The Flyers didn’t bring in Simon Benoit to headline their blue line battle, but he’s making sure nobody forgets he’s here.
With all the attention going to the younger names - David Jiricek, Oliver Bonk, and Ty Murchison among them - Benoit has slid a little under the radar since arriving earlier this summer in the Joseph Woll trade. That’s the part of this roster fight that’s easy to miss: the veteran newcomer may only be penciled in as the Flyers’ seventh defenseman, but he’s giving them something they were in danger of losing entirely.
At 28, Benoit fits the recent mold of the Flyers’ dependable depth defensemen, the kind of steady, no-frills presence the team has leaned on before with Marc Staal, Erik Johnson, and Noah Juulsen. The role is still a limited one on paper. In practice, though, he’s already showing why the Flyers wanted him around.
That was on display Thursday in a preseason game that included most of the Flyers’ NHL regulars. Benoit logged 17:16, and 2:14 of that came shorthanded after Helge Grans exited with an injury, leaving Philadelphia to skate with five defensemen for most of the 2-0 win. He likely would have seen even more ice if not for a fight with Bruins forward Brian Halonen, which sent him to the box for five minutes.
“It’s awesome, and I like that. I think it shows you guys what he’s capable of doing,” longtime teammate Woll said of Benoit’s fight with Halonen on Thursday night. “He can throw 'em with the best in the league, and, yeah, I’m pumped for him.”
The Flyers have been losing that kind of edge. Nick Deslauriers was traded to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes before the NHL trade deadline, and Garnet Hathaway was dealt to the Florida Panthers early in the offseason.
That leaves Nick Seeler as the lone remaining bruiser on the roster, though even his physical game has trended down some at 33. Seeler had 78 penalty minutes and four fights in 2023-24, then posted 74 penalty minutes and four fights across the two seasons since then.
So even if Benoit isn’t in line for a major nightly workload, his presence matters. He gives the Flyers a little insurance, a little bite, and a piece of the lineup they’ve been missing after the departures of Deslauriers and Hathaway.
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Flyers Have One Big Christian Dvorak Decision Still To Make
Christian Dvorak gave the Flyers exactly what they needed last season, settling in as the top-line center for much of the year and turning in the kind of all-around production that made him look like a fit for a bigger role. His first year in Philadelphia ended with a career season across the board, and the team responded by committing to him long term as it starts sorting out what the center depth chart is supposed to look like next.
The bigger question now is how the Flyers want to arrange the middle of the ice around him. Dvorak is in place, but the club still has to decide which combinations give it the best balance, and whether his most natural usage is still at the top of the lineup or in a different setup as camp and the season approach. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Are Finally About To Learn What David Jiricek Really Is
The Flyers are at the point where camp decisions start turning into actual lineup reality, and David Jiricek is already part of it. General manager Daniel Briere confirmed the defense prospect has made Philadelphias opening night roster, a notable step for a player the organization wants to evaluate in a meaningful role rather than stash on the sidelines. With injuries affecting some of the competition around him, the Flyers still have two roster cuts to make before Mondays deadline.
For Jiricek, the first glimpse of that evaluation looks fairly defined. He is expected to begin on the third defensive pairing and handle the second-unit power-play quarterback duties, giving the Flyers a chance to see how his skill set translates when the games count. It is a useful landing spot for a player whose next stretch should tell Philadelphia a lot about where he fits, and the clubs final moves over the next few days should only sharpen the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Opener Confidence May Hinge On Dan Vladar
The Flyers got a little more clarity on Dan Vladar as the regular season draws closer, with the goaltender taking part in a skate while continuing to recover from an upper-body injury. Rick Tocchet said Vladar is progressing daily and described him as day to day, a sign the team has at least some optimism around the crease as opening night approaches.
Philadelphia still has a wait-and-see feel to it with a few pieces of the roster, and Vladars status is one of the bigger ones given how much the Flyers want stability in goal to start the season. Forward Denver Barkey is also day to day with a lower-body injury and could be in the mix as well, but for now the focus is on whether Vladar can keep trending the right way in time for the opener. [Read more 🡒]