The Philadelphia Flyers enter their 57th NHL season on Friday night in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, featuring an opening night roster of 14 forwards, 7 defensemen, and 2 goaltenders. With nearly no cap space for additions this summer, the opening night NHL lineup features many familiar faces to Flyers fans who watched the team exceed expectations last season.
Flyers Forwards (14)
Bobby Brink, Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, Jett Luchanko, Garnet Hathaway, Scott Laughton, Ryan Poehling, Noah Cates, Matvei Michkov, Nick Deslauries, Morgan Frost, Tyson Foerster, Owen Tippett, and Joel Farabee are the collection of forwards opening the 2024-25 NHL season.
Among the forward group, Travis Konecny looks to lead the offensive for the fourth straight season following a long-term contract extension in August. This should allow “TK” to feel more comfortable about building long-term in Philadelphia with a focus on hockey and not contract negotiations with his previous deal set to expire at the end of the season.
Amazingly, the biggest surprise entering the 2024 NHL regular season for the Flyers is not that Matvei Michkov is part of the forward group. While it’s still stunning that the 19-year-old forward is in America early, the biggest surprise on the four-game West Coast road trip is the inclusion of Jett Luchanko on the opening night roster.
The 18-year-old center has earned the right to suit up as the youngest Flyers player ever in Vancouver. Luchanko and Macklin Celebrini, the top pick by San Jose, are the only two players on an opening night roster from this year’s draft class. Luchanko will become the young
Questions remain on how the offensive group performs this season. Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster look to build upon solid rookie campaigns, while veteran Sean Couturier expects to return to his Selke-award-winning form which can shut down the best players in hockey.
Flyers Defense (7)
Egor Zamula, Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, Nick Seeler, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Erik Johnson will patrol the defensive end for Philly to start the year.
The Flyers blueline returns all familiar faces that are finally healthy to start the season. Nick Seeler is day-to-day dealing with a nerve issue following a blocked shot in a preseason game against Boston, however, the Flyers do not expect the injury to be serious despite his absences from the opening night lineup.
The top duo of Cam York and Travis Sanheim look to build on an impressive 2023-24 outing. York showcased his ability to be a top-pairing defenseman and was voted by his teammates as the Most Improved Player in 2023-24. Defense partner Travis Sanheim earned his second Barry Ashbee Trophy as the Most Outstanding Defenseman.
Jamie Drysdale and Rasmus Ristolainen are healthy entering the 2024-25 season which are beneficial additions. Drysdale skates like former-Flyers defenseman Shayne Ghostisbhere and could help to boost the Flyers’ struggling powerplay, however, John Tortorella admits there is “a ton to work on with him” regarding helping the young blueliner understand the defensive game the Flyers would like to play. Ristolainen understands that game very well but needs to stay healthy throughout the long grind of the NHL season.
Flyers Goalies (2)
Head Coach John Tortorella told the media last week the new goalie duo of Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov “scares the crap out of me”. The bench boss in Philly loves the mental attitude of Ersson, Tortorella “doesn’t know how it all works out” with Ersson handling the majority of the workload this season.
Last year, Ersson was overworked in 51 games played but returns to Philadelphia knowing he is penciled in by his head coach as the starting netminder. Through the first 36 games last season, he was incredible with an 18-11-3 record while stopping 90% of shots and allowing less than 3 goals a night. If the Swedish goalie can replicate that stat line, Philadelphia could find themselves in the thick of the Metro Division race like they were for much of last season.
Unlike the dying days of last season, Ersson expects to have help this season. Ivan Fedotov, a gargantuan 6-foot-7 goalie, arrived late last season with less-than-spectacular results when thrust into a very difficult late-season situation. Following an offseason spent in North America, the 27-year-old netminder is ready to showcase why he was considered one of the better goalies outside of the NHL almost a decade after being selected by Philadelphia in the NHL draft.
The Philadelphia Flyers open their season against the Vancouver Canucks as part of a four-game West Coast road trip starting on October 11.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
