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[Philadelphia Flyers]

How Zegras trade could shape Flyers’ draft plans

Before this week, it seemed as if the Philadelphia Flyers were going to have one mission entering the 2025 NHL Entry Draft: stockpile center after center.

With seven picks in the first two rounds at the time, there was no doubt that at least four of those selections were going to be used on players who have at least a chance at developing into an NHL center. But the hockey world is always moving, and GM Daniel Briere felt as if there was an opportunity to acquire a depressed asset, (in this case, that may have been literal) and pounced.

The skilled Trevor Zegras comes to town after a down couple of seasons with the Ducks, with Ryan Poehling, a second-round pick (No. 45) in the 2025 NHL Draft, and a fourth-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft going the other way. This move signals the Flyers’ understanding that stockpiling potential high-end talent is the way to take a step forward, but in bringing in a 24-year old with some development time still to go, there could be an aftershock that alters the way the front office and scouting department approach their draft strategy.

Firstly, there is the matter of one less second round pick, with No. 45 now belonging to the Ducks, the Flyers are left with just a measly six picks in the first two rounds, three in the first, and three in the second.

That’s a lot of pretty premium selections, and as a team that basically needs whatever stars they can get, they can definitely afford to spread the wealth and feel pressured into focusing on one specific position. But that being said, with the most expensive and highly sought after position (besides goalie, which is another story) being the number one center spot, the Flyers front office was probably leaning towards drafting a potential 1C with their first pick at number six.

With the acquisition of Zegras giving them another younger project to look at up the middle, they may feel as if there is less pressure to immediately try and draft the first-line center of the future at the six spot. Perhaps, this move opens up the potential of drafting a name like Porter Martone; a big, skilled winger who has slid slightly on draft boards largely due to the fact that he doesn’t play center. Martone would fit seamlessly beside any of the Flyers’ young centers as a big man that loves the front of the net and can keep up with a high pace of play.

Maybe Briere and Co. take a stance that hinges more on finding dominant, powerful wingers that supplement the smaller centers they currently have, with Zegras joining Jett Luchanko in having builds that more closely resemble that of the author of this article rather than, say, Aleksander Barkov. Names like Nickals Backstrom and Nick Suzuki come to mind as two peak scenarios for each of those players, and size on a line is ultimately still size, not every center needs to be a hulking beast as long as some bang and crash is still present. While the need is still obviously present, there’s a chance the Flyers may just lean towards the best player available.

Not taking a center with the opening first round pick would have ripple effects across the rest of the Flyers’ first round, and would drastically increase the likelihood of the Briere and Co. looking towards more established center-ice names like Braeden Cootes, William Horcoff, and Cole Reschny with pick No. 22.

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James Hagens has been a hot topic leading up to draft day, and it’s easy to see why. The shifty and dynamic forward out of Boston College was viewed as one of the most hyped-up prospects in hockey before last season began, but after a less-than-stellar season in the NCAA, has slipped from #1, to #3, to now being a real option for the Flyers at No. 6.

Acquiring Zegras shouldn’t really have any effect on whether or not the Flyers take Hagens, but it is fair to make the observation that if they do, they would be adding two American LW/C-type players who both have fantastic puck skills and more slender frames. That’s not a bad thing! They both have very elite qualities, and may both be fantastic NHLers in their own right. Zegras, to his credit, already has been that, at least in stretches. Doubling up your bets on high-end talent is never a bad thing, and it would give the Flyers prospect pool a shot of potential excellence that it has lacked recently.

But this is the NHL, and size and snarl have become increasingly key buzzwords, especially in the aftermath of the Florida Panthers slithering their way to another Stanley Cup. There will no doubt be some apprehension among some members of the Flyers’ brass about, if Hagens is to slide, whether or not they are building a team that is simply too small. With Konecny, Brink, and Michkov all roster locks, the Flyers would already have three forwards who are 5-foot-10 or shorter right off the bat. Add in the 5-foot-9 Jakob Pelletier, who will likely make the opening night roster at the very least, and that makes it four of 12 who would conventionally be considered “small” by NHL standards.

Hagens is just about 5-foot-11 in his own right, add that to Zegras having a pretty average build at 6-foot flat and 185 pounds, and the simple fact is that a professional hockey team is probably going to take size into effect somewhere down the line. Prospects like Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk, and the aforementioned Luchanko aren’t very big either, and even if you disregard the size argument entirely, there is merit to having different archetypes of player littered throughout the system, that fact alone was basically the sole rationale behind the Jack Berglund selection in last year’s second round.

That being said, even when looking at the big bad Panthers roster that just recently conquered the NHL, the biggest names on their forward corps, outside of the all important Barkov, are depth names like Tomas Nosek, A.J. Greer, and Jonah Gadjovich. While some of their most important players, those who gave them their trademark edge like Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, and Sam Bennett, are among some of the smaller players on the roster. They just play big, where their roster was really huge was on the back end, which isn’t exactly a new phenomenon. And so, perhaps the real takeaway that teams should learn from Florida is more based in mentality or structure, rather than their raw physical attributes. Chances are, it’s a bit of both.

So with Zegras now in the fold, perhaps names like Martone, the polarizing spark plug Brady Martin, or Jake O’Brien, who has a bit more stature despite being young for his draft year, become more appealing by default. It remains to be seen if the Flyers truly decide to flip the script entirely come June 27, but they’ve definitely shook things up, and made their first-round selections a whole lot more interesting.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...-zegras-trade-could-shape-flyers-draft-plans/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

What Flyers AGM Brent Flahr had to say about Flyers’ 2025 NHL Draft

Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr met with the media Saturday afternoon after Philadelphia made their last draft selection. Here’s what he had to say about both days and the Flyers’ selections.

On whether size was something the Flyers were focusing on:

We were conscious of it, but to be honest with you those picks came kind of back to back to back, we weren’t just going for size. With the players we targeted, it was more a coincidence that all of them have to be that size. It’s certainly something that we’re not against.

On moving two spots back in the second round:

No actually we had a couple of players we were going to be happy with, we got to move up significantly from the third to the second which allowed us to get another player we were happy with. So for two spots we felt it was worth it.

On whether the aspect of a high compete level factored largely into their selections:

For sure. You watch the playoffs, it’s a grrind. To get to the NHL you have to have a tremendous work ethic. Then to be able to have success in it you got to have that side of it. The guys we drafted, it’s part of what we want, it’s part of what Tocchet wants, it’s part of what Danny and Jonesy wants. We want competitive people and I think we did a pretty good job of that today.

On whether Florida’s success in the playoffs had an impact in how teams drafted:

It’s more of a stylistic thing that they’ve got. I think size has always been a factor in the playoffs for years. The way they play they’ve kind of perfected it. So you got to be able to combat that. But there’s different teams who play in the NHL that, whether it’s speed or whatnot, the playoff hockey is a grind. And size certainly helps.

On how much Carter Amico’s injury played in him not going in the first round:

All of it, pretty much all of it. I was lucky enough to see him a number of times early before the injury. I was at the game where he actually reinjured it. The medical reports we got and our staff was able to examine it further. You can talk to him in development camp but basically the previous surgery didn’t take. He’s had it redone, it was successful and our doctors are confident it’s going to be good to go.

On Shane Vansaghi and Matthew Gard being high motor players and if that played a factor:

Well Vansaghi if you had a chance to watch him at Michigan State this year, he gets that whole arena going. A big, big kid. He plays a certain way and there’s not a lot of players like him in this draft or any draft. I think he’s got some work to do to get to the NHL. But once he does I think he’ll be a fan favorite. He’ll be a very welcomed teammate.

On Max Westergard’s play:

Obviously our European guys followed him closely, he had a very good tournament in Texas too, the U-18s. He’s a talented kid. Obviously on the other side with his size he’s not the biggest, he’s going to have to put on some weight and get stronger. He’s quick, he’s got skill, he can create offense by himself. So at that point we thought it was a value pick.

On Porter Martone and what made the Flyers take him despite having several wingers:

He’s a guy who’s name has been arounnd for a while. I’ve seen a lot of him while he was an underage. Just the whole complete package as far as his size, skill, hockey sense. He’s got juice, he’s always engaged around the net, stirring it up and driving people crazy. He’s got that edge but more importantly his skill set is high end when it comes to offense, his ability on the power play to break things down and create things. He does things that a lot of guys can’t. It’s just one of those things where he’s too talented to pass up on.

On whether Jack Nesbitt’s play brings to mind Jett Luchanko’s play in the second half of 2024 and if that factored into trading up for him:

Well Jack actually had a pretty steady year, he had more opportunity and ice time as the season went on. He was a guy who was pretty good throughout. I think initially he was more used in defensive situations, which, for a young player, his details are very good. Then they got him on the power play and he was very good in his net front presence role, retrieving pucks, tips. But he’s a smart player. As for his size he’s going to have to grow into his body. When I watch him play the only thing that I see missing is strength, that’s something that he can work on, it just takes some time.

He was good in the second half and in the end there his team was so banged up he played every second shift for the last series and a half. He was pretty much gassed by the end of it. He’s a guy we’re really excited about, the whole staff in general.

On how the Flyers would rate the draft:

Good, we’re elated with the first round. And the second round, the way it turned out we were very happy. We got a number of players. (Jack) Murtagh we all liked across the board, the staff. He can play a lot of different ways, he can score, he can really skate, he’s competitive, he can bang, crash, go to the net and do all of these things. He’s a terrific kid. But through the second round we were happy with Gard, and obviously Vansaghi. It was a little dull for a couple of rounds and slow-going. But we added a couple of guys, guys that we have time for and we’re excited for at that point in the draft. But as we stated before, at the draft there’s a fall off point. But we got a few guys we threw darts (on). We have some assets and hopefully they have a chance to play down the road.

On whether Martone is close and if other prospects are going to need a little more time:

Certainly Porter is closer than most just because of his experience, he has a late birthday and a bit older but also he’s very experienced. His game is probably a little more mature. He’s got some things to work on in terms of strength and conditioning and that which he’ll do like any young player. Even playing with the men at the end and he elevated his game. Junior sometimes can be a little easier for guys like him. But when you saw he was playing with men he knew where he had to go and move his feet and play with pace. He excelled.

On Amico and Vansaghi being big and strong now and whether that makes them closer to the NHL:

As far as Amico I think he’s naturally a huge human being. I think he’s still got some things to work on and he’s going to college so it’ll take time to round out his game. He needs reps because obviously he missed some time this year which is never good for any young player. But he’s going to be lots here his next couple of years.

Vansaghi is probably a different story. I don’t think he knows he’s ever going to play a different way. I think he’s going to have a more offensive role year this year. He’s a really young guy for college hockey this year. He finds a way to impact games. The way he plays now is probably similar to the way he’ going to play in the NHL. He’s an animal in the gym so you can’t take that away, you can’t punish him for that, that’s for sure.

On Matthew Gard:

Well he’s another player in Red Deer which wasn’t the strongest team. So he was forced to defend a lot. He’s another big kid with a body type like Nesbitt, he’s going to have to fill out and get stronger the next few years. He projects to be a very good skater and responsible defensively and more offense then he was able to show in situations this year. He’s a competitive kid, he’s got an edge. He’s in a good environment where he’s going to play a lot. We’ll see. It should be a good year for him.

On if Martone and Michkov gives the Flyers great depth on the right side:

I do and I think with Porter he could play his off side on the power play for sure. It should be a pretty good tandem. But I’m pretty sure whatever side he’s on he’s pretty capable.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...flahr-had-to-say-about-flyers-2025-nhl-draft/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers getting high marks from experts for 2025 NHL Draft

The Philadelphia Flyers had seven picks in the first two rounds 10 days before this weekend’s NHL Draft. After landing Porter Martone, trading up to get Jack Nesbitt, and making some more moves in the second round (Jack Murtagh, Carter Amico, Shane Vansaghi and Matthew Gard), the Flyers ended up receiving some high praise from those in the know regarding the annual draft. Here then is a round-up of what some were saying regarding what Danny Briere, Brent Flahr and the scouting staff were able to achieve Friday night and Saturday.

Corey Pronman, The Athletic:​

“The Flyers got Porter Martone with their first pick. He was my third-rated player overall in the draft, and someone who I think, despite his subpar skating, has the makings of a potential first-line winger with size. They then proceeded to trade up to pick Jack Nesbitt. I’m a fan of Nesbitt’s game. I agree with their assessment that he could be a second-line center, again with size, even if I wouldn’t have traded up to get him; I do understand their pressing need for centers, though. Those were two premium pieces Philadelphia acquired early on Day 1. The Flyers added a lot of size in this draft overall, but they picked big guys who can legit play. Carter Amico and Matthew Gard are highly athletic. Shane Vansaghi is very skilled. Martone and Nesbitt project as important players for this team, but they have a really good chance to get a third useful NHL player from their Day 2 picks.”

Flyers Draft Grade: A

Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff​

“Talk about getting tougher to play against. Nesbitt, Amico, Shane Vansaghi and Matthew Gard are absolute physical beasts, and Martone can flatten guys if he needs to, as well. I love Martone, because while they didn’t get their main positional need at No. 6 – a center – they got the best winger, who happened to be the best player available at the time. Amico could be a graet value pick at No. 38 – he missed most of the season due to an injury, but he’s an absolute unit. Nesbitt can be the team’s No. 3 center, while Vansaghi and Gard are going to be miserable to contain.”

Flyers Draft Grade: A+

Kyle Cushman, The Score​

The Flyers’ prospect pool lacked size, and they certainly addressed that by adding 6-foot-3 Martone, 6-foot-5 Nesbitt, 6-foot-6 Amico, and more later in the draft. Martone has thrilling potential with his playmaking. Trading up for Nesbitt was rich. Vansaghi is a menace on the forecheck. Philadelphia eventually becomes harder to play against with this kind of draft class.

Flyers Draft Grade: B+

Scott Wheeler, The Athletic​

They clearly set out with a plan with their six picks in Rounds 1-2 and accomplished it by adding size/strength at each of them. I didn’t love the Nesbitt and Amico picks, which I think come with some risk, but I liked the other four and Martone’s a big deal.

Flyers Draft Grade: “Overtime Winner”

Mary Clarke, USA Today
(grading drafting of Martone and Nesbitt in Round 1)​

Martone’s stock was rising ahead of the draft due to his unique skillset of being a power forward who can play hard and beat opponents with skill. It’s a bit surprising he fell to No. 6 to the Flyers, but he’ll slide in along nicely with Matvei Michkov, Trevor Zegras and the rest of Philadelphia’s young, but talented core.

Grade: A-

A trade! The Flyers traded the Penguins their two remaining first round picks in this draft to take big center Jack Nesbitt. This also feels like a reach, as Nesbitt could have been available in the early 20s when the Flyers were drafting next, but he’s a solid two-way center that helps Philadelphia fill out the center position.

Grade: B

Nicholas Nathanson, Bleacher Report​

The Philadelphia Flyers are getting an absolute steal in Porter Martone. Martone, the No. 3 prospect per B/R’s final board, possesses an incredible offensive skill set. He tallied 98 points in 57 games with the Brampton Steelheads of the OHL this past season. However, the one concern is his pattern of hovering around the zone. To an extent, he’ll need to become a bit more aggressive on both ends, but the result is still a massive win.

Flyers Draft Grade: A

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/flyers-getting-high-marks-for-2025-nhl-draft/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Evaluating the Flyers’ 2025 NHL Draft

That’s a wrap on the 2025 NHL Draft. It was a bit of a wild one for the Flyers, with a bit of trading done and still a number of big additions made. At the end of the day, we saw nine new players added into the mix, making up a class which the national pundits are overwhelmingly viewing in a positive light.

But how do we, the in-market, foremost experts on the team feel about how things went? Honestly still largely the same, but let’s still get into it.

The Breakdown​

Porter Martone (Round 1, Pick 6)
RW, Brampton (OHL), 6’3, 205lbs
EP weigh in: While Martone is known as a power forward, it’s more accurate to describe him as a playmaker. The patterns of the game seem imprinted in his mind. Constantly scanning the ice and knowing his teammates’ tendencies, system’s rotations, and the expected movements of defenders, he stays connected with linemates, avoids coverage, and puts himself in advantageous spots to make the next play. He builds deft passing plays, moves ahead of the opposition, and preys on defenders’ and goalies’ expectations, manipulating them to open up great scoring possibilities.

The Martone pick, in short, feels like a slam dunk. We could quibble about the Flyers leaving James Hagens on the board despite being in pretty desperate need of centers, but the truly high-end player that they got in Martone softens that blow. Martone brings a stellar mix of power, pace (if not outright scorching speed), and slipperiness which allows him to be both incredibly successful as both an individual chance creator but also as a playmaker. His frame is also pretty close to professional ready, and while conversations will be open about letting him make a run at making the team out of camp, taking the more patient approach with him (especially if the rumors are true that he intends to leave the OHL and head to Penn State this season) might not be the worst thing. All the same, the Flyers still got themselves one of the more pro-ready players in this class, and that makes him even more exciting.

And, all told, as much as the Flyers do need help down the middle, they also still need a boost generally of high-end players to put them over the edge, and Martone certainly brings that.

Jack Nesbitt (Round 1, Pick 12)
C, Windsor (OHL), 6’5, 185lbs
EP weigh in: Nesbitt brings a 6-foot-4 frame, defensive abilities, and sense. He generates chances by breaking plays on the forecheck with precise stick work and by engaging players with his body, bouncing them off the puck.

While the Martone pick was an easy, hugely exciting one, something more curious unfolded with their second pick of the night. The Flyers packaged their 22nd and 31st overall picks in a trade with the Penguins to move all the way up to the 12th spot, and spent that pick on Jack Nesbitt.

And in the moment, this felt like a big surprise. Nesbitt seemed like an option that might well have been there for the Flyers when they got to 22, but something moved them to get aggressive to move up to grab him early (very early, one might argue). Now, it’s no question why the Flyers would find Nesbitt an attractive get — he adds a ton more size to their leaned undersized center pool, while bringing some physicality and sound two-way play. He’s already well projectable as a third line center, with the potential to outperform that projection if he can make some major strides in improving his skating game. And it’s commendable that they found their guy and stuck to their plan, making an aggressive play to go get him. But was it too aggressive, given the cost and the value of the player? Time will tell.

Carter Amico (Round 2, Pick 38)
RHD, USNTDP, 6’5, 225lbs
EP weigh in: An aggressive, agile defenceman, Amico’s range is nearly unmatched. When he surfs into opponents, he completely erases the middle and then crushes the opponent into the wall. He clears the front of the net with vitriol and then gets play moving the other way. He fakes forecheckers with his edges, then looks into or across the middle for a high-value breakout play.

With their third pick of the draft and their first of the second round, the Flyers completed something of a trifecta of Big Boys. For their first defenseman taken in that draft, the Flyers picked up Amico, who plays a heavy, physical game, but still brings a nice enough blend of elusiveness and a bit of finesse. There’s some nastiness here, to be sure, but he brings enough skill to allow him to beat opponents in a number of ways. And this pick lines up well with an emphasis we saw from the Flyers in last year’s draft as well — they want to add size particularly on the back end. They’re stocking up nicely in this area, but did well in picking up Amico to add a player who brings a whole lot more than just his size.

Jack Murtagh (Round 2, Pick 40)
C/LW, USNTDP, 6’1, 198lbs
EP weigh in: An explosive winger, Murtagh powers past – and through – opponents with explosive strides. If there’s a puck battle, he’s involved, throwing hits, digging under sticks, and popping right back up after getting knocked down. He sticks with every play and never gets deterred. Turning puck battles into chances, Murtagh always looks off the wall after winning possession. He powers through contact to unleash quick-release wristers with his feet moving

The Flyers got back to adding to their forward group with their second pick of the second round, but stuck around in pulling from the NTDP for the second pick in a row. With Murtagh, they got a solid center/wing pivot who plays a hard nosed, powerful game. He’s the tenacious type of player that one could see fitting in nicely with the group of forwards they’re assembling both in the pipeline and with their young core at the NHL level (while also giving them a bit more of that much-coveted size). Murtagh was projected by some to go earlier in the 30s, so the Flyers end up with good value, picking him up with the 40th overall pick.

Shane Vansaghi (Round 2, Pick 48)
RW, Michigan State (NCAA), 6’3, 212lbs
EP weigh in: After breaking plays and getting some space in the neutral zone, Vansaghi carries the puck in, dangles around defenders, and fires a missile to the top of the net. He bypasses sticks in his firing motion, dragging the puck toward him to release or aiming through defenders. On top of those skills, Vansaghi also has his moments as a playmaker, landing passes in transition and from below the goal line. Even under heavy pressure, he seems to retain an awareness of the ice and an ability to add a touch of deception to his feeds. Instantly after the pass, he gets open for a return feed, showing an above-average tactical understanding of the game.

It is, in short, a total shock that the Flyers were still able to pick up Vansaghi with the 48th pick. Combining his player profile (bringing a combination of size, power, physicality, and dynamism of offensive production) with the head start he’s gotten in his development in having made the jump to the college level with Michigan State this season, Vansaghi seemed to be rising on a lot of boards on those last few weeks leading up to the draft, but inexplicably (as seems to happen with some players every year) found himself falling when the day ultimately came. It’s a shame for him, we suppose, but it’s a great value that the Flyers have gotten, as they’ve addressed their size desire with a player who will also give their offensive game a big boost.

Matthew Gard (Round 2, Pick 57)
C, Red Deer (WHL), 6’3, 198lbs
EP weigh in: Proactive and calculated, Gard gets above the puck, guides attacks to the outside, clamps down on sticks, and supports down low. In the rare instance he’s not already positioned perfectly, his open-ice speed and reach propel him back into the play. And he’s just as effective on the forecheck, combining these same skills with physicality.

This final pick of the second round, though, is a little less flashy. They certainly add a good bit more size into the mix with this pick as well — are we detecting a theme here? — but there’s a good and solid game to be found here too. Gard plays, generally speaking, a good support style of game, checking well and creating space to set up his teammates for chances, and, what’s more, looks pretty projectable to stick down the middle. His game might not dazzle, but it brings a high floor and looks like it could serve well to click with some more shoot-first style wingers. It’s another size pick, to be sure, but a size plus some additional offensive skill pick, so at least there’s that.

Max Westergard (Round 5, Pick 132)
LW/RW, Frolunda (J20 Nationell), 5’11, 168lbs
EP weigh in: Wherever Max Westergård goes, he finds ways to produce. He’s a productive two-way winger whose offence flows through his off-puck instincts and ability to anticipate. He shows a strong inside drive in all situations, which helps his teammates too as he can give them space behind him. He goes in first in battles and is relentless in his will to win the puck.

We’re getting into more of the lottery ticket part of the draft here, but Westergard remains an interesting pick here. One of the youngest players in the draft, and already having shown some promise in limited SHL minutes at the end of this past season, the Flyers are making something of an upside bet on Westergard. He plays an uptempo, hard checking, defensively minded style that aligns nicely with what they look to be building towards at the NHL level. Obviously he’s a long ways away from getting into that mix — and indeed, it remains to be seen whether he’ll put it all together enough to become a good pro in North America — but the Flyers are taking the chance that they can get a little more out of him, given the extra developmental runway he has, which might well be a good bet.

Luke Vlooswyk (Round 5, Pick 157)
RHD, Red Deer (WHL), 6’5, 201lbs
EP weigh in: Defending the rush, Vlooswyk’s mobility, stick work, and instincts shine. He catches opponents with his feet moving after waiting for them to enter his space, never overextending. He excels at tying up opponents and taking them into the wall, immobilizing them and freeing possession.

Vlooswyk is another size-first pick, and the Flyers are getting a quite raw defender, but one who has the chance to develop into a good shutdown defender, if things break his way and he can keep developing on his more raw tools. We don’t have too much more of a breakdown on this pick other than we suppose it’s good that they made sure to get one more defenseman and didn’t leave it at just Amico, and it’s certainly another datapoint that tells us that size was a target in this draft.

Nathan Quinn (Round 6, Pick 164)
C, Quebec (QMJHL), 5’11, 172lbs
EP weigh in: A net-driver, Quinn creates space in the slot with his body, taking the inside lane to the goalie to catch passes and fire. He can pass the puck off the boards and spot teammates in space across the ice and behind him, relaying them the puck to expand the attack and generate higher-quality looks.

Of course, it’s a positive that size wasn’t the exclusive focus of this draft, and the Flyers made another interesting pick on an undersized forward with their final selection of the draft. Quinn is another very young player (with his late-August birthday) and he’s already taking a big step forward in his development, as he’ll head to Northeastern and make the jump up to the NCAA level in the fall. He’s still a bit raw, and he’s going to need a longer development track to get to where he needs to be, but there’s an intriguing amount of offense in his game, and this feels like the perfect bit of a swing to take with a sixth-round pick.

Final Thoughts​

As much as the Flyers might have claimed heading into the draft that they weren’t going to go out of their way to get players with size in this draft, and as much as they might try to paint the fact that they did go overwhelmingly after size here as something of a happy coincidence, it feels clear that this was a pretty intentional play. Now, it’s also not just them making it in isolation, as we saw a large number of teams this year going more after size, so maybe we can cut them a bit of slack as we take this into the context of the larger league drafting trend. All the same, the Flyers used this draft to beef up their pipeline, providing a good bit of balance to a group that was leaning on the smaller side, on the whole. They continued the trend from last year and added two more — notably, just two — big defensemen to the mix, but they expanded on that ethos and really seemed to make a concerted effort to add some more size up front as well.

It’s also notable that for the second year in a row, the Flyers didn’t take a goalie in the draft. Now, given the quality of the goaltenders in this draft and how things fell with the better of those options, it’s hard to be too down on the Flyers for not picking one up, but with how weird goalie development often is, and to what degree drafting them feels like just loading up on lottery tickets, it’s interested that they didn’t make any additions to that part of the pipeline for another year.

But, all in all, as funny as it might be to point to the size obsession this time around, the Flyers did a nice bit of work in this one. The Martone pick couldn’t be better, and while it’s fair to say that they made a bit of a reach in trading away assets to move up for Nesbitt, they did really well to recoup that value, particularly with their first three picks in the second round, capitalizing on some really good players falling a bit farther than they probably should have. The Flyers come out of this draft having surely addressed what they came into this weekend wanting to address, and with a both more high-end and well-balanced prospect pipeline coming together for them, and that’s pretty unequivocally a success.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/evaluating-the-flyers-2025-nhl-draft/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers announce 2025 Development Camp roster and schedule

This certainly is a busy time of year for the Flyers and their fans alike. With the craziness of the draft now over and done with, and the potentially lively day of the opening of free agency on the horizon, the Flyers have announced that they’ll be jumping right into their annual Development Camp to close out a frenetic week.

Development Camp will open with its first day of on-ice sessions on Wednesday July 2, and will carry into Thursday. We’ll then see a nice little day off for the Fourth of July on Friday, and then things will resume for both days of the weekend. The complete schedule is below:

DATE	TEAM	DEFENSE/FORWARDS	FULL TEAM
Wed., July 2	JonesBriere	8:30-9:15 a.m.10:45-11:30 a.m.	9:30-10:30 a.m.11:45-12:45 a.m.
Thurs., July 3	BriereJones	8:30-9:15 a.m.10:45-11:30 a.m.	9:30-10:30 a.m.11:45-12:45 a.m.
Fri., July 4	NO	ON	ICE
Sat., July 5	BriereJones	8:30-9:15 a.m.9:30-10:15 a.m.	1:30 p.m.(both teams)
Sun., July 6	5-on-5 Scrimmage	6:00 p.m.

Because of the volume of skaters being brought in again this year, we’ll see the players split up into groups through the first three days, to keep things a little more manageable, when the focus will be drill-style activities. But on Sunday, though, we’ll see the groups all coming together again for a 5-on-5 tournament to close out the camp, which is always a fun one. All sessions will be, as always, free and open to the public.

The Flyers will be bringing a pretty loaded group to the ice this time around. Most excitingly, this will be fans’ first opportunity to get eyes on members of this most recent draft class, headlined by first round picks Porter Martone and Jack Nesbitt, as well as some of the second round steals in Jack Murtagh and Shane Vansaghi (but not Carter Amico, who’s still working his way back from the knee injury). We want to keep expectations reasonable for their very first development camp (which is taking place after an already pretty whirlwind weekend), but it will be nice to get an introduction, all the same.

It will also be a good chance to check in with some of the development camp returnees, like Jett Luchanko and Alex Bump, fresh off of their AHL debuts, as well as Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk, and Carson Bjarnason, as they head into theirs.

Check out the full list of campers. pic.twitter.com/SgMtdiunhp

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 30, 2025

Whoever you’re there to see, it’s bound to be a nice bit of action (and a little more hockey to sustain us as we get deep into summer).

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/flyers-announce-2025-development-camp-roster-and-schedule/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers sign Lane Pederson to one year, two-way contract

The news keeps on rolling in, folks! The theme so far today has largely been of the Flyers making moves to shore up their depth heading into the season, and this most recently announced signing falls well in line with that. Per the folks over at PuckPedia, the Flyers have signed forward Lane Pederson to a one-year, two-way contract, which will pay him $775,000 at the NHL level and $525,000 at the AHL level.

Pederson, a center, has spent the last two seasons playing for Bakersfield, the AHL affiliate of the Oilers. During the 2023-24 season, he put up a respectable 22 goals and 52 points in 66 games played, and then managed five goals and 12 points in 18 games last year, before his season was cut short by a shoulder injury which required surgery to repair back in February (but one would imagine he’ll be good in time to start this season).

And while Pederson will surely be in the mix for an NHL job out of camp, it feels more likely that he’ll serve as a boost of the center depth down at the AHL level with the Phantoms. And this, too, is pretty sorely needed. With Jett Luchanko not being an option for them for the regular season, Elliot Desnoyers not receiving a qualifying offer yesterday, and the situation with a few of their other AHL veterans up in the air still, the Phantoms’ center depth has taken a pretty major hit, and they’re going to need bodies to fill out their lineup as well. What’s more, with the group of very young forwards already down there (a group which is only going to get younger this season, with the recent OHL graduate in Denver Barkey and NCAA graduates in Alex Bump, Devin Kaplan, and potentially Karsen Dorwart joining the mix), Pederson as a more veteran player in that league will be able to offer a bit more stability while those young players are settling in and learning the ropes. It’s all about balance, as they say, and the Flyers have done well to add a nice bit of it here.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/flyers-sign-lane-pederson-to-one-year-two-way-contract/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Wednesday Morning Fly By: Not too silly

*Day one of Free Agency sure was a wild one. Danny Briere did a bunch of Things, none of them huge or particularly groundbreaking, but some solid low-level signings that should shore some things up next season. Like, for example, bringing in Dan Vladar to try and get the goaltending back to like… average. [BSH]

*He also brought in center Christian Dvorak, who, most notably, can win a faceoff. That will be helpful. [BSH]

*The rest of the signings were depth moves, really. A couple of defenseman were brought in on one year deals; we’ve got former Canuck Noah Juulson… [BSH]

*… and then former Senator Dennis Gilbert. One assumes one of these guys will be the seven. Gilbert bring some size, which we know the Flyers felt was lacking on defense. [BSH]

*Last up was a little bit of center depth for the Phantoms, mostly, in the form of former member of the Oilers organization Lane Pederson. [BSH]

*Jackie’s got a little more info on the New Guys over at the Inky. [Inquirer]

*If you take a little perusal at the full list of signings that were made yesterday, you could argue that Danny Briere’s best move was not doing something completely insane like signing Cody Ceci for over $5m. [Sportsnet]

*In addition to the FA signings there were quite a lot of trades made. Some better than others. [ESPN]

*There was, of course, a Danny Briere presser following all of today’s activities. [BSH]

*And finally, in case you missed it, looks like Tyson Foerster might miss a bit of time to start the season. Which is less than ideal. [BSH]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/wednesday-morning-fly-by-not-too-silly/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Why Flyers are better off without Maxim Shabanov

The electrifying Russian winger decided to sign with a team that wasn’t the Philadelphia Flyers. Maxim Shabanov, the top KHL free agent this summer, after months and months of rumors and reports that he was going to sign with the Flyers, has chosen to sign with the New York Islanders instead.

While it would have cost the Flyers nothing but a contract and a roster spot — since Shabanov wasn’t leaving his childhood team to go play in the AHL — we think that they could certainly be better off not even having to go through bringing the 25-year-old winger on board.

Sure, this might just be coping with not being able to have another potentially fun, new player on the Flyers, but there are real concerns about Shabanov even being able to play in the National Hockey League.

When Shabanov was heavily rumored to be signing with the Flyers, we turned to someone who actually watches the KHL, to get their read on the player and how his game could potentially translate. Elite Prospects’ Dylan Griffing, who scouts all three major Russian leagues for the premier public prospect website we all know and love, was able to give some clarity on what Shabanov in the NHL could look like.

Will his game translate to the NHL? If not right now, what would need to improve?

“I struggle with seeing a smooth transition to the NHL. It’s not for a lack of skill in Shabanov – he’s a very talented player – but there is an objective difference between how defense is played in the KHL vs. the NHL. In the NHL, space creation is much more difficult and relying on slipping off the radar of the opponent is not a tactic that breeds success.

The obvious limitation comes through his size, as well. He avoids physical play like the plague which works enough at the KHL level with the level of engagement that defensemen have; however, in the NHL, he won’t have the luxury of being able to pull off a quick spin to put his back to the defender to open up his playmaking game because of how much more aggressive NHL defenders are to close off plays like that. In terms of improvements to make, it’s a bit tough to say before he starts playing games in North America.

There’s always the chance that his skill and speed clears the physical gap, but in my opinion, Shabanov is what he is at this point. He’s highly skilled, pacey, and loves to carry pucks through the middle. If you take out the inside game, he may just be a perimeter playmaker where he has the vision and passing skill to succeed. However, now we’re looking at a player who can get stuck to the walls, which is a recipe for disaster with his frame. It’s a Nikita Gusev type situation, a player who is too good for the KHL, but might just not have the NHL style in him.”

While we have all seen the viral highlights that has Shabanov weaving his way through some defenders and twirling around with the puck in between his legs, someone who understands what the winger brings to the entire game, has doubts about how he will be in the best hockey league in the world. And, as Dylan mentions, we have seen a whole lot of forwards who were KHL MVP finalists end up not being able to stick in the NHL just because of the faster pace and just how much better the players are.

Could Shabanov pull all of those fancy moves against NHL defenders? Maybe some, but most would close the gap much, much quicker and be right on top of him and his 5-foot-8 frame.

There are doubts from smart people, but we would also not be surprised if he was able to figure it out and try to limit the perimeter play. And if that happens, the Flyers would still be in a position to be completely fine.

Even with Tyson Foerster potentially being out to start the season, Shabanov would be in a tough battle with multiple wingers to earn a spot on the roster. Alex Bump is the most bullish Flyers prospect we have seen in a while and he brings a much more complete package than Shabanov; Nikita Grebenkin is a heavy winger that can bring that desired physicality; Porter Martone might surprise everyone and make the team ahead of schedule; and even some outliers like Devin Kaplan, Alexis Gendron, Karsen Dorwart, and of course Jett Luchanko, would provide some resistance for Shabanov making the team. Nothing would be certain and the second the 25-year-old Russian winger experiences an NHL training camp, he might find himself slightly over his head.

Call it cope, but we would still be publishing Dylan’s quotes about being skeptical if Shabanov could be an NHL player even if the newest Islander signed in Philadelphia. It would be getting a fun player for free, but also now without him, it’s nowhere near the end of the world and the Flyers might have multiple wingers who bring a more complete game, not even make the team out of camp.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...r-off-without-maxim-shabanov-khl-free-agency/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Denver Barkey won’t stop asking to get on the ice with Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are holding their annual Development Camp in Voorhees this week, giving fans a chance to see some top prospects for the Orange and Black show off their skills up close and personal.

We’ve already gotten our first look at Porter Martone on the ice with the Flyers, but a few prospects are absent from the on-ice portion of camp due to injury.

One of those players is 2023 third-round pick Denver Barkey. Barkey suffered a high ankle sprain in the OHL playoffs, missed a few games, but returned to help the London Knights win not only the OHL Championship but the Memorial Cup as well.

While Barkey has been told that he won’t be participating in on-ice activities this week, it’s not stopping him from trying.

Riley Armstrong said Denver Barkey comes up to him every day asking to get on the ice.

But Flyers are not going to push it, they’re keeping him off ice as he nurses some things after long junior season.

Armstrong said Barkey has developed chip on shoulder to prove people wrong. pic.twitter.com/X18rVoqBRi

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) July 3, 2025

It must be particularly frustrating for Barkey, who also missed Rookie Camp and Training Camp last year as he recovered from mononucleosis.

The 95th overall pick from 2023 has risen up the Flyers’ prospect ranks in recent years thanks to his high compete level on a great London team. After putting up nearly a point per game (59 points in 61 games) in the season leading up to the 2023 draft, Barkey has really broken out in the last two years with a total of 184 points (60 goals, 124 assists) in 114 regular-season games and 47 points (15 goals, 26 assists) in 28 playoff games.

Barkey captained the Knights this past season despite London having a few more highly-touted prospects, including Oliver Bonk, which shows just how much he means to his team. He played a key role in the Memorial Cup, recording a point in all five games with a total of seven points in the tournament.

Even though he stands at just 5’10”, you wouldn’t be able to tell that from the way Barkey plays the game. He gives his all every single shift and isn’t afraid to throw the body or get into the dirty areas.

And he has the skill to go with it.

Denver Barkeypic.twitter.com/RHJHNaTehh

— London Knights (@LondonKnights) June 17, 2025

Barkey will be turning pro this year, whether it’s with the Flyers or more likely the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the AHL level. But don’t be surprised if Barkey does everything he can to make it as difficult a decision as possible for Danny Briere to keep the smaller winger off the Flyers roster. There will be a handful of prospects looking to compete for a roster spot come the fall.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/denver-barkey-wont-stop-asking-to-get-on-the-ice-with-flyers/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Friday Morning Fly By: Happy 4th, y’all

*A long weekend with fireworks and barbecues, what could be better? Alex Bump that’s what. [BSH]

*Bump remains cocky as hell and you absolutely love to see it, but he’s not the only one with aims on making the team out of camp this year. [NBC Sports Phily]

*Speaking of these motivated youths, Charlie has some thoughts on why the Maxim Shabanov rejection will make training camp a lot more interesting this year. [PHLY]

*The Flyers didn’t add anyone super flashy or life-changing on July 1, but that doesn’t mean the additions won’t help push this team towards a playoff spot. [BSH]

*The most significant signing was definitely goalie Dan Vladar, because if nothing else, it ought to give the Flyers something resembling cromulent goaltending. Which will definitely help with that playoff goal. [Inquirer]

*With the new additions and draft picks and such it’s a fine time to take a look at the updated depth chart. [The Athletic]

*Anyway what have we learned from this year’s free agency signings thus far? [ESPN]

*Who, if anyone, is left worth signing? [Sportsnet]

*And finally, Denver Barkey: he got that dog in him. Pun both unintended and unavoidable. Enjoy the long weekend, fam! [BSH]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/friday-morning-fly-by-happy-4th-yall/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Alex Bump aims to make Flyers after unselfishly joining Phantoms at end of season

The Philadelphia Flyers kicked off Development Camp on Tuesday, giving fans their first chance to see some of the newest members of the Orange and Black. While most of the excitement is understandably about first-round picks Porter Martone and Jack Nesbitt, it’s a fifth-round pick from 2022 who might be the most exciting name to watch at Development Camp.

Alex Bump was selected by the Flyers with the 133rd overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He was a high school product who only had 27 games with the Omaha Lancers in the USHL under his belt, so it makes sense that teams weren’t lining up to draft him.

However, after another season in the USHL, Bump joined the Western Michigan Broncos, where he really broke out. He had 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points in 38 games as a freshman, and 47 points (23 goals, 24 assists) in 42 games while wearing an “A” this past season.

Perhaps the most noticeable difference in Bump’s game is his willingness to shoot the puck. After a respectable 160 shots in 38 games (4.2 per game), he jumped all the way up to 5.9 shots per game as the winger fired 248 shots in 42 games.

Bump was among a handful of prospects who joined the Phantoms for the final few weeks of the season and playoffs in the spring. He had a goal and two assists in three regular-season games, plus two more goals in seven postseason contests.

While some college players want to get a taste of the NHL right away, Bump was focused on the bigger picture.

Bump on why he didn't have his NHL ELC start last season:

"Just playing more meaningful games in the (AHL) playoffs. Definitely more intensity, guys care, I think, a little bit more.

I didn't think it was really worth it to waste one year on my contract for one game."

— Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) July 2, 2025

It would have been exciting for fans to get a look at the shoot-first winger at the end of a disappointing season. But it’ll be even more exciting if (or when) Bump is a key contributor for the Flyers in the final year(s) of his ELC.

And it’s quite possible that Bump gets a shot sooner rather than later.

Tyson Foerster’s status for the start of the season is up in the air due to an upper-body injury. Foerster suffered an injury at the World Championship that resulted in an elbow infection, Briere explained Tuesday.

The Flyers also let Jakob Pelletier walk without a qualifying offer, and while he may not have stuck long term in Philadelphia, it’s one less winger with NHL experience that Bump has to compete with.

Bump may end up as one of the promising prospects on the Phantoms as he turns pro this year, but his ultimate goal is to make the Flyers roster this season

Alex Bump said “absolutely” he’ll be aiming for Flyers, said he’s staying in his lane and will try to make Danny Briere choose him for the roster. pic.twitter.com/mQSRlp7hE6

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) July 2, 2025

And it sounds like he could be one of the guys to watch, not only for fans, but the front office has their eyes on him as well.

“We have some young guys,” Briere said when asked about replacing Forester in the lineup. “Maybe Alex Bump, maybe Porter Martone … There’s other guys who could perform, who maybe they get a look early in the season if they have a good camp.”

Bump made it easy to imagine him in Orange and Black this fall with the way he was shooting on Day 1 of Development Camp.

Alex Bump with a nice shot. He’ll be pushing for Flyers come fall. pic.twitter.com/x43egX5oc0

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) July 2, 2025

The shoot-first mentality is one of the many things Bump can bring to the Flyers. It doesn’t hurt that he is a left winger, which is a bigger need than on the right side with Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, and Bobby Brink all more comfortable as RW.

Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong was on the ice with the prospects and saw Bump’s game up close and personal. He also spoke highly of the winger’s chances of making the roster.

“I think he’s going to have a great shot to make it out of camp if he brings his game.”

– Riley Armstrong on Alex Bump pic.twitter.com/Gw5JQvGO1d

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) July 2, 2025

Bump is already a bigger body for the Flyers, standing at 6’2″ and 194 pounds. He’s shown that he can play against his peers at the college level and didn’t slow down too much as he ramped things up in the AHL against pros.

It’s only one day on the ice, and Development Camp is more about, well, developing and teaching rather than evaluating, but it sure sounds like Bump will be a name to keep in the conversation this summer, leading up to training camp.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...ts-alex-bump-aims-for-nhl-after-ahl-playoffs/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Why free agent signings help Flyers towards playoffs

The Philadelphia Flyers of 2025-26 will look a lot different in some respects than in 2024-25. The Flyers went into the season hoping they would be okay in goal, decent on the power play and strong enough up the middle to contend for a playoff spot. Or at least play meaningful games like they did in 2023-24. However, as you’ll recall, there were a few hiccups. Goaltending was horrid. The power play was as bad as the goaltending. And as for the center position, there were some obvious needs that bandages and tape couldn’t really resolve. In short, the Flyers needed to do something this offseason to address some of those issues.

Although the 2025 NHL Draft saw the Flyers get some great reviews on their overall selections, one of those players (Porter Martone) might be ready to hit the ground running with Philadelphia in October. Otherwise, they’re not getting much help this year from kids who are still a few years away. So, the only other routes to try to fix these problems are through trades, offer sheets and signing unrestricted free agents. The offer sheet route has been a source of speculation, but as of this posting, Flyers general manager Danny Briere hasn’t done the deed. That leaves the trade option and the free agent option, both of which Briere has delved into.

In trading for Trevor Zegras (and not really giving up a lot in return), the Flyers have taken a solid first step to get immediate help at center. Zegras was switched to the wing in Anaheim and didn’t appear to be a happy camper. A fresh start here in Philadelphia should make the transition a bit smoother. At least that’s the hope. The same offensive output should also get the Flyers out of the doldrums concerning the power play. A 25th-ranked power play at season’s end might result in a parade down Broad Street. Somewhere in the middle of the pack and Zegras (along with Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov) should all win the Hart Trophy! But by far the most obvious means to try fixing these glaring issues is through free agency. And once July 1 emerged on the calendar, Danny Briere did just that.

That’s not to say the Flyers went big game hunting and landed the creme de la creme of the free agent market. Not by a long shot. And Briere would be the first to tell you that isn’t what happened. However, three of the five players Philadelphia signed (the exception being Lane Pederson and Dennis Gilbert, two players who should start the season with Lehigh Valley) could be with the big club and make some sort of impact. It won’t guarantee a top seeding or top three seeding in the Metropolitan Division. What it should do is make the Flyers one of the teams well within a wildcard seeding. Or close enough to be in the mix down the stretch.

The biggest acquisition not named Trevor Zegras has to be Dan Vladar. Vladar comes to Philadelphia with the reputation of being a decent to good tandem goaltender. None of his statistics are leaps and bounds above Sam Ersson’s, but Vladar’s presence should provide some much needed stablity in that position, something the Flyers never had at all last season. Without Ersson (the team’s number one almost by default), Philadelphia got very little help in terms of earning points with Ivan Fedotov and/or Aleksei Kolosov between the pipes.

For instance, the Capitals got 20 wins out of Charlie Lindgren last season. By comparison, Fedotov and Kolosov combined for 10. Granted Montreal’s supporting tandem won about the same number of games as the Flyers duo. But if you can’t get at least decent starts out of them, you’re putting yourself at a severe disadvantage before the season gets underway. Simply put, the backups can’t suck nearly as bad as last year for the Flyers to have a fighting chance at playing game eighty-three.

Vladar should alleviate a good chunk of that concern. Nobody anticipates him playing 55 to 60 games (at least as of now) but he should provide some much needed rest for Ersson, something he really hasn’t had since 2023-24 before the Flyers goaltending situation imploded. Vladar is tall (6’5″) and beefy, so he should take away a bit more net just by simple, good positioning. He should also be a sounding board of sorts to Ersson having played around the same amount of NHL games as the Swede. He has some experience in the NHL, something Ersson couldn’t really talk about with Fedotov or Kolosov. And, at age 27, he’s not a relic like some NHL goalies who signed for five years on July 1. In short, it’s a short-term attempt to remedy a problem any rebuild can’t realistically overcome: horrible goaltending. As well, if Vladar comes in with the mindset to make it a 50/50 tandem, or possibly try to become the number one, that competition should hopefully get the best from whoever is still here in September and isn’t named Ersson.

Next up, the Flyers addressed the center ice position. Aside from the evident upside to Zegras with his offensive production and potential down the middle, Philadelphia added another centerman in Christian Dvorak. Dvorak has some great tools, namely he’s big, he can win more faceoffs than he loses, and he plays a good two-way game. He can also handle some special teams work, particularly the penalty kill. And he’s in Rick Tocchet’s good graces. Some find the $5.4 million for a year a little loopy for a 33-point, bottom six forward. But for a season? On a team not near contention for a Stanley Cup? Please….

Dvorak should end up being the fourth-line center, replacing Ryan Poehling if Couturier, Cates and Zegras are penciled in as the other three. Of course, if Jett Luchanko explodes in training camp and the exhibition season then Philadelphia could be moving a piece to the wing (would suspect Couturier) to make the center position a little younger and speedier. Dvorak’s addition also should lessen the dearth at center depth. They don’t look like all-stars, but they do look a little more appealing than they did to start last season. Again, not the panacea for a playoff spot, but puts them a little closer to that discussion.

The other two pieces the Flyers added were one-year deals for depth blueliners. Again, both Noah Juulsen and Dennis Gilbert are big, and they can play big. The money and term is irrelevant, as basically Briere looked at the market and decided to take a low-risk move on both. The injury to Rasmus Ristolainen and his return remains cloudy, and if Egor Zamula takes a step back this season, the hole will be filled by either Gilbert or Juulsen. The best guess would be the two newly signed defensemen end up the sixth and seventh defensemen this year. It puts no pressure on any of the youngster like Oliver Bonk or Hunter McDonald to make the opening night roster. It does flesh out some small but basic needs the Flyers have now that Erik Johnson is no longer in the cards.

So, Briere added a goaltender, he added a fourth-line center and he added some depth pieces on the back end. Overall it’s not rolling the dice with any of these signings. Should they pan out and play well, they should help the Flyers get closer to a playoff spot or possibly help secure one. The additions also should make Philadelphia a harder team to play against. However, like any other team playing 82 games, there’s no blueprint to a regular season. News of Tyson Foerster’s injury could throw his season into some limbo while also messing with the chemistry he had with Noah Cates and Bobby Brink. Injuries up front, or to a key defenseman like Travis Sanheim, is something that would severely hamper a playoff spot.

Perhaps one question this coming year would be what the Flyers would do if they were in a playoff spot or within reach of a spot around the trade deadline. Would Briere resort to looking towards the future and attempting to acquire draft capital by swapping out Juulsen, Dvorak and Gilbert to contenders looking for depth pieces? Would he be willing to do what he did in 2022-23 with Sean Walker again in February 2026 when it appears these moves aimed to get Philadelphia closer to the playoffs? That’s a bigger question for later in the season.

As it stands now, the Philadelphia Flyers had some holes to fill in free agency. And they have filled them. How well they’re filled is up for debate. One thing seems to be a bit clearer: the Flyers are looking to take a step forward this year. And the signings of Dvorak, Vladar, Juulsen and Gilbert are indications they might be a little closer to that achievement than at any point since Danny Briere took over. For a team looking to improve while also not impeding the progress of its youth in the big picture, these one-year and two-year signings couldn’t have been better executed and timed. Philadelphia has a little more up front, a little more on the backend, and we think a hell of a lot more in goal. Those aren’t bad things when it comes to trying to get into the playoffs.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/why-free-agent-signings-help-flyers-towards-playoffs/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Top 5 Flyers wins of 2024-25 season

The Flyers had fewer wins this in 2024-25 than they did the previous season. Yet there were a few of the 33 Ws that were more memorable for a few reasons. Here then are the top 5 wins by the Flyers over the colorful, eventful 82-game schedule.

5) Flyers 7, Wild 5 (October 26, 2024)​

The Flyers were reeling a bit early in the year. After winning their season opener the team then went winless in their next six including a home-and-home to Washington. However on this Saturday afternoon, a lot of things went right, particularly for Flyers captain Sean Couturier. Opening the scoring 78 seconds in, Couturier (who also earned his 500th NHL point with the goal) would have one of his best games all season. He could’ve probably ended up with four or five goals had he got one or two more bounces. But he ended up with his best offensive game in some time.

Matvei Michkov had a goal. Hell Nick Seeler and Rasmus Ristolainen also scored goals. Yet Couturier’s scoring touch emerged in the third, putting the Flyers ahead 5-4 roughly halfway through the third, banging home a rebound before falling down. Both teams traded goals, with Couturier assisting on Ristolainen’s eventual game-winner to make it 6-5. The icing on the cake was Couturier scoring an empty-netter for a five-point afternoon, including his second career hat trick in the regular season (he had another in the playoffs against the Penguins). It was a sign that Couturier might be back. Or at least still had something left to give.

4) Flyers 6, Oilers 3 (February 22, 2025)​

Following a 3-2 win against Pittsburgh which snapped a five-game winless streak, the Flyers entertained the defending Western Conference champions from Edmonton. And namely faced Leon Draisatl and Connor McDavid, arguably two of the best players in the league for some time. Philadelphia had their work cut out for them and were down 2-1 after the opening period thanks to Draisatl scoring his 41st goal of the year. However, the following two periods the Flyers effectively shut down the Oilers and their two biggest stars.

In the second period Owen Tippett had a pair and Andrei Kuzmenko scored a power play goal as part of a four-goal outburst. Edmonton countered with a goal from Mattias Ekholm. But after that the Flyers were like glue to the opposition, outshooting the Oilers 32-18 and leaving McDavid with no points, two shots and a plus/minus of -3. Ty Emberson of all people lead Edmonton in shots with four of the 18. Meanwhile the duo of Matvei Michkov and Sean Couturier combined for six points (three each) as Philadelphia earned an impressive win over the subsequent two-time Western Conference winners.

Philadelphia goal!

Scored by Owen Tippett with 07:34 remaining in the 2nd period.

Assisted by Matvei Michkov and Sean Couturier.

Philadelphia: 4
Edmonton: 3#EDMvsPHI #LetsGoFlyers #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/vP7vftT6QX

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) February 22, 2025

3) Flyers 8, Rangers 5 (April 9, 2025)​

Philadelphia was playing out the stretch by this point, having been officially eliminated after losing to Montreal on April 5. Nonetheless, with nothing to play for (although losses key to getting more lottery balls), the Flyers visited the Rangers in what was one of the strangest games all year. Less than two minutes in, the Rangers were awarded a penalty shot, but Mika Zibanejad failed to connect.

Zibanejad gets an early Penalty Shot and misses wide. That’s the 11th consecutive PS that the Rangers have failed to convert on. Been a long time since they scored on one of these #NYR
pic.twitter.com/YFnYt4mTYH

— Mike @ Top Shelf Hockey (@topshelfhkyvids) April 10, 2025

After the first period the Rangers, on a short-handed goal, led 1-0. After 40 it was still rather defensive and tied 2-2. However in the third the floodgates opened. Nine goals were scored, six by the Flyers, three by the Rangers. With just under 13 minutes left the Rangers were ahead 4-3 thanks to the recently acquired J.T. Miller putting New York in front. The Flyers responded, and in a huge way.

Goals by Jakob Pelletier, Sean Couturier, and Tyson Foerster put the Flyers up 6-4 with just under five minutes to play. New York got within a goal late but Philadelphia scored twice in the empty net. The first was by Foerster, giving him a hat trick for the night. The second was by Owen Tippett, who finally potted his 20th goal of the much maligned season to quieten a few people. Aleksei Kolosov made a few more saves than Jonathan Quick, giving the Flyers an 8-5 win. A win (which included a three-assist night from Nick Seeler) that meant nothing in the end. Yet it still made it fun to watch.

2) Flyers 2, Bruins 0 (October 29, 2024)​

An afternoon game in Boston has often resulted in heartbreak the last two decades, specifically late in the season when two points were desperately needed. On this early season game, the Flyers visited the Bruins. And they did a great job checking them into the ground. The Bruins had four power play opportunities. The Flyers were perfect on each. They were outshot but not by a large margin, with both teams giving very little room in the neutral zones and offensive zones.

Following a scoreless first period, the Flyers took the lead on a goal from Tyson Foerster who had plenty of room and time to beat Bruins goalie Joonas Korpisalo. After that, they played a tight checking game, rarely out of position and rarely letting Boston into areas where they could score. Joel Farabee would score an empty net goal as insurance and the Flyers walked away with a highly impressive 2-0 win, the Flyers first regulation victory in Boston dating back to the 2011-12 season.

1) Flyers 6, Ducks 0 (January 11, 2025) ​

The date was marked on the calendar since the season’s schedule was released in the summer. A day that the Flyers and their fans would focus on one person: William Gauthier. As has been well-documented, Gauthier was drafted by Philadelphia but decided he didn’t want to play for them. And essentially hid on Flyers general manager Danny Briere and President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones while the pair were in Europe to discuss the situation. Gauthier was traded in January 2024 to Anaheim with a second-round pick and defenseman Jamie Drysdale coming back in return. The distance from Philadelphia to sunny California was vast, but everyone knew he had to play at the Wells Fargo Center sometime. And on that early January night, both the Flyers and their fans were relentless.

No bottles were thrown, but barbs in the form of chants, posters and boos rained down on Gauthier. Chirps from Travis Konecny and others after the whistles were abundant. And the Flyers, in a rarity during the 2024-25 season, laid a can of whoopass on the Ducks. Roughing minors were the order of the evening, with former Flyer Radko Gudas and Matvei Michkov getting into it briefly. After getting an early 1-0 lead, the Flyers poured salt into the wound with Drysdale scoring on the power play.

Power play goal for Philadelphia!

Scored by Jamie Drysdale with 01:49 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Travis Konecny and Morgan Frost.

Philadelphia: 2
Anaheim: 0#ANAvsPHI #LetsGoFlyers #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/j3SqlF399o

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) January 12, 2025

Things settled down in the second as Philadelphia made it 3-0 on an Owen Tippett power play goal. And in the third the Flyers turned it into a laugher with Ryan Poehling making it 4-0 just 24 seconds into period three. Then Matvei Michkov scored a power play goal to make it 5-0.

Power play goal for Philadelphia!

Scored by Matvei Michkov with 12:24 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Travis Konecny and Jamie Drysdale.

Philadelphia: 5
Anaheim: 0#ANAvsPHI #LetsGoFlyers #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/AwTWeZHwGp

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) January 12, 2025

Garnet Hathaway scored shortly after Michkov’s goal, making it a comfortable 6-0 lead. As for Gauthier, he was held pointless and ended up a -1, with three shots on goal. It was a statement game by the Flyers, and one that William Gauthier won’t soon forget.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/top-5-flyers-wins-of-2024-25-season/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

What Cam York not filing for arbitration means for Flyers

With July 1 come and gone, there aren’t many important dates left on the hockey calendar until training camps open in a couple months. But, one just happened on Saturday afternoon and it had to do with Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York.

On July 5, restricted free agents around the NHL, who were eligible to do so, had the option to file for arbitration. It’s not the easiest process — since it involves the player’s own team and people who want to give confidence to instill further development, poking holes in past performances and trying to show that the player is actually much worse than they think — but it can be a necessary evil for some negotiations. If there is a stalemate or a disagreement on one key part of a potential contract, players can elect to go to arbitration and receive either a one- or two-year deal at the agreed salary.

Announced by the NHLPA, a total of 11 restricted free agents opted to go through this process, and York was not among them.

The NHLPA announces 11 players have elected salary arbitration: https://t.co/x4QG7buV2p

— NHLPA (@NHLPA) July 5, 2025​

So, that’s whatever — but what does it mean? There are a few things to take away from the fact that York was not one of the players that wanted to go through arbitration despite being able to do so.

Offer sheet eligibility​

First, the most notable and first thing that most people bring up: It makes the player ineligible to sign an offer sheet. Written in the CBA, if a restricted free agent files for arbitration and takes the first step in this process to have a contract before next season, it makes teams ineligible to then try and steal them away with an offer sheet.

It makes perfect sense. It’s the beginning of a multi-month process and if the player was able to sign an offer sheet and have a new contract on a different team, it would feel messy. Something was started to figure out a contract between the player and Team A, and then Team B comes in and just whisks the player away and arbitration is done because they have a new contract already. Again, just messes things up and it makes sense why it’s not a possibility.

So, with York not filing for arbitration means that the young defenseman remains eligible for an offer sheet. We’re not saying that one is coming, but since young Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dylan Samberg was one player that did elect for arbitration, beyond Bowen Byram (who could get traded any minute now), it is certainly easy to see that York is the best defenseman eligible for an offer sheet. It’s not likely, since York still has some potential that he hasn’t put out in the NHL yet, but at the very least, the American blueliner is capable of eating minutes and playing solid, stabilizing hockey.

Now, the Flyers are in a good position, though. If York was to sign any offer sheet with the level of a second-round pick as compensation ($2.34 million to $4.68 million), the team would easily match and thank the other team for doing all the negotiating for them. With over $5.5 million in cap space (and that’s before Ivan Fedotov’s eventual demotion to the AHL) the Flyers can easily take that one.

Where it gets a little more difficult, is in the next tier. If an offer sheet was signed with an AAV anywhere from $4.68 million to $7.02 million, then the team would be giving up a first-round and a third-round pick. For York, that would be on the upper end of possible salaries and that is really where Philadelphia would need to make a decision. We’re sure it would depend on what the team is — an unprotected first rounder from San Jose compared to Colorado is very different — but that would be the decision the team needs to make. A couple good draft picks, or keep the young defenseman who is a blossoming part of your future core for slightly more money than you would offer.

Current negotiations​

This is purely speculative, but maybe York not filing for arbitration is a very good thing and it means that the two sides are closing in on a deal. Why start this super long process if they could possibly announce something as soon as next week?

Again, we don’t know. Only York’s representatives and the Flyers know where they are at, and without arbitration coming, they could have very easily agree to something at any time.

Second buyout window​

Another fun little run sewn into whether or not a restricted free agent elects for arbitration is the possibility of having a second buyout window for the team.

All 32 NHL teams have a buyout window from 48 hours after the Stanley Cup, to June 30. But, if the team has a player elect arbitration, a second buyout window opens up 72 hours after the arbitration is resolved and lasts for just 48 hours.

It’s not like the Flyers need this specifically, since there were not even rumors or rumblings or ponderings about this team buying out any contract during the initial period last month. And with their salary cap available, the only possible scenario where they would need to use this period (if York elected for arbitration in the first place) is if the arbitrator awarded the player with a massive contract that would put the Flyers above the salary cap. And, then the Flyers would not be able to find any trade partner for a player; therefore, forcing a necessary buyout of a player to stay compliant to the salary cap.

That is why this second buyout window exists, as a failsafe option, but even if York went through this process, we couldn’t see the Flyers even using this opportunity.

…And, that’s sort of it. For the Flyers, it’s really just the not-so-dangerous threat of an offer sheet that they still have to be warry of when it comes to York foregoing arbitration. Maybe, there is an outside chance that a team is in hot pursuit of Bowen Byram, trying to get the mobile defenseman to sign an offer sheet, and failing to then turn their attention to York. Reasoning to themselves — in this hypothetical world — that they were going to offer sheet a defenseman anyways, so might as well do it for the next-best option and figure it out.

But, hey, maybe adding York’s friend in Trevor Zegras to the team prevents the young blueliner from signing any offer sheet no matter what.

Let’s all just hope that this isn’t a lengthy negotiation. There is nothing fun or enjoyable about a contract negotiation.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...am-york-arbitration-contract-negotiation-nhl/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

It doesn’t matter how much Flyers are paying Christian Dvorak…yet

Heading into an already weakened July 1, where the marquee name in Mitch Marner was already spoken for by the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Florida trio of Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Aaron Ekblad were all re-signed for years to come, there wasn’t all that much that the Philadelphia Flyers’ brain trust of Keith Jones and Daniel Briere could reasonably do.

Many of the players that were signed during 2025’s Free Agent Frenzy were better suited for teams that are ready to contend for a Stanley Cup immediately. Wingers Andrew Mangiapane heading to Edmonton or Gustav Nyquist going to Winnipeg are the types of around-the-edges moves that teams in the top half of the standings were in position to make when free agency opened. There weren’t really any names available that would have switched the fortunes of any fledgling franchises, and that left general managers around the league scrambling to use their cap space by any means necessary.

The Los Angeles Kings fall into that category, signing the dull quartet of Corey Perry, Brian Dumoulin, Cody Ceci, and Joel Armia to contracts that will pay them a combined $13 million per year, hoping that they can be adequate depth and not much more. It seemed less like they were making moves that they thought would really improve their ceiling, and more so that GM Rob Blake was just looking to use up some of the cap space freed up from the departures of Vladislav Gavrikov and Tanner Jeannot, among others.

And speaking of those two names, the teams that were able to scoop up their services aren’t really in much better positions, either. Gavrikov signed a hefty deal with the Rangers, but essentially just to replace K’Andre Miller who was sent to Carolina and prevent New York from taking a step back on the back end. Jeannot on the other hand, was handed a pretty puzzling five-year deal to play in the bottom six of a team that has taken significant steps back over the last year and change, the Boston Bruins.

You can quibble with the value of these moves and how they could ultimately pan out, but the fact remains that they don’t really make their respective teams that much scarier, especially when compared to some of the other bombshell moves that we’ve seen in other free agent classes.

With this reality established, and the big fish not available, there really wasn’t much that the Flyers could do except for:

• Finding a potential 1B/backup for Samuel Ersson
• Getting a potential third-line center on a prove-it deal

This is all that really made sense for the Flyers to pursue, especially if they didn’t want to hamstring themselves for future extensions and potential splash trades. And while you can take issue with the choice of players, they did just that in signing Dan Vladar and Christian Dvorak. In addition, there are Dennis Gilbert and Noah Juulsen, who I will not talk about until they prove that they are NHL-caliber defensemen, do something notable, or get inexplicably overplayed.

Not much to write home about here, in fact you could argue that only two of the signings will really even play regularly at the NHL level. But the most common complaint about this very unremarkable business surrounded the amount of money dished out to a player in Dvorak, who has never eclipsed 40 points, and really isn’t a top-six option. And that response isn’t totally unwarranted on the face of it; under normal circumstances giving a mediocre bottom-six center $5.4 million annually is a pretty hefty overpay. But with Dvorak, the Flyers weren’t willing to go beyond a year in length and are therefore treating this as a more traditional “prove it” deal that reunites a player with a coach in Rick Tocchet, who was with him for his most productive season in 2019-20.

And while it is an overused cliché this time of year, there simply is no such thing as a bad one year deal for the Flyers at this stage in the game. As of today, the Flyers currently possess just over $4.5 million in cap space with a full 23-man roster, a number that includes the full $6.25 million contract of Ryan Ellis that currently sits on injured reserve, the just over $5 million of retained money that they will be on the books for next season from the Kevin Hayes and Scott Laughton deals, and the $1.76 million that they still owe Cam Atkinson for buying him out prior to last season.

If you add that all up, it equals just a hair over $13 million in dead cap, and all but Ellis’s contract will conveniently come off the books next season, freeing up several millions of the Flyers’ cap for what looks to be a much more intriguing free agent market next season.

All of this is to say that the Flyers are definitely setting themselves up to make a massive splash next year, and that no matter how much they overpay someone like Dvorak, the money is really immaterial. Getting the player and outbidding Vancouver, who was also apparently interested in his services, was paramount. Whether it was Dvorak’s relation to Tocchet, his ability to play a more 200-foot game, or his recent dominance in the faceoff circle, the Flyers clearly saw something they liked with him, and crucially, were able to get him on a one-year deal that won’t limit them when it comes time to make some bigger moves in the future.

You can quibble with the name the Flyers signed and his ultimate upside, (I personally preferred Pius Suter as an alternative option, especially given the contract he signed with the Blues), but ultimately the money that was given out means very little when you survey the Flyers’ situation and see them still lacking true number one options in net, up the middle, and on the blueline. Those were not available in abundance this offseason, unless you believe that the Islanders were going to be happy to send Adam Pelech over to a division rival for a reasonable price, or wanted to take the ultimate gamble on someone like Thatcher Demko.

As frustrating as it may be to hear this again, this upcoming season was never going to be The One where all the chips went in. Once the Flyers traded up to get Jack Nesbitt at 12, and then continued to make the rest of their second round picks instead of dealing them for NHL-level assets, the writing was on the wall. Combine that with the reality of their cap situation getting leaps and bounds better a calendar year from now, and you find yourself in a situation where this season, at least from a management perspective, is going to be viewed as another year of experimentation and growth. The playoffs are still there for the taking, but the true splash won’t be made until later on down the line when the cap sheet clears up, and the options become more bountiful.

If Dvorak impresses and perhaps looks for an extension next season, he will need to take a haircut on AAV in order to add years onto the deal, but his willingness to take just a singular year is probably a not insignificant part of the reason why the Flyers probably felt comfortable going a little bit over the top salary wise. Maybe the other players available, like a Jeannot or a Suter, weren’t interested in the sort of one-year pact that fits the Flyers’ timeline. If that is the case, then you can see how the options would have dwindled, and why Keith Jones and Daniel Briere were willing to comfortably outbid any other potential suitors. In addition, if this year’s Scott Laughton trade showed us anything, it is that a bottom-six center with half-salary retained can actually secure you a pretty solid return, so at the very least, Dvorak’s $5.4 million can be turned into a much more palatable $2.7 million, and flipped to a desperate contender as a short-term rental.

While the money looks garish at first glance, Dvorak’s deal doesn’t prohibit the Flyers from making more moves in the future, and honestly, the only person that should really feel strongly about the AAV, is the man himself.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...-much-flyers-are-paying-christian-dvorak-yet/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Could Flyers be among teams interested in Evgeny Kuznetsov?

Danny Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers have had a pretty solid offseason so far. Additions of Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak have bolstered the team up front, but the Flyers did miss out on one of their targets when Maxim Shabonov signed with the New York Islanders last week.

With one KHL free agent off the board, could the Flyers possibly turn to another Russian out of the KHL?

Longtime Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov had his contract with SKA St. Petersburg mutually terminated in April. We wrote about the possibility of the Flyers signing Kuznetsov back then, and while there would certainly be some risk involved, there are a few reasons why it could make sense for the Flyers.

Let’s get this out of the way first: in no way is Kuznetsov comparable to Shabanov in terms of playstyle or upside, and no one should be expecting him to return to the 50-point form he had in his last full season with the Capitals.

But he’s looking to come back to the NHL, and the Flyers have taken a chance on a Russian or two before.

Kuznetsov’s agent, Shumi Babaev, told RG Media what he thought of the former NHLer’s game last season.

“He asked for my opinion, and I’ve always said that the NHL is where he belongs,” Babev said. Last year, he was mentally and physically exhausted and wanted to come back to Russia. But even at 60–70% of his usual level, he was still one of the top players in the KHL.”

Kuznetsov had 12 goals and 25 assists for 37 points in 39 games with SKA. Despite being limited, he finished seventh on the team in points and added three points in six playoff games.

The fire is still there for Kuznetsov, but is the Flyer?

First of all, the Russian connection is an obvious one. Kuznetsov won the Stanley Cup with Alex Ovechkin in Washington and has been through the ups and downs of the NHL. There’s the potential risk of Kuznetsov poisoning the locker room, so to speak, and if the front office were to have any inkling of that in conversations, it’s obviously a no-go. But if Kuznetsov can return to the NHL as a crafty veteran in a middle-six (likely third-line) role?

And we can’t mention a Russian connection without pointing out that Kirill Kaprizov is among a stacked free-agent class next summer. We’ll see how many of those players actually hit the open market, but anything that could help a guy like Kaprizov come to Philadelphia is worth exploring.

Kuznetsov also has a link to Flyers assistant coach Todd Reirden. Reirden was an assistant coach in Washington from 2014 until 2018, when he was promoted to head coach for two seasons before getting fired in 2020. The Russian forward was on the Capitals for the entirety of Reirden’s tenure (and then some).

Rierden won’t be coaching the forwards, nor did he in Washington, but spending the better part of a decade in a locker room with somebody should provide more than enough insight for the Flyers.

If the Flyers thought that Shabonov would ultimately sign in Philadelphia, or that they at least had a good chance of landing him, the front office could be looking to add another piece. Shabanov going to Long Island, combined with the uncertain status of Tyson Foerster’s elbow infection, and letting Jakob Pelletier walk, opens up a roster spot or two.

While the Flyers have some young talent fighting to fill those spots, how many prospects do the Flyers really want making the jump to the NHL at the same time without any AHL experience? Guys like Alex Bump and Porter Martone would be exciting, and they could still work their way onto the roster even if the Flyers signed Kuznetsov.

As I stated above, you can never have too much center depth.

As of now, Sean Couturier, Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak, and Noah Cates are pencilled in as the Flyers’ four centers. But what if Zegras is actually better suited at wing? And it sure seems like Dvorak and Cates could make a great shutdown duo given the veteran’s expertise in the faceoff circle, which is one of the few areas that the latter struggles in.

That would open up a spot for Kuznetsov, who, honestly, might not even be a center himself at this point in his career. But as Danny Briere said, it’s a lot easier to put a center at wing rather than a winger down the middle.

It would also provide some true competition for Jett Luchanko. The 2024 first-round pick made the team out of camp last year with John Tortorella essentially saying, “I’m going to use the centers that I have,” but he ultimately returned to juniors and made some good strides with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the end of the year.

Right now, the benchmark for Luchanko to clear is who, Rodrigo Abols? Karsen Dorwart? With all due respect to those guys, that’s not much of a competition. What if we raise that bar to beating out Kuznetsov for a job and forcing the Russian — or another center — pivot to wing?

Kuznetsov has made it clear that he won’t accept a tryout, so the Flyers couldn’t bring him to camp and see how he fits, but if the offseason continues and the Russian center remains out there? Perhaps he’d be interested in joining Michkov in Philadelphia.

There are a lot of ifs involved, including if Kuznetsov would even want to sign in Philadelphia, so as Danny Briere says: it has to make sense.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/philadelphia-flyers-news-rumors-evgeny-kuznetsov-free-agency/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Top 5 John Tortorella quotes of 2024-25

The Flyers will start next season with Rick Tocchet as their new head coach. But prior to a nine-game interim stint by former assistant coach (and current Devils assistant coach) Brad Shaw, John Tortorella was behind the bench for the first 73 games of the season. Tortorella wore out his welcome in Philadelphia. In some cases a lot quicker than others.

But despite being canned, he still provided some colorful, candid and at times comically refreshing quotes. Whether regarding the team’s goaltending situation, dealing with Matvei Michkov, or just perhaps seeing the writing on the wall, Tortorella still made things interesting in Flyers land. Here then are five of the better quotes, responses or reactions Tortorella had to the up and down 2024-25 Flyers season.

5) Benching Michkov briefly against Islanders (January 30, 2025)

After sitting Matvei Michkov for two games in the first half of the season, Tortorella was in the crosshairs of some fans and media for the decision. The two games where Michkov was a healthy scratch was later used by some as the reason Michkov didn’t win the Calder for Rookie of the Year. More points in those two games could’ve made him at least a nominee if not a winner. Regardless, that situation eventually passed. Until January 30.

During a stretch in the game, Michkov didn’t do the right thing defensively in terms of getting back in the play. He took a wider angle to the puck which gave the opposition time to score. Tortorella parked Michkov on the bench. Both parties weren’t too happy with the other but nothing really more came of it. After the game Tortorella addressed the situation without giving a detailed account. He also gave a response that showed he was looking at Michkov’s career in a much bigger picture.

“Like I said all along with him, we’re so far ahead of the process with him being here this year, and that continues even tonight, the process,” Tortorella said. “It needs to be, we’re trying to teach him how things are done, how things are done here. The things of understanding the conduct of a pro, all the things you do to play. So I’m not going to get involved in the situation about what went on the bench tonight, I’m not going to give you specifics. But you may not believe it, but it’s for the right reason because we care about him. I care about him and where he is in the process, how far along he is in the process. And I’m not going to fail him by kowtowing away from situations that people might second guess or whatever it might be. We’re going to do it the right way with this kid because we think he’s that special. And it’s my job to do that no matter what happens.”

When pressed on the subject, Tortorella said the player has to accept some responsibility. “I guess that’s the general term I’ll give you. I don’t want to get too involved in it because it’s unfair to him. I get put into a box sometimes with these situations come. This is to help him. In my heart it’s to help him. And I’m going to do the things I think I need to do to help him. And we’re going to continue to go through the process together.”

4) Michkov and Tortorella II: Language barrier & the “Michigan” (December 13, 2024)

Michkov and Tortorella seemed to see eye to eye on a lot of things, even though outside of some universal profanity, they didn’t understand the other. When Tortorella was asked about what he said during an intermission during a December game and whether that inspired Michkov, Tortorella was short.
“I don’t think he understands a word I’m saying between periods,” the coach said with a chuckle. “I don’t. When I speak, Darryl Williams goes to him and gives him the bullet points I guess of what we’re saying witth more time. He takes his time with him. He just pulls him aside. He’s actually getting a lot better, he really is.”

When asked about Michkov’s attempts at a “Michigan” kind of goal, Tortorella again was funny without trying to be. “I’ve lost the battle right, I don’t think it should be in our game, but I’ve lost the battle. I have talked to him earlier in the year when he was doing it every time. It was just turnovers. The thing I want Mich to understand is he such a good player moving the puck and passing the puck when he’s behind the net he’s dangerous to make plays. So what am I going to do, say ‘Don’t do it?’ What I did is I said, ‘You need to understand is there are other plays to be made there too,’ cause a number of times he tried it earlier in the year it lead to turnovers. So yeah, I’ve lost the damn battle with that.”

3) Four Nations Face-Off: Automobiles over planes and trains (February 24, 2025)

When John Tortorella was an assistant on Team USA as part of the Four Nations Face-Off, he said it was a tremendous honor seeing such talent behind the bench. He also saw the U.S. lose to Team Canada in a thrilling overtime win for Canada in Boston, especially given the geopolitical discussions taking place around that time.

When asked if Tortorella flew back with Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim on the charter back to Philadelphia, Tortorella said he drove. “I didn’t charter back, I drove back,” Tortorella said. “I was planning to drive back anyway, but when I knew a bunch of Canadians were gonna be on there, I was definitely driving back. So I left pretty early in the morning, and they took the charter.”

2) Diving into Bruins play (December 7, 2024)

After losing 4-3 to the Bruins in overtime, Tortorella stormed into the postgame media scrum and asked to speak first before taking any questions. “One thing I teach my team to do is not dive,” he said. “Maybe I should start teaching them that. The way this has gone here, the way this shit goes on, maybe I should start teaching them how to dive.”

When questioned further, Tortorella expanded on the issue of what he perceived as Boston embellishing to get calls. “Yeah I’m not going to go too deep into it. It’s one of the things we talk about most as a team, we got to play an honest game. There’s no cheating, there’s no embarrassing referees, you don’t embarrass the referees. And the shit that went on here tonight is just ridiculous. I’m proud of the way our team played. Did we piss another one away? Yeah. But other people had a little bit to do with that also.”

Tortorella was often one of the first to criticize his own team and some players for poor play. But he was also one of the first to defend his team against when he perceived them to be getting the short end of the stick.

1) The final nail in the coffin (March 25, 2025)

Looking a bit out of sorts, and perhaps just tired of the losing, Tortorella was candid in answering a handful of questions after losing 7-2 to the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. When asked a slightly different question about the team feeling frustrated at how things were devolving, Tortorella replied with the following: “Well, when you’re in this type of situation, and you’re losing all the time, and there’s nothing at the end of the tunnel for you, there’s certainly going to be some frustration,” he said. “This falls on me. I’m not really interested in learning how to coach this type…in this type of season where we’re at right now. But I have to do a better job. So this falls on me, to get the team to play the proper way until we get to the end.”

Whether it was the reply of a coach who wanted out, or was just at his wits end with the way the club was performing, Tortorella wanted either a life line. Or to be put out of his misery. After a reported run-in with defenseman (and recently re-signed) Cam York where he allegedly stated he’d make York’s life as a Flyer a living hell, Tortorella was shown the door by Flyers general manager Danny Briere. It was the last final postgame presser as a Flyers coach. And possibly an NHL coach. Time will tell.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/top-5-john-tortorella-quotes-of-2024-25/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Takeaways from Flyers 2025 Development Camp

That’s a wrap, folks! Another Flyers Development Camp is officially in the books, but before we move into the true doldrums of the summer, we’ll give it a proper sendoff and dig into some of the standout performances and storylines to come out of this camp. It certainly was an exciting one, even with some of the biggest name prospects held off the ice, so let’s get right into it.

Alex Bump is too good to be here

In every Development Camp, it seems to work out that there’s at least one player present who manages to pull himself head and shoulders above the rest of the group, making a strong case that he’s too good to be at this camp, and this year, no question about it, that was Alex Bump.

Across the board, Bump showed well — he was a standout in the skills practices, and he stepped up in a big way in the game settings, with a goal just about as soon as he hit the ice for the 3-on-3 scrimmages, and two (arguably three, as he had one that wasn’t counted but looked to be in from our vantage point upstairs) during the 5-on-5 scrimmage. There’s still some work to be done, but he’s already looking stronger and more polished than he did even when we last saw him in Lehigh Valley in the spring. And, what’s more, he stepped into a leadership role in this camp, not just as often the first player to demonstrate a drill after the coaches explained it, but, as he said, stepping up to help make the new players in camp feel seen and comfortable, as the older players did for him in his first camp.

And maybe this shouldn’t be a surprise, all things considered. After all, Bump is one of the older players in this camp, he’s coming off his third season of college hockey and a National Championship win, and he’s already got some AHL experience under his belt. But showing up and looking dominant in this camp setting is a good first step to where Bump wants things to be heading — towards a strong training camp and a spot earned on the Flyers’ roster. This camp might well be more about teaching than evaluating, but Bump seemed to come in on a mission to turn heads and begin his audition early, and he certainly accomplished that.

Cole Knuble’s skating continues to improve

Knuble came into camp, despite a very solid sophomore season at Notre Dame having just wrapped up, flying a bit under the radar, but very quickly ended up making his presence known. Most immediately apparent in Knuble were the strides (sorry) made in his skating. His last camp already saw him make progress from his first, and now for the second year in a row, he came in looking a bit quicker and more agile. Now, it still hasn’t gotten him to the point of being outright speedy, but he’s been well able to turn what was once an outright weakness in his game, and gotten himself comfortably into average skater territory. And even that move up has been supporting the rest of his game nicely — Knuble’s game is a high-effort one on the whole, something that was well on display in both the battle drills and the scrimmages, but now the added bit of quickness has made that effort even more executable. He brought a bit of flash through camp in the playmaking department as well, but what really stood out was the consistent sort of dog on a bone mentality he brought in his game. And now that things are coming together for him more, he seems primed for a big year in college, and he’s looking a lot more projectable for an NHL role in the future.

Nesbitt made a nice introduction

If there was one player who came into this camp with a lot of baggage, it was Nesbitt. By now, we’re well aware of the discourse surrounding him — the cost to move up in the draft to get him, whether that move up constituted a reach — but Nesbitt came into camp seemingly eager to push all of that aside and make a positive impression on his new team (and its fans), and this was something which he, to a degree, did accomplish. In the drill settings, Nesbitt often seemed methodical, really taking in what the development staff had given him to work on and focusing hard on it, which was encouraging to see. He also made sure to close things out on an undeniably flashy note, as he helped to carry his team to victory in the scrimmage — scoring the goal to get them on the board when they were down 3-0, and then ultimately potting the game winner in overtime, putting those good hands in tight on full display.

Now, it wasn’t a perfect showing, but it was an informative debut on the Flyers’ ice. Most notably — and unsurprisingly — Nesbitt’s skating is indeed very much a work in progress, and that came across in both the mechanics of the stride, but also on the power side. And the latter part of that equation should make that improvement process feel a little less daunting. It did become clear throughout this week that Nesbitt remains a bit physically underdeveloped, and a good portion of the positive gains in his skating will come as he continues to add more strength and fill out his frame. It’s still going to be a long process to get him to where he needs to be, but it feels a little less scary after seeing in-person just where he’s at.

Physicality on full display

The Flyers made a clear emphasis on adding size to the pipeline through this draft, and if anyone was wondering if that might somehow change the tone of this next Development Camp when everyone was brought together, the answer was a resounding yes.

Nesbitt was throwing the body around a bit, as was fellow new-draftee Jack Murtagh, as well as Shane Vansaghi, who made himself very well known as a physical presence. The drill settings can be a bit challenging to really show one’s full intensity in the same way it would manifest in the game settings, but Vansaghi still approached them going full tilt (and then somehow went even fuller tilt come the actual game settings).

Ladies and gentlemen, Shane Vansaghi. pic.twitter.com/vxguwWOd4F

— Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) July 5, 2025

Not to be outdone, though, some of the returnees continued to showcase this part of their games as well. For one, Hunter McDonald certainly brought his usual intensity and physicality (even at one point in the 3-on-3 tournament looking like he might be looking to square off with Spencer Gill, after they exchanged some bumps and slashes), and Noah Powell, who also showed some flashes of more polished playmaking along with a powerful shot, also did not shy away from engaging physically in the games.

Noah Powell with a big hit on Alex Bump. pic.twitter.com/mtc5uX1Dn7

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) July 5, 2025

The flip side of all of this, though, is what really brings the overall positive impression of this group together. That is, while each of these players certainly made their respective physical edges known, they also each brought more than that, be it impactful checking, playmaking, or some clutch scoring in the games. Because being a bruiser is all well and good, but bringing a more rounded skillset is what makes these players more interesting as prospects.

Ciernik’s game popped

Of course, this camp wasn’t all crash and bang showings, and one player who was noticeable for bringing more on the finesse side was Alex Ciernik. It’s been kind of a weird year for him — at the last camp, he was just coming off of a couple of concussions, and the focus was more of the “just try to hold up” variety, but now with a healthy season under his belt (along with a couple of AHL games) Ciernik came back to Development Camp in a much better position. He wasn’t always the most noticeable player out there, but he flashed some good quickness, made a few nice setups in the game settings, and overall did a noticeably better job of staying on his feet and in control of the puck when defensive pressure was bearing down on him. Now, he still has a longer development track ahead of him — he’ll be heading back overseas for at least this coming season — but he certainly made an impression at this camp, a good reminder that he shouldn’t be left to fly completely under the radar.

Martone showed well in just about all areas

And finally, all eyes were on the Flyers’ sixth overall pick in Porter Martone for his camp debut, and while he might not have had the massive and flashy showing that some might have been hoping to see, he did have himself a nicely well-rounded camp, on the whole. He showed his offensive game well, even if it didn’t pop to the same degree as someone like Bump, and was really noticeable in the shooting drills earlier in the week, while also flashing some positive playmaking in the scrimmages. More than that, though, the subtle details on the defensive side of his game shone, and while that might not be as flashy as piling up goals, it does move his camp on the whole into a more impressive territory. That is, there were never any questions about what Martone is able to do with the puck, how dynamic that side of his game is, but there’s a reason why Martone is even in the conversation for a job with the NHL team as soon as next season, and it’s the already well-roundedness of his game (along with his physical frame, of course) that is the reason for it. Martone brought an attentive, details-focused approach to even this camp setting, a mature game that will certainly go a long way in impressing the management group and coaching staff that were taking in his sessions.

The new college rules of it all

We’ll close this thing out with less of an on-ice observation, and more of an acknowledgment of something of an elephant in the room. The new rules which allow CHL players to transfer to the NCAA to play open up a whole new world of possibilities for players, particularly those who might be in something of a strange middle space in their development — too advanced for junior hockey but not quite ready to jump to the NHL, and of course still ineligible to play in the AHL — and offer them a more productive development track, and a bit of a more seamless transition towards pro hockey. It’s a route that the Flyers might be exploring with Martone, and it’s one that could be really beneficial for him.

But the flip side to that is the knowledge of who’s been left out. That is, having been proactive and getting both Jett Luchanko and Spencer Gill (which was standard practice at the time) has left the Flyers now with limited developmental options for these two. Because Luchanko has certainly made it clear that he’s too good for junior hockey at this point, but there are still things in his game that he needs to work on in his game, and those are things that might well be better served worked on outside of the NHL (and away from NHL defenses), while Gill, as a more physically developed player and one (as we saw throughout this camp) with a good grip on the finer details of his defensive game will likely see a cap on how much more he can develop in a diminished QMJHL. The college route would be perfect for each of their cases, but that ship has sailed.

Of course, this isn’t a critique on the Flyers for getting these contracts done early, because they don’t have a crystal ball and how no way of knowing this was coming, but it does put their development staff in a more challenging position, to make sure that these high-potential prospects can still develop well in, shall we say, sub-optimal situations. It will be interesting to see how they approach that.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/takeaways-from-flyers-2025-development-camp/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Wednesday Morning Fly By: Just what we all wanted

*Big news yesterday was the NHL and the NHLPA ratifying a new CBA, which includes an increase to 84 games in the regular season. Hooray. Just what every hockey fan was asking for: more regular season hockey. [TSN]

*Anyhoo, the Flyers. We had boots on the ground at dev camp over the weekend and, as a result, have Maddie’s main takeaways. [BSH]

*Our boots on the ground were hanging with Chuck, whose boots were also on the ground, and as such he also has some thoughts about dev camp overall. [PHLY]

*Danny Briere took the opportunity to sign some new defensemen this offseason. Which might mean that Egor Zamula is not long for this world (the Flyers Cinematic Universe not like, the earth). [BSH]

*Guess who’s back? Back again? Hak is back. Alert the authorities. [TSN]

*The Ivan Provorov trade remains one of Danny Briere’s most impressive moves during his tenure thus far, and it’s still kinda affecting the team. Who doesn’t love a trade tree?! [BSH]

*Sure the exciting part of silly season is over, but there are some teams that still might do some Stuff. [Sportsnet]

*Been wondering who has won the offseason? Is it too early to decide who has won the offseason? Either way, here’s a thing about who has won the offseason. [ESPN]

*We watched a whole bunch of Porter Martone playing hockey so you don’t have to. [BSH]

*And finally, solid chance you won’t miss having John Tortorella coach your favorite hockey team. But boy did that man know how to issue a statement. And that part was kinda fun, no? [BSH]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/wednesday-morning-fly-by-just-what-we-all-wanted/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

How Gavin McKenna committing to Penn State affects Flyers, Porter Martone

For the first time, players who started their career in juniors can now switch gears and play college hockey thanks to the agreement between the CHL and NCAA.

The new agreement may immediately impact the Philadelphia Flyers, with sixth overall pick Porter Martone potentially opting for the college route after dominating the OHL with the Brampton Steelheads. Martone had 37 goals and 61 assists for 98 points in 57 games as Brampton’s captain, adding 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) in six playoff games.

The Flyers had Martone in Voorhees over the past week at Development Camp, and the two sides are planning on having a conversation about where the top prospect plays next season.

“Martone obviously has all kinds of offers,” Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said Sunday. “He wants to play in the NHL and that’s a discussion we’ll have with his agent. As much as we want him to play, we have to make sure we do what’s best for him. We’ll figure that out in the coming weeks and see what he wants to do, and go from there.”

There have already been plenty of players to commit to college hockey either from or over the CHL, with the most recent — and most notable — being Gavin McKenna. Earlier this week, McKenna officially announced his commitment to Penn State, which is one of the colleges that Martone has been linked to.

Penn State already had commitments from Luke Misa, who played with Martone in Brampton last season, and 14th overall pick Jackson Smith. An already enticing destination for Martone just got even sweeter with McKenna, who is the unanimous top pick in the 2025 NHL Draft after putting up 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists) in 56 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers last season.

However, while Penn State landed McKenna, it also took them a record-setting $700,000 NIL offer, according to Mike McMahon, which was more than double the reported $300,000 offer from Michigan State.

Not only did Michigan State miss out on McKenna, but Hobey Baker Award winner Isaac Howard signed his entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers after being traded from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. Howard led the Spartans with 52 points last season, and Michigan State will also be without Flyers prospect Karsen Dorwart, who was second on the team with 31 points.

It’s easy to see why Michigan State may go even harder after Martone now, as speculated by Elite Prospects’ Cam Robinson.

Michigan State missed out on Gavin McKenna and lost reigning Hobey Baker winner, Isaac Howard on the same day.

Expect them to very aggressive in recruiting one or more of the big name CHLers still undecided on where to play next season – particularly Porter Martone.

— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) July 9, 2025

Michigan State may be able to offer more money to Martone after Penn State shelled out for McKenna, and the Flyers prospect could play on a line with 2024 fourth overall pick Cayden Lindstrom for the Spartans.

While the Flyers may be able to help guide Martone in his decision, it’s still ultimately up to the player to decide where he wants to play the upcoming season, and his goal is to make the NHL roster this season.

“My mindset is to play in the NHL next year. If the management staff here thinks otherwise, that’s when you kind of have the talk with my agent and me, but right now, my goal is to make the NHL and have a big summer. Really gain some strength in the lower body, then come into camp and try to earn my spot,” he said during Development Camp. “But for me, I want to go and I want to play a full regular season in the NHL next year.”

Some fans may have PTSD from Cutter Gauthier spurning the Flyers after an extra season in college, but it does seem like Martone wants to play in Philadelphia and has a good head on his shoulders.

The issue is that if Martone signs his entry-level contract, he is ineligible to play in the NCAA and must either make the NHL team or go back to the OHL for his age-19 season. There is a slight possibility that he could attend training camp without a contract and be a late commit if he doesn’t make the roster, but you’d have to think that the Flyers want to avoid that. There are a handful of wingers vying for a spot or two in the lineup, including a few in Alex Bump and Nikita Grebenkin, who can be sent to the AHL throughout the season.

College seems like the safest bet for Martone right now, but we’ll have to wait and see what comes of his talk with the front office, and keep an eye on things as the summer moves along.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...-to-penn-state-affects-flyers-porter-martone/