride.

21: Ty Murchison​

Primary Team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms, AHL
2025-26 Stats: 2 G, 6 Pts in 29 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: Unranked
Age: 23
Acquired: 5th-round pick (158th overall) in 2021 NHL Draft

Maddie (Ranked #20) : I’ve really grown to be a big fan of Murchison’s game. I find that I’m often naturally a little leery of purported stay-at-home defensemen, because I think sometimes that designation can be a mask for mobility issues that will ultimately hold the player back at the pro levels. So I had that concern in the back of my mind after his signing, but it turns out it wasn’t really needed. There was a bit of an adjustment period that he had to work through early on, but I was really impressed by how quickly Murchison was able to settle into the pro game and carve out an everyday role for himself with the Phantoms. It’s really a shame that his season’s maybe more or less done due to an injury he took last month, but all the same, there’s a lot of reason for optimism about his potential to push for an NHL job before too terribly long.

Thomas (Ranked #20): This might be so much recency bias, but Murchison impressed me as someone who I had zero expectations for. I didn’t even think the Flyers were going to sign him and he was going to head into unrestricted free agency after graduating last year. To then turn it around and become, in my mind, the top defenseman in the “young but limited ceiling” group with Hunter McDonald and Helge Grans, is a good sign. That’s why he earned a vote on my ballot and not just one at the bottom but fairly solid considering who else is around here.

Evan (Unranked): I’m not sure if anyone really saw Murchison coming into the NHL this season, and looking like he belongs, at that. It’s a shame his season appears to be over. However, I don’t see a long-term spot for him on the NHL roster, nor do I think the organization is all that committed to creating one. I don’t have him ranked, but if he comes back and has a good start to the season next year, he could absolutely play himself into some kind of injury call-up role, and you could certainly do a lot worse. I would really like to see him back again; there’s just so many defensemen and so little time to go around.

20: Jack Murtagh​

Primary Team: Boston University, NCAA
2025-26 Stats: 4 G, 7 Pts in 28 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: N/A
Age: 18
Acquired: 2nd-round pick (40th overall) in 2025 NHL Draft

Maddie (Unranked) : It’s been a tough year for Murtagh. The jump to the college level is definitely a big one, and he’s been struggling a bit to settle in at that level, but that adjustment also really hasn’t been made much easier by how much BU has been struggling this season. He’s been used pretty sparingly this season (generally around 10 minutes or so, but sometimes even less), so it’s been hard to see a whole ton of undoubtedly positive development from him. Of course, I still like Murtagh as a prospect and I think there’s a lot of potential there, but the prospect pool is a crowded one, and it was tough for me personally to keep him on my list ahead of some of the more known commodities.

Thomas (Ranked #23): In my mind, this is a wait-and-see vote. I like Murtagh and think that he’s a very solid prospect as a plus skater with a solid shot and work ethic. Right now, there isn’t much to go off of as he’s in his freshman year, but considering just how poorly everything is going at Boston University (as Maddie mentioned) and his limited role, I will give him some grace. While he’s at No. 23 on my list now, I suspect this time next year or even two years from now as he’s scoring more than a point per game in college and eyeing the pros at 20 years old (or so), he will be in the upper half.

Evan (Unranked): Murtagh is also a too-early-to-rank guy for me. I liked the pick at the time, and I’m not writing him off yet. He’s got two goals and no assists since the end of October, and I know the ice time isn’t there, but it’s hard to put much stock into him at the moment. My favorite highlight of his this year was when he was caught on an odd-man rush and tried to javelin his stick down the ice to his unarmed defenseman, which failed, while the opponents scored. I like guys who have a little creativity. He’s got the skill, we just need a little more ice time next season.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/flyers-top-25-under-25-winter-2026-22-20/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Takeaways: Ivan Fedotov and the Cleveland Monsters mash the Phantoms 5-2

The Cleveland Monsters had a rough first period but were the better team on Saturday night, defeating the host Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4-2 in the return of Phantoms winger Alex Bump from injury.

The basics​

First period: 0:53- Will Butcher (Justin Pearson, Mikael Pyyhtia), 8:34- Oscar Eklind (Zayde Wisdom, Garrett Wilson), 18:25- Tucker Robertson (Unassisted)
Second period: 6:36- Mikael Pyyhtia (Luca Del Bel Belluz, Luca Marrelli) (PPG), 7:19- Hunter McKown (Unassisted), 12:45- Justin Pearson (Corson Ceulemans) (SHG)
Third period: 19:52- Brendan Gaunce (unassisted) (EN)
SOG: 35 (LHV) – 28 (CLE)

Some takeaways​

Bump returns

Phantoms winger Alex Bump returned to the lineup, playing on the top line and not simply sliding him back into action gradually. Bump, who hadn’t played in 17 of the last 18 games for Lehigh Valley, found his footing in the first, having a great shift midway through the first alongside Phil Tomasino. Bump, who was on the ice for Cleveland’s opening goal, got a good wrister off but Fedotov made the save. In a subsequent shift a wrister on Fedotov’s stick side just missed the mark.

Bump took an elbowing penalty in the second while trying to move the puck. As the game went along, Bump seemed to be a step off, still obviously getting some of the rust off while trying to help the Phantoms get back in the game. In the end Bump was held off the scoresheet, getting two shots on goal to go with two minutes in penalties.

Rough night for Kyrou

Although he was the Phantoms’ All-Star representative, defenseman Christian Kyrou had a game he would probably like to forget. While he had some shifts that showed his offensive skills, he was on the wrong side of the puck more often than not on this evening. Kyrou had no shots on goal and was a -3 35 minutes into the game.

Ginning still going good

Adam Ginning might not have a lot of flash to his game, but he sometimes has a shift that makes you realize he’s got a good toolbox. Midway through the first, Ginning started up ice but didn’t see what he liked. Part of it was a line change, but the other part was that he didn’t see anything other than a high-risk, low-percentage play. So, he simply turned backed and reset, something a lot of defenders might not have the patience to do. Again, not a huge game-changing play, but just a subtle but smart play from a blueliner who could find himself back up in Philadelphia should they get hit with some injuries on the back end. Ginning had three of the Phantoms’ 15 shots through 20 minutes.

Monster game for Fedotov?

Former Flyers backup Ivan Fedotov was shipped off to Columbus prior to the season getting underway. Now he finds himself in Cleveland, the farm club for the Blue Jackets. But he wasn’t on the wrong end of a bad goal to start the game. Lehigh Valley starter Carson Bjarnason let in a rather soft goal when Cleveland defenseman Will Butcher took a shot from a very low danger area and somehow beat him high and clean. Definitely not a good way to begin the weekend.

Fedotov was fine in the first but the Phantoms kept coming. Finally, with under two minutes in the first, Phantoms winger Tucker Robertson made a fabulous play, roofing the puck over the lanky Fedotov to give Lehigh Valley a 2-1 lead. It took a few seconds to realize the goal was scored as it was lodged in the twine just under the bar.

Tucker, that was NASTYYYY#LVvsCLE | #LVPhantoms pic.twitter.com/ubf2j1OadS

— Lehigh Valley Phantoms (@LVPhantoms) February 15, 2026

Fedotov looked like he was going to have to make between 35 to 40 stops given how dominating Lehigh Valley was in the first. However, the following 25 minutes the Phantoms had just six shots on goal.

Slow start for Phantoms

The Monsters took it to the Phantoms early and often, resulting in a bit of a shooting gallery in the Lehigh Valley zone. Some of the shots went wide, some were blocked, but Bjarnason had to come up with a few stops to prevent Lehigh Valley digging themselves an early hole. Fortunately, the Phantoms tied things up roughly nine minutes into the first when Oscar Eklind got the rebound and buried it by Fedotov to make it a 1-1 contest. It wasn’t a work of art. But by getting to the dirty areas, the Phantoms were rewarded for some hard work and winning puck battles.

Eklind on the REBOUND! #LVvsCLE | #LVPhantoms pic.twitter.com/CIdqwOaE44

— Lehigh Valley Phantoms (@LVPhantoms) February 15, 2026

The goal also seemed to settle down Lehigh Valley (sporting orange jerseys with jersey numbers you could probably see from Philadelphia) as they were outshooting the Monsters 10-4 in the latter stages of the opening frame.

Special teams

The first power play of the game was early in the second when Lehigh Valley’s Helge Grans took a cross-checking minor. The Phantoms moved from the box to diamond and bent a bit but didn’t break. Bjarnason’s best save was on Luca Del Bell Belluz who took a wrist shot from the point. The keeper didn’t handle the rebound cleanly but got it out of harm’s way. While killing the minor, the Phantoms looked to be on their heels early in the second as Cleveland took the first five shots of the period.

Minutes later, the Monsters got their second man advantage and again seemed to be working well as a unit, not getting out of position but not allowing many seam passes. However they couldn’t keep the unit tight, resulting in Cleveland’s Mikael Pyyhtia having a rather easy one-timer to tie the game 2-2. And seconds later, Cleveland took the lead on a horrible giveaway from Grans. Hunter McKown grabbed the puck and beat Bjarnason clean for a 3-2 lead.

The Phantoms got their first power play when Hunter McDonald was tripped up going back for a puck in his own zone. The much-needed advantage — particularly for a team still looking for its first shot of the period — had a fine set play off the bat. Christian Kyrou started some pretty passing but it didn’t materialize into a goal. Unfortunately, seconds later Bjarnason made a bad read on a clearing attempt. And it bit him big time. Cleveland scored a momentum-changing goal short-handed courtesy of Justin Pearson, giving themselves a bit of leeway with a two-goal lead.

Late in the second, the Phantoms got another power play. Anthony Richard made a great individual effort but couldn’t cut the two-goal deficit in half before the buzzer sounded.

Shut down third

The final period was pretty much a clinic from Cleveland who shut down Lehigh Valley most of the period. Phil Tomasino had the best chance of the period but Fedotov was there to make the stop when required. The Phantoms showed some urgency in the final minutes of the third. But by then it was too little too late. With under four minutes to go, Lehigh Valley pulled Bjarnason for an extra attacker. They threw a lot of rubber on Fedotov in a flurry, but couldn’t get anything by him.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...the-cleveland-monsters-mash-the-phantoms-4-2/