VOORHEES, N.J. — Much of the cast remains the same. Despite some suggestions early in the summer from general manager Daniel Briere that there might be a few notable hockey trades in the offseason, the only major addition the Philadelphia Flyers made was the unexpected, early arrival of prospect Matvei Michkov.
So where might Michkov fit in, and what might the Flyers’ opening-night lineup (and lines and defense pairs) look like? Let’s explore.
Center
Simply put, if the Flyers get the 2023-24 first-half version of Sean Couturier for much of this season, they’ll be in decent shape down the middle, with an experienced, two-way center who can help shut down the other team’s top line.
If they get the second-half version of Couturier, who looked a step too slow and was a black hole offensively, that’s going to be a major problem.
Couturier downplayed an offseason core surgery, calling it “pretty common” and something that he already went through once in his career. It apparently didn’t much hamper his offseason training. We’ll see.
The remaining centers all return from last season. Morgan Frost is entering a pivotal campaign as a pending restricted free agent, and is someone who still has a bit more proving to do if he wants to be part of the Flyers in the long term. Briere suggested that Frost was behind a bit at the start of last season, after it took some time for his contract extension to get ironed out (he signed last Sept. 7), perhaps leading to his getting healthy-scratched 10 times over the first month and a half. Frost, though, could get the first chance to play with Michkov, as they’ve been together for the last few days. Perhaps that unlocks his full potential.
Scott Laughton was kept around all of last season was because of his importance to the team’s culture — and because he played much better in the second half — but his name could again surface in trade speculation. Ryan Poehling showed to be a decent depth center and an outstanding penalty-killer, earning a two-way contract extension that kicks in this season.
Right wing
Travis Konecny has been slotted along Couturier in the early part of camp, where he was for the majority of last season. He’s still the odds-on favorite to lead the Flyers in scoring for the fourth straight season, particularly after he showed to be a force on the penalty kill last season, where he scored eight of his 33 goals (tied for the league lead).
Michkov starts in the top six, as he and Frost have shown some good chemistry. They seem to be similar players — not very big, but with an ability to both make plays and score — which could end up helping not just the team at even strength, but potentially on the power play, too. It might be a danger defensively to deploy them at the same time, but the Flyers need to find a way to create more offense this season if they’re going to stay in the mix for a playoff spot. Perhaps this is the kind of high-risk, high-reward chance that coach John Tortorella is willing to take, at least for now.
Bobby Brink has opened some eyes early in camp, and looks thicker in the upper body since last season, when he was also the talk of training camp (and somewhat unexpectedly earned a spot). He may even be able to push Michkov for a spot in the top six if he has a strong preseason.
“There’s a lot of good things to Bobby,” Tortorella said. “We like some of the things he does on the power play. I’m just looking for some consistency to his game.”
Garnet Hathaway, now signed for three more seasons, rounds out the right wing position as both a feared hitter/tough guy and top penalty-killer. Hathaway was one of the more important Flyers tone-setters last season.
Left wing
It’s been Owen Tippett on the left wing of the Frost-Michkov line so far, but the guess here is that the Flyers eventually go with Tyson Foerster there instead, as he’s a more physical player that’s stronger on the walls and on his stick. That moves Tippett, who should be aiming to eclipse 30 goals this season for the first time in his career, to the top line with Couturier and Konecny.
Joel Farabee is another guy who, like Frost, has a bit more to do to show he’s going to be part of the ultimate solution here. Farabee got dropped in the lineup late last season and remains the most likely candidate to get moved if the Flyers need to shed salary in a hockey trade. But nothing is certain, of course — if Farabee, who posted four points on Thursday in the preseason opener and is still just 24 years old, is more consistent this season than last, he could still end up back in the top six.
That leaves Nic Deslauriers and Noah Cates fighting for the last active roster spot. Based on how he was used last season, playing nightly in the first half, we’re giving the nod to Deslauriers for opening night.
Right defense
This could be a real strength of the Flyers if they’re all able to stay healthy — a big if.
There may be no more important player on the roster this season than Jamie Drysdale. Right away, his skating has been noticeable in camp. Drysdale, who put on nearly 20 pounds in the offseason in an attempt to finally stay in the lineup, needs to be as mobile as he’s shown so far if he’s going to reach his full potential.
Rasmus Ristolainen, too, looks like he’s moving well, particularly in some early camp scrimmages. While he’s also a guy who could get moved before the trade deadline, as his salary and age make him unlikely to be with the team when it hopes to contend again, Ristolainen gives the Flyers some size and snarl on their back end that they could have used late last season when they were frittering away a playoff spot and he was on the shelf with shoulder issues.
Travis Sanheim, the assumed top-pair defenseman on the right side, spoke about how important it could be to the team to get both Drysdale and Ristolainen back again on a full time basis.
“It will be nice to kind of add some more bodies, some more guys that can eat up some minutes,’ Sanheim said. “Jamie is obviously looking to take a big step this year. I’m excited to see what he’s got in store. He’s super excited to get going and play a full season.
“Risto, obviously with (lots of) time off, but we know what to expect from him. Big body, he’s going to help defensively, going to be physical. Can move the puck well, can add in all areas. It will be huge for our team to have that stability back there.”
Erik Johnson is the spare body here.
Left defense
No changes here from last season. Cam York, who was arguably the Flyers’ top defenseman in the second half, will be attempting to take yet another step as he enters the final year of his contract.
“In all facets of my game, I want to grow,” York said. “I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface as to what I can do in the NHL.”
It seems possible, if not likely, that the Flyers are going to want to lock up York for the long term at some point during the season, much like they did with Tippett last season.
“Danny knows I love it here and want to be here, so I’m not worried about it,” York said. “I know something will eventually work out.”
Nick Seeler will enter this season with the security of a four-year contract extension now under his belt, but also as a respected team leader and shot-blocking dynamo. His starting with Drysdale still makes sense, as he’ll attempt to replicate the kind of chemistry he had with Sean Walker before Walker was dealt to the Avalanche last March.
The next step for Egor Zamula will simply be getting better on both sides of the puck. Further, Zamula is going to be leaned upon by Michkov off the ice, a role that he very much embraces.
Goalie
Sam Ersson will undoubtedly be in net in the opener against the Canucks on Oct. 11. Both Briere and Tortorella have mentioned that he’s the No. 1. Whether Ivan Fedotov can push him for more starts — or, conversely, show that he can’t be trusted to play once every three or four games — could determine whether the Flyers hang around or falter.
Ersson was having a fine season until the All-Star break, but after Carter Hart’s departure, he couldn’t handle the intense workload.
“Having a little bit more experience what it’s like to go through a full season in the NHL with the schedule you play every other night, you’ve got to find a way to really (have) a short memory both with the good games and the bad games,” Ersson said.
(Photo of Morgan Frost and Owen Tippett: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)
