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Tag: Cam York

  • Matvei Michkov scores again, but Flyers fall to Oilers in OT

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    The seconds were ticking down, and Travis Konecny thought he had just tipped in the game-winner. 

    Then the officials took an extra look. They deemed that Owen Tippett was a step ahead of the play and entered the offensive zone too early on that pivotal possession. 

    The Flyers were offside, the goal was taken back, and Wednesday night against superstar Connor McDavid and a struggling Edmonton Oilers team went into overtime at Xfinity Mobile Arena. 

    Jack Roslovic scored the winner for the visitors a 1:19 into the extra frame, on a neutral-zone turnover and a quickly ensuing 2-on-0 that had goalie Dan Vladar caught in no-man’s land. 

    The Flyers lost, 2-1, still taking a point out of the contest, but dropping to 8-5-3 on the season. 

    Here’s how an up and down night played out…

    Mich unleashed

    Matvei Michkov has his legs again. 

    He was covering a lot of ice Wednesday night and getting after puck carriers, and you could tell just by his stride that he’s moving way more efficiently than he did at the start of the year – his knees are staying bent and he’s been laboring a lot less of late. 

    Michkov was moving well with the puck through the first period, and created a couple of decent looks for the Flyers’ energetic start, but then late into the second period, he broke through. 

    The Flyers went on their first power play of the night with a Jake Walman hook on Tippett. 

    Michkov’s unit got its setup established in the offensive zone, and after giving the puck to Cam York up by the point to take a scan, the defenseman fed it back to Michkov, who was given space along the wall by Edmonton’s penalty kill. 

    Michkov wheeled in around the top of the left faceoff circle, then rifled a shot to the right post just over Stuart Skinner’s glove for the power-play goal and a 1-1 tie. 

    Michkov had a slow start to the season, and by his own admission, an altered training regimen following his first year in the NHL and a struggle to focus out of the gate contributed to that.

    But the 20-year-old has found a flow again. 

    Michkov now has a goal in each of his last three games and brought himself up to nine points through 16 games on the year. 

    The talented winger has star, face-of-the-franchise level potential, and the Flyers do believe he’ll reach it as a key part of their long-term future.

    The hope now is that those early struggles and the prospect of a sophomore slump are falling behind him, and that he’ll start accelerating back toward his ceiling.

    Because, for as much as the Flyers’ focus is still on tomorrow, a breakout from Michkov now can do a lot for a team that is playing much better today.

    It just didn’t get them a win on Wednesday night.

    Some jump through (most of) one

    The Oilers came out wanting to play fast. 

    The Flyers were prepared to match. 

    Tippett made a clean zone entry and then a cut inside between Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse to fire a shot that rang off the post; Matvei Michkov carried the puck up the ice and back into the zone, making his own move across to drop off a pass for Noah Juulsen to sneak in and take a healthy shot on; and even Cam York and Travis Sanheim jumped up from the defense to carry their own two-man rush to the Edmonton net, helped by a slick give-and-go pass from Travis Konecny through the neutral zone. 

    The Flyers had juice, were moving the puck pretty cleanly, and taking chances. That gave way to some good looks for McDavid and the Oilers, sure, but to the Flyers’ credit, they did well to keep their sticks in the way and on the puck…for a while, at least. 

    Energy did seem to taper off toward the end of the first, and that reflected in the 13-5 shot count in favor of Edmonton by the end of it. 

    So did McDavid wrapping around from behind the Philadelphia net to pick up a loose puck and set up Evan Bouchard with a clear shot in front while everyone in orange collapsed in.

    Vladar, who was otherwise solid in goal through the opening period and for the whole game, couldn’t track that puck in time, allowing the Oilers to take a 1-0 lead. 

    The Flyers, meanwhile, would go into the intermission operating from behind, not irrecoverably so, but at a clear lack of shot volume and, as the period wore on, a noted struggle to generate effective scoring chances from inside. 

    It didn’t get much better in the second for a while. With about 7:30 left, they only had two shots all period that were relatively harmless, and were getting outshot 24-7 in total.

    It wasn’t until the power play and Michkov’s ensuing goal a couple of minutes later that the Flyers finally started to break from it.

    Back in the fray

    Tyson Foerster returned from injury Wednesday night, and his line with Noah Cates and Bobby Brink was put back together. 

    And maybe to little surprise, they got back to being a key two-way line. 

    Cates as the center, especially, would play a major role in defending against McDavid, and past Edmonton’s first goal, he held up pretty well in doing so. 

    Toward the end of the second period in particular, Cates kept McDavid tied up against the boards while the Oilers’ superstar had the puck to suppress any last-second chances before the horn.

    Cates did get tagged for a high stick on McDavid right off the draw to begin the third period, but just as important for the Flyers on Wednesday night was that their penalty kill held up and went a perfect 2-for-2 against the Oilers with a man-advantage.

    Watch where you’re going

    Vladar, once again, was stellar in net for the Flyers, cutting down angles with his big frame and keeping bounces and any chaos in front under control on the way to stopping 29 of 30 Edmonton shots through regulation. 

    He also got ran twice by the Oilers. 

    In the first period, Vladar reached out from the crease to cover a puck, and Curtis Lazar, charging in to try and pick it up, tripped over the goaltender and appeared to jam Vladar’s wrist in the process. Vladar got up, put his blocker back on, and stayed in. 

    Then in the third, Trent Frederic tried to chip at a pass to the inside, was short on space in front of the crease, and skated straight into Vladar, who was not happy after getting back up from the collision. None of his teammates were either. 

    A scrum broke out, Mattias Janmark, off to the side, drew Vladar’s ire and then a couple of jabs from Noah Juuslen. 

    Janmark got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, Frederic got goaltender interference for the charge at the net, and Vladar a roughing minor after the pile-up.

    The Flyers left it with a late power play. Nothing came of it.

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  • Cam York returned to the Flyers’ lineup, now he’s finally getting back on the power play

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    Cam York will be on the power play Saturday night for the Flyers. 

    He’ll be back there for the first time in a long time when the team takes on the Minnesota Wild at Xfinity Mobile Arena, on a unit consisting of himself, Trevor Zegras, Noah Cates, Bobby Brink, and Tyson Foerster, based on Saturday’s morning skate reps.

    Moreover, the Flyers need him there.

    “Well, I think if you look at it, you got [Jamie Drysdale], Yorkie and then [Travis Sanheim],” head coach Rick Tocchet explained. “Sandy’s been playing a lot of ice time, so you gotta save some minutes. So any of those three guys, we wanna get them reps.”

    And for York, to see what he can generate offensively. 

    When it comes to the minutes, his return to the lineup in Thursday night’s 5-2 loss to Winnipeg already gave Sanheim a bit of a breather – well, relatively.

    York skated 22:32 of ice time in his first game back from a lower-body injury to begin the season, while Drysdale played 24:08 and Sanheim 24:35, after Sanheim averaged 27:15 and topped out at 29:34 through the first three games.

    “He’s still gonna get the minutes, for sure,” York joked about Sanheim from his locker. “I think he’ll be happy he doesn’t have to play 28-plus. That’s tough to maintain that for 82 games, and if we can kind of ease those minutes on him, I think he’ll benefit from that.”

    Along with the distribution of them as the Flyers go.

    York appeared to be eased back into things on Thursday night. Even though he skated above 20 minutes, it was nearly all at even strength while Sanheim and Drysdale handled the bulk of the power play time.  

    York said he felt good and comfortable getting back on the ice in game action, and feels good about the prospect of getting his first look of the season on the power play Saturday night. 

    He got plenty of reps in camp, and during the morning skate, he put a black practice jersey on to signal his spot on the man-advantage while Sanheim put on an orange jersey to take up a role on the penalty kill. 

    Cam-York-Flyers-Jets-Break-10.16.25-NHL.jpgEric Hartline/Imagn Images

    Cam York and the Flyers are hoping time on the power play leads to more points from the defenseman.

    York, notoriously now, was removed from the power play and had a down season last year as former coach John Tortorella was on his way out. 

    Tocchet, as the new head coach, is giving him the opportunity again, with the belief from the organization that not only can York return to form as a top-pairing defenseman, but as one who is also capable of much more on the offensive side. 

    York is still going to have to commit to all the little details on the defensive side under Tocchet, and he said as much throughout the summer and on Saturday morning, but his chance to do more with the puck, get his name on the board a bit more often, and help the Flyers score more in the process? That starts Saturday night against Minnesota.

    “I think just getting the puck touches and more minutes, you’re gonna have probably more points than if you weren’t on the power play, obviously,” York said. “It kinda gets that mojo going again. I had that a few years ago, and I think it helped my game and my confidence. Excited to hopefully get back into that.”

    Hopefully, it gets more going for the Flyers, too.

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  • Flyers thoughts: Tyson Foerster, Noah Cates, Bobby Brink never missed a beat, remain their best line

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    Three games in, and the line of Tyson Foerster, Noah Cates, and Bobby Brink has remained as the Flyers’ best.

    Cates crashed the crease and scored the Flyers’ lone goal in Game 1 down in Florida on a perfectly executed offensive zone faceoff.

    Brink stepped in toward the faceoff circle from off the wall and fired a shot home in Game 2 against Carolina, and had the would-be winner in overtime later on had goaltender interference not waved it away. 

    Then in the home opener on Monday night, back up against Florida, Foerster notched the first goal from drifting down to support Sean Couturier, who slipped him the puck to send him skating in toward the net for a clean shot that made it through.

    At every turn, that combo has made an impact. 

    They haven’t missed a beat coming back from last season – might’ve even gained a step, too – and for a team that’s under a new head coach in Rick Tocchet and still very much trying to iron out the early kinks elsewhere, that’s been huge. 

    Foerster and Cates each have a goal so far, Brink has two, they all have three points and plus ratings, and as a line together, they’ve skated with a 56.25 high-danger chances for percentage, per Natural Stat Trick.

    They haven’t missed a beat, especially so for Foerster, who suffered an infection in his elbow over the summer and wasn’t even sure ahead of training camp if he’d be ready in time to start the season. 

    But he made it, and picked up right where he left off. 

    “Just do the same stuff,” Foerster said. “Just do the same stuff we did last year. Defense first and offense is going to come with the way we play. Dump it in, we get on the forecheck, we have a good forecheck, and we get the puck back. Make plays, and we take it to the net.”

    Sometimes it’s just that simple, but hey, it’s working. 

    A few other thoughts on the Flyers…

    Michkov’s minutes

    There’s been an early focus on Matvei Michkov, but not because he’s been putting up highlights. 

    It’s been the opposite, actually. He’s been quiet, a bit concerningly so, and moreover, he’s been sitting as the initial games have pushed later and later in. 

    Michkov didn’t touch the ice in the overtime loss to Carolina on Saturday, and with Monday night’s home opener against the Panthers still tied pressing further into the third period, the 20-year-old sat tight on the bench.

    He has no goals or points so far, has taken a penalty in each of the first three games, hasn’t skated above 15 minutes in either of them, and has only three registered shots. 

    Tocchet acknowledged earlier in the week that Michkov suffered an offseason ankle injury that hampered his training and left him needing to catch up on his conditioning as a result. 

    Michkov spoke after practice on Wednesday in Voorhees, alongside his usual translator Slava Kuznetsov,  and had no interest in using the injury as an excuse. 

    “That I’m not scoring or making any assists in the last three games, it’s not anyhow connected with the injury,” Michkov said via Kuznetsov.

    But there have been lapses, too. 

    Matvei-Michkov-Flyers-Hurricanes-Bench-NHL-2025.jpgJames Guillory/Imagn Images

    Matvei Michkov has had a slow start to the season.

    On Monday night, for example, Florida was skating down with the puck into the Flyers’ zone within the final minute of the second period. 

    Michkov chased down to backcheck, trying to help take Gustav Forsling away as the passing option on the initial rush, but as soon as the first shot was stopped, he took a wide turn to start trailing up toward center ice, all while the Panthers still had control of the puck. 

    Sam Reinhart scored on a scramble around the goal line seconds later to get the Panthers on the board.

    “He’s just gotta differentiate when is the time to take off and when it’s the time we need him to hang in there,” Tocchet said of Michkov, who did qualify that he believes his game is improving. “That’s the one thing he’s gotta figure out.

    “I get it. He wants to be an offensive player, but you can’t take off when we don’t have the puck.”

    It’s a learning process, Tocchet continued, and for the whole team. 

    “We’re trying to create a culture,” the coach said. “It’s not about one player.

    But for Michkov…

    “He is obviously a player that is a special guy,” Tocchet said. “We gotta hone his talents, but it’s gotta be somewhat in a team game, and he’s willing to do it because I think his last two practices have been great.

    “He did video again today. He came up for us and goes, ‘Coach, I need video,’ and he talked about some other stuff where he felt his legs felt better the last couple days, which is good.”

    So maybe chalk it up to a slow start for now. 

    As for the defensive part, though…

    “Should play more in the offensive zone and be more offensive,” Michkov joked. “Then you don’t have to defend as much.”

    That is one way to do it.

    Built to handle it

    Travis Sanheim has skated some incredibly heavy minutes to begin the year, from 25 minutes at minimum to nearly a half-hour in the case of Saturday night’s overtime loss to Carolina. 

    It’s a lot, but Tocchet has been a fan of Sanheim going back to when they were on Team Canada together in the 4 Nations Face Off last February and trusted him to be able to handle it.

    Sanheim has answered the call without issue. 

    “He works out, he does the right things off the ice, that’s why he can play 30 minutes,” Tocchet said. “The guy came in in unbelievable shape for us. It goes hand in hand. He’s a professional, and that’s why he can play big minutes.”

    That said, neither Tocchet nor the rest of the organization are looking to throw that much at Sanheim from game to game. 

    His usage has been a consequence of the Flyers having such thin defensive depth to begin the season, which wasn’t helped by Cam York going on Injured Reserve when they had to submit their opening night roster. 

    Until they can get York back – Rasmus Ristolainen, too – the Flyers are going to need to find a way to get more out of Jamie Drysdale, Adam Ginning, and Emil Andrae, at least to get by.

    “We gotta develop some guys here to get more minutes off of,” Tocchet said. “We’re in the business of winning, but we’re also in the business of maximizing some players.”

    Travis-Sanheim-Flyers-Goal-Carolina-2025-NHL.jpgTravis-Sanheim-Flyers-Goal-Carolina-2025-NHL.jpgJames Guillory/Imagn Images

    Travis Sanheim has racked up a ton of ice time in the early going.

    Speaking of…

    York just might be ready to come back, though, for the Flyers’ next game at home Thursday night against the Winnipeg Jets.

    He skated through practice in the standard black jersey, and after the Flyers left the ice, Andrae’s name was removed from the roster to indicate that he’s reporting to Lehigh Valley in the AHL, which opens up a roster spot. 

    “It’s day-to-day,” Tocchet maintained of York’s status. “He’s a possibility. We haven’t penciled him in yet.” 

    But the signs are lining up.

    It’s a big year for York, who is looking to bounce back after a rough 2024-25 season and then some after signing a five-year contract extension in the summer. 

    It’s just starting on a bit of a delay.

    Just fire away

    Jett Luchanko has appeared in two games so far, Saturday night in Carolina and Monday night against Florida, skating in a limited 8:49 and then 7:40 of ice time. 

    Just like last season, the 2024 first-round center has a nine-game trial run before the Flyers have to decide between keeping him as a full-time NHLer or sending him back to juniors in Guelph.

    They have seven more games to make a call.

    Tocchet said Wednesday that he likes Luchanko’s speed, yet still, he needs to see the 19-year-old shoot, and not hesitate to do it.

    “He has to start shooting the puck,” Tocchet said. “That’s one thing if he’s gonna get more ice time. I mean, there’s times he has the puck in the middle of the ice and he’s passing the puck at the front of the net. That’s a mental block for him right now…If he would shoot the puck, it’ll actually make him look faster.”

    Jett-Luchanko-Puck-Flyers-Canes-2025.jpgJett-Luchanko-Puck-Flyers-Canes-2025.jpgJames Guillory/Imagn Images

    The Flyers are still deciding what’s best for Jett Luchanko’s development.

    The Flyers are caught between a bit of a rock and a hard place with Luchanko when it comes to his development. 

    He’s too young still to go straight to the AHL, where he could get valuable and consistent pro minutes, but might not be fully ready yet to stick in the NHL, all while having outgrown juniors. 

    Sending Luchanko back to Guelph wouldn’t hurt, but it isn’t ideal either. Keeping him up full time with the Flyers, though, but at the cost of sitting him constantly or only giving him limited minutes unless he suddenly breaks out, that could. 

    “We’ll evaluate as it goes on,” Tocchet said. “I don’t think it’s gonna hurt him for a week or two, but you start talking months and months, yeah, it could hurt the development of a player, 100 percent.”

    They have to be careful here.

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  • Flyers flash their potential in opening win over Canucks

    Flyers flash their potential in opening win over Canucks

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    The Flyers’ season opener stretched way late into the night, and in almost typical Philadelphia Flyers fashion – or at least the one fans have become conditioned to over the past decade or so. 

    A slow start, a push to catch up, and then a stalemate through overtime that takes them into the shootout. 

    Philadelphia has seen that script before, numerous times and to varying degrees of frustration and then longstanding apathy, but as Morgan Frost buried the winner at 1:00 a.m. Saturday on the dot back here on the East Coast, the energy about the Flyers felt different from mostly anything seen in years past. 

    They beat the Canucks, 3-2, in the shootout out in Vancouver to take that first game of the 2024-2025 season, and they did it because they were faster. They did it because they were younger – one of the youngest teams in the entire NHL even. They did it because Sam Ersson, going in for the first time as the full-time No. 1 goaltender, looked the part. And they did it because there was a newfound creativity and decisiveness to them, with a power play that finally looked effective and actually was in its first rollout of the year. 

    The Flyers won, this first game at least, because they played in a way they couldn’t before – not last year, and definitely not in the several years prior since leaving that 2020 COVID bubble. 

    They won because they have Matvei Michkov, the offensive phenom on the ice now, and first-round speedster Jett Luchanko, too. They won because Cam York can take on 20 minutes and counting on the blue line while knowing when to sneak down for an opening to unleash a laser of a shot. And they won because a healthy Jamie Drysdale was able to fly up and down the ice roaming with the puck, because Bobby Brink is stronger and another year wiser, and because Tyson Foerster isn’t as hellbent on his defense above all else anymore – he’s going to get down in front of the net to score now. 

    The Philadelphia Flyers, the new Philadelphia Flyers, they’re coming together, and Friday night (into early Saturday morning) was the first show of it, as well as the first result. 

    Back-to-back penalties early into the first period put the Flyers on their heels out of the gate, which let Quinn Hughes and the Canucks – a club that fell just a goal shy of sending the eventual Western Conference champion Oilers home in the playoffs a few months back – go to work. 

    Ersson got tested immediately in goal, but he answered the call, stopping 10 Vancouver shots within the game’s first 10 minutes, including an impressive nab of a Brock Boeser shot from across the crease. 

    A blistering wrister from Nils Höglander in front of the net off of a defensive zone turnover later in the first and then a deflection from Teddy Blueger in the second on an assignment Luchanko lost track of were the blemishes, but the 24-year old Ersson held the line to keep the Flyers in it and give them a chance. 

    He stopped 24 of 26 shots through overtime on Friday night, then 4 of 5 in the shootout, and as the one in the front of a goalie situation that head coach John Tortorella admitted during training camp he wasn’t entirely sure about, Ersson offered an early assurance. 

    “That’s what I thought the key to the game was, Ers just giving us a chance to get our legs,” Tortorella said postgame. 

    They started finding them when Höglander went to the box for holding late into the opening frame. 

    The Flyers’ power play, statistically, was the worst in the league last season at a 12.2 percent conversion rate, and watching at the time arguably made its case worse. 

    They struggled to establish steady cycling in the offensive zone, and even when they did set up camp, it often devolved into circling around without anyone opening up an impactful shooting lane.

    The speed just wasn’t there, neither was the true skill to present a serious threat of scoring, but a couple of new faces and structural changes over the summer can do wonders sometimes. 

    Michkov took in the puck from up high and before the Canucks could even react, he had zipped it down to Morgan Frost who had snuck his way to the front of the net, only getting stopped shy of the tying 1-1 goal on a great stop from Vancouver goaltender Kevin Lankinen on the move. 

    The power play units swapped, Brink, Foerster, and Joel Farabee tried nearly the same sequence, and Foerster put the puck home to knot the score. 

    Everything happened so fast, much faster than anything the Flyers’ power play would’ve done last season, and though they only went 1-for-4 on the man advantage for the night on the whole, the difference in how the power play was operating was night and day – plus, Farabee came a fraction of an angle away from netting another. He knew it, too. 

    But the Flyers pressed on.

    York dropped toward the circles to rifle a puck that found him from behind the net to match Blueger’s goal, 2-2, early into the third, and as the game progressed, both Michkov and Luchanko as the debuting rookies grew increasingly comfortable and involved. 

    By the second period, Michkov started shooting from anywhere, from the sharp angle near-parallel to the goal line and on between-the-legs tries from way in close. 

    Then, past the halfway point of the third with the game still tied, the 19-year old took the puck from the right of the Vancouver net, then made a cut inside and a shot where the rebound had him and Luchanko an inch away from their first NHL points. 

    Michkov went on to play a considerable 18:32 of ice time and Luchanko 14:36. Neither ended up making it on the scoresheet for the night, but as the key faces to the Flyers’ long-term vision, whenever they were on the ice, they were noticeable. They had a hand, at least, in something happening that got the puck going Philly’s way. And at the outset, that’s huge. 

    So is their composure through it all.

    “I thought they looked as calm as ever for guys making their debuts,” Frost told the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast after his shootout goal secured the Flyers win. Even throughout the day and over the last couple of days, they’ve been pretty stoic. I don’t know what they were really feeling inside, but they weren’t showing it too much. 

    “And yeah, they’re big parts of the team, and I thought they played really well tonight.”

    There are still 81 games to go, with the next one directly on deck for Saturday night in Calgary, and years’ worth of work beyond that for the organization to get the team built up into the Stanley Cup contender it hopes it can one day be. 

    But the Philadelphia Flyers, the new Philadelphia Flyers, they’re coming together. 

    Friday night was the first show of it.

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  • Flyers 2024-25 Season Preview: Defense – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Flyers 2024-25 Season Preview: Defense – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Apr 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim (6) blocks a shot attempt against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

    Previously, we determined that the Flyers have a big question mark in the net this season, albeit with a side of hope and upside.

    Let’s look at the Flyers Defensive pairings as we head towards training camp.

    The Top Billing

    The expected top pairing of Travis Sanheim and Cam York needs no introduction.

    Travis Sanheim

    Sanheim inked a long-term deal with the Flyers in 2022, and he carries a $6.25MM cap hit through the 2031 season.   In 81 games last year, Sanheim netted 10 goals and 44 points, along with a -20 plus/minus.  With Sanheim assuming the proverbial #1 Defenseman mantle last year, he had a solid jump from 23 points in 81 games the prior year.

    Sanheim’s ice time was up nearly 3 minutes per game; however, he had the same time on ice in 2021-22 when he posted 13 fewer points in 80 games.  Therefore, his additional production is not simply the added ice time.  Sanheim showed poise and character last year, playing with a chip on his shoulder but ready to prove the Flyers were right not to have traded him before his No Trade Clause kicked in.

    Cam York

    York, the Flyers’ first-round Pick (#14 overall in 2019), is entering his fourth full year. He has seen his games and point totals increase yearly with the Flyers. Last year, York netted 10 goals and 20 assists in all 82 games and had a -14 plus/minus. York, who is in the final year of his contract ($1.6MM per year), will be a restricted free agent at the end of the year.

    York averaged 23 minutes under Tortorella last year, so it’s unlikely that he will significantly increase his ice time this year. York will look to do more with his play when he is out there.

    What’s on Second?

    Jamie Drysdale & Nick Seeler

    Justin Giampietro of the Hockey Writers likes Nick Seeler and Jamie Drysdale’s numbers last year. The pair posted some good numbers in their 104 minutes of even-strength time together.

    Jamie Drysdale

    Drysdale was a somewhat shocking pick-up in January last year, having been acquired in exchange for heralded prospect Cutter Gauthier.  It was shocking that Gauthier decided he would not play for the Flyers, so they tried to find a win-win deal.

    Drysdale enters the year on the second of his three-year ELC, carrying a $2.3MM cap hit.  The former #6 overall pick by the Ducks in 2020 played in 24 games with the Flyers last year, where he posted 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points, a -18 plus/minus to go along with 18:48 in average ice time.  Unfortunately, that’s not a stellar stat line for a #1 pick.

    Before joining the Flyers, Drysdale had a goal and 4 assists in 10 games.  Drysdale will look to continue to try and gel with the team.  I would expect Drysdale’s ice time and comfort level to pick up this year, and the production should follow.

    Nick Seeler

    Seeler signed a Four-Year Contract Extension with the Flyers back in March, carrying a $2.7MM cap hit.  In 71 games with the Flyers last year, Seeler put up 1 Goal and 12 assists and was a plus 9.  We’ll give Seeler some credit for being a plus on the ice, averaging 16.57 minutes each night on this team.  In addition, he blocked an incredible 205 shots last year, along with 161 blocked shots the previous year.  Seeler, as the ‘Who’ famously said, gets his back into his living.  Moreover, Seeler is a good teammate and gives his effort every shift.

    The 3rd & the 7th

    Rasmus Ristolainen, Egor Zamula, Erik Johnson, Adam Ginning, Emil Andre, Ronnie Attard

    Rasmus Ristolainen

    Ristolainen may be feeling the heat.  Acquired in 2021, which cost the Flyers Robert Hagg, a 2021 1st and 2023 2nd round pick to acquire, Ristolainen, at 6’4, 221 lbs., perhaps was becoming a very popular trade candidate before injury last year.  Having now played three seasons in the orange and black, he averaged 18 points with the Flyers before last year’s season, putting up only 4 points in 31 games.

    Ristolainen, a former 40-point-a-season defenseman in his earlier career with Buffalo, albeit under a different playing style and ice time.  If Ristolainen can form a shut-down third pair, it would significantly improve the Flyers’ chances overall.  With a $5.1MM cap hit in year 3 of 5 of his contract, he no longer puts up the offensive numbers to justify that cap hit.  ‘Risto’ blocked 187 shots over the last two years to go along with 218 hits over that same period.  The problem with hoping he develops into a shut-down defenseman is that ‘Risto’ has never had a season where he ended up on the positive side of the plus/minus category.

    Egor Zamula

    Zamula, an RFA to begin the summer, signed a new 2-year contract this summer.  Zamula is coming off a 66-game campaign with 5 goals and 21 points in 16 minutes of average ice time.  Zamula will get an opportunity to grow on his campaign, especially following a new contract.

    It’s expected that he’ll slot in as the #6 defenseman at the moment and be given a chance to see what he can do for his next act.

    Erik Johnson

    Acquired by the Flyers in March of last year for a 2024 4th-round pick, he posted 3 points and a -9 plus/minus in 17 games for the Flyers last year.  The former 1st overall selection, Johnson began his career with the St. Louis Blues back in 2007 and had 987 games and 343 points in his 16-year career.

    Johnson signed a 1-year contract with the Flyers when free agency opened on July 1st and is ‘open for any role.’

    “My days of 25, 26 minutes at night are behind me,” Johnson said after signing. “I know that, and I’m comfortable with it.”  Jonnson reiterated to the Flyers brass that he was committed to the team: “I told them I’d be open for any role. I’m here to help these guys on and off the ice. Whether it’s 20, 30, 40, 50 games, or whatever it is, I’m here for them, and I’m here for the Flyers, and whatever they’re going to ask of me, I’m going to do.”

    “I remember being really influenced by great veterans in St. Louis, Keith Tkachuk, Doug Weight, Paul Kariya, and then in Colorado, I had Adam Foote and Milan Hejduk,” Johnson said. “All those guys were at the tail end of their careers, but they really offered a lot of things off the ice that I still carry with me today.”

    The Flyers hope his experience, attitude, and leadership will permeate the organization and help the younger kids develop. Johnson, for his part, appears to love the Flyers’ leadership team and the ‘great group.’

    Adam Ginning

    Ginning just signed a two-year extension with the Flyers in June, with an average annual value of $787.5K. In stark contrast to Erik Johnson’s experience and pedigree, Ginning has played 10 NHL games to date, 9 of which came last year. He scored a goal for his only NHL point in his early career.

    While a small sample size, Ginning is an even player in the plus/minus category in his 10 games.  In his AHL career, he averaged 17 points, and in his first pro year, he was a plus 24.  The Flyers will likely give Ginning a look in camp to show he can lock down a regular spot, but with the log jam in front of him, he’ll likely be the first emergency call-up on D.

    Emil Andrae

    Emil, 22, played four games with the Flyers last year. For the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, he scored 5 goals, 27 points, and a -10 plus/minus in the regular season.

    Andrae will likely be given one of the first call-up opportunities should any fill-ins be required at the NHL level.

    Ronnie Attard

    Attard is another prospect who will get a look during the season. He has played a total of 19 games for the Flyers over parts of three seasons. Last year in the AHL, he had 10 goals, 27 points, and a +4 plus/minus in 48 games for the Phantoms. The prior year, he posted 12 goals and 32 points in 68 games for the Phantoms.

    Summary

    The Flyers’ top 7 Defensemen seem fairly set going into the season, with Erik Johnson being on the record as being comfortable in any role that is needed.

    Sanheim and York look to lead the Flyers on the back end, a group with much to play for.

    Ristolainen finds himself in a numbers game with a big contract for declining production.  There were rumors he was a candidate to be moved last year and we’ll see if that is the case this year as well.

    Seeler is looking to make good on his new 4-year deal.

    Zamula is looking to return the Flyers’ faith in his new deal.

    Drysdale will likely be happy for some stability, having joined the team in the middle of last year and looking to prove that the Flyers made the right call.

    The group is all there from #1-7.
    The big question is, can they fit the pieces together to get a little more out of the whole?

    PHOTO: Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports

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    JR Martin

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