Although the organization is in the middle of what has been termed a rebuild, the Philadelphia Flyers still have many of the same players they have featured in the past few seasons.
Some of those players, however, are on their last legs as Flyers players if they are unable to show they can be valuable contributors to the rebuild moving forward.
In the NHL lineup, a handful of players are coming off of bad seasons. Others suffered untimely injuries, and the rest have yet to prove that they are full-time NHL players.
Let’s start with an injured player who’s had an interesting NHL career to date.
No. 5: D Rasmus Ristolainen
Before his season-ending triceps injury, Rasmus Ristolainen was continuing to grow into something of a force in his second year playing under head coach John Tortorella and associate coach Brad Shaw.
Although the hulking Finn has lost the offensive touch he showed early in his career with the Buffalo Sabres, Ristolainen has blossomed into a reliable, defense-first, bottom-four defenseman with the Flyers, albeit an overpaid one.
Ristolainen was becoming a very popular trade candidate around the time of his injury, thanks in large part to a series of strong performances and the burgeoning physical element in his game. Ristolainen will turn 30 on Oct. 27, however, and with top prospect Oliver Bonk developing at a remarkable rate, Ristolainen’s days as a member of the Flyers are numbered.
This is the nature of the business, and especially so with a Flyers team trying to get younger and better with a bright future in mind. With three seasons remaining on his contract at a $5.1 million cap hit, Ristolainen is heading into the 2024-25 season with the goals of showing that he is healthy and proving that he is worth the money he’s being paid, regardless of his role.
No. 4: F Noah Cates
Like his teammate Ristolainen, forward Noah Cates also suffered through an unproductive, injury-marred 2023-24 season that was handicapped by a broken foot suffered at the end of November.
Though Cates managed to finish the season as one of the Flyers’ better forwards, he is heading into the last year of a two-year, $5.25 million bridge deal and still has a lot to prove.
The 25-year-old notched a career-high 13 goals, 25 assists, and 38 points while playing in all 82 games in the 2022-23 season, but those totals plummeted to just six goals, 12 assists, and 18 points in only 59 games last season.
Towards the end of the year, Cates found a niche role on a checking line with teammates Ryan Poehling and Garnet Hathaway, and though we know he is capable of more, Cates is going to need a big rebound season to show he has a long-term future with the Flyers.
The Stillwater, Minnesota, native has added value as a versatile forward, but his production and contractual demands by the end of the season will ultimately determine his fate.
No. 3: F Morgan Frost
Time is running out for former first-round pick Morgan Frost to show that he is a dependable middle-six center at the NHL level.
Frost’s 2023-24 season started poorly, as Tortorella had held him out of the lineup on multiple occasions, including a highly publicized benching on Jan. 4.
The 25-year-old ultimately turned a lost season into a positive one, finishing with 13 goals, 28 assists, and 41 points after finishing with 19 goals, 27 assists, and 46 points in a full-time role the year prior.
However, just because the end result looks good doesn’t mean the process was without warts.
Frost ended the season on the bench in Game 82 against the Washington Capitals in spite of the fact that the Flyers were desperately hunting for goals to stay alive in the race to make the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Combine this with Frost’s overtime turnover against the New York Islanders that spoiled Ivan Fedotov’s NHL debut and the fact that he ended the season with one goal and zero assists in his last nine games, and the future doesn’t look as bright anymore.
A restricted free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season, Frost has one year remaining on his contract at a $2.1 million cap hit and is at risk of becoming trade bait if he can’t make a true breakthrough in Philadelphia.
No. 2: D Adam Ginning
Though 24-year-old defenseman Adam Ginning just signed a two-year contract extension with the Philadelphia Flyers on June 17, his future in the organization is uncertain as he continues to face an uphill battle for NHL minutes.
Defenseman Egor Zamula, who also signed a two-year contract extension, has the inside track on a roster spot. Veteran defensemen Travis Sanheim and Nick Seeler are both signed with the Flyers long-term, and blossoming stud Cam York is due for a lengthy, lucrative new contract himself.
Aside from them, Ginning also faces competition from fellow Swede Emil Andrae, who made the Flyers’ NHL roster last year, and former collegiate blueliner Hunter McDonald, an internal favorite amongst Flyers management.
While it’s possible all of these young defensemen carve out successful NHL careers, there’s no guarantee they all do so in Philadelphia. At 24 years old, Ginning is running out of time to show his development and prove he is ready for a full-time role in the NHL, even after a nine-game cameo with the Flyers last season.
No. 1: D Ronnie Attard
In many ways, right-shot defenseman Ronnie Attard is in a position similar to Ginning.
At 25 years old, Attard is an older prospect who will turn 26 before the end of the 2023-24 season. Unlike Ginning, however, Attard is no longer waivers-exempt and can be claimed by other NHL teams if the Flyers assign him to the AHL.
The White Lake Township, Michigan, native has yet to play more than 20 games in a single season for the Flyers but has excelled playing in limited minutes. Right now, Attard is the victim of a numbers game, as he sits squarely behind Sanheim, Jamie Drysdale, Ristolainen, and Erik Johnson on the depth chart at right defense.
Because of his age and waiver status, it’s probably now or never for Attard in a Flyers uniform. Beating out Ristolainen or Johnson is a tough ask for any young player, but as Flyers general manager Danny Briere said, “If you earn it, we’ll make room for you.”
If Attard can’t earn it now, he would be best served by seeking a more reasonable opportunity to make an NHL roster elsewhere.
