Heading into their season opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 12, the Philadelphia Flyers’ opening-night roster has already been announced, along with some injury and prospect news. What are some of the biggest stories for the Orange and Black entering their regular season debut?
Ristolainen Placed on Injured Reserve – Could Still Play
The Flyers made their final lineup official on Oct. 9, including a surprise move by placing Rasmus Ristolainen on injured reserve (IR). However, the move was made well before it was announced, so there is still a chance that he could play on opening night.
If Ristolainen is not ready, the fact that he has been skating with the team implies that he could play shortly thereafter. In the meantime, a roster spot for one of Egor Zamula or Emil Andrae is guaranteed, as there are only seven defenders on the active roster.
The Flyers have a clear weakness on their right-side defense, with only two players who shoot right making the team, Sean Walker and Ristolainen. If the injury is prolonged, it could be a chance for some young defenders to show that they should be regulars on the team, such as Zamula and Andrae.
Opening-Night Lineup Shaping Up
Now that the Flyers’ opening-night roster has been made official, lineup projections are now a bit easier. Other than the uncertainty around whether Ristolainen will play to start out or not, there is a good idea of what the Flyers’ lineup might look like.
Young players such as Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink have officially made the team, but it is unlikely that both will be in the lineup at the same time. The Flyers have a lot of offensive depth, so it would be difficult to give both of them a chance.
The Flyers’ fourth line of Nicolas Deslauriers, Ryan Poehling, and Garnet Hathaway will stick together if all three are healthy. The trio has already earned a nickname, so don’t expect them to be broken up anytime soon.
Defensively, the Flyers will likely lean towards veteran players such as Marc Staal to start. Now 36 years old, Staal is what he is at this point. He can be a solid mentor for young players, but other than that, he shouldn’t really change the complexion of the team’s defensive corps. That being said, he probably won’t take a spot from a prospect unless they show they aren’t capable of handling it so early in their careers.
It’s healthy to have some internal competition during the season, and every defenseman will likely play in the lineup at some point. Young players will be given a chance to earn their spot, and it’s always exciting to see what they can bring, but patience will also be important.
Matvei Michkov Dominating KHL
In some prospect news, Matvei Michkov is proving to be even more than what the Flyers bargained for. At just 18 years old, he is tied for 23rd in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) scoring, even though he was frequently a healthy scratch with his parent club, SKA St. Petersburg.
After Michkov was loaned to HC Sochi, where he played much of last season as well, he instantly became one of the best players in the league. Several players ahead of him in the points race have NHL experience, and none are close to as young as he is. His five goals and seven assists in 12 games are sensational, and he’s only getting started.
Related: Flyers’ Matvei Michkov Will Be an Immediate Star in the NHL
Even Alexander Ovechkin was not scoring at that pace the season after he was drafted – he is not your average seventh-overall draft pick. When he is ready to come over to North America for the 2026-27 season, the Flyers will be getting something special.
Predictions for the Flyers
On Elliotte Friedman’s “32 Thoughts: The Podcast”, he and co-host Jeff Marek discussed every NHL team and where they think they will finish in the standings. Their take on the Flyers was unsurprisingly negative, and it was implied that the Flyers could finish dead last in the Eastern Conference.
When asked if Philadelphia could be in the mix for the first-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Friedman made his point clear, saying, “I think they’re gonna be right in that conversation.” He followed that up by stating a bit later that, in the Eastern Conference, there has to be a team that will lose a big chunk of games, and, to him, the Flyers are the most likely.
Marek pointed to Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, Carter Hart, and head coach John Tortorella as major positives for the team and said that they should be a bit better than what Friedman predicted. Both he and Elliotte were in agreement that they will be in the conversation among the teams at the bottom of the league’s standings, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t be competitive.
Expect more News and Rumors updates as the Flyers’ season officially gets underway. The team is finally back after nearly six months off, and they could be in store for a wild ride entering the first year of the team’s new era.