The Flyers may be staring at a numbers problem once Cam York and Rasmus Ristolainen are back in the mix. Both defensemen are currently on IR, and when they’re ready to return, Philadelphia will have to make room on the blue line.
There are two waiver-exempt defensemen on the roster in Oliver Bonk and Hunter McDonald, but The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz wrote that “it’s difficult to see the Flyers reassigning Bonk back to the AHL soon,” even after York and Ristolainen are activated.
That leaves another name in the mix: David Jiricek. Kurz floated the idea that the Flyers could place him on waivers in order to send him to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and he added that “the Flyers shouldn’t worry about waiving Jiricek,” as he “can’t imagine he’ll get claimed with the Flyers already being his third organization.”
Jiricek is 22 and was the No. 6 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, but he hasn’t matched that billing. Columbus drafted him originally, then sent him to the Minnesota Wild for a package of draft picks in November 2024.
Minnesota later moved him to Philadelphia near last season’s trade deadline in a deal for winger Bobby Brink. This season, Jiricek is averaging 14:48 of ice time per game, including 2:07 on the power play, and he was a healthy scratch in the Flyers’ most recent game.
Around the league, the Red Wings and Canadiens are keeping a close eye on each other. On TSN’s Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun said Detroit is “actively scouting” Montreal in case former captain Dylan Larkin changes his mind and agrees to include the Canadiens on his trade list. LeBrun also said the Red Wings are “fully aware” of the kinds of trade packages Montreal has “aggressively put in front of” other teams in its long hunt for a difference-making top-six addition.
Montreal has reportedly pursued Matthew Knies and Kirill Marchenko before, though those two were eventually traded for one another. Now, the Canadiens are said to be interested in Detroit’s No. 1 center. There’s no clear sign yet of what Montreal would put on the table, but one possible centerpiece would be University of Michigan center Michael Hage.
Dreger also reported that Winnipeg has reached an agreement with Connor Hellebuyck to push back the date he’ll report to the team and take a physical until after this weekend’s Heritage Classic outdoor game. Hellebuyck has been suspended without pay after failing to report to training camp, and he wants to end his holdout and rejoin the Jets while he waits for the team to fulfill his trade request. Winnipeg appears willing to bring him back, but it does not want the attention around his return to overshadow the Heritage Classic.
In Other News...
Flyers May Finally Have The Stability In Net Fans Craved
For a team that has spent plenty of recent seasons trying to figure out the crease, the Flyers are finally seeing something sturdier from their goaltending. Dan Vladar and Joseph Woll have both given the club a more dependable look in net, and the combination has helped quiet at least some of the uncertainty that usually shadows Philadelphia when the conversation turns to the last line of defense.
Vladar has settled in after a rough opener, and Woll has been just as encouraging, giving the Flyers a tandem that looks capable of carrying real weight if the rest of the roster does its part. The longer-term piece matters too, because Vladar is signed for the long haul while Woll is under contract through next season, which gives Philadelphia a chance to stop treating net as a yearly problem and start treating it like an actual strength. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Zegras May Be The Fix For A Frustrating Flyers Problem
The Flyers have spent the early part of the 2026-27 season dealing with a familiar annoyance: a power play that is creating enough to suggest better results, but not actually cashing in often enough at 5-on-4. The raw scoring rate has dipped from last season, even though the underlying expected-goals numbers have stayed relatively solid, which usually points to a unit that is doing some good things without seeing the payoff yet.
Trevor Zegras is a big reason there is still optimism around that group. His puck skills and playmaking give Philadelphia a different kind of threat once the man advantage gets set up, and the staff has seen enough to believe there is more room for this power play to grow into its chances. If the Flyers can keep generating looks the way they have been, the missing piece may be less about structure and more about getting the right finish at the right moment. [Read more 🡒]
Cole Knuble Is Giving The Flyers A Tough Lineup Decision
Cole Knuble arrived in the Flyers lineup as a 22-year-old rookie with little time to settle in, and he has already made himself difficult to ignore. The 2023 fourth-round pick debuted on Oct. 19, saw meaningful ice in his first NHL game and looked comfortable enough that Philadelphia kept leaning on him from the start.
Rick Tocchet has been pleased with the way Knuble has carried himself, and that matters for a team still sorting out the edges of its forward group. A player who can step in, contribute right away and earn trust from the coaching staff changes the conversation fast, especially when the Flyers are trying to decide who belongs now and who may need more time before sticking for good. [Read more 🡒]