Flyers New Season Starting to Come Into Focus

We’re getting towards the end of October and starting to get a better idea of what the Flyers have to offer for the 2025-26 season. They say you can’t make the playoffs in the first month but you can miss them. As the season progresses we are starting to get a better idea of where things may be headed.

The Flyers record is 4-3-1 going into tonight’s match-up against the Pittsburgh Penguins. They are currently tied for 5th place in the Metropolitan Division. So far the start is not spectacular but it is better than many had predicted.

Surprises

Hands down Dan Vladar is the brightest surprise in the Flyers line-up. Nobody was really going out on a limb for or against the Flyers newest goaltender before the season started. He was Mr. “Wait & See” at the end of camp and what we’re seeing so far has been a sight for sore eyes.

Vladar has been confident and strong between the pipes for the Flyers. Great lateral movement, strong positioning and recovery. He likes to play the puck and he is usually good at it, not always. He’s faced what has seemed like an unusual amount of odd man rushes and breakaways. He’s stood tall to the task at hand.

In his five starts he has three wins and has posted a 1.81 GAA and .932 SV%. Vladar was the first goaltender to start consecutive games this season for the Orange and Black.

Tonight vs the Penguins it looks like Samuel Ersson will get his first back to back starts after defeating the Islanders in the shootout this past Saturday.

Something Old Something New

Sure we’re only eight games in here and some players are still trying to find their groove. Others have come out with a bang. Sean Couturier and Trevor Zegras are tied for most points and both are on a point per game pace. Both have two goals and six assists for eight points in eight games. What’s interesting is this, Coots is thought of as a defensive forward he is currently a +1. The worry about Zegras coming in is that he may be a defensive liability, he is currently skating with a +5.

Tyson Foerster and Owen Tippett are holding down the next two spots. Foerster who spent a good chunk of camp in a no-contact jersey showed up for the regular season looking like the established pro hockey player he has become. With 3 goals and 3 assists he holds a team high +6.

Owen Tippett who was taking so much misdirected heat on social media is actually the team’s highest goal scorer with 5 goals in the first 8 games. He seems to have found his scoring touch. He’s not passing too much, He has 0 assists and his plus minus is 0, Even Steven. Keep shooting the puck Owen.

Get into the groove

Two players that the Flyers depend on to put the lotion in the basket still seem to be adjusting to the rhythm of the young season. Travis Konecny 1G-3A and Matvei Michkov 1g-2A are both chipping in for sure but the team and Flyers Fans are used to these two guys battling it out for the top of the pile. It’s little things, timing, bad bounces, it will come. Both of these players have proven they have what it takes, especially TK who has been a beast the past few seasons.

Christian Dvorak is starting to turn some heads with his creative offensive play. Jett Luchanko has been sent back to the Guelph Storm. The timing just didn’t work out and he spent most of camp season recovering from injury. It should be more than interesting to see what he brings to camp next year when more options are opened up to the 19 year old first round pick.

Noah Cates continues to be a foundational force for the Flyers. Travis Sanheim is playing some really solid hockey and logging monster minutes. Sanheim looks like the seasoned pro that he is and is making his presence known at both ends of the ice.

Sure there is a lot more hockey to be played before you can say for sure where this team is headed but the big picture is becoming a little more clear as we are heading towards November.

Flyers Penguins tonight at 6PM in Philly.

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