In five days, the Philadelphia Flyers will need to have made their final decisions on roster battles and submit the opening night roster.
Only one preseason game remains – Thursday, against the New Jersey Devils—which means it’s crunch time for the Flyers players currently on the roster bubble.
If the two training camp groups of the remaining players tell us anything, it’s that the Flyers roster is taking shape.
Flyers Roster
Tyson Foerster – Sean Couturier – Travis Konecny
Owen Tippett – Morgan Frost – Matvei Michkov
Joel Farabee – Noah Cates – Bobby Brink
Scott Laughton – Ryan Poehling – Garnet Hathaway
Extras: Nick Deslauriers, Olle Lycksell
Cam York – Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler – Jamie Drysdale
Egor Zamula – Rasmus Ristolainen
Extra: Erik Johnson
Sam Ersson, Ivan Fedotov
Although free agent signing Anthony Richard has had an impressive preseason thanks to his speed and aggression, prospect Olle Lycksell has the advantage of being with the Flyers during parts of the 2023-24 season.
Additionally, Lycksell has been more productive offensively, helping an average attacking team put some pucks in the net this preseason, especially on the power play.
On the other hand, 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko is making a hard push to make the Flyers outright just months after being selected in the draft, but his age and inexperience will undoubtedly work against him when the time comes for a decision.
“I think one guy that has stood out with pace, and I don’t think has really been affected too much, is Luchanko,” head coach John Tortorella said after practice on Wednesday. “I think he continues to skate. I checked with him today about his legs, he said they feel pretty good. Maybe that’s the youth, I don’t know, but he’s hung in there really well.”
In all likelihood, Luchanko is going to bank this summer experience with the Flyers and come back in 2025 with a much more realistic chance of making the NHL roster outright.
As for potentially carrying an eighth defenseman, Tortorella is less impressed but admitted there is still a clubhouse favorite if that is how the roster shapes up in the coming days.
“The No. 8 spot is wide open. Ginning was one that we kind of had penciled in there, I thought he’s had a bad camp,” Tortorella assessed. “Andrae has quietly gone about his business and has had a good camp. So, that’s why he practiced with us today.
“As I’ve told a number of those defensemen, ‘What are you waiting for?’ Because that spot is wide open.”
In net, Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov are the unquestioned goalies heading into the season, but it would not be a surprise if a motivated Alexei Kolosov, who wants to push for an NHL spot now, is brought along as a third goaltender.
It might not happen right away, but Kolosov will almost certainly own the crease at least once for the Flyers this season.
The 2024-25 opening night roster for the Flyers should not come with too many surprises if any at all, but with one preseason game to go, there’s still time for some last-minute drama to unfold.
