Flyers 2025-26 depth chart 1.0: Will any rookies make the opening-night roster?

New York Times

29-05-2025

It's been just over two years since Daniel Briere became the Philadelphia Flyers' full-time general manager and the rebuild officially began. That means the fruits of the unpleasant labor over the past two seasons, in which Briere has subtracted from the NHL team much more than he has added, in the name of rebuilding the system, should finally start to appear.
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It's going to be gradual, though. A glance at the depth chart shows that there's no guarantee the Flyers will begin the 2025-26 season with any rookies on their roster. But, there will inevitably be at least a few NHL debuts at some point, particularly now that most of their 2022 and 2023 draft classes, the latter of which was Briere's first, are turning pro.
So before the offseason gets going — and with it, the possibility of a blockbuster deal that Briere will have to execute at some point, maybe even sooner than later — let's review just what the Flyers have, position-by-position. We'll revisit the roster closer to training camp in September, likely after some changes.
The Flyers' weakest position when we did this one year ago only got worse once the team traded Morgan Frost and Scott Laughton mid-season. Depending on how you view Sean Couturier, there's an argument that this group lacks both a No. 1 and a No. 2.
It isn't all bad, though. Noah Cates' dramatic improvement after Thanksgiving likely puts him in line for a multi-year contract extension that could cement his role as the No. 3 center, either next season or in the future. Ryan Poehling was also one of the few bright spots down the stretch, finishing with a career-high 31 points in 68 games, a fine total for a fourth-liner. Even Couturier, whose pace of play is still a concern sometimes, seemed to get a boost after John Tortorella's firing (probably not a coincidence, considering those two did not see eye-to-eye).
As far as depth goes, the Flyers recently re-signed Rodrigo Abols to a one-year extension after he played in 22 games this season, and Karsen Dorwart came in as a college free agent. But those two don't move the needle a whole lot at this point. The real wild card here is Jett Luchanko, the 2024 first-round pick who may or may not be NHL-ready.
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The primary reason Luchanko made the Flyers this season as a rookie was because Tortorella valued his skating, coupled with concerns at the time about Cates' development and Couturier's diminishing foot speed. But with Rick Tocchet now in place and better play coming from the other two, perhaps the Flyers opt to be extra patient with the 18-year-old (yes, he's still just 18), and assign him back to his junior club for one more year.
If Briere can bring in another center this offseason, there may not be any room for Luchanko, anyway, and, if that hypothetical add is a true top-six center, suddenly the Flyers' depth here doesn't look so awful.
This is the Flyers' strongest and deepest position. Travis Konecny's eight-year extension kicks in next season, while Matvei Michkov, despite not being a finalist for the Calder Trophy, exceeded expectations during his rookie campaign and will only get better. Something to keep an eye on is whether Tocchet keeps the two of them on the same line with Konecny on the left, like how interim Brad Shaw deployed them with some measure of success late in the year.
Bobby Brink took a big step forward with a 41-point season, firmly establishing himself as a top-nine contributor, while Garnet Hathaway still fulfilled his role as a physical depth guy/penalty-killer. All four are pretty much assured spots on the opening-night roster.
As far as the depth players go, Zayde Wisdom stands above the rest here. He'll be someone to watch during training camp after he remarkably went from three points in 49 games with the Phantoms in 2023-24 to 13 goals and 32 points in 69 games this season and developed into one of their most complete players.
A fourth-round pick in 2020, Wisdom has surpassed other prospects, including Samu Tuomaala, a 2021 second-round pick who has stalled. Devin Kaplan signed in April and played in the season finale, but his college career at Boston University was underwhelming.
Barring some sort of blockbuster deal, the top two here are set with Owen Tippett signed for seven more seasons and Tyson Foerster on the cusp of cementing himself as a long-term piece.
But it gets interesting after that. There is an opportunity here for a prospect or two to snag a job.
Briere has already said Jakob Pelletier will at least be a restricted free agent, signaling their desire to keep him. He finished the season strong, particularly after the coaching change. Nicolas Deslauriers is signed for one more season and still fills a role on a developing team, but neither his nor Pelletier's position in the opening-night lineup is set in stone.
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The Flyers already view Alex Bump as a prospect who could be ready for the NHL right away, while Nikita Grebenkin played seven games with the Maple Leafs this season before Philadelphia picked him up in March. Denver Barkey probably needs some AHL seasoning, but he's coming off another strong year with the OHL's London Knights. The possibility is there for one or two of them to leapfrog the more established guys.
Travis Sanheim is the anchor here, of course, as the Flyers' top defenseman. He also impressed in international competition this season as part of Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off and the recent World Championships. Drysdale took some noticeable steps forward after January, and as long as he stays healthy, he could finally be on a steady path forward.
Rasmus Ristolainen's status for the start of the season is now in doubt after the Flyers revealed he had triceps surgery in March. That could open the door for another big, right-handed shot to make the opening-night roster, with Grans in the driver's seat. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound defenseman had a good showing in six games in November, and he seems to be a player the Flyers like.
The other guy to keep an eye on will be Oliver Bonk, who had a good but not eye-popping junior season with the London Knights. He didn't have a stellar training camp last year, either — Tortorella pointedly said at the time he 'plays too slow' — so it will be interesting to see in September how much he's improved.
There's a fair amount of uncertainty with this group. Cam York should be in line for a healthy bridge deal, but contract negotiations broke off early last season. If the Flyers end up making a deal for a top-six center, they might consider parting with York in a trade.
Seeler's spot is safe, as he's viewed as a leader on and off the ice, and he also has a no-trade clause through next season. He might even replace Scott Laughton as an alternate captain. But after that, there should be a decent competition to fill out the lineup. Egor Zamula had an uneven season, in and out of the lineup, as he never really took the next step. Andrae was fantastic in the early part of the season, but after getting reassigned in December and recalled in March, he didn't quite look the same down the stretch.
Hunter McDonald is a prospect to keep an eye on here. He probably needs a bit more time in the AHL, but he steadily progressed throughout the Phantoms' season. If Ristolainen misses more time than expected, and the 6-foot-4 McDonald has a big summer, perhaps he gets a look with his combination of physicality and nastiness.
We've buried the Flyers' goaltending enough in this space over the past little while, so let's start with something positive.
Samuel Ersson continued to impress in international play at the World Championships, posting a 4-0-0 record, 1.16 goals-against average, .934 save percentage and two shutouts to help Sweden capture the bronze medal. He was also in net for the bronze medal game against Denmark. There's growing evidence that Ersson can thrive in pressure-packed situations, including his 32-save win over Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
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The problem, as everyone knows by now, is that he's still the Flyers' only NHL-caliber option. Neither Ivan Fedotov nor Aleksei Kolosov should start the season on the opening-night roster, while Carson Bjarnason, a second-round pick in 2023, will need at least a year or two with the Phantoms to get his professional feet wet.
Perhaps the easiest prediction for this offseason is that Briere will bring in at least one more goalie who already has significant NHL experience, either via trade or free agency.
(Photo of Jett Luchanko: Derek Cain / Getty Images)