We’re officially in the back half of the Philadelphia Flyers’ 2025 preseason schedule. Four games down, three games to go before the Orange and Black take the ice for games that matter, starting on Oct. 9 with a formidable-but-hobbled Florida Panthers team.
There are still about 40 players remaining on the team’s training camp roster, a number that has to be slashed nearly in half in the next week. For a good chunk of those players, there’s a lot of certainty about whether they’ll be starting the season with the big team or not. However, a handful, many of whom have never cracked an NHL opening-night roster, are still battling for roster spots. Here’s who still fighting for a role and how they stand in their quest to break camp as a Flyer.
Forwards
Roster Locks (11): Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, Owen Tippett, Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak, Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, Garnet Hathaway, Nic Deslauriers, Bobby Brink, Matvei Michkov
Looking Good (2): Rodrigo Abols, Nikita Grebenkin
On the Bubble (5): Alex Bump, Jett Luchanko, Denver Barkey, Jacob Gaucher, Anthony Richard
It’s good to have Foerster in this top group after the concerning news about the elbow injury and infection he suffered at the World Championships. He’s ramped up in practice intensity as anticipated and is set to make his preseason debut on Monday night, dressing alongside his two most promising linemates from last season in Bobby Brink and Noah Cates.
Also playing in Monday’s game is Abols, who has been a lineup staple in Philadelphia’s exhibition schedule. The veteran center is a safe option to be the team’s fourth-line center, although it’s not out of the realm of possibility he could be pushed out of the picture with a strong finish by Bump or Luchanko. Both youngsters have flashed at times throughout the pre-season but haven’t fully lived up to the hype after Bump seemed to have the inside track to a roster spot and Luchanko briefly cracked the club last season.
Grebenkin has probably done the most to boost his stock of anyone in camp. Whether it’s as a fourth-liner or maybe in a more offensive spot on the third line, Grebenkin feels very likely to get his second NHL stint after an audition last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. There are still a lot of players with uncertainty about their role, such as Dvorak and Cates, both of whom can play center or the wing and could be used higher or lower in the lineup.
The last four players listed, Barkey, Gendron, Richard, and Gaucher, are included for parallel reasons. Barkey and Gendron have performed pretty well through drills and pre-season, but given their age (and with Barkey, his size), they’re basically guaranteed to start the season in the American Hockey League (AHL). Meanwhile, Gaucher and Richard doesn’t have the skill or ceiling of Barkey, but a big right-handed center is always intriguing. Gaucher had a great scoring season in the AHL last season and could be a candidate to make the team as a depth role. Lane Pederson’s injury cracks the door open for him. The same goes for Anthony Richard, although his smaller stature probably works against him here.
Defensemen
Roster Locks (5): Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Nick Seeler, Jamie Drysdale, Egor Zamula
Looking Good (2): Emil Andrae, Dennis Gilbert
On the Bubble (2): Noah Juulsen, Adam Ginning
Injured Reserve (1): Rasmus Ristolainen
The battle to find a replacement for Ristolainen while he recovers from triceps surgery is looking more challenging than anticipated. All five of the non-roster locks have NHL experience (though it’s very minimal for Grans, Ginning, and Andrae) but none have had a complete camp.
Andrae has the highest upside of the group, legitimately looking like a top-four defenseman for a stretch last season. The biggest concern with him is size; he stands at just 5-foot-9, 189 pounds, which is similar to Jamie Drysdale’s measurements. If Drysdale and either Travis Sanheim or Cam York are the choices to run the two power-play units, perhaps the brass feels like there isn’t a spot for him, particularly because Andrae is the only listed player who’s still waiver exempt.
If the Flyers want to replace Ristolainen as closely as possible from a physical standpoint, Helge Grans would have been the obvious choice, especially because he did have some promising moments at the NHL level last season. But he was waived after an ugly performance in Saturday’s pr-season game, adding some intriguing to Ginning, another more defensive-minded option. Either Andrae or Ginning should give the Flyers’ back end some Swedish flavor, though.
There will also probably be a veteran depth option to sit in the press box to start the season, too. Gilbert and Juulsen have the two best resumes for that role, although if preseason performance is any indicator, the job should be Gilbert’s to lose. Head coach Rick Tocchet has coached Juulsen a lot before, so it’s at least possible he relies on the familiar option, especially if the Flyers want another right-handed shot available if Andrae or Ginning make the team.
Goaltenders
Roster Locks (2): Dan Vladar, Samuel Ersson
Credit to Aleksei Kolosov for avoiding a second-straight camp of off-ice drama. No late arrival or questions about whether he’ll accept an assignment to the AHL this year. His .860 save percentage in six periods probably exaggerates the struggles that have come his way in September. Even a perfect performance would still likely have him ticketed for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, although Kolosov is still probably first in line for a mid-season call-up.
Ersson and Vladar are both starting to ramp up their workloads; Ersson played the entirety of Saturday’s game and Vladar is expected to do the same on Monday. The organization’s vote of confidence toward Ersson still makes him the likely opening-night starter, although that’s not set in stone.
The Official Projection
With the Ivan Fedotov trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Flyers have ample cap space to carry a full-23 man roster and avoid placing Ryan Ellis on Long-Term Injured Reserve. The Flyers can clear his $6.25 million cap hit if need be, but it shouldn’t be necessary at this time. With that said, here’s the current projection for the team.
Forwards (14): Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, Owen Tippett, Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak, Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, Garnet Hathaway, Nic Deslauriers, Bobby Brink, Matvei Michkov, Rodrigo Abols, Nikita Grebenkin, Jacob Gaucher
Defensemen (7): Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Nick Seeler, Jamie Drysdale, Egor Zamula, Emil Andrae, Dennis Gilbert
Goaltenders (2): Dan Vladar, Samuel Ersson
Bump was definitely the hardest player to cut from the current roster. If he makes it, I’d assume Gaucher goes down to the minors. There’s just no real reason to rush things with Bump right now, especially with Grebenkin playing well and coming off a goal on Saturday. Regardless, Deslauriers is likely to be a healthy scratch on opening night. I’ve got Gaucher in the last spot simply because I don’t think Bump or Luchanko have done enough to warrant a spot.
The decision to demote Luchanko will be tougher though because he either has to make the Flyers or return to the Ontario Hockey League, a suboptimal developmental path. It would still be better than throwing Luchanko to the wolves. However, I wouldn’t be stunned if the Flyers keep him on the roster to begin the season and see if a situation opens up where it makes sense for him to have extended playing time, either if he turns it on late or someone is injured.
Related: Flyers Goalie Prospect Egor Zavragin Having Another Hot Start
On the back end, I do think Andrae has played well enough to earn the last spot in the starting lineup. There’s minimal concern about the remaining four players being claimed for me. Gilbert has made the fewest mistakes of the group other than maybe Ginning, but he has much more NHL experience. He’d likely start in the press box but could play on night one if another defenseman is chosen over Andrae, making Gilbert either the sixth or seventh defenseman. Only in September 2025 is that the perfect way to end an article.
