The Flyers made another big pass through training camp on Wednesday, trimming the roster again and clearing the way for a much more serious fight for jobs. The players sent to the AHL or back to junior were, in the end, the ones who looked least likely to crack the opening roster anyway. What’s left now is the group that can realistically talk itself into the team if things break right.
That’s the stage where the camp starts getting interesting.
Wednesday also brought the first prospect report of the season, with the focus on Cole Knuble’s quick climb up the Flyers’ depth chart and Yegor Zavragin’s start with his new KHL team. Those two developments give the early season a little extra pulse on the prospect side.
There was also a scare in Tuesday night’s preseason game when Dan Vladar went down in the first period. For a moment, it had everyone bracing for the worst, with the possibility of multiple months without him hanging over the situation.
Instead, the update was far better than that: Vladar is considered day to day, and even Rick Tocchet said the Flyers avoided a bullet. Last season’s team MVP is still in the picture, just not at full speed right now.
Tocchet’s staff is also making clear that the power play is getting a full overhaul, not a quick touch-up. The plan is to build a top unit with both Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov on it, and the new look is being driven by youth. The setup is different, the strategy is different, and the message is that this group is being built from the ground up.
Practice on Wednesday gave another clue about where Tocchet is leaning. The Flyers sorted their camp groups into the NHL group and the group that would later be cut just a few hours after the session. That shuffle offered a cleaner view of the lines and the combinations that could open the season.
On the blue line, the focus is still on Jamie Drysdale and Cam York, two pieces who matter a lot if the Flyers are going to keep pushing forward. Their player preview points to the possibility that both can take another step together.
The preseason results have not been clean, and the 5-1 loss to the Bruins in the second game was no exception. But the game also served as a lesson, especially for the young Flyers who got a firsthand look at what it means to face NHL players at the top of their game on the second night of a back-to-back. If they reach the level they’re aiming for, that kind of test will be part of the job.
And then there’s David Jiricek, who is very much on the radar. He knows it, too. He’s trying to win a regular spot on the Flyers’ blue line, and even though his waiver exemption status makes it feel like he’ll stay in the NHL, he still has to show enough to earn steady playing time.
In Other News...
Flyers Are Still Chasing The Impact Forward This Roster Needs
The Flyers are still in the market for the kind of forward who can change the shape of a roster, with Dave Pagnotta saying on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio that the club remains interested in adding a star-caliber piece. Philadelphia has the cap room to work with and enough young talent it believes can keep growing, which gives the front office some flexibility as it keeps looking for ways to push the team closer to playoff status.
And this is not a case of a team passively waiting for the market to break its way. The Flyers have already shown a willingness to take a swing for a bigger-name addition, and the pursuit of impact help is still very much part of the plan. For a club trying to speed up its timeline, the search for that difference-making forward remains one of the more important storylines around the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Suddenly Have Two Injury Questions Right Before Opening Night
The Flyers are heading into the final stretch of the preseason with a couple of health questions hanging over the roster. Goalie Dan Vladar left Tuesdays exhibition game after taking an upper-body injury, and the team is still sorting out what it means as opening night gets closer. On a club that already knows how quickly goalie depth can matter, any uncertainty there is worth watching.
Denver Barkey added another concern when he left practice early after dealing with a lower-body injury, putting his status in doubt for the preseason finale and maybe even the opener. Philadelphia is monitoring both players as the regular season approaches, and with the calendar tightening, the next few days could say a lot about how much lineup flexibility the Flyers will have when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Preseason Test Could Start Sorting Out Key Roster Battles
A mostly NHL Flyers lineup gets a useful preseason stress test against the Bruins, and for a team still sorting out the edges of its roster, these are the kinds of games that matter. Philadelphia will be without injured Dan Vladar and Denver Barkey, but the lineup still has plenty of names worth tracking, with Cole Knuble, Jett Luchanko, Matvei Michkov and Nikita Grebenkin all expected to be in the mix.
The night also carries a little extra weight in goal, where Joseph Woll is set for his first full game with the Flyers. Grebenkins return adds another layer of intrigue after his injury absence, giving the coaching staff another look at a player who has been out of game action since March 21 of last season. For a preseason meeting, there is more than enough here to start separating who is pushing for jobs and who still has more work to do. [Read more 🡒]