After a few practices and two games against the New York Rangers prospects, the Philadelphia Flyers wrapped up their rookie camp on Tuesday afternoon. Before the final practice session, though, the bridge to the main training camp was filled by the first press conference of the season for Danny Brière, who enters his second full season as general manager (GM).
Brière spoke on several topics for almost 30 minutes, discussing the vastly different situations of Russian prospects Matvei Michkov and Alexei Kolosov, the state of the current roster, the plans for prospects knocking on the NHL door and more.
On Year 1 With Michkov
There is no understating of the enthusiasm for Michkov to make his NHL debut. That was only amplified when he scored in his unofficial Flyers debut in the first of two rookie games last weekend. But Brière didn’t put too much weight on the 19-year-old’s shoulders.
“I don’t have a lot of expectations for Matvei,” Brière said. “What I hope is for him to figure out how he can take the first step and get better as a player as the season goes on. I’m realistic. It’s going to be a tough season for him. This is the best league in the world. It’s a big step. It’s not going to be easy.”
Figuring out Michkov’s initial linemates will be one of the biggest storylines of training camp. There are a lot of players with cases to suit up next to him, a left-handed shot who plays right wing. Morgan Frost is arguably the team’s most gifted playmaker. Tyson Foerster was great along the boards and was named in Selke Trophy voting during his rookie campaign a year ago. The first-half versions of Sean Couturier (a former Selke winner himself) and Joel Farabee from last season were clear-cut top-sixers, and hopefully, any lingering injury concerns are firmly in the rearview mirror.
That list doesn’t even include the team’s leading scorers from last season, Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett, the recipients of the two largest contracts of Brière’s tenure. Both are right-wingers themselves, but it’s always possible they could slide to the other side. Unsurprisingly, Brière wants to keep the team’s options open.
“At the end of the day, Torts makes that decision. He moves his lines around quite a bit. I think you’re going to see a lot of
different combinations there for Matvei until he figures out what’s the best fit and where the best chemistry feels,” Brière said.
“Sometimes it’s unexpected. It’s also the best feeling in the world when you find that chemistry with someone. I remember myself and the chemistry I had with Ville Leino and Scotty Hartnell. When you put it together, you’re like, that’s an ugly line. Then we got on the ice, and we just knew where we were and where each other were going to be.”
Brière also said that Michkov’s adaptation to North America has been going well. Michkov’s mother and brother have made their way over, and they’ve had a welcomed house guest this summer: Flyers defenseman and countryman Egor Zamula (from ‘Egor Zamula forges early bond with Matvei Michkov as teammate adapts to new country’, PHLY Sports, Sept. 15). Zamula even served as Michkov’s translator after the rookie game on Friday, although Michkov has been doing his best to learn English. And while Brière did temper expectations, he’s also excited to see how Michkov meets the challenge of playing in the NHL.
“I can’t wait to see how he’s going to create offense. I think his brain is pretty special, and he’s going to adapt. It might not be instant. It might need time to adapt. What I’ve been really impressed with is how hard he plays in traffic,” Brière said.
Interestingly, Brière didn’t necessarily disregard the assertion that Michkov and head coach John Tortorella may not always see eye-to-eye. Rather, the GM sees it as a positive part of Michkov’s growth.
“Torts is the coach, and he’s going to manage him. Torts’ goal is to make Matvei the best player he can be. I have no doubt that there’s going to be some fireworks here and there, just like he has with almost every single player,” Brière said.
On the Current Roster
There are no questions about Michkov’s long-term role with the Flyers, at least not yet. Tippett and Konecny’s eight-year extensions mean they’re locked in for the long haul. But there’s a lot at stake for some of the team’s other forwards.
Morgan Forst and Joel Farabee spent most of Tortorella’s first season in the head coach’s dog house. Last season they offered evidence that they could provide more. Farabee had 40 points in his first 50 games and Frost largely excelled after a meeting with Tortorella in early January. However, by the end of the season, it was clear both were no longer on their A-game. Now that both are in their mid-20s and no longer lacking experience, both need to prove they can sustain last season’s peaks for longer.
“We forget sometimes that Joel is still 24 years old. He’s been around so long, he’s taken on a bigger, more of a leadership role. It probably started last year. We expect him to expand on that. He looks a little bigger and stronger… looking at Morgan, I believe last year arriving late at camp, like on the first day of camp with the contract situation, probably didn’t help. He started behind the eight ball behind everybody else. He played catch-up the first month of the season. Then he was really good. He had some dips here and there, but overall it was a pretty good season for Morgan. That’s another guy that we expect to take another step,” Brière said about the two.
They’re in an analogous position to Noah Cates and Bobby Brink, who are still looking to establish themselves as full-time NHLers. Brink was the darling of training camp last year and delivered a respectable rookie season, although he was sent to the American Hockey League (AHL) in January. It wasn’t as good as Cates’ rookie performance in 2022-23 when he was an elite defender and gradually improved on offense despite playing center after mostly developing at left wing. However, Cates fell into a sophomore slump while missing two months due to a broken foot.
“Maybe a guy like Bobby Brink who had an up and down season, but we didn’t have him pegged in to make the team last year,” Brière said when asked who he thought could take big steps forward in 2024-25. “He showed up and had a great training camp. He provided some sparks here and there throughout the season… Another one for me would be Noah Cates. He had an excellent rookie season. Last year was a little tougher for him, but I expect him to bounce back and have another good season.”
On defense, staying healthy is the main theme. Rasmus Ristolainen was limited to just 31 games a season ago and has missed at least eight games in his three seasons as a Flyer. Meanwhile, Jamie Drysdale has played just 42 games over the last two seasons. His 2022-23 was essentially lost to a torn labrum, then suffered multiple long-term injuries in 2023-24 — one before the Flyers traded for him in January and one after. Even when in the lineup, Drysdale played through a sports hernia, which he had surgery to repair after the season.
They’re good to go right now, although Brière cautioned that there are no long-term guarantees. But other than a few prospects, none of whom are expected to miss significant time, the team is in good shape.
“You always see it early in training camp. There’s a lot of guys that get banged up when the intensity rises. You guys know Torts’ camp is not an easy one, but I believe it makes them stronger down the road. As of right now, yes, our guys look strong and healthy,” Brière said.
While most teams who carry 21 skaters go with 14 forwards and seven defensemen, Brière noted the Flyers may differ. Seven defenders are roster locks — Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Nick Seeler, Drysdale, Ristolainen and Erik Johnson. Ronnie Attard and Adam Ginning are the most likely contenders for that last spot, with a slight leg-up to Attard since he’s no longer waivers exempt. Emil Andrae, who made the team out of camp last year but lasted just four games, is a dark horse contender, but his play in the rookie games was mixed.
Meanwhile, inexperience is the main concern between the pipes. Using the projected tandems on Daily Faceoff, the Flyers are one of two teams with less than 100 NHL games between the pipes on their roster. Samuel Ersson has played in 63 games over the last three seasons, 51 of which came last season. Ivan Fedotov played three games after coming over from Russia in the spring. Those 66 appearances are 27 fewer than any other team (Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar of the Calgary Flames combine for 93). However, in Brière’s eyes, there’s a clear No. 1 option.
“Hopefully Ersson takes the reins,” Brière said when asked about the state of the team’s crease. “We see him as the number one and Fedotov hopefully can be pushing him for starts, the same way that Ersson did it to Carter [Hart] last year. Ersson didn’t steal the starts that he was getting. He earned them along the way.”
On Kolosov’s Status
Brière confirmed what was already apparent when the rookie camp rosters were released last week — Kolosov, arguably the team’s most NHL-ready goalie prospect, is not with the team. Kolosov signed his entry-level deal last summer but was loaned back to his Kontinental Hockey League club Dinamo Minsk, which is common. However, the Flyers want Kolosov to come to the AHL now to develop under the organization’s watch (and potentially play in the NHL as soon as this season), but the 22-year-old refuses to. And like with top prospect Cutter Gauthier last season, the organization is again confused by the change of heart (from ‘Inside the Cutter Gauthier vs. Flyers drama that lead to trade,’ ESPN, Jan. 9).
“We agreed last year to loan him back [to the KHL] for one year because he wanted to stay home,” Brière recalled. “At some point [when] you sign a contract, and we want him here. We want him to start integrating himself into the game the way it’s played here in North America with the smaller ice, learning the language and all of that. I guess he doesn’t see it that way at the moment.”
He confirmed that Kolosov would be welcomed if he changed his mind. But a second case of a coveted youngster spurning the team warrants further reflection.
“If we could have had a player that he would have felt comfortable with speaking the language in Lehigh Valley, maybe,” Brière said when he asked if there was anything the organization could have done differently. “It’s tough to do when you’re right at the end of the season. He came in, and we thought, that’s going to give him the chance to see what it’s like… I talked to some of the [Phantoms players] and they all said that he was fine. He was great around the rink. They liked him as a person.”
At this point, Brière said he isn’t sure whether Kolosov still wants to come to the NHL later on. In the present, the team has no choice but to move on without him.
“We have no interest in loaning him back,” Brière confirmed. “We want him to develop here. We just thought it would be a great opportunity for him at this time. It’s too bad that he’s not willing to come over.”
On the Next Wave
Brink and Andrae (and Foerster to a lesser extent) were training camp’s biggest winners a year ago, unexpectedly pushing their way into the NHL. Brière had a few names in mind when asked about who could make a similar jump this fall.
“Some of the players that are going to be pushing for spots are probably guys like [Olle] Lycksell, Rodrigo Abols is another one. Anthony Richard, [a] good surprise. There’s also [Oscar] Eklind, a big left winger.”
Fans may be disappointed since none of those players are considered top prospects. Lycksell just turned 25 years old and is probably a third-line scorer at best. Eklind (26) and Abols (28) are even older and were both signed from Europe. Richard has put up consecutive seasons around a point-per-game pace in the AHL, but we’re talking about a 27-year-old with 24 career NHL games. That’s not a profile that screams long-term contributor.
Related: Philadephia Flyers’ Jett Luchanko Could Make the Team in 2024-25
As for the best prospects behind Michkov, they could benefit from more seasoning. Expect Oliver Bonk and Jett Luchanko to return to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) in 2024-25. Bonk will turn pro regardless in 2025-26 and maybe Luchanko is ready to make the jump then, too. Earlier in the week, Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr deemed Luchanko’s chances of earning the nine-game trial afforded to CHL prospects without burning the first year of their ELC unlikely but didn’t fully rule it out. Brière echoed that sentiment with his final answer of the day.
“I don’t want to say no [about their chances of making the team], because we’ll see how it is… [Bonk and Luchanko] have the mindset that they want to make the team. And I don’t want to take that away from them before camp starts. When you talk about guys like Luchanko and Bonk it’s more than just, are they ready? But what about the future too? You got to consider what’s best for the development.”
That question and more will begin to be answered when the full complement of Flyers take the ice for the first time since April on Thursday morning.
