Philadelphia doesn’t have the nickname “City of Brotherly Love” for nothing. We see plenty of examples of why it’s called such in the sports world every season.

From players from one Philly team attending a game of another team in the city to welcoming new players with open arms, there’s just truly nothing better than Brotherly Love. To give you a slight glimpse of what I’m talking about, take something that happened earlier Sunday morning for example.

The Philadelphia Eagles are in the midst of training camp getting ready for the 2025 season. During practice, they played a very familiar song called “El Incomprendido” by Farruko. It’s also a mashup with Pitbull and Daddy Yankee’s song “Hot” for those wondering. Sound recognizable, Phillies fans? That’s right. It’s the walk-out song for the newly acquired closer Jhoan Duran.

Zach Berman on X reported this news about the Eagles.

The Phillies acquired Duran from the Minnesota Twins back on July 30, a day before the trade deadline. They’d send RHP Mick Abel and catching prospect Eduardo Tait the other way.

Why bring something like this up? Some may think it’s pointless, but it helps back up my point of there being nothing better than Brotherly Love. The Eagles using a song from another Philly sports team just goes to show how tight-knit the teams are. You also cannot deny how electric Duran’s entrance is when he comes in to close a game.

For those who haven’t seen, take a look at this.

That’s just one example of why the city has the nickname it does. How about when the Phillies were heading to the World Series back in 2022 and the Flyers were seen wearing Phillies jerseys as they were boarding a training heading to New York to take on the Rangers. You have to love Philadelphia teams supporting each other.

Last example I want to share is when Matvei Michkov was brought over to North America. Flyers General Manager Daniel Briere and President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones would pick him up from the airport and welcome him to the great city. He was given a Phillies hat right then and there and would soon after get to experience his first Phillies game. He’d throw out the ceremonial first pitch that night as well.

Flyers fans definitely showed him the love as the Wells Fargo Center (now Xfinity Mobile Arena) was rocking the day of his debut. Fans knew they had drafted a superstar and wanted to make sure he felt welcomed.

When teams in your city support each other through and through, you know you’ve chosen the right place to be as a sports fan. I’ve been a sports fan for many years, and it warms my heart every time I see players supporting those of other teams.

Will the Flyers use Duran’s walk-out song in practice this upcoming season to complete the trifecta? Only time will tell.

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Photo Credit: Vasili Gianarakos

With the 2025 NHL Draft set to begin later this evening at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles the Philadelphia Flyers have six draft picks in the first two rounds they may potentially use on prospects.

Aside from that, there’s always the possibility the picks could be traded for other draft capital, prospects or NHL roster players.

According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Philadelphia appears to be interested in moving their 22nd and 31st overall selections if the right trade presents itself.

Considering the Flyers are likely only interested in trading said draft capital for roster players aged 22-26, it may limit the chance of any trades actually occurring.

Most NHL organizations typically aren’t in a hurry to part with young players entering their prime-aged seasons. Though there are always outliers, such as we just saw with Trevor Zegras.

For the purpose of this article we’ll assume Philadelphia will select all three picks within the first rounds of the draft. 

Below is my Flyers mock draft and the prospects I believe the organization would possibly select with the sixth, 22nd and 31st selections.

6) James Hagens, C, Boston College (NCAA)

The 5-foot 11-inch and 176-pound center from Hauppauge, NY, was a scoring machine with the US National Team Development Program during the 2023-24 season, registering a dominant 102 points (39 goals, 63 assists) over 58 total games. Along with that, Hagens put forth 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) in 26 contests in the USHL that same season. 

(stats credit: Elite Prospects, https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/597747/james-hagens)

Similarly to Hagens, current NHL stars such as Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Clayton Keller, and Jack Hughes also scored over 100 points in the USNTDP in their draft seasons.

Another impressive feat for Hagens was securing the record for points at the U-18 World Championships which was previously held by Nikita Kucherov.

These stats don’t guarantee the young center is penciled in to be as impactful as the NHL players listed above but it’s certainly something to consider and take note of.

There’s no other way to describe Hagens other than exceptional playmaker. He sees the ice and can distribute the puck to open areas better than the whole draft class.

While his hockey IQ allows him to think several steps ahead of the opposition. He understands the areas of the ice he needs to place the puck to have success. Hagens demonstrates his ability to attack scoring areas on the ice because he passes with precision at the perfectly timed moments to find his teammates.

One component of Hagens play worthy of critique is his shot selection and shot generation. His shot has power but he needs to be more aggressive with his shooting and provide more frequent looks to the net. 

This past season Hagens made the jump to Boston College of the NCAA and did not dominate as he did with the USNTDP.

As a result, his stock has fallen amongst league circles over the past 12 months, from potential first overall pick to out of the top five of the draft.

This is what has allowed Hagens to become a realistic option at sixth overall for the Flyers.

Despite the criticisms, fifty percent of his 26 assists were primary assists and Hagens also scored 11 goals for a total of 37 points in 37 games in his freshman season. 

If James Hagens is available to select when Philadelphia is on the board for the sixth pick he’ll undoubtedly be the best player left in the draft at that point.

It would be a selection very reminiscent of when Matvei Michkov fell into the Flyers lap at seventh overall in 2023.

22) Blake Fiddler, RHD, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)

Blake Fiddler is a 6-foot 4-inch right shot defender and is the son of former NHL forward Vernon Fiddler.

Fiddler’s size makes him an attractive defender teams will be looking to target in this draft but his skating ability is what really allows him to stand out. 

Typically, defenders of Fiddler’s mold don’t have the skating and transition ability that he does. This is just one reason as to why the defender is such a fascinating selection at 22nd overall.

This past season with the Edmonton Oil Kings, Fiddler registered 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points in 64 games.

Offensively there is room to improve, however what allows Fiddler to be a pick most teams are comfortable with is the fact he plays the premium position of right defense.

Fiddler is a high IQ defenseman, who’s physical and extremely mobile for his stature. If he manages to improve his offensive game the 17-year-old could end up being one of the steals of this draft. 

That alone makes Fiddler worth the selection for Philadelphia at 22nd overall.

31) Alexander Zharovsky, RW, Ufa Tolpar (MHL)

Alexander Zharovsky is an intriguing forward with high-end skill prominently featured within his game. 

The 6-foot-1 and 176 pound right winger registered 24 goals and 26 assists for a total of 50 points with Ufa Tolpar of the MHL last season.

Zharovsky finished with the most points of all U18 players in the MHL during the 2024-25 season. Additionally, he scored 35 points in his final 22 games and appeared to start dominating the league.

The aspects of Zharovsky’s game that make him stand out as a prospect are his elite puck handling abilities and overall creativity.

He can weave through defenders seamlessly and create offensive opportunities in very tight spaces due to his stick handling prowess. 

Some other facets of the wingers game that make him a swing on talent are his abilities to execute high danger passes and draw defenders to him using his puck handling skills.

One flaw of Zharovsky’s game is that he doesn’t use his wrist shot nearly as much as he could.

Despite that particular flaw and the questionable skating which mainly surrounds his explosiveness and acceleration, the talent Zharovksy possesses is too abundant to pass up on.

One piece of information to note that may tie the Flyers to Zharovsky is Danny Briere attending the Gold Star Hockey Development Camp recently.

The camp took place in Florida between June 20th-26th, and apparently 20 teams sat down with the prospect.

Philadelphia has been rumored to be interested in Zharovsky’s skill set due to that.

On Wednesday, May 14th the search for the 25th head coach in Philadelphia Flyers franchise history came to an end.

In the days prior, rumors swirled that the Flyers were highly interested in Rick Tocchet’s coaching services.

Such as the cryptic post below from ESPN’s John Buccigross foreshadowed:

The organization finally made it official and hired the former Flyer as John Tortorella’s replacement shortly thereafter. 

Tocchet returns to Philadelphia in a full-circle moment, the city where he began his NHL career back in 1983. 

Other candidates that were in the running for the position appeared to be, Brad Shaw, along with Western Michigan University’s head coach, Pat Ferschweiler.

The former Flyers captain ultimately received a five-year $5.25 million dollar deal, effectively making him one of the highest paid coaches in the NHL.

Tocchet’s contract is quite lucrative considering the fact he hasn’t necessarily had the most tangible success as an NHL head coach. 

In nine seasons the Flyers new bench boss put forth a record of, 286-265-87 with only two playoff berths. Although, it should be noted Tocchet did win two Stanley Cups as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With multiple teams in pursuit of Tocchet to be their next head coach that likely played a factor into the value of the contract he eventually signed with the Flyers.

Now that the dust has settled, what exactly Rick Tocchet brings to the table as the new Flyers head coach remains to be seen. 

However, one facet of his coaching repertoire that was consistently mentioned during Friday’s introductory presser was his communication skills.

General manager Danny Briere stated that Tocchet’s ability to build long lasting relationships, coupled with his teaching, and communication skills, all factored into the decision making process behind the hiring.

Specifically, Briere noted that Tocchet’s tenure with the Arizona Coyotes impressed him because he took an underwhelming team and made them competitive. 

To Briere, those seasons Tocchet coached the Coyotes and his work as an assistant with the Penguins was more important than his Jack Adams winning season in 2023-24 with the Canucks. Due to the fact, it highlighted Tocchet’s ability to be an impactful teacher to NHL players.

When taking into consideration that the Flyers former head coach John Tortorella may have not been the most adept communicator, bringing on a coach that communicated well certainly seemed to be a prerequisite for whoever was going to land this job. 

The situations that unfolded the last two seasons with captain Sean Couturier, Cam York, and John Tortorella may have played a part in ensuring the next Flyers head coach is one that communicates in a manner that is more receptive to the roster.

One statement Tocchet made regarding communication with players provided insight into how the player/coach relationship has evolved significantly over the course of the past few decades in the NHL.

Tocchet mentioned that while he was a player, typically you would do anything the coach wanted you to without much care as to why. Whereas today’s athlete is always asking questions and wants to understand the reasoning behind the strategies or tactics being put into place on the ice.

“You have to be a partner with the players, it’s not a dictatorship. There has to be accountability don’t get me wrong. But it’s important to let the players help steer the ship too” Tocchet, said.

Based on the statement above, having an open dialogue surrounding on ice strategies is something Tocchet wants his roster to do. Once again this is an approach that may not have been relied upon by the prior coaching regime.

Another significant positive the Tocchet hire brings to the forefront is just how respected the former Flyer is around league circles and amongst players.

General manager Danny Briere believes that having Tocchet in the fold will help make Philadelphia a destination players want to go to.

“On my end there’s no doubt that Rick is going to make us more enticing for players to come here, there’s no doubt about that.

There’s already agents calling and letting us know that. And that’s kudos to him to the relationships that he’s built and the reputation that he’s built over the years. It’s so positive in that regard that there’s no doubt in my mind that yes, it’s going to make us more of an attractive team to join.”

If Tocchet’s cache and relationships around the NHL as a whole can boost Philadelphia’s ability to entice high end talent to the team that will certainly be a welcome addition.

Over the past decade one could argue the Flyers have not been at the top of many high end players lists, in terms of organizations they are looking to play for.

Changing that narrative amongst elite level talent and the Flyers becoming a desirable destination is something that should be a top priority for this front office moving ahead.

Hiring Rick Tocchet or any well respected coach for that matter isn’t the only way to accomplish that, but it’s a good place to start. 

The most interesting aspect of the Tocchet hire is that despite Briere’s insistence there will be no change to the front office’s current plan, it certainly feels as though the team is poised to make significant off-season acquisitions.

When looking at the roster make-up and overall asset pool for the Flyers that only becomes even more apparent.

Tocchet’s hiring may signal the beginning of several key additions for Philadelphia this off-season and beyond.

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The 2025 NHL Trade Deadline has come and passed and it was an eventful day for the Philadelphia Flyers. General Manager Danny Briere traded away Scott Laughton, Erik Johnson and Andrei Kuzmenko all in separate deals.

Based on the Flyers trajectory as an organization and their position in the standings this season it was a no-brainer the team had to sell certain players when considering some of the assets Philadelphia received in return.

Here is a full picture of all three trades executed yesterday by Philadelphia:

Laughton Trade

The most impactful trade of the day for Philadelphia was long time Flyer of over a decade Scott Laughton (a 2025 fourth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick) being sent to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a 2027 first-round pick (top 10 protected) and 21 year-old left winger Nikita Grebenkin.

The Flyers also retained fifty percent of Laughton’s $3 million dollar cap hit for the remainder of his contract.

Laughton has been a fixture within Philadelphia’s lineup and locker room for years at this point and losing such an integral part of their team’s culture will be tough for the Flyers to overcome.

However, the team appears poised to allow some younger pieces to step into leadership roles going forward, such as Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim, Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, Owen Tippett and Bobby Brink.

When dissecting the return the Flyers received for Scott Laughton they got beyond fair value for a player that has only produced 27 points so far this season.

If Laughton’s play were to have starkly declined next season or if he were to have gotten injured, the Flyers could have opened themselves up to a scenario where they missed out on a very valuable trade package for the center. 

There was no guarantee Laughton would command such a return in a year from now. As a result, Philadelphia decided to maximize their asset in Laughton and take advantage of the opportunity that presented itself in a sellers market. 

The prices to acquire top nine centers were at a premium throughout this particular trade deadline and there’s no telling if the same premium would continue to be paid moving ahead. Philadelphia chose to part with Laughton now due to the fact this may have been the best return they could have ever gotten for the veteran forward.

Although, the first-rounder the Flyers got from the Leafs is a 2027 pick, draft capital is always valuable and there’s a possibility Philadelphia may choose to use the asset in another deal to acquire other players.

Acquiring a talented prospect like Grebenkin that has the potential to top out as a 50 point winger in the NHL if all goes right with his development made this an even more attractive deal for the Flyers. 

Scott Laughton has never had a 50 point season in his career, there’s no guarantee Grebenkin ever does either, but the skill and upside is certainly there. Philadelphia will need to do their part and assist Grebenkin with his development to ensure he reaches his ceiling and finds success as a Flyer.

Grebenkin will start in the AHL for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and the goal should be to provide the forward with extended minutes and looks in various different situations.

It will take several seasons to judge which team came out on top in this trade whether it be Philadelphia or Toronto.

Nonetheless, this is a deal that benefits both teams for different reasons. Toronto is looking to win now and they believe this will help them do so. While from the Flyers point of view this is a move geared towards the future. 

Kuzmenko and Johnson trades

In terms of the other two trades executed by Briere they clearly indicated the Flyers wanted to sell off expiring assets and contracts on trade deadline day.

Philadelphia traded Andrei Kuzmenko and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a third-round pick in 2027. 

Additionally, the Flyers dealt veteran defenseman Erik Johnson back to the Colorado Avalanche for right winger Givani Smith.

In both cases above the Flyers sold off expiring contracts. Philadelphia being able to flip Kuzmenko for a third round pick is solid value when taking into account the winger was almost a waiver wire candidate for Calgary earlier this season.

The Johnson trade appeared to be a favour to the veteran defenseman. Essentially, Briere gave his former teammate in Johnson one last shot at a Stanley Cup run with the Avalanche, a team Johnson was formerly the captain of for several years.

Givani Smith was a player Philadelphia needed to take back for cap purposes and will likely not be signed once his contract is up at the end of this season.

Overall Outlook

After this Trade Deadline here are the additions and subtractions made by the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2024-25 season.

Subtractions:

-Laughton (50 percent of cap hit retained)

-Kuzmenko (50 percent of cap hit retained)

-Frost

-Farabee

-Johnson

-2025 4th round pick

-2025 7th round pick

-2027 6th round pick

Additions:

-2025 2nd round pick

-2027 1st round pick

-2027 3rd round pick

-Jacob Pelletier (RFA)

-Nikita Grebenkin

-Givani Smith (UFA)

-Created millions of dollars in cap space from trading Laughton, Frost, Farabee

In light of the transactions above it’s evident Philadelphia is currently a rebuilding team. They subtracted several players this season with the intention of likely using the cap space created to eventually make additions to their roster in the upcoming off-seasons.

Since becoming the General Manager of the franchise in 2023 the Danny Briere led Flyers have removed 19 of the 35 players he inherited either through trade, buying players out, or by letting them reach unrestricted free agency.

Ultimately, it seems the Flyers have positioned themselves to start making additions to their roster in the next two off-seasons. When looking at the cap flexibility they’ll begin to have and the draft capital that’s been accrued over the past few years, Briere has put Philadelphia in a spot where they should be able to take big swings for highly skilled players fairly soon.

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Canada and the USA took on each other one last time in the Four Nations tournament championship game Thursday night. It was sure to be a good one as both teams are stacked head-to-toe with talent. Canada would get their revenge as they would pull out a 3-2 win in overtime. Both teams had great chances all night long, but Canada would ultimately come out on top. Back to regular-season hockey!

Nathan MacKinnon gave Canada a 1-0 lead at the 4:48 mark of the first period. He put a wrist shot over the right shoulder of USA’s goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. There was heavy traffic in front of him, which made it hard to track the puck. Thomas Harley and Sam Reinhart collected assists.

Brady Tkachuk tied the game up at one at the 16:52 mark of the first period. Auston Matthews missed on his wrap-around attempt but the puck found Tkachuk in front of the net and he put a wrist shot past the blocker of Canada’s goaltender Jordan Binnington. Matthews tallied the lonely assists.

Jake Sanderson gave the USA a 2-1 lead at the 7:32 mark of the second period. There was heavy traffic in front of Binnington and Sanderson took advantage of him losing the puck. He put a snapshot into the wide-open net right side. Matthews and Zach Werenski were given assists.

Canada would get the game’s first and only power play at the 8:57 mark of the second period as Vincent Trocheck was called for tripping. The USA did a great job of blocking shots and clearing the puck when given the opportunity. They also had a great chance while shorthanded on a two-on-one.

Sam Bennett tied the game up at two at the 14:00 mark of the second period. He put a wrist shot over the right shoulder of Hellebuyck. A great pass by Mitch Marner set him up. Marner received the only assist.

No goals or penalties occurred in the third period. The game would then go to a five-on-five 20-minute overtime period.

Connor McDavid won the game for Canada at the 8:18 mark of the overtime period. He was left all alone in the slot and he put a wrist shot past Hellebuyck. This play was set up by another great pass by Marner. Marner and Cale Makar collected assists.

Canada went 0 for 1 on the power play as the USA managed to kill it off. The USA didn’t receive any man advantages.

Both goaltenders kept their team in the game all night long. Hellebuyck saved 24 of 27 shots, giving him a .889 save percentage. Binnington had to stand on his head in overtime to keep the game going. He saved 31 of 33 shots, giving him a .939 save percentage.

Goal Summary

1st Period:

MacKinnon (4) Assists: Harley (1), Reinhart (4)

B. Tkachuk (3) Assists: Matthews (2)

2nd Period:

Sanderson (1) Assists: Matthews (3), Werenski (6)

Bennett (1) Assists: Marner (1)

3rd Period:

No goals

Overtime:

McDavid (3) Assists: Marner (2), Makar (1)

Flyers Next Game

Flyers next game is Saturday, Feb 22. in Philadelphia against the Edmonton Oilers.

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The bitter rivalry between the USA and Canada has continued for years. Both teams took on each other on Saturday night in the Four Nations tournament. A win for the USA would clinch them a spot in the championship game on Thursday night. They’d get it done as they took Canada down 3-1. The night was filled with fights, heavy hits, and lots of cheers and boos.

The game got off to a very physical start. Just two seconds into the game, Bradon Hagel and Matthew Tkachuk dropped the gloves. Hagel seemed to have gotten the best of Tkachuk but it was a start that no one saw coming.

A second later, Brady Tkachuk and Sam Bennett broke out into a fight. This round, Tkachuk got the best of Bennett with some heavy punches. Two fights just a second apart? Who knew?

After a puck freezing by Canada’s goaltender Jordan Binnington, the third fight of the night occurred. J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko dropped the gloves just nine seconds into the first period. This one wasn’t much of a fight as Parayko was all over Miller. However, I think it could be said that Team USA was fed up with the booing of their national anthem.

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Canada got the game’s first power play during the third fight between Miller and Parakyo. Miller was sent to the box for fighting and cross-checking. While Canada couldn’t capitalize on this opportunity, USA’s goaltender Connor Hellebuyck had to make some big saves in tight.

Connor McDavid gave Canada a 1-0 lead at the 5:31 mark of the first period. Drew Doughty set him up with a great pass and McDavid put a backhander over the left shoulder and glove of Hellebuyck. Doughty and Binnington collected assists.

Jake Guentzel tied the game up at one at the 10:15 mark of the first period. Jack Eichel made a nice flat pass down low to Guentzel who then put a snap shot through the legs of Binnington. Eichel and Zach Werenski tallied assists.

Team USA got their first power play at the 12:54 mark of the first period as Sidney Crosby was called for hooking. They peppered Binnington with six shots on net and he had to make a few huge saves on Guentzel to keep the game tied.

Canada got their second power play at the 16:47 mark as Guentzel was called for tripping. The USA came up with a big penalty kill and Hellebuyck had to make some big saves.

Dylan Larkin gave the USA a 2-1 lead at the 13:33 mark of the second period. Matt Boldy set him up with a great pass from the defensive zone and Larkin put a snapshot under the blocker and over the pad of Binnington. A Crosby turnover led to this goal. Boldy picked up the only assist.

https://twitter.com/usahockey/status/1890958839249260842

Canada pulled Binnington with 2:08 left in the third period in favor of the extra attacker. It didn’t pay off as they couldn’t get any more pucks past Hellebuyck. Instead, Guentzel scored an empty-netter at the 18:41 mark of the third period to give the USA a 3-1 lead. Larkin knocked down Brock Faber’s shot in center ice and passed the puck to Guentzel who put a snapshot into the empty net. Larkin and Faber were given assists.

Canada would pull Binnington one more time but time would run out and the USA would pull out the regulation time victory.

USA went 0 for 1 on the power play and Canada went 0 for 2. Both teams managed to kill off each other’s man advantages.

Hellebuyck brought the USA to victory with huge saves all night long. He saved 25 of 26 shots, giving him a .962 save percentage. Binnington, on the other hand, allowed a few soft goals, which led to a defeat. He saved 20 of 22 shots, giving him a .909 save percentage.

Goal Summary

1st Period:

McDavid (1) Assists: Doughty (1), Binnington (1)

Guentzel (2) Assists: Eichel (3), Werenski (4)

2nd Period:

Larkin (1) Assists: Boldy (2)

3rd Period:

Guentzel (3) (Empty Net) Assists: Larkin (1), Faber (2)

USA and Canada’s Next Game

Canada takes on Finland at 1 pm and USA takes on Sweden at 8 pm on Monday, Feb 17. at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

Photo Credit: Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News

250 – Noah Cates Is The Most Underrated Player In The NHL

The Philadelphia Flyers are on a roll once again. Where December proved to be a detrimental month for the Orange and Black, the New year has been far more advantageous for them. And with four wins and one overtime loss in their last five games, the Flyers have crawled back in relevance among the eastern conference’s wild card competitors. Noah Cates has been monumental over the past couple of months for the team, with 14 points in his last 16 games, while also playing against the oppositions top players. He might be a more under the radar talent for the NHL fanbase, but that might not stay if he continues his performance till the end of the season. He was able to do something similar in his rookie season, but has had injuries slow him down since then. However, now that he is fully healthy again the league has a chance to see what he can do. The question is, what is his ceiling? Is he really just a good bottom six player in the league or can he eventually make a similar mark to the great two-way players of the past such as Mike Richards, Michal Handzus, Keith Primeau, and Sean Couturier as he hits near a point per-game pace for the first time in his young NHL career. He also seems like a player who could develop like a fine wine and really hit his stride as he approaches he approaches 30. We think he is the most underrated playing in the NHL.

On this episode of Gettin’ Gritty Wit It, Yariv and Vasili through the Flyers turnaround and winning ways as they approach relevancy of late. With big games from Noah Cates, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Sam Ersson they are now having new guys step up which is allowing stars like Matvei Michkov, Travis Sanheim, and Travis Konecny an opportunity to not overextend themselves on a nightly basis. Check out this week’s episode for a full talent analysis of the Flyers roster in January of 2025.

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248 – Flyers Uneven at Mid-Season

The Philadelphia Flyers have been up and down all season long. Now as we reached the second half of the season, nothing has changed. What works during one month has not worked during another and the inconsistency of the goaltending has exacerbated that problem. The team right now has some bright spots offensively and even on the back-end, but none of it has managed to sustain a consistent effort to get them out of mediocrity. A perfect example of that trend is the recent home-and-home games against the Maple Leafs. It’s arguable that the Flyers were the better of the teams in both games, but inconsistency in net lead them to only walk away with 1 point out of a possible 4. Unfortunately, that has been a sign of the times and where the team currently stands. The most inconsistent part of their game has been goaltending which has been a roller coaster since Carter Hart left the team. If they are to find their way out of this mess it probably needs to start in net.

On this episode of Gettin’ Gritty Wit It, Yariv and Vasili go through all of the trials and tribulations of the 2024-25 NHL season and how the team has responded to the up and down nature of their game. Will they look to the offseason to improve the team or can GM, Danny Briere, improve the team during the season. It’s probably in their plan to be overly patient, but we’ll see if the fanbase can hang along with the.

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The Philadelphia Flyers are now 3-6-1 in their last ten games after the overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

With the loss Philadelphia went 2-3-1 on the six game road trip, which is respectable considering the level of competition they faced in certain matchups.

The Flyers could have earned points in their last five games with the way they’ve performed. But shaky goaltending was a key factor as to why they were unable to, specifically in Los Angeles and Vegas.

After the Flyers loss to Vegas an interesting question surrounded the team in regards to their goaltending situation, and which netminder would get the start taking on the Maple Leafs.

Would the coaching staff go back to Aleksei Kolosov despite his struggles in the past few outings or would they start Ivan Fedotov. Even though, his last start was back on December 5, 2024 against the Florida Panthers, 31 days prior.

Head Coach John Tortorella opted to give Fedotov the opportunity, and regardless of the long layoff between starts the 6 foot 7 netminder put forth a respectable showing. The rookie gave the Flyers the chance to win the game and stopped 22 of 25 shots for an .880 % save percentage.

Other than the goaltending conundrum, the major storyline heading into the final outing of Philadelphia’s road trip was the team’s overall process and play on the ice. Despite only securing two wins over the span of the trip the Flyers played well at five on five and controlled play for stretches in several of their losses.

As a result, the message to the players from the coaching staff has been consistent. It centered around the idea that if the players continue to execute within their structure and maintain their current style of play, they will achieve better outcomes in future games.

When dissecting what occurred in the matchup taking on the Leafs, both the themes of goaltending and consistency in all three zones as it pertains to Philadelphia’s on ice structure was an integral factor.

Considering the Flyers out chanced the high-octane Leafs, 31-26 and created 15 high-danger scoring chances to the Leafs, 13( as per, https://www.naturalstattrick.com/game.php?season=20242025&game=20635&view=limited) the Flyers executed on that mentality.

It seems Philadelphia emphasized continuing to play in the same manner as they have been for majority of the road trip. Assistant captain Scott Laughton mentioned this after the Flyers morning skate on Sunday.

I asked Laughton what the message to the team was after playing well and not getting the win taking on Vegas.

Laughton stated, “Like you said we’ve played good 5 on 5, need to play better to get the results and find a way. It will be a decent road trip if we pull one out here tonight. We have to continue to do the same things. Our structure has been a lot better from the start of the year and our defense has been better, which has led to more offense for some guys.”

Philadelphia’s defensive play throughout the game set the tone for them during the matchup taking on the Leafs.

Primarily, the way they checked in the neutral zone and used their aggressiveness was effective. Along with their quick transition plays and puck rushes up the ice.

Although the Flyers didn’t give Fedotov as much help as they would have liked in the first period, they played defensively sound hockey during the remainder of the game.

Philadelphia limited the Leafs to only 10 shots and nine total scoring chances in both the second and third periods (five shots allowed in each period, five scoring chances allowed in the second period, four scoring chances allowed in the third period, as per https://www.naturalstattrick.com/game.php?season=20242025&game=20635&view=limited).

In addition, Fedotov settled into the net and looked quick while moving from post to post in this matchup.

The netminder made some huge stops throughout the game at important moments to keep things tied. He delivered the saves needed to get Philadelphia to overtime and gave them a chance to win against the Atlantic Division’s top team.

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One line that was the most impactful for Philadelphia in this matchup was once again the trio of Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink.

The three players support one another quite effectively in all areas of the ice. Coupled with their forechecking ability and the way they cycle the puck, it’s allowed them to consistently create scoring chances in the past several weeks while still being reliable defensively.

Due to their continued effectiveness, it appears the Flyers are using this particular line to set a tone for the team in certain situations.

John Tortorella stated the following about the play of Cates, Brink and Foerster, “They have played well for well over five or six weeks. It’s an example for all our lines, they’re just playing with confidence, and they just support one another very well.”

Overall, Philadelphia performed strongly taking on a top tier team in the Toronto Maple Leafs. On a positive note, the Flyers secured one much needed point and with the game being lost at three on three either team could have secured the win.

In their last five games played the Flyers have only won two. However, it could be argued they had opportunities to secure points in all five games, with the way they performed from a scoring chance creation perspective.

Instead of letting frustration sink in Philadelphia will need to use their recent stretch of play as motivation.

Carrying over their current style of play will be critical with games taking on the Leafs, Stars and Panthers on the horizon in the next seven days.

The Flyers will need to execute their system efficiently to remain competitive in these matchups and they’ll at the minimum require league average goaltending performances from Fedotov and Kolosov.

Interview Content, Pregame and Postgame:

John Tortorella:

Scott Laughton:

Morgan Frost:

Ivan Fedotov:

Photo Credit: Heather Cattai/Heather Barry Images, LLC

246 – Is It Too Early For The Flyers To Sell?

The Philadelphia Flyers are currently spiraling, with just three wins in their last 10 games and Matvei Michkov going five games without a point is not helping. Suddenly, it seems as if all of the excitement seems to have left the room. The once excellent penalty kill has recently hit rock bottom and all of the improvement on the power play has slowly diminished. Now the Flyers currently aren’t doing much well as a team, outside of some individual stand outs, with the defense and goaltending of the team suffering over a three week stretch. The questions of where the team stands going into the new year and what they should do with their roster moving forward are coming to light. Even though the team is still in the wild card race, it’s important to mention that both Briere and Jones have both re-iterated that they still plan on continuing with their trend of selling at the trade dealing, but will we see that come earlier this year with the teams inconsistent play?

On this episode of Gettin’ Gritty Wit It, Yariv and Vasili go through all of the teams recent troubles and what got them to the point of even considering removing players from the roster as they were on their way up just a few weeks ago. Can the Flyers turn things around before it is too late for this group to by themselves time for the looming trade deadline?

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