Flyers training camp opened Thursday morning at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, NJ, and the first lineup sheet already offered a few hints about how Rick Tocchet and his staff are thinking.
Philadelphia has split camp into three groups. Group A and Group B include a mix of NHL regulars, stars, AHLers, and prospects, while Group C is the Phantoms group. Nikita Grebenkin is listed in Group C only because he is recovering from injury and is a limited participant.
The most eye-catching Group A forward setup had Carl Grundstrom with Trevor Zegras and Owen Tippett, followed by Alex Bump with Sean Couturier and Cole Knuble, then Zach Aston-Reese with Denver Barkey and Matvei Michkov. Noah Powell was with Jack Studnicka and Matthew Gard.
On the back end, Travis Sanheim skated with Oliver Bonk, Maksim Sokolovskii was paired with Rasmus Ristolainen, Simon Benoit lined up with Helge Grans, and Ty Murchison was with Brek Liske.
The Zegras-Tippett combo stands out right away. It looks like Tocchet is keeping that duo together for now, and there’s a clear reason for that after how well they worked alongside each other.
Knuble getting a start on Sean Couturier’s wing is another notable call. It gives the young player a real chance to make an impression and see whether he can fit on the fourth line. Bump on the opposite side is harder to read at this stage, and it would be premature to lock him into that spot.
Barkey at center is the most intriguing wrinkle among the forwards. That may have more to do with the makeup of the group than anything else, especially with limited NHL centers available there.
The setup also leaves room for the idea that Barkey could be used with Michkov to begin the season. If Noah Cates had been in this group, it would not have been surprising to see him centering those wingers and forming the Flyers’ third line.
Powell and Studnicka could be a useful combination for the Phantoms season, while Gard is getting a look alongside a lot of NHL talent before heading back to the WHL.
The blue line brought its own questions. Bonk starting next to Sanheim gives the 21-year-old defenseman a major opportunity if he wants to push his way into the season-opening picture. The Flyers are giving him the strongest possible runway.
Sokolovskii with Ristolainen is the wild card pairing. The 18-year-old, 6-foot-7 defenseman is getting a big veteran safety net in his first NHL camp, and the size and style of that duo jump off the page.
Benoit with Grans looks like a numbers move, since Benoit is expected to be on the roster. Murchison, who stood out during the Rookie Series, was placed beside freshly drafted Brek Liske, and how he handles that matchup could matter as camp unfolds.
Overall, the first day’s lineup mostly matched expectations. Tippett and Zegras are together, Michkov is not starting camp in a guaranteed top-six role, and the Flyers are leaning on familiar combinations for now.
The most revealing part may be how the prospects were deployed. Sanheim and Ristolainen could have been reunited from the playoffs, and Sokolovskii and Bonk could have been left together as an all-prospect pairing after the Rookie Series, but instead both young defensemen were placed beside veteran partners to work through drills.
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