With the Philadelphia Flyers officially signing Matvei Michkov two years earlier than initially expected, the opening night line combinations might need a bit of a re-shuffling.
The Flyers tried out a variety of line combinations throughout last season, trying to find what worked and what didn't as they dealt with trades, scratches, and a whole host of injuries throughout the 2023-24 campaign.
They'll kick off the 2024-25 with a four-game road trip, beginning against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 11. Their home opener will, funnily enough, also be against the Canucks on Oct. 19.
Note: These will only be lines for the forward group.
Lineup One: Go With What You Know
Foerster - Couturier - Konecny
Tippett - Frost - Michkov
Farabee - Laughton - Brink
Cates - Poehling - Hathaway
With the exception of Michkov, this came to be the pretty standard lineup for the Flyers last season. Flyers GM Danny Briere did specify that Michkov would have to earn his spot in the lineup, so it's entirely possible that they won't immediately put him on the first line for opening night.
It could be beneficial to pair Michkov with Morgan Frost, the Flyers' most offensively-skilled center who has the potential to stay with the team for an extended period and forge some good chemistry with the Russian prospect.
This could be beneficial for Frost as well, seeing as his offensive production suffered a bit during the second half of the season due to incompatible linemates that weren't always able to follow through on his creativity in getting the puck forward.
Lineup Two: Let The Kid Score
Farabee - Frost - Michkov
Tippett - Couturier - Konecny
Foerster - Poehling - Brink
Cates - Laughton - Hathaway
While he's highly capable of doing other things well, a big reason Flyers fans were anxiously awaiting Michkov's arrival is the fact that he can score goals. On a line with Frost and Joel Farabee, he'll be able to do just that.
Frost's ability to read the game and see offensive opportunities that other players don't speaks for itself. While Farabee didn't have the second half of the season he would've wanted, he still put up career numbers in 2023-24, and is excellent at maintaining possession and getting the puck forward when he's at his best.
With the Flyers' current logjam of wingers, some right-handed shots might be forced to play the left side again. Tyson Foerster and Owen Tippett have previous experience doing that, so if it comes down to it, they likely won't need a long adjustment period.
Lineup Three: Father-Son Bonding
Farabee - Frost - Konecny
Tippett - Couturier - Michkov
Foerster - Laughton - Brink
Cates - Poehling - Hathaway
It wouldn't be a bad idea at all to put Michkov with a veteran while he finds his footing in the NHL. The front office has stressed that while, yes, he's an incredibly talented player, he most likely won't be a superstar sniper straight out the gate. There's plenty of value in letting him learn from Sean Couturier, and even Owen Tippett has plenty of his own experience and will be with the Flyers for the next eight years.
I also am admittedly still a big fan of the Farabee - Frost - Konecny line, and don't believe that the Cates - Poehling - Hathaway line should ever be separated unless circumstances make it absolutely necessary (knock wood that doesn't happen).
