The Philadelphia Flyers are amid a five-day wait period between games. The Flyers defeated the St. Louis Blues in overtime Saturday night, with Matvei Michkov scoring the game-winning goal. As the Flyers wait to battle the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers, on Thursday night, here are the observations after 25 games.
Goalie help on the way?
The Flyers have dealt with many changes in the net within the past year. With Sam Ersson getting the job as the starting goalie heading into this season, it was no surprise that Ivan Fedotov would back him up.
Aleksei Kolosov was with the Phantoms but got the call to backup Ersson after some early struggles from Fedotov. However, everything changed when Ersson returned, at least until an injury.
The Flyers were about to face the Tampa Bay Lightning, and without Ersson, it was up to Kolosov and Fedotov to man the ship. However, during the morning skate, Kolosov got hurt. The Flyers had to start Fedotov despite his rocky start to the season and sign Tampa’s EBUG to an immature one-day contract.
However, Fedotov was able to record his first win as a Flyer as the team won in a shootout. Fedotov is now 4-4-1 this season. Kolosov is 3-4-0. Ersson is 5-2-2, highlighting a real turnaround after some early bumps in the road. Whether or not the Flyers decide to pursue some extra help is anyone’s guess, but the recent surge in form has certainly steadied the ship after a tumultuous opening stint.
Do you have your Michkov Mania tickets?
The most exciting element to this Flyers team right now is the rise of rookie Matvei Michkov. While the Flyers got off to a slow start, the rookie hasn’t. He recorded his first point with an assist during the team’s West Coast road trip against Seattle.
He scored his first goal against the Las Vegas Golden Knights before heading to home ice. The confidence Michkov has on the ice makes the 19-year-old rookie so valuable. He sits at 19 points total with nine goals and ten assists in 23 games. Michkov was healthy-scratched against the Panthers and Lighting a month ago. Since returning to the ice, he has been lights out with three overtime-winning goals. The NHL record for rookies scoring overtime goals is five, which he could achieve as the season is still young.
Which Flyers could be traded at the deadline?
While the team has improved and is currently 12-10-3, a few players may not wear the orange and black much longer. While nothing is confirmed by any means, a big topic is the upcoming trade deadline. This year’s deadline is set for March 7th.
Morgan Frost: Frost’s contract ends at the end of this season, and he will be an RFA. With Frost being healthy and scratched for a handful of games and John Tortorella saying he can’t coach Frost the same way he did years ago, it makes you wonder. Could Philadelphia get good value out of trading Frost before the deadline? Would this make sense for the team, or should they wait until he becomes an RFA?
Scott Laughton: While Laughton is a fan-favorite and wants to play in Philadelphia, there was transparency that the Flyers couldn’t get the right value for him during last year’s trade deadline. Laughton’s contract ends at the end of next season. The Flyers would be able to get some value in return, and they would be able to free up $3M worth of cap space.
Rasmus Ristolainen: While Ristolainen’s had a good season so far, there is no doubt that his contract was too much. With his contract ending at the end of the 2026-2027 season and a $5,100,000 cap hit, the Flyers should consider moving him. The defenseman is already 30 years old, and while he’s been playing well, he was out for 29 games at the end of last season due to injury. It’s too big of a contract with too big of a risk.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
