With the Flyers season underway in a few hours, let’s get caught up!
Suprise, Kid!
Rookie and 1st round pick in the 2024 Draft (#13 overall), Jett Luchanko, has made the Flyers opening day roster out of camp!
GM Danny Briere has this to say about Luchanko’s:
“…he’s blown us away from day one,” he said.
“The speed is one thing that really jumped out. That’s impressive, and then you start watching a play, and the little details in his game—the way he supports everybody and makes players around him better- was very impressive.”
GM Danny Briere said of Luchanko’s earning a spot out of camp:
“There’s nothing guaranteed,” Briere said.
“You know, he might be here for one day, or it could be the whole season… He’s earned the right to stay and start with us.”
Head coach John Tortorella agreed that Luchanko:
“…[Luchanko] deserves to be where he is right now…”
Adding, “We’re ‘gonna’ let the kid play and have conversations as we’re playing the games and see where it goes from there.”
Luchanko will make club history as, at 18, he will be the youngest Flyer to ever appear in a game.
Youth Movement
Matvei Michkov, our 19-year-old all-world forward, will be looking to contribute immediately.
As we sit today, Michkov is the odds-on favorite for the Calder Trophy given to the league’s Rookie of the Year, with an implied probability of 28.57%, ahead of the projected runner-up, Macklin Celebrini, who has been given an implied probability of 18.18%.
Luchanko and Michkov will hopefully lead the way with dynamic, youthful speed and energy.
Overall, the Flyers are still a fairly young team, with key young players contributing big minutes every night. Michkov and Luchanko will add to a young core of forwards Tippett (25), Farabee (24), Frost (25), Foerster (22), and Brink (23). On Defense, we have York (23), Drysdale (22), and Zamula (24), all expected to be key pieces on the back end.
Goaltending
Goaltending is an area that certainly requires monitoring this year. Check out our detailed analysis of the goaltenders from a few weeks ago.
Sam Ersson, 24, enters the year as the presumed #1 Starter for the Flyers on a 2-year deal expiring in 2026, where he will be an RFA.
The Flyers’ expected backup, Ivan Fedotov, 27, recently inked a two-year deal, paying him $3.275MM per year. He will be a UFA in 2026.
Surprising nobody, The Flyers placed Cal Petersen on Waivers. Petersen played most of last year with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, posting a 10-15-3 record to go along with a .902 SV% and 2.71 GAA. Petersen did appear in five games for the Orange and Black, posting a .864 SV% and 3.90 GAA. The Flyers will avoid the $5MM cap hit for Petersen, 29. Petersen is a UFA next summer.
What is perhaps surprising is his likely tandem partner on the Phantoms this year. Aleksei Kolosov, a late participant at camp who had previously decided against coming to camp, projects to be the Phantoms’ starter early on. Kolosov, 22, believes that he is ready for the NHL presently. There is, however, a potential logjam in the net for the Flyers, at least for this year.
The combined play of Ersson and Fedotov will be critical for the Flyers this year and will likely influence their decisions over the next two years. Kolosov is currently waiting in the wings, but it remains to see how patient he will be over the coming year playing for the Phantoms.
The Flyers’ season kicks off on Friday, October 11th, as they visit the Vancouver Canucks.
The Puck Drop is at 10:00 PM EST.
PHOTO: Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
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