Flyers Rookie Camp gets underway this Friday at the PPL Center in Allentown. Camp will remain in Allentown for the Flyers vs Rangers Rookie Series with games taking place on both Saturday and Sunday evenings. Camp will resume at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees on Monday September 14th.
Opportunity Knocks
Over the past few seasons the Flyers have used a number of veteran players to fill out key roles on their roster. They’ve moved on from some bigger contracts freeing up cap space and focusing more on building the future. They’ve been taking time to develop the youth while filling out the roster with players who have already proven themselves at a professional level. This approach has kept the team somewhat competitive during the rebuild.
Ryan Poehling is a great example of this strategy. Poehling came to the Flyers as an unrestricted free agent and remained with the team for two seasons 2023-25. Poehling brought steady NHL level play to the team on a consistent basis. He was a reliable center who played a solid two way game, killed penalties, and contributed to the scoring. He recorded 31 points over 68 games in his final season with the Flyers before becoming part of the trade that bought Trevor Zegras to Philadelphia.
Poehling was a loyal hard working hockey player who had a positive impact on the team. The downside, some may argue, is that players like Ryan Poehling were taking up slots that could have been filled by some of the team’s younger prospects. Things take time.
This year things are a bit different. Many of the Flyers young prospects did in fact get to see NHL ice time last season due to call-ups. Some of them even got to experience the 2nd round of The Stanley Cup Playoffs. That being said, some big questions have already been answered. In addition, a considerable number of veteran players have parted ways with the team since the season ended. Now is the time for guys to step up and prove they are ready to fill those spots.
Things are heating up with Rookie Camp starting at the end of the week and main camp opening September 17th. Here’s a quick refresher of who will not be at Flyers Training Camp next week.
Subtractions
Over the off-season defenseman Noah Juulsen became an unrestricted free agent and signed a two year deal with the Colorado Avalanche. Juulsen appeared in 52 regular season games in his final year with the Flyers.
Emil Andrae, another defensemen was traded during the off-season to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Andrea appeared in 61 regular season games with the Flyers last season. Andrae, along with goaltender Samuel Ersson, and a 3rd round 2026 draft pick were traded to the Leafs in exchange for goalie Joseph Woll and d-man Simon Benoit. Toronto has since moved Ersson to Ottawa.
Woll is expected to earn the secondary spot between the pipes for the Flyers this season. Just a reminder: Flyers top netminder Dan Vladar signed a five year extension with the team on July 1st. Barring any surprises the goalie situation already seems pretty clear but, as always, there are no guarantees.
Flyers veteran Garnet Hathaway was traded to the Florida Panthers just before the NHL entry draft. Hathaway spent three seasons as a Flyer and led the team in hits again last season with 252. He was a valuable part of a 4th line which was very effective against the Penguins in the 1st round of the playoffs last season. His physical presence with the team was undeniable and will be missed. Add to that Nicolas Deslauriers being traded to Carolina at the end of last season and the Flyers look to be a much less physical team heading into camp this year.
Luke Glendening remains an unrestricted free agent but Carl Grundstrom did sign a one year deal with the Flyers just before the start of free agency. Again, Glendening filled a role and was effective in the Pittsburgh series on the 4th line with Hathaway and Flyers captain Sean Couturier.
Forwards Rodrigo Abols and Anthony Richard will be playing in Switzerland this coming season, albeit for two different teams. Abols seemed to be sticking with the big club last year until a brutal injury caused him to miss the final 35 games of the season. Anthony Richard, primarily a Phantom, always added a spark during his call-ups to the Flyers squad. Defenseman Adam Ginning became an unrestricted free agent and has signed with the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Flyers Future is now
For the Flyers young prospects this is a golden opportunity to go all in and take things to the next level. The pecking order in Lehigh Valley will be shifting as well. Players who are destined to return to the Phantoms before the start of the regular season are going to be doing their darndest to stay with the big club as long as they possibly can.
Development Camp was a blast this Summer. This Flyers pipeline has a ton of energy and drive. Things could prove to be quite competitive this pre-season and it all starts this coming Friday afternoon. …It’s about time, lets go!
Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store
Cool Matvei Michkov merchandise
About Author
