How will the Flyers deploy their new lineup in 2025-26?
The Philadelphia Flyers embarked on a rebuild two years ago when GM Danny Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones took over. Entering this offseason, Briere was vocal about the Flyers entering the next stage of the rebuild; it was not yet time to push the gas pedal to the floor, but rather begin to add to the existing roster.
The Trevor Zegras trade was certainly a bigger splash than many anticipated, though the low cost to get the former first-round pick from the Anaheim Ducks made the trade a near can’t-miss move. Free agency saw the Flyers add center Christian Dvorak and goaltender Dan Vladar on one-year ($5.4 million AAV) and two-year ($3.35 million AAV) deals, respectively, along with signing defensemen Noah Juulsen and Dennis Gilbert to one year tickets. Not big-game hunting by any means, but relatively significant acquisitions given the Flyers’ needs down the middle and in net, specifically.
So what does all this mean going forward for the lineup?
In net, Vladar’s arrival will bring a much needed veteran-presence to the crease. Vladar is by no means an all-world goaltender (or even a starter), but he is no doubt an upgrade on both Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov. At 27 years old, Vladar has arguably his best shot at grabbing the reins as a starter for the Flyers. He will have to battle with Samuel Ersson in a platoon system, but it will be a better chance for him rather than having to play behind the likes of Tuukka Rask, Jacob Markstrom and Dustin Wolf as Vladar has in past years.
As for Fedotov, the plan is for him and his $3.275 million AAV will be placed on waivers and sent to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. 2023 second round draft pick Carson Bjarnason will be turning professional next season; he and Fedotov figure to be the tandem for the Phantoms to start next season.
As for Kolosov, the 23 year old Belarusian is still expected to report to training camp next season in North America. Given what happened last season with Kolosov being reluctant to come over to start the season, there is still some skepticism as to whether a similar problem will arise this year. There does seem to be some political pressure placed on Kolosov in his home country, potentially trying to coerce him into staying in the KHL.
Defensively, I don’t foresee an overly different lineup to the one we saw last season. I do expect RFA blueliner Cam York to get a deal done eventually; he will be a fixture in the top four, alongside Travis Sanheim or Jamie Drysdale. Nick Seeler figures to be the final piece to round out the top four, while Egor Zamula and prospect Emil Andrae will likely contend for a third-pair position along with the newcomer Gilbert. In the absence of Rasmus Ristolainen due to injury, I imagine Juulsen has the inside track to start the season on the right-side of the third pair, though prospect Helge Grans could push for playing time in that role.
Aside from Andrae and Grans, I don’t see any other prospects contending for an opening spot. I suppose 2023 first-round pick Oliver Bonk could make a push, but with him just turning professional this season, I reckon that the Flyers’ brass would rather have him at least get his feet wet with the Phantoms.
Up front is where things are a little more interesting given the new faces and departures over the last six months. Since the winter, the Flyers have moved on from Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Scott Laughton and Ryan Poehling. The arrivals of Dvorak and Zegras will give new head coach Rick Tocchet more options down the middle, an area in which the Flyers have been incredibly thin at for quite some time.
Zegras is by no means a slam dunk as a center, but it is safe to assume that he will be given every opportunity to stick there – something he wanted with the Ducks. The low hanging fruit is that he will likely be getting a crack to play alongside Russian phenom Matvei Michkov, something Tocchet himself alluded to recently.
Tyson Foerster, who I assumed could be a candidate to play on the left side of that line, may start the season on the sidelines due to an injury and subsequent infection in his elbow, opening up a top-six spot. Though he has played his best hockey down the middle, I do wonder if Noah Cates (who was drafted as a left winger) could be a candidate to shift to wing, at least in the interim. The arrival of Dvorak alleviates Cates from having to play down the middle, and the latter’s defensive prowess would help the likes of Zegras and Michkov to free-wheel offensively.
Further down the lineup, the likes of Alex Bump and Nikita Grebenkin will have opportunities to make the team. The trickle down effect of Foerster’s injury does open up a spot on the third line (most likely left wing), which opens the door for the aforementioned players. Though only one may ultimately make the team, there is a world where both could, as well. It is no guarantee that Nicolas Deslauriers will be an every-day NHLer this season; given this, there is a scenario where Bump and Grebenkin are on the left side of the third line and fourth line, respectively.
There is a world where 2023 first round pick Jett Luchanko makes the team, but unless he nabs a spot in the top-nine, a more likely path may be to start the year in the OHL. Rodrigo Abols and Karsen Dorwart will likely contend for the fourth-line center role, with Garnet Hathaway rounding out the bottom line.
The Flyers are not yet ready to push the gas pedal down, but additions have begun to be made. While this likely isn’t the year where the Flyers take a major step towards being a playoff team, there will be tangible and notable differences to their roster – specifically up front.
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