With the Philadelphia Flyers‘ 2024-25 regular season beginning in a few weeks (Oct. 11), they will have to make a final roster. To me, it seems as though they have most of it figured out—of the 23 spots, there are 22 safe picks to make it. But that last one? That’s where we can have some fun.
The Flyers’ Roster Locks
At this point, I am comfortable calling 22 of the 23 possible players on the roster “locks” to make the team. Whether it be because of their talent or what they bring off of the ice, I don’t feel like many spots are up for grabs.
Here are the 13 forwards who I think are more or less guaranteed to make the roster. Minus rookie Matvei Michkov, all of them were regular NHLers last season:
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| Tyson Foerster | Sean Couturier | Matvei Michkov |
| Owen Tippett | Morgan Frost | Travis Konecny |
| Joel Farabee | Scott Laughton | Bobby Brink |
| Noah Cates | Ryan Poehling | Garnet Hathaway |
| Nicolas Deslauriers |
I also see seven defensemen as locks for the team. None of them spent an ounce of time in any league aside from the NHL in 2023-24:
| Left Defense | Right Defense |
| Cam York | Travis Sanheim |
| Nick Seeler | Jamie Drysdale |
| Egor Zamula | Rasmus Ristolainen |
| Erik Johnson |
Finally, here are the two netminders:
| Starter | Backup |
| Sam Ersson | Ivan Fedotov |
The lines here can fluctuate, but they mostly align with what the Flyers have been running in training camp and in preseason (minus Michkov being on the top line instead of the second). Over the past two seasons, there haven’t been many roster spots that could be earned with high-end performances in September. Bobby Brink got a decent look with the Orange and Black because of a strong showing before the 2023-24 season began, but there weren’t any other surprises aside from him. A calendar year later, I expect much of the same. Who are the candidates to follow in his footsteps?
Jett Luchanko, Forward
As time passes, this fit just seems to make more and more sense. Not only could the Flyers really use another option down the middle, but 18-year-old Jett Luchanko might legitimately be the third-best center the team has. If the goal is to make the best roster possible, the 2024 first-round selection might have an early debut.
Related: Philadelphia Flyers’ Jett Luchanko Could Make the Team in 2024-25
I’ve talked enough about Luchanko (specifically in the piece above), so I won’t go into too much detail. Now, some people are vehemently opposed to this sort of move, with many citing that an NHL stint might not be the best for his development. Since the Flyers aren’t exactly poised to win the Stanley Cup, there’s not a good reason to have him play anywhere else but juniors. The other side says that if he’s good enough to be with the Flyers, he should be with the Flyers. The experience could go a long way, whether it’s a trial period or the entire 2024-25 campaign.
Regardless of where you stand on this debate, it’s worth noting that Luchanko is most certainly in the discussion of making the roster. It’s unclear how the Flyers feel about all of this, but icing the best team possible could benefit their culture moving forward. If giving a freshly drafted player an NHL spot is what they think they need to have a chance at the postseason, it wouldn’t be out of the question for them to pursue that.
Emil Andrae, Defenseman
The best defender to take on that last spot appears to be Emil Andrae and by quite a decent margin. He’s not necessarily the most likely to get it, but he has risen above his American Hockey League (AHL) counterparts in a big way. Andrae has the upside to be a good offensive defenseman and responsible at both ends of the ice. He had 32 points in 61 AHL games last season and has been impressive since training camp began.
At the very least, the 5-foot-9, 189-pound defender has earned a shot. He spent four underwhelming contests with the Flyers last season but seems to be a better player this time around. The 22-year-old might even be able to handle full-time top-six minutes, though that much is yet to be seen. He has some good potential, so Philadelphia might want to give him the shot to achieve that at the highest level.
Hunter McDonald, Defenseman
Although it wouldn’t be based on merit, I think there’s a decent chance that 22-year-old defenseman Hunter McDonald has an opening night roster spot with the Orange and Black. Per Elite Prospects, the Flyers are the second-lightest team in the NHL by weight (195 pounds)—they might want to add some size.
McDonald is a 6-foot-4, 205-pound defender who shoots left. So far, he really hasn’t impressed me enough to warrant a spot on the lineup and he’d probably be better suited in the AHL. At the same time, however, the Flyers play a taxing style and lean into their physicality quite a bit. Ranking seventh in hits with 2,022 dished out last season, it wouldn’t surprise me if they embraced that identity.
Under head coach John Tortorella and associate coach Brad Shaw, there are some things McDonald can learn. He could be very useful as an eighth defenseman, growing as the season moves along and developing NHL habits. If there was any situation a young defender would want to enter, it would probably be one with the Orange and Black—they got the most out of their back end in 2023-24.
Since the Flyers ran with seven defensemen (as opposed to the usual six) with frequency last season, I suspect they’ll want to have eight players on their blue line. While McDonald wouldn’t be my personal choice as the final roster player for this season, I do understand why the team might see that as the best course of action. Having a hard-to-play-against defense is never a bad idea, and the youngster can certainly provide that.
The Other Flyers Who Have a Chance
There are five other candidates for a roster spot who I think could be considered, but I view them as a tier lower in likelihood than the three I already outlined. The forwards I see having a chance are Olle Lycksell, Anthony Richard, Oscar Eklind, and Rodrigo Abols. The lone defenseman I have is Adam Ginning.
The case for Lycksell is that he spent some time with the Flyers last season and he is useful as a plug-in bottom-sixer. The 25-year-old winger seems less likely due to his position (Philadelphia’s wing depth is certainly not an issue) and the fact that he’s small in size, but he could be a roster regular on some teams out there. At the very least, he deserves a mention.
The Flyers’ real issue is down the middle, which is where those last three forwards can come in handy. Richard, a 27-year-old center, was picked up by the Orange and Black in free agency and has 24 games of NHL experience to his name. He scored three points in nine contests with the Boston Bruins last season and has 122 points in the AHL since 2022-23 (in 119 regular season games)—he’s not far from an NHL talent. I wouldn’t personally bet on him to make the team, but I also think he has a good shot if Tortorella is adamant about an extra center being in the mix.
Both Eklind and Abols are in the same boat. They’re centers, in their mid-20s, have never seen NHL ice, and have plenty of experience in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). They were acquired on one-year deals, adding some needed depth to a dire position group for the Flyers. I don’t think they’re better than Luchanko is today (despite the age gap), but keep their names in mind.
The lone defender I have here is Ginning, who signed a two-year deal in the offseason. His experience with the Flyers makes him intriguing, and I also believe the fact that he’s a left-shot player will work in his favor. The right side seems pretty crowded, but there aren’t many guys holding the left side in check—Ginning could be that player. The 6-foot-3, 196-pound blueliner is sort of a safety net in case the Flyers aren’t comfortable with having either Andrae or McDonald in Philadelphia. It might be better for their development if they play top minutes in the AHL instead.
As the Flyers decrease their roster by the day, we’ll have more clarity as to who will fill that 23rd spot. Whether it’s a youngster or a veteran, the hope is that they can help the team.
