As we await the start of the 2024-25 season in the NHL, it’s good to be aware of a few milestones that can be hit. Here, we look at five members of the Philadelphia Flyers who could accomplish big things in their upcoming campaign.
Matvei Michkov — Rookie Records
Matvei Michkov should be eyeing a few rookie statistics for the Flyers, with some being harder than others. At least in the 21st century, the Orange and Black haven’t had an incredibly impressive rookie campaign—it will be the 19-year-old’s time to strike. The historical rookie records are a bit more unattainable, but let’s take a look.
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This millennium, the Flyers’ best rookie campaign points-wise was accomplished by Matt Read in 2011-12. Scoring 24 goals and 23 assists for 47 points in 79 games, that was an impressive showing for an undrafted free agent but doable for someone like Michkov. He could also surpass the individual goal and assist marks in the 21st century, which are 24 set by Read and 29 set by Shayne Gostisbehere respectively.
Historical points are where things get a bit dicey but there’s a non-zero chance Michkov can achieve greatness. It’s not unreasonable for him to score 52 points over a full season and become a top-10 rookie point scorer in franchise history, but entering that top spot would require him to beat Mikael Renberg’s 82-point debut season in 1993-94. Individual records are just as tricky, with Eric Lindros holding the goals mark (41) and Pelle Eklund holding the assists mark (51).
Assuming he is healthy and plays in the top six, Michkov should beat or come close to some of the records listed. 80 points would be a very lofty expectation for a teenager, but nothing is impossible for the Russian sensation.
Rasmus Ristolainen — First Playoff Game?
There haven’t been many players in the NHL dealt a worse hand than defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. The 29-year-old has gone his entire career—713 games across 11 seasons—without a single playoff appearance. Playing for a Buffalo Sabres team that hasn’t made the postseason since 2011 started the drought, and being dealt to a Flyers team that had the fourth-worst record in the league in his debut season continued it. The Orange and Black nearly reached the postseason in 2023-24, perhaps this season is his time to end the madness.
Part of Ristolainen’s inability to make the playoffs is his fault, but he turned a corner last season for the Flyers and is starting to become a solid defensive defenseman in moderation. He holds the second-longest active playoff drought next to former teammate Jeff Skinner, who was bought out by the Sabres in the 2024 offseason and signed by the Edmonton Oilers—they will almost surely make it to the postseason. This record is one that Ristolainen definitely won’t want to take, so it would be a good time to get that monkey off of his back.
Had the Flyers made the postseason in 2023-24, which they were very close to doing before their late-season collapse, he likely wouldn’t have played anyway. He only played 31 games due to injury, so health will also be a factor. The 2024-25 Flyers have one of their deepest rosters in a while, so it’s not a stretch to have them in the playoff hunt once again.
Erik Johnson — 1,000th Game
Erik Johnson, a 36-year-old defenseman, is likely to reach the 1,000-game mark for his career even if he is likely to be out of the lineup more often than not. Extended to a one-year deal worth $1 million in the offseason, he was signed to be a veteran presence and also play some games here and there. With 987 contests to his name, he is on the cusp of joining the 398 other NHLers to hit the four-figure total.
Johnson will have to compete to play in the 13 games he has left, especially if the defense is healthier than it was in 2023-24, but he should still get it done. This could be his last season in the NHL given his age and some of his struggles in his last outing, so head coach John Tortorella will likely try and do the veteran a favor as long as it doesn’t hurt the team.
Johnson is also nearing 100 goals in his career with 93 as it stands, but he’d need an otherworldly finishing campaign to hit seven goals in 2024-25 especially if he doesn’t play very often. He had five in 67 games last season—he did so with the second-highest shooting percentage of his career. Following this up is pretty unlikely.
Sean Couturier — 800th Game, 200th Goal, 500th Point
Captain Sean Couturier should hit quite a few milestones relatively early in the season. Assuming he doesn’t suffer a long-term injury, he should hit 800 games played, 200 goals, and 500 points all within his 2024-25 campaign.
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All Couturier needs to reach each of those totals are five games played, nine goals, and two points. Over his 12-year career, he has hit each of those marks in 10 individual seasons—he was five goals shy in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season and three goals shy in his injury-riddled 2021-22 campaign.
This upcoming season could be a really big one for Couturier and one that defines the rest of his NHL career. With six seasons left with a $7.75 million cap hit, his contract could age poorly unless he is both healthy and performs like he did early on in 2023-24. If he can do that, he should hit a few sizable landmarks. He is 109 games away from having the third-most in franchise history, so that’s something to look forward to in 2025-26.
Travis Konecny — 600th Game, 200th Goal
A little more distant from his milestones is Travis Konecny, but he’s in a contract year and likely very motivated to reach new heights. With 564 games played and 174 goals, he could hit both 600 games and 200 goals in some time.
The only real question mark with Konecny is the fact that he could be traded at the 2025 deadline. Reaching 36 contests in that time is reasonable, but hitting 26 goals could be a challenge. If the Flyers are outside of the playoff picture when the trading window for 2024-25 nears its end, it seems unlikely that he will be on the team—extending his contract would come with some hesitation. He had 27 goals by the deadline last season, so it could be close.
Plenty of other Flyers are nearing big marks for games played, goals, and assists, but these five are some of the most interesting (and also the most likely). Hopefully, their 2024-25 campaigns are kind to them.