The Philadelphia Flyers are officially set for the 2021-22 season. The 21-man roster is now locked in, preseason is behind us, and all eyes can turn to a new chapter. Here’s everything you need to know about the roster:
Forwards (13)
Travis Konecny RW
Kevin Hayes C
Sean Couturier C
Derick Brassard C
Scott Laughton C
Oskar Lindblom LW
James van Riemsdyk LW
Claude Giroux C
Patrick Brown C
Nate Thompson C
Nicolas Aube-Kubel RW
Joel Farabee RW
Cam Atkinson RW
The big news in this group is that Kevin Hayes will not start the season on IR as originally expected. He won’t be making an appearance for the foreseeable future as he continues to recover from surgery, but this is obviously a huge step forward.
Joining the group today is Patrick Brown. The Flyers claimed him off waivers from Vegas, and he should be able to drop right into that fourth line alongside NAK and Nate Thompson. The 29-year old has plenty of NHL experience, having played in 26 Stanley Cup playoff games for the Golden Knights over the past two years. Prior to that, he spent five seasons in the Carolina Hurricanes.
Interestingly, Brown overlapped with Kevin Hayes during his time at Boston College, winning a national championship with the franchise center. It’s pretty cool to see Chuck Fletcher continue to find players with a direct link to Vigneault, Hayes, and even just a trend in former BC players joining the team.
There are no real surprises outside of the new addition though. Morgan Frost’s demotion would’ve stole that headline had it happened today, but with the move already in the books, the group had already taken its formation. Brown should be able to tide that fourth spot over until Kevin Hayes makes his eventual return to bump the order, and there will be help on the Phantoms if needed.
Defensemen (6)
Keith Yandle
Travis Sanheim
Ivan Provorov
Justin Braun
Rasmus Ristolainen
Ryan Ellis
Again, no real shockers here. The Flyers worked hard this offseason to stabilize the blue line and the fact that all six defensemen were predictable says a lot. It’s interesting that only six made the cut, with Cam York narrowly missing the mark.
GOALTENDERS (2)
Martin Jones
Carter Hart
Da daaaaa
IR/ Non-injured roster
Ryan Fitzgerald C
Egor Zamula D
Samuel Morin D
Wade Allison RW
Tanner Laczynski C
Zayde Wisdom C
Cooper Zech D
The Flyers loaned three players to the Phantoms. Jackson Cates and defensemen Nick Seeler join York and Garrett Wilson was also assigned. Seeler will probably be the first man up in an emergency, while both Cates and Wilson could likely play a role at the NHL level as the season wears on.
We made it, Flyers fans! Puck drop for the upcoming season is Friday at 7PM when the Flyers host the Vancouver Canucks.
Photo Credit: Alex McIntyre
