The Flyers’ prospect pipeline has already produced a few early bright spots, and Cole Knuble is making the loudest argument of the bunch. While the preseason hasn’t been especially kind to Philadelphia through its first two games, Knuble has stood out as one of the players driving whatever offense the club has found so far.
He was right in the middle of both Flyers goals in their game in Hershey, setting up one and scoring the other. Then in Tuesday’s game, he didn’t hit the scoresheet, but he still generated two of the better looks the Flyers had all night. The energy has been there every shift, and even if the math on the NHL roster still leaves him as a long shot, he’s doing plenty to keep his name in the conversation.
The Flyers also made their first round of camp cuts on Saturday, sending Brady Berard, Alex Ciernik, Devin Kaplan, Owen McLaughlin, Ilya Pautov, Zayde Wisdom, Jackson Edward, and Andrew Perrott to the AHL so they could begin Phantoms camp. At the same time, Nathan Quinn, KJ Sauer, Brek Liske, Maksim Sokolovskii, Luke Vlooswyk, Martin Psohlavec, and Marek Sklenicka were returned to their junior teams to get their seasons going.
Quinn wasted little time making that move count in Quebec. He didn’t dress for the Remparts’ first game, but in their second outing he delivered a big night in a 5-2 win over Chicoutimi, finishing with a goal and two assists in Quebec’s first victory of the season. He could have moved on to Northeastern this year, but instead chose another run at a title with a Quebec team that should be strong, and he’s already showing why that decision made sense.
In goal, Yegor Zavragin has had a steadier start than a spectacular one. Through two appearances, he’s put together a .900 save percentage and a 2.05 Goals Against Average.
He opened with a 17-for-18 outing and a win, then followed it with a rougher night, allowing three goals on 22 shots. Since then, Metallurg Magnitogorsk has used him more as a backup, which is still not exactly the workload anyone was hoping for after his time in a three-goalie rotation last season.
There’s still a long way to go, though, and the hope is that he can settle in and earn a more even share of the starts.
There’s been useful work elsewhere in preseason action, too. Jacob Gaucher scored the Flyers’ only goal in Tuesday’s loss to the Bruins.
Oliver Bonk and Hunter McDonald each picked up an assist in Monday’s game in Hershey. Jett Luchanko added two assists over his two games, and he also took two shots, a sign he’s balancing his natural playmaking with a little more willingness to attack himself.
He still hasn’t scored, but that feels like it’s coming if this pace holds.
Across the pond, Jack Berglund got off to a quick start in the SHL by scoring in Farjestad’s opener, a 7-0 win over Orebro. He was blanked in the next game, a loss to Frolunda, while Max Westergard found the scoresheet in that one with an assist for his first point of the season after being held off the board in his opener.
And in Finland, newly drafted defenseman Max Laatikainen has already had a season that’s moved in a few different directions. He began with Sport in Liiga, but after getting less than three minutes of ice time in that game, he was sent down to the U20 squad.
That move has given him a much bigger role right away, with just under 23 minutes in his debut and about 15 in the next game. He responded with a goal and an assist across those two appearances, and while he’s likely to get another look with the senior club later this season, this stretch at U20 level should help him build momentum first.
In Other News...
Flyers Just Made A Behind The Scenes Goalie Move Fans Will Notice
The Flyers quietly bolstered their hockey operations staff with three additions that should help on and off the ice, bringing in Kyle Blackstone as a massage therapist, William Heim as an assistant athletic trainer for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and Daniel Spencer in a role that has become increasingly notable around the NHL. Blackstone arrives with seven years of experience to support player recovery, while Heim comes to the organization after stops in the ECHL and in university athletics.
Spencer is the name most fans will recognize, since he had previously filled the local Emergency Backup Goalie role around the team. Now he is moving into a much larger commitment with the Flyers, with the job requiring him to travel with the club and be part of regular practices, a sign that the organization wanted a deeper layer of readiness in a position that usually stays invisible until it suddenly matters. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Leo Carlsson Push Says Plenty About Their Center Hunt
The Flyers offseason push for Leo Carlsson said plenty about how aggressively they were trying to address the middle of the ice. Philadelphia put together an offer sheet for the Anaheim Ducks restricted free agent, and it was a notable one, built around a salary structure loaded heavily with signing bonuses. It was the kind of move that signaled the Flyers were willing to get creative in a market where top-end center help is hard to find.
Carlssons agent, Ryan Keator, said there was no shortage of interest once the possibility of an offer sheet opened up. He said about eight teams reached out, with multiple serious discussions and two firm offers in the mix before Anaheim matched Philadelphias proposal. For the Flyers, it was another reminder that their hunt for a center has been anything but subtle, and that they were willing to make a real swing even if it didnt end with a new player in orange and black. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Just Got Hit With An NHL Crackdown Fans Will Debate
The preseason is usually where teams shake off rust, but the NHL also uses it to send messages, and the Flyers got a reminder of that against Boston. Trevor Zegras was hit with a penalty for improper wearing of equipment, part of a stricter league push this season on jersey tucking and other uniform violations. Under the NHLs procedure, players can get a warning first, but repeat offenses can draw a two-minute penalty.
Zegras and Travis Konecny argued the call on the ice, giving the moment a little extra edge in a game that already had the feel of a test run with real consequences. For Philadelphia, it was the kind of small-seeming rule enforcement that can still swing attention fast, especially when the league is making clear it plans to police the details more aggressively than before. [Read more 🡒]