The Flyers are heading into the season with almost the same defense that helped them reach the second round last year, but the blue line isn’t exactly standing still.
Danny Briere was comfortable with that setup back at the NHL draft in late June. The Flyers kept Rasmus Ristolainen, who is entering the final year of his contract, and in a four-player trade two months ago they moved on from Emil Andrae while bringing in Simon Benoit. Outside of that, the group stayed largely untouched.
“We have the same top five defensemen that took us to the second round last year,” Briere said.
Still, there’s movement underneath the surface. David Jiricek and Oliver Bonk, two young right-handed defensemen, are pressing for spots and giving the Flyers something to sort out in camp.
“You have a guy like Jiricek, who's going to come in and battle,” Briere said. “You have a guy like Bonk, who's about to get into battle.
I don't know that these guys are quite ready to take on 22, 23 minutes a night. That's where Risto gets to protect them.”
That’s where Ristolainen matters. He gives the Flyers a way to bring the kids along without throwing them straight into the fire.
Last season, after he wasn’t dealt at the trade deadline, he settled into top-pair minutes. The Flyers would love to see that carry over early this year, especially after injuries kept him out until mid-December.
Jiricek is the one who may have the most immediate path to the opening-night roster. He came to Philadelphia as part of last season’s Bobby Brink trade, and he’s no longer exempt from waivers.
If the Flyers tried to send him to AHL Lehigh Valley, there’s a strong chance another team would claim him. That makes a season-opening spot feel likely.
The 22-year-old is still trying to establish himself in the NHL, now with his third organization after stops with the Blue Jackets and Wild. His tools are obvious.
Philadelphia wants to see him sharpen the other side of the game, too - more confidence skating, more reliability in his own end. In 15 games with the Phantoms last season, he posted two goals and 11 assists.
The battle for that last defensive spot could come down to Jiricek and Benoit.
“I just try to be a two-way defenseman, support the offense, too,” Jiricek said in April, a day before playing in the Flyers' regular-season finale. “I have a big shot, so I try to use it.”
Bonk is not the quiet option in this race. The Flyers believe enough in him to already have trusted him in a playoff game, and that says plenty. He played in last season’s second-round Game 4 elimination loss to the Hurricanes, despite having just one NHL game on his resume at the time.
“I think he'll challenge at camp,” Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said in July. ... “He may force his hand.
To me, the moment's never too big for him, just the way he plays the game. Doesn't matter the level.”
Bonk got his first real taste of the NHL in the regular-season finale, and he made it count. In the Flyers’ 4-2 win over the Canadiens, he picked up a goal and an assist. Montreal still had something on the line that night, fighting for playoff seeding, and Bonk handled it like a veteran.
“To see how he played, the swagger he played with, it's great,” Flahr said. “I think he still needs to get stronger, which he's working at.
But he's just such a smart player. I think if we probably put him with better players, NHL players, he might just take off.
So we'll see where that one goes.”
Lehigh Valley head coach John Snowden also sees a player whose game keeps trending up. He called Bonk an “extremely smart hockey player,” and at development camp this summer he singled out the progress in Bonk’s shot.
“Just the last couple of days, watching him shoot, I even went to him on the ice today and said, 'Your shot has got some pop on it right now,'” Snowden said in June. “He's scoring from distance, he's doing those things that you have to have on the blue line nowadays in the game, you have to be a threat to be able to shoot from the top.
“I think he has made those gains. I know he's putting in a ton of work, I know his brain is very, very, very high and it's going to suit him as he starts to go up and he starts to play in the NHL here eventually one day. He's making all the steps that are going to be vital for his development right now.”
In Other News...
Devils Future Goalie Picture Just Got More Intriguing Overseas
The Flyers are keeping much of their defensive picture intact heading into the new season, and that leaves the spotlight on the young players trying to break through. David Jiek and Oliver Bonk are expected to be in the mix for roster spots, which gives Philadelphia at least a little more clarity on the blue line even as the organization continues to sort out its long-term depth.
Across the league, New Jerseys goaltending future got a new layer of intrigue with Russian prospect Alexander Smolin acknowledging NHL interest, including from the Devils. For now, though, he prefers to stay in the KHL, which only adds to the uncertainty around when, or if, one of the more closely watched overseas goalie situations will move closer to a resolution. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Still Have A Prospect Worth Watching After His College Stall
The college free-agent market delivered a little movement for NHL teams this week, but the Flyers did manage to keep one of their recent draft picks in the mix. Six NCAA players became unrestricted free agents after going unsigned by the Aug. 15 deadline following their fourth year of undergraduate eligibility, and while that class included some notable names changing course, Philadelphia still has a prospect on the radar as his college path stalls.
Owen McLaughlins decision to sign an AHL contract with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms keeps him in the organization, giving the Flyers a closer look at where he stands against pro competition. Around the league, other unsigned college players remain on reserve lists or moved on to minor-league deals, which is a reminder that this deadline rarely ends the story for every draft pick. For Philadelphia, the bigger question now is how much upside still remains in a prospect who has yet to take the next step. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Still Have One Roster Weakness Fans Can't Ignore
The Flyers enter the 2026-27 season with plenty to like on the wings and in goal, but the middle of the ice still looks like the place where the lineup can be stressed the most. Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak, Noah Cates and Sean Couturier give Philadelphia some options down the middle, yet the group does not offer an obvious top-line center to anchor the attack the way contending teams usually do.
That shortcoming stood out because the Flyers spent the offseason looking for help at center and came up short, leaving the depth chart a little thinner than they would prefer. It also puts extra pressure on the roster to stay healthy, since there is not an immediate prospect ready to step into that role if the position gets hit by injuries or the current mix falls short. [Read more 🡒]