The annual time of gift-giving (or regift-giving) is at hand, the malls and e-tailers busy trying to get everything sent out and all the food preparation supposedly close to being done. It’s Christmas time, so with that here’s a list of what each Flyers player deserves for Christmas. And to break up the text we’ve included some of the season highlights for some players so far. Here’s hoping you all have a happy, healthy and hassle-free holiday season. And thank you all for reading!
Ivan Fedotov
The game Battleship is out of the question, he’s seen enough of those in northern Russia. But Ivan Fedotov might get some use out of a Lonely Planet guide to Lehigh Valley. Barring injury or some unforeseen trade happening to Sam Ersson or Aleksei Kolosov, most believe Danny Briere and John Tortorella have made their decision, and it’s a matter of time before Fedotov is off to the American Hockey League. The demotion would give the Phantoms most likely the highest paid tandem in the AHL with Petersen on the books for $5 million this season in addition to Fedotov’s $3.25 million.
Aleksei Kolosov
After wondering whether he’d be on this side of the Atlantic as late as August, Aleksei Kolosov has made the most of his games, battling Fedotov for the backup spot. He seems to be more comfortable and has the confidence of Tortorella which never hurts. So for Christmas? Well, Kolosov would appreciate receiving a bevy of Belarusian foods such as zrazy (stuffed meatballs), kyselo (a sort of cereal soup) and draniki (potato pancakes) that would make his first Christmas in North America a little more homey and comforting.
Sam Ersson
The 51 games last year was a marathon for Ersson, a task he wasn’t ready for mentally or physically and it showed. Now with some health concerns apparent so far this season, Ersson needs to get his rest and relaxation between games. My suggestion is noise-cancelling headphones of the highest quality.
There’s enough self-doubt or unease inside the heads of most goaltenders that one bad goal can lead to a horrible streak of giving up weak ones. Or weeks of giving up weak ones. So, to get away from the chatter or voices in his head, it’s best he wears these anytime outside of game action. As long as he’s not walking in traffic wearing them.
Jamie Drysdale
He’s been playing well since he’s returned to action this month. And he’s been looking like the guy they were high on when acquired in January. So perhaps the best gift for Drysdale will be a new 2025 calendar that looks similar to the calendars he had in 2021 or 2022 when he played 81 games. If nothing else a 12-month period where he remains relatively healthy would be a huge boost to the player, the team and the Flyers fanbase.
Nick Seeler
Aside from Drysdale staying healthy, the ideal Christmas gift for Nick Seeler would be Sears Christmas catalogues. It’s not that he’s a kid at heart and can look at all the gifts he could ask Santa for. It would be for more practical purposes: stuffing them under his shin pads for more protection after blocking 74 shots heading into the Dec. 21 tilt. Seeler would be great in a snowball fight as all you’d have to do is hide behind him since he blocks damn near everything.
Rasmus Ristolainen
With the general idea being Rasmus Ristolainen is playing so good he’ll play his way out of town shortly, luggage or a U-Haul might be a practical gift. The Finn (who is part of his country’s roster at the Four Nations Face-Off) should generate more interest from teams hoping a big blueline presence will get them to the promised land.
So, maybe the most apt present for Ristolainen would be a half dozen NHL jerseys to see what colors would work best on him. The copper and blue of Edmonton for a 2025 second or a 2026 first-rounder? Perhaps the classic (and still hideous) black “V” jersey of the Canucks from the ’80s would be a great fit. Either way, seeing the big defenseman in another jersey might work out best for everyone involved and the rebuild.
Erik Johnson
With his last game played over a month ago and everyone knowing this is the final season for him, Erik Johnson should be relaxing in a big ol’ custom made rocking chair. He might be called on to play some games down the line depending on injuries or trades, but the veteran should know he has done a credible job being that long-in-the-tooth blueliner that a lot of the younger players can learn from both on and off the ice.
He’s also 83 goals ahead of Matvei Michkov all time, but we think the Mad Russian will close that gap within a few seasons.
Travis Sanheim
Travis Sanheim is playing beyond anyone’s expectations. He looks like a top-pairing defenseman and if he kept up this level of play and added a bit more offensive production he could be a legitimate number one on a contender. He’s been a surprise since Torey Krug said, “No thanks!” And the future looks bright for him. It’s a pair of RayBans for Sanheim then as, to quote the immortial ’80s band Timbuk 3, the future is so bright he’s got to wear shades.
Cam York
Recovering from an earlier upper-body injury a few weeks later, Cam York is starting to settle into the top pairing. He’s played fine, perhaps being overshadowed of late by how well Andrae looked (until he wasn’t in the line) and Drysdale looks now. The defenseman is the subject sometimes of whether he should be trade bait for a top-six or number one center or locked up on a team-friendly deal with the cap slated to jump a bit each of the next few years.
York deserves a hardhat because he’s gone about his business when he’s in the lineup very matter-of-factly, not mistaken for a true superstar but getting the job done more often than not against the opponent’s top line more often than not. (Note: This graf was written hours before York made a costly outlet pass in the Dec. 18 game against Detroit, benched for the rest of the game, then scratched the next game.)
Egor Zamula
Anything but translation books. Absolutely anything but translation books!
Emil Andrae
Andrae got hit and hit hard this year, none moreso than the punishing blow delivered by Mathieu Olivier earlier this month. The young (and small-ish) puck mover needs to either take a huge hit (and play another 10 NHL games in his career) or avoid these bone-jarring collisions at any and all costs. A great gift idea would be the equivalent of a car’s forward collision warning system placed in his helmet. The system would automatically jolt Andrae’s body left, right, or have him fall to the ice to avoid the Tom Wilsons of the hockey world.
Garnet Hathaway
The fourth-liner and all-around pest to opponents would look surprised when he unwrapped an Elf on the Shelf in his honor: Hathaway on the Pathaway. As he’s often great at intentionally unintentionally knocking somebody down, this great doll (with a lifetime battery supply) would surprisingly punch you from behind, unexpectedly trip you as you amble down the hallway or pester you with constant chirps about things you’d rather forget about.
The other aspect of Hathaway on the Pathaway is that you couldn’t return it or pawn it off on somebody until the conclusion of the 2025-26 season. Not that everyone would want to of course.
Nic Deslauriers
Deslauriers, even more than Johnson, has been on the Flyers’ back burner this season. He’s currently on Injured Reserve and, barring injuries, doesn’t look to be in the Flyers forecast much moving forward. He could follow the ways of Mike Tyson and now Conor McGregor by trying to fight Logan Paul for a huge pay-per-view payday. But I think some delicious chocolate chip cookies would work best in his stocking. After all, that’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes for NHL tough guys.
Ryan Poehling
The perfect gift for Poehling is probably better served for Scott Laughton so we’ll re-gift that and hold onto it a little while longer. Another fourth-liner who often does a lot of little things and avoids the evil eye of coach John Tortorella, Poehling has been fine this season, still in the lineup thanks to his speed and penalty killing.
But because Ryan Poehling is reportedly a huge fan of country star Zach Bryan, a VIP experience at one of Bryan’s three shows next summer at Metlife Stadium would be fitting. The three shows are in mid-July so he won’t have to work around the Stanley Cup Final dates given the expected deep Flyers playoff run into June. (I wish there was a sarcasm font.)
Noah Cates
What to give a pending restricted free agent? Well the greatest thing Cates could see under the Christmas tree is a some in-depth reading on salary arbitration and how not to take things personally. Granted this contract should be the easiest of the three (we’re not counting Morgan Frost because…well) for the pendings RFAs to secure. But one should keep a stiff upper lip when your employer is arguing how your underlying metrics don’t calculate to Cates consistently having 20 goals and 40 points each season.
Bobby Brink
Bobby Brink always has the appearance of someone just happy to be alive, elated to have a pair of skates, and grateful to get a nifty paycheque every two weeks for chasing a piece of rubber around frozen water. Brink’s favorite sport (other than hockey) is golf. Hence golf clubs would be a perfect gift to give the winger provided his play is good enough to help get the Flyers back into the playoffs.
The idea of getting a player golf clubs is probably the antithesis of motivating them towards a playoff spot. But this is the Flyers. Nothing is ordinary. Everything is chaotic.
Scott Laughton
Four goals against Detroit. Four. Lot of goals. But Laughton does a lot of different things on and off the ice like Johnson. So it would be great to get him a tool box or some woodworking device to keep him busy in the offseason. And because he’s the proud new papa he could build a lot of baby furniture for his little bundle of joy.
Tyson Foerster
It’s not really a sophomore slump if a player comes close to matching his rookie goal and point totals. With 14 points in 32 games Foerster is on pace for roughly 30 to 35 points barring injury. He’s been mentioned more this year by John Tortorella negatively than positively concerning his play. Often not doing the little things to win puck battles on the boards he thrived on during 2023-24.
Keeping that idea in mind Foerster might get the hint if he got a roomba for Christmas. The device goes to all the different areas of your abode and does the dirty work to keep things clean. Seeing a personalized vaccuum gadget like that, complete in the Flyers colors and maybe a Foerster name tag around the machine’s circumference, would be enough for him to turn the corner for the second half of the season.
Joel Farabee
You don’t have to Google the words “missed an easy goal” and Farabee’s name without getting a slew of hits I would suspect. He seems to have the puck on his stick, a good two to three feet of empty net staring at him, and still can’t cash in. If any more proof was needed just look at the chance he had against Los Angeles where he was threaded a pass but somehow didn’t connect. Farabee would be happy with a basic old-school hockey net with the sponge or styrofoam targets in the corners, allowing him to see what it feels to score goals on a consistent basis. It’s not that he isn’t trying or wanting to score, but how many times has he punted almost guaranteed goals? A little bit of confidence could go a long way.
Morgan Frost
A photo album of his time in Philadelphia as it appears he’s far more on his way out than sticking around.
Owen Tippett
Ten goals nearly heading into the Christmas break isn’t what some anticipated for Tippett given his extension and the expectations that came with it. A five-game goal streak helped, but just five in the other 27 games isn’t ideal. But the holidays bring messages of hope, so we hope he gets going the last half. Santa Claus should give Tippett a large LED screen to go either in his den or out in his yard showing all the goals he’s scored with the Flyers, emphasizing the highlight reel Dallas goal and the nifty one he netted against Detroit a few games ago. It might drive the neighbors crazy seeing it on a 24-hour loop but if it works who cares.
Sean Couturier
Couturier has looked a little less like how he started the year and a little more like the “oy vey” center we saw the last half of last season. He was absolutely bad against the Red Wings. And Tortorella hasn’t been singing that line’s praises loudly lately. The five-point game was nice but hopefully he’s potting a few more goals and driving play more than he has recently.
Even more perplexing is the amount of times he has either had to drop the gloves, looked like he was going to or was challenged to this season. A set of boxing gloves or a membership to some Philadelphia area boxing gyms might be practical. Maybe even the complete set of Rocky films. Just not the one with Ivan Drago as you don’t want The Mad Russian believing he too can trade blows with any foe.
Travis Konecny
A great season so far warrants a great gift. So nothing is more suited for Konecny than a contract extension. Wait, he has that too. Let Santa figure that one out.
Matvei Michkov
Whether it’s the team, a gofundme drive or Comcast fronting the money, Matvei Michkov deserves to become a lifetime season ticket holder for the Montreal Canadiens. So an empty seat (perhaps seat 39 in one of the lower rows of the Centre Bell) with a “reserved for Matvei Michkov” sign dangling from the back would drive their fanbase even nuttier than they currently are regarding Michkov and Montreal missing out on a player who didn’t want to play for them (or seemingly any other team but the Flyers). Michkov has family nearby, the support of his coach and teammates and Flyers fans who are eager to see him remain in the running for the Calder.
