It’s been a long road between Development Camp this past Summer and the Flyers 2025-26 season opener which will take place this Thursday night against the reigning Stanley Cup Champions in Florida. Ready or not here it comes.
That’s the big question, are the Flyers ready? And the big answer, … I don’t think anyone knows for sure. There’s a whole lot of uncharted territory going into this season. The team has a new head coach, staff, and systems. There are lots of new faces who have yet to prove themselves in a Flyers uniform.
The Pre-Season seemed too long and too short all at the same time. The Flyers lost three out of the first four exhibition games and local nerves predictably started to fray. As cuts were made and the veteran players started to out number prospects the team won two of their last three.
Scoring
Travis Konecny willed the win against the Devils in the final pre-season game scoring twice in regulation and notching the winning shootout goal. Konecny has been the team’s leading scorer the past three seasons and will continue to be a defining factor in 2025-26. Konecny is key to the Flyers success.
The Flyers second most prolific scorer last season was rookie Matvei Michkov. The 20 year old Russian winging is facing high expectations in his sophomore season and that’s nobody’s fault but his own. Michkov’s rookie season was everything you hoped it would be. Michkov adapted well to his many challenges. A new country, league, team, and language.
This year Michkov has already been around the block and is now better prepared for what may be coming his way this season. Michkov has a way of controlling the play and his unique skill-set stands out even in the most elite league on the planet. It will be interesting to see what this second season will bring for him.
Tyson Foerster was third in scoring for the team last season. He was iffy for the beginning of this season up until just a few weeks ago. He was recovering from an infection in his arm following a previous injury. He entered training camp wearing a no-contact jersey but has been cleared and competing with the team for the past couple weeks. Tyson looks sharp and ready to get into the season at hand.
Goaltending
Goaltending is key to any team at any level. The Flyers goaltending has been in a bit of a turmoil since January of 2024. The team has parted ways with 6′-7″ Russian goaltender Ivan Fedotov and signed former Calgary Flame Dan Vladar. Vladar won both of his pre-season outings and looked good throughout training camp. His huge frame covers a lot of net but his size is complimented with precision and control.
Vladar will be sharing duties with Flyers veteran Samuel Ersson. Ersson has been in need of a reliable partner to share the crease. A lot has been asked of him over the past two seasons. The Flyers goaltending is an area that is in desperate need of improvement. Last season the Flyer were dead last in the league as far as goals against.
Defense
The Flyers defense is not in the greatest of shape. They will start the season without Rasmus Ristolainen who is still recovering from a previous injury. Add Cam York to the injured list who is possibly week-to-week heading into the new campaign.
Travis Sanheim is looking solid as a rock at both ends of the ice. And Jamie Drysdale is in great shape going into his second season as a Philadelphia Flyer. Nick Seeler is always a work-horse and Noah Juulsen has earned himself a slot out of camp. There is much confusion among the Flyers Fanbase as to why Emil Andrae finds himself with the Phantoms to start the season, but surely we haven’t seen the last of him.
A ton of weight gets put on the importance of making the opening night roster. It is quite an achievement and something to shoot for but in the big picture nothing in the NHL is permanent. It’s a very “what have you done for me lately” type of situation. Players go up and down all the time.
Quick Hits
Jett Luchanko and Nikita Grebenkin have made the team out of camp but will apparently both be healthy scratches for the season opener.
Owen Tippett had 20 goals and 23 assists last season but seems not to be hitting his ceiling. He had a choppy start last year and needs to hit the ground running this season to take some pressure off.
Christian Dvorak introduced himself to the hometown fans by opening the Islanders game on Thursday night with a short-handed between the legs back-pass on a breakaway to set up the first goal of the game less than two minutes into the tilt. Dvorak was picked up on free-agency to bring this kind of creative spark to the Flyers offense.
Another set of flashy hands joining the Flyers this season is center Trevor Zegras. This is a fresh start in a new town for the 2019 first round pick (9th overall) who traveled a rough road with the Anaheim Ducks before landing in Philly this Summer. He’s got good speed and great hands. It’s been a blast to watch him at camp clicking with Konecny and Michkov.
Opening Night
The Flyers are jumping right into the fire facing the reining two time Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers on Thursday night. Some of the Flyers pre-season games looked a little obligatory and uninspired. They are going to have to ramp up the intensity immediately against this Florida team. The Panther have been raging through the pre-season.
This past Saturday night the Panthers beat Tampa Bay 7-0. During the course of the match-up the two teams combined for 322 penalty minutes and 16 ejections.
Extra Credit: I need to take a minute to say that it is absolutely my pleasure to be with you here starting my forth full season with the Flyers Nitty Gritty covering the best game on Earth for the greatest fanbase in sports. Hockey’s back! It’s on, it’s poppin’, LETS GO!
Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store
Cool Matvei Michkov merchandise
About Author
