It’s official. The Philadelphia Flyers have announced their roster ahead of opening night.
When the Flyers host the New Jersey Devils in two days, they’ll dress the hardest-working version of their lineup. John Tortorella and his coaching staff evaluated the players throughout training camp and the preseason. Tortorella noted how players carry themselves as professionals and their tenacity on the ice. He wants to ice a lineup that brings hockey back to Broad Street.
Today, the roster is official. A few players were sent to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ahead of the activation of long-term injured for Philadelphia to remain cap compliant. Tortorella said the usage of prospects from the AHL to the NHL remains fluid:
“The conversations we had with them is we sent some guys down; it’s a total fluid situation as far as coming and going. No one’s locked in. There are probably seven or eight positions that could change very quickly.”
John Tortorella; 10/6/2022
Here’s the final roster ahead of the opening night of the 2022-2023 Flyers season!
Forwards: Atkinson, N. Cates, Deslauriers, Farabee, Frost, Hayes, Hodgson, Konecny, Laughton, Tippett, van Riemsdyk
Defensemen: Attard, Braun, DeAngelo, Provorov, Ristolainen, Sanheim, Seeler
Goaltenders: Hart, Ersson
The roster includes eleven forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders. On the fourth forward line, there still is a vacancy at 4C. Tanner Laczynski is the likely option to fill out that role. Hayden Hodgson made the final roster, taking a roster position over Zack MacEwen. Wade Allison could venture into the lineup at 4RW.
Samuel Ersson does snag the 2G role as Felix Sandstrom completes his recovery. Despite the injury, both goaltenders impressed during the preseason. Ersson had the hot glove, overwhelming Troy Grosenick in the position battle. He remained consistent enough between the pipes, rewarded with an NHL position battle instead of an AHL role to begin 2022-2023.
Noah will get a long look down the middle. Tortorella stated that building from within is the way to win and stay competitive in the NHL. Without Sean Couturier, there isn’t a better time than the present to start Noah down a road of versatility.
“I wanted to see Catesy [Noah] there. I want to look at Laz there in the middle on the fourth line, a bit of [an] identity line we’re trying to develop there. I think with Cootsy out, I think we need a center that can not only play well defensively but bring some good offensive numbers, and we have a chance to develop him there.”
John Tortorella; 10/10/2022
Laczynski, following a superb camp, flashed two-way capability and a scoring presence. More importantly, he remained healthy after a long two seasons.
“I feel like I’ve been through a lot these past two seasons, and it’s been a hard start to my pro career. All my hard work, dedication, and doing the little things, staying in the summer, and all that, is finally paying off, so to speak. It’s good to see, and I hope to continue.”
Tanner Laczynski; 10/10/2022
Allison shared how proud he was of one of his best buddies:
“It’s something special because I’ve seen him work so hard and go through so much. We’ll find out tonight, I think he’ll definitely be on the team. I’m just proud of him. I’ve seen him put in the work and show up every day and battle through what he has, and to still come out on top, it’s pretty cool to see.”
Wade Allison; 10/10/2022
Another standout is Ronnie Attard. He received rave reviews since the 2022 Flyers Development Camp from coaches like Kjell Samuelsson and Mike O’Connell. Tortorella remained impressed by his level of care, especially taking on Ross Johnston in the second period of the preseason finale versus the New York Islanders. He made the opening night roster and won’t be a seventh defenseman. The odd-man out in this scenario comes down to Nick Seeler or Justin Braun.
“I think he’s a guy that plays with a ton of energy, one of the best conditioned athletes we have. I think he rubs off on people. I think he brings people into the fight, the way he plays.”
John Tortorella; 10/10/2022
Tortorella had high praise for Seeler. Ryan Ellis activates onto long-term injured reserve, allowing Egor Zamula to be recalled to Philadelphia. If we’re reading between the lines, the lineup sounds a lot like:
Laughton-Hayes-Konecny
Farabee-N.Cates-Tippett
van Riemsdyk-Frost-Atkinson
Deslauriers-Laczynski-Hodgson
(Allison)
Provorov-DeAngelo
Sanheim-Ristolainen
Seeler-Attard
(Zamula, Braun)
Hart
(Ersson)
On October 13th, 2022, at 7pm, the puck drops at the Wells Fargo Center versus the Devils.
(Photo Credit: Alex McIntyre)
