The Philadelphia Flyers open Rookie Camp next Friday, with Training Camp shortly thereafter. They’ll open their preseason slate on Sept. 21 ahead of the season opener on Sept. 30 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Flyers are in an interesting position, roster-wise at least. In prior years, you could perhaps look at the roster and know where a handful of players would be lining up. This year, however, there are plenty of questions and variables you have to factor in when predicting the opening night roster.

Nevertheless, let’s take our first crack at predicting the Flyers’ opening night roster here at the beginning of September.

Predicting Flyers’ opening night forward lines

Tyson Foerster – Trevor Zegras – Owen Tippett

When Tyson Foerster made his unexpected return late last season, it was this line that he clicked on.

Despite some recent suggestions that the Flyers may want to see how Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov work together in training camp, I can’t see Rick Tocchet opening the season with those on a line unless they’re both wingers with a responsible centerman like Christian Dvorak in the middle. It’s possible, given the trust Zegras gained at center last season and into the playoffs, but Michkov still has to earn that.

The Flyers should want to keep Zegras at center, and he had some chemistry last season with Tippett. The two played alongside Dvorak for 210 minutes at 5-on-5, and 70 more minutes in this configuration with Foerster on the left side.

All three of these players have shown top-line potential and could be a formidable trio if everything falls into place.

Travis Konecny – Christian Dvorak – Porter Martone

This is another line that saw time together in the final weeks of the season and into the playoffs. Martone played just over 82 minutes at 5-on-5 with these veterans, while also spending 11 minutes on a younger line with Alex Bump and Denver Barkey.

Dvorak is the responsible two-way centerman, Konecny has led the team in points for several years running, and Martone can hopefully be a key power forward to complete the line.

Konecny and Dvorak have also played together a lot, as the Zegras – Dvorak – Konecny line was the Flyers’ most-used trio last season.

Denver Barkey – Noah Cates – Matvei Michkov

The good news is that this would have Matvei Michkov playing his natural position. The bad news is that he wouldn’t be in the top six, at least to start the season.

Michkov formed some chemistry with Cates last season, with either Bobby Brink (183 minutes) or Barkey (87 minutes) as the other winger.

One of the big questions this training camp is whether Barkey will make the team — which he should — and perhaps more so where he’ll play. I think he should get a chance on the third line, although I could see Alex Bump earning this spot in camp and bumping Barkey down to the fourth line.

In theory, the two-way game of Barkey and Cates should allow Michkov to play his game a bit more as the offensive weapon on this line. It may also give him some easier competition to play against as teams would need to game plan for the top two lines ahead of Michkov’s trio.

Nikita Grebenkin – Sean Couturier – Noel Acciari

Sean Couturier looked like a different player as the fourth-line center last season, and while that could earn him a spot as the third-line center if Zegras shifts over to wing, the safer option is this one.

Noel Acciari will be a key upgrade over Garnet Hathaway to raise the Flyers’ floor, and Nikita Grebenkin is a guy who should earn a roster spot, as he can be moved up and down the lineup if necessary.

After years of penciling in Nic Deslauriers and Hathaway into the lineup, the Flyers having an effective fourth line would be a breath of fresh air.

This would leave Carl Grundstrom as the 13th forward, with Alex Bump starting the season in a top-six role with the Phantoms.

Predicting Flyers’ opening night defense pairs

Travis Sanheim – Rasmus Ristolainen

As long as Rasmus Ristolainen is healthy, which has been a big if in recent years, this will be the Flyers’ top pair to begin the season.

The Olympic medalists played 488 minutes together at 5-on-5 last season, largely in the latter half, and 150 minutes in the playoffs.

Cam York – Jamie Drysdale

Cam York and Jamie Drysdale have a friendship off the ice and found a connection on it last season, playing 482 minutes together at 5-on-5 in the regular season and then 137 minutes in the postseason.

Interestingly enough, both of these players could work their way up to the top pair throughout the season, especially if Ristolainen gets hurt.

Drysdale has progressed well in each of two full seasons with the Flyers, being a steady blueliner no matter his partner last season — and he had a lot of them, playing over 100 minutes with each of York, Andrae, Seeler, and Sanheim.

Nick Seeler – David Jiricek

I am really hesitant about penciling David Jiricek into the lineup given his defensive deficiencies, but the Flyers can’t afford to lose him to waivers, and I don’t know if they’ll want him sitting in the press box.

The alternatives are either Simon Benoit, who will end up playing more than we want, anyway, or Oliver Bonk, who probably should (and could) earn a roster spot out of training camp if it weren’t for the waivers of it all.

The Flyers’ sixth (and seventh) defenseman battle is going to be one to watch in training camp.

After PHLY’s Anthony Gargano reported on Monday that the Flyers forward would be back in Philadelphia that night, Michkov and the team confirmed it with photographic evidence on Tuesday afternoon.

The boys are back in town. 📍 pic.twitter.com/SWW87oG2lC

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) September 1, 2026

Michkov is back on the ice in Voorhees with a bunch of his teammates. The Flyers also shared pictures of Dan Vladar, Rasmus Ristolainen, Tyson Foerster, Owen Tippett, and Porter Martone working out at the Flyers Training Canter.

Michkov has been under a microscope since he set foot in North America two summers ago, which was already ahead of schedule. He started his NHL career with John Tortorella as his head coach, putting up 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points in 80 games. The Russian forward certainly went through his ups and downs with Tortorella, and was disappointed in his rookie campaign.

“There were some difficulties but we’ll overcome them,” Michkov said in his end-of-season interview in 2025. “Truthfully there were moments in the season where I could’ve scored a lot more. I was not very happy with my result.”

He also said that he doesn’t like to play not enough minutes, and that if he were to play more minutes, he would feel more comfortable.

If only he knew what was coming when Rick Tocchet took over as the Flyers’ bench boss.

Michkov took a step back in his sophomore season, but still scored 20 goals and added 31 assists for 51 points. That’s not too shabby for a 21 year old, as he saw his average time on ice dip from 16:41 to 14:50 per game.

Of course, most of the talk regarding Michkov has centered around him coming into training camp out of shape last year, which is something that Tocchet seemingly never let go of throughout the season. Therefore, this summer has been a big one for Michkov.

Michkov’s big summer sets up crucial season

While putting up highlight-reel goals in some exhibition games in Russia, Michkov trained with some top players in his home country. The Flyers sent a trainer to Russia to help with Michkov’s offseason activities, as the youngster forewent vacation to focus on his workouts.

“There was no vacation at all, because an important season is ahead. I need to play well, I want that myself. So, I need to keep my body in shape at all times,” Michkov said via RG. “What did I learn from last season? That you need to prepare well for the season, not treat it carelessly.”

“Philadelphia sent a coach to oversee my preparation for the start of next season. We worked for two weeks, doing three practices a day. In the morning there was the gym, a strength workout, then we’d go to the ice, and in the evening there was another session — for physical conditioning. Unfortunately, the coach didn’t have that much time, so he wanted to fit everything into two weeks,” Michkov said, via RG.

Michkov knew that it was an important summer, and you can be sure he knows it’s going to be a crucial campaign as well.

It’s good to see Michkov and several of his teammates already back working out together. Rookie camp starts on Friday, Sept. 11 before the team opens the main training camp on Thursday, Sept. 17, just a few days before the preseason opener on Sept. 21.

According to FanDuel, one of the world’s leading gambling sites, Martone is at +260 currently to take home the Calder, just ahead of the 2026 NHL top overall pick Gavin McKenna of the Leafs (+280). San Jose’s Ivar Stenberg is third (+550) while Cole Hutson (+900), Anton Frondell (+900), and Roman Kantserov (+1600) round out the top favorites.

Meanwhile, SportsInteraction has Martone also in front (3.50) with McKenna (4.00), Stenberg (8.00), Frondell (10.00), and Hutson (10.00) fleshing out the top six. Other Flyers on the list are extreme longshots with forward Luchanko (301.00) and defenseman Oliver Bonk (301.00) near the bottom of the list. In short, Martone isn’t the runaway favorite to take home the Calder, but he seems to be the one player who a lot of people are expecting good things from in 2026-27.

Why Martone is a Calder Trophy favorite

Martone’s scoring touch, talent, size, and skill is perhaps the biggest reason he’s a bit ahead of McKenna in terms of primarily leading the odds for the Calder. Especially in the playoffs, scoring two game-winning goals in the first two games against Pittsburgh in the opening round. Like most of the other Flyers, he hit a wall and cooled off in the second round against the eventual Stanley Cup champs in Carolina. But that second round disappointment didn’t diminish what was a fantastic first chapter in what could be an exciting career.

McKenna — who fell into Toronto’s lap thanks to the draft lottery — also appears to have a very high upside, and considering there’s a better than average chance he’ll be get playing time with Auston Matthews and/or William Nylander, it’s possible he racks up a good chunk of points on the power play. Of course, the Flyers are only concerned with Martone’s development. If it results in a Calder win, or even a nomination, that will be the sign of a great season. If not, or if Martone finds the season to be a struggle somewhat, then nobody should hit the panic button.

Although there are others who could surprise, like Stenberg, Frondell, and Hutson, it appears for the time being that those two players will share most of the spotlight regarding being the top rookie of 2026-27. The two teams play each other three times over the season. The first meeting is Nov. 30 in Toronto while the final two meetings are part of a home-and-home series in early January: Jan. 7 in Philadelphia and Jan. 9 in Toronto. If both players are near the top of rookie scoring, those dates will be circled on the calendars and should be great head-to-head matchups.

Other betting sites seem to fall almost in line with the aforementioned ones, but there are one or two exceptions. When it comes to DraftKings, the gap between Martone and McKenna doesn’t exist, as both have the same odds for the Calder (+300) with Stenberg (+600), Frondell (+900), and Hutson (+900) at slightly longer odds. The same is true when it comes to BetRivers, with both Martone and McKenna in a dead heat (+225) with Stenberg (+600), Frondell (+750), and Hutson (+850) in third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. BetMGM has Martone as the top dog regarding the Calder (+250) with McKenna slightly behind (+350) with Stenberg (+700), Frondell (+900), and Hutson (+900) rounding out the top five. And Covers.com sees Martone as the front runner (+275) with McKenna not too far behind (+310).

Martone topping the list elsewhere in non-betting circles

Meanwhile, other pundits around the league are seemingly looking for Martone to continue what he did most of his 19-game regular season and playoff stint. The Athletic’s trio of writers — Scott Wheeler, Corey Pronman, and Harman Dayal — put Martone atop their Top 20 list. Martone is also eligible for the Calder this coming season as he played under 25 games in his rookie year. “Martone’s tremendous showing in the NHL at the end of last season has to position him as the Calder favorite heading into this year,” Wheeler wrote. “He didn’t just look like he belonged, he looked like an immediate impact player and potential needle-mover for the Flyers’ ceiling.” The site added if Martone finds himself playing with teammates like Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny, and can amass points on the power play, then a 50-point to 60-point season isn’t that huge of a stretch.

Martone wasn’t the only Flyer who made the Top 20 list, as winger Alex Bump was ranked seventeenth on the list. Pronman noted Bump’s impact in his 17 games near the end of the year. Although the winger’s skating was not considered to be top tier, the site believed Bump’s “size, compete level, and finishing touch” could be enough to slot him easily into Philadelphia’s bottom six roles.

Martone’s was third for the Calder according to DobberHockey, with McKenna and Stenberg ahead of the Flyer forward. The site stated no other player in the running for the accolade had more of an impact last year than Martone, and he would be a wise choice when it came to fantasy drafts. And Daily Faceoff didn’t specify in terms of Calder nominees and faves, but in their Top 75 NHL-affiliated skater prospects, Martone was second to McKenna. “Blessed with arguably the best vision in the 2025 draft class, he possesses elite offensive instincts,” the site wrote. “His wrist shot is remarkable, and he processes the game at speed as well as any incoming rookie.”

Overall, Martone’s first 19 games should’ve done wonders for his confidence as well as for the team’s overall success. But an 84-game season can change a lot of predictions in September. Ideally, Martone has a great season, Matvei Michkov has a great season, Dan Vladar is rock solid, and the Flyers coast to a playoff spot in the Metropolitan. If Martone’s first 19 games are any kind of measuring stick, then he should be in the running or at least the conversation for a good chunk of 2026-27.

We’ll cover a whole lot of that in the coming weeks, but let’s dive down into the muck of negativity. Pouncing into the pool of pessimism. Jumping to the conclusion that we will not be jolly or joyful. All that stuff.

What are some of the worst things that could possibly happen to the Flyers next season? Something that you can think of that could possibly drag the entire team down and ruin several months of hard work and lose the season just because of a couple little things didn’t go to plan.

We’ve thought of a couple.

A goaltending injury bug

Instantly, this would be the worst scenario and would honestly be an instant killshot to any hopes and dreams we have for this Flyers team.

As it would for really any other team in the NHL, a major goaltending injury could derail the campaigns of even the best teams in the world. But for the Flyers specifically, it could be detrimental.

We just saw how heavily the Flyers leaned on Dan Vladar to get them to the playoffs and it was his consistency and reliability that caused them to be able to have that late-season surge, even if he was just doing the exact same thing but it was the skaters in front of him finally actually scoring some goals. They can live with him missing a couple games here and there, since they did just last season, but if there is some sort of lengthy absence, then they could be doomed.

Joseph Woll is a perfect acquisition for this Flyers team and he has really solidified this tandem as one of the best in the league if they’re at the top of their game. But for the former Leaf, consistency has been an issue and especially when he has to start a whole lot of games in a row. That’s why him in more of a backup role in Philadelphia is perfect for him. If he were to be forced to be the No. 1 starter for over a month, and then the Flyers would have to call up the likes of Aleksei Kolosov as the backup, that is a tandem that would strike some fear into the hearts of Flyers fans.

Even if it was Woll that was to miss a large amount of time, Kolosov as Vladar’s backup is just another Sam Ersson situation and for every 1 in 5 games, we would be absolutely terrified. Vladar would probably then be run into the ground, increasing the likelihood of him getting injured, and we’re a little tweak away from having Kolosov and just whatever depth goalie Danny Briere could trade a sixth-round pick for, being the Flyers tandem in a very important season. Bad!

Matvei Michkov continues to disappoint

We had to do it. While it isn’t as detrimental as a major injury to Dan Vladar would be to the Flyers season, Matvei Michkov not taking a step away from his disappointing sophomore season and still having the same issues would be something nightmarish.

If Michkov doesn’t score more, while also not skating as well as he can, and just not doing all the little things that coach Rick Tocchet wants him to do to warrant a bigger opportunity, then we would have to be having uncomfortable conversations. For it to happen two seasons in a row — Michkov to be this 50-point winger who has been solid (his defensive metrics improved last season) but just doesn’t have enough going on to play above the likes of Travis Konecny or Owen Tippett or Tyson Foerster or fellow youngster Porter Martone, then maybe there is just a limited ceiling.

Even just having the same sort of season, where we can squint and see that he’s doing more things the “right way”, but something has kept him from showing off his creativity and playmaking at the same rate as his rookie season, would be a disappointment. Giving us a larger sample of him being a solid middle-six scorer than a young hotshot who could score on any shift, would just lower our expectations for the player and therefore the future of this team.

That’s enough of that though. We need to shake off that depressing thought. Michkov is going to score 80 points and look like an All-Star.

Veterans underperform by a whole lot

Hey, what about more players being bad?

The Flyers do have a lot of young talent who could eventually lead this team through the season, but right now, it’s the veterans who have powered this whole thing. Namely, Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny. The defenseman is continuing to raise his stock in the hockey world and should now be widely considered as a true top-pairing defenseman on any team, and the spunky winger led the Flyers in scoring, again, while being the true emotional heart of this team.

It would be a tragedy if both Konecny and Sanheim were to have down seasons. Even if we throw other situations like Christian Dvorak reverting back to his bottom-six center self after a career season, or Sean Couturier looking more like he did with a back injury than a superpowered fourth-liner, or newcomer Noel Acciari looking like a mistake, or Rasmus Ristolainen and Nick Seeler looking unplayable — it’s all terrible.

While other young teams, such as the Montreal Canadiens, have their core as their young talent, the Flyers are more reliant on the older folks. If Sanheim isn’t his usual self, then what is this blue line? Is Konecny going to sink even further if he has a down season and make that contract look dreadful? It would just create nasty conversations even more detrimental to this team than anything else.

There is the possibility of the Flyers having an overnight change of the guard. If the likes of Trevor Zegras, Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster, Porter Martone, Jamie Drysdale, and Cam York all take a collective step forward and put themselves on the same level (or beyond, if they are already there) as those veterans, then sure, the Flyers could handle a slight step back from the two Travis’s. But that would still raise questions about what it means for the future of this team and if further roster management is needed.

That’s maybe the possible scenario where it is livable, but as the roster stands right now and with how we understand the current talents of the young players on this team, Sanheim and Konecny (especially the former) are a necessity to this team if the Flyers want to achieve anything next season.

*Also got some insight into Michkov’s summer training, and various and sundry other Hot Topics in the mailbag over at The New York Times. [The Athletic]

*”Whither Matvei Michkov?” isn’t the only question one could ask of the Flyers right now. There are a few pretty important ones the team is going to have to answer as the preseason festivities get underway. [BSH]

*Speaking of questions that need answering, how about answering the question “which NHL team is going to be the most interesting (derogatory?) this year?” [Sportsnet]

*The Phantoms will be getting underway ’round about the same time as the big club here in Philly, so we’re going to take a look at what to expect from the boys up in Allentown. First on the block, one of the Flyers’ less buzzy prospects on defense, Ty Murchison. [BSH]

*And finally, summer is long. It’s a lot of time without hockey. Especially August, which after (what felt like) 532 days and nights is finally over. Anyhoo, maybe all this time away from the NHL has made you forget some stuff. Not to worry. The Internet will remind you. [Sportsnet]

The last calendar year has seen him play at the SHL and U20 levels in Sweden, working hard to carve out a role for himself with his top team, take a spin through the North American game with the Phantoms in the spring, and take detours to represent his country on the national stage at both the World Juniors and World Championships. It’s been a long road, and a somewhat challenging one at times, but Berglund is approaching this winding process with a great deal of care and attention, honing his game with lessons taken in at each stop.

“I would say [I’ve learned] a lot,” he reflected at this year’s Development Camp. “I’m getting more and more like known [in terms of] what I am for type of player in juniors. Everyone can be like kind of same player and produce, [but] when you get higher up in the levels, you got to have to find your role to get your ice time. And I think that’s the been the most important part of this year, and like the World Championship, to find a good role to play and to play for a win and, yeah of course World Juniors as well was great experience, and I’m going to take that with me.”

Berglund stepped up as an exciting — but also valuable from a leadership standpoint, as the team’s captain — piece of that Swedish team, stepping up for them in a big way on the way to their gold medal victory. It was close to as positive of a final appearance as one could have hoped for in a final year of eligibility for the tournament, making a strong impression and coming away with the hardware to match, but just as critically, it would prove to be a major jumping off point for the rest of his season, as Berglund saw his usage with Farjestad (after a coaching change) increase dramatically, and to quite positive results, in turn. 

“After the World Juniors there, I got to play more, ” he explained. “And I think a lot of us as well it’s like [a] confidence boost. I got to play a lot in World Juniors that I haven’t been [able to] before and just took that experience with me, there. And that’s what they said to me as well. And, yeah, I got a lot of time on ice and a lot of special teams as well. So that was super fun and super helpful for the future as well to get a hold of it like for a real level in SHL, and it’s a great league, and yeah, so that was a great experience and I think that was helpful as well.”

Berglund saw his usage expand pretty significantly, and while he still brought to those minutes a standard defensively sound game, he also saw his production saw a nice little uptick in turn, as a reward for otherwise setting that sound foundation of play — before his time away for World Juniors, Berglund had produced just five points, all scored across just two of the first 35 games of the year, averaging around 12 or 13 minutes a night, but after his return, in jumping up to closer to 15 minutes or more per game, he recorded four goals and seven points and over his final 25 games of the season. 

Though the numbers aren’t world beating, it was still a pretty major step forward for him, particularly as far as the apparent trust from his coaching staff is concerned, but the work wasn’t done yet. Berglund seized quickly his next challenge, joining the Phantoms on a five-game stint to close out their season, getting a taste of the North American professional game for himself. 

“It was a great experience,” he said. “It was a different type of game with the smaller rink for example and different type of systems, and all of that. So, like I said, great experience, very different. So, I think it was it was fun to like, to get to play those games and get to know how it is over here.”

And though Berglund showed some positive flashes in his brief stint with the Phantoms, it was clear that he was still working through much of an adjustment period, as the game was coming at him a good bit faster than he may have been used to. Still, he was able to take some good lessons away from his time with the Phantoms in how to attack the game at that next level.

“I think it’s a lot like positioning-wise,” he explained, “where [you] should be, [and] just the timing of it, it’s a different timing. This, it’s just kind of a different game. So I think it’s a lot I need to learn and yeah, needs time, but I’m excited for it.”

And if it’s time that Berglund feels that he needs before he’s completely, doubtlessly ready to move over to the North American game, it’s time he will get. Loaned back to his SHL club in Farjestad for another season — a move that was announced back in the beginning of August — Berglund will have another year before him with an opportunity to play top minutes in Sweden’s top professional league (a role he’s already sliding into nicely through their slate of preseason action), continuing to hone his game and identity as a player.

The silver lining here is that, for as much optimism and excitement there is surrounding him after this surge in his game and stock, there’s no real need to rush Berglund to move over to the states. The Flyers and Phantoms alike have quite well stocked projected rosters as it is, they’ve moved out of downright desperation mode for centers in the right now, and that’s afforded them some more runway to offer Berglund to continue to develop. He was always going to be a bit of a project, but his ascension of late has shown just why the Flyers were right to be intrigued by him, and his willingness to stick with even the hardest parts of his development process has been paying off. There’s still work to be done, but he’s already showing a lot of promise that he can be just the type of player that the Flyers need, when he’s ready and the space opens up for him.

Everyone has been hollering about it in whichever way they can. Every single Instagram post or story from Michkov where he is clearly not in Philadelphia has been a dagger through the heart of people who just want him stateside. Every single day, a hellish experience knowing that he’s not training in Voorhees but is spending time in his hometown or in one of the big Russian cities with other NHL stars and working his hardest to have a massive bounce-back season.

It’s basically been all anyone can focus on. And now we know when No. 39 will make his triumphant return and finally be physically here.

He’s coming tonight. Monday night.

According to PHLY’s Anthony Gargano, who filled in on the PHLY Flyers show Monday afternoon, Michkov will be landing in the Philadelphia area at some point tonight. It could be as you’re reading this, or maybe just right before, or maybe right after. Anyways, the 21-year-old phenom is now officially back and everyone can stop freaking out about it.

There was some mounting pressure on this topic simply because fans wanted him to get the most out of his summer. For Michkov to train as hard as he possibly can while not burning himself out, so that he can prove it to everyone on the team that he is deserving of some top-end minutes and offensive opportunities that can help him become the star he has the potential to be.

It didn’t help that after the Flyers got knocked out of the second round of the playoffs and their season was over, Michkov told reporters that he plans on spending the majority of his summer in the Philadelphia area. And then, in an interview back home in Russia over a month ago, he said he was going to just wrap things up and then make the trip back to the U.S.; that clearly did not happen and the timeline got pushed until now.

The whole ordeal feels much more like something created out of nothing. There were expectations of him coming to Philadelphia at a certain time, so people held that in their minds and when it didn’t happen, then there was some minor moment of panic. But everything is good, and he appeared to be training just as hard while back home in Russia as he would if he were down in Voorhees.

Matvei Michkov arriving right before Flyers training camp

It’s so common for players to start to trickle into the city after their vacations and offseason training back home in the weeks before training camp starts. And now, on August 31, Michkov is set to arrive and that gives him ample time to really get ready to hit the ground running at camp.

Flyers training camp opens on September 17, giving Michkov over two weeks to get back in the Flyers Training Center. He will get back into the rhythm or practicing, being in Philadelphia, and just being with his teammates and coaches for what should be an incredibly important season in his career.

These next several months are going to tell us a lot about Michkov’s future with the Flyers, unfortunately. He appeared to be working his hardest to not even come close to having a bad reputation as someone who “comes to camp out of shape” — and for us to never ever ever think about that ever again since it has already been talked about way too much. So, naturally, he should be in prime position to truly get that spot in the top six that he can earn by showing just how much better he is than last season.

And if he was able to put up 51 points while not being the coaching staff’s favorite player to put out there in big situations, then just imagine what he would be able to do for the Flyers’ offense when he has the confidence of his bosses.

At least one thing has been checked off as we ramp up to training camp. The boy is here. Now, we just need a very blurry photo of him on the ice with some of his teammates and we can move on to the next.

How did his 2025-26 season go?

Heading into last season, Murchison was one of the bigger individual question marks, in terms of how his game would translate to the next level — after he graduated up from the college level — and what kind of role he would be able to work himself into, given how many other defensemen were hanging around on the roster, also jockeying for minutes. And though there were some rough moments for him over his first handful of games — times when his positioning was just a little bit off, or else when he tried to ride the line of playing with noticeable physicality but ended up jumping over it and getting himself penalized — he proved to be a quick study, and it only took a few weeks before he seemed to much better figure out what he could and couldn’t get away with, and how to more effectively use his angles to provide better positioning.

His game wasn’t always a flashy one — though some big hits and a pair of goals registered did bring a bit of it — he was able to settle in really nicely as a stabilizing force for the Phantoms on the back end. He showed a nice ability to kill plays along the wall, but also a really commendable willingness to put his body on the line and get in front of a shot for a block, and allow his teammates to live to fight another day. It’s work that can be a bit underrated in the moment, but the Phantoms found out quickly how much of a linchpin those elements were, after he took an upper-body injury in January which would ultimately end his season (just 29 games in for him), and they had to go without for the rest of the year.

It was in this way that Murchison made serious progress towards making himself essential to the defense core as a whole, work that was a little unexpected in just how it all came together for him, but which also certainly went a long way towards earning him that brief call-up to the Flyers in December. It’s clear, though, that he understands the place he’s at in his development, as there was no dip in his productiveness on the other side of that recall, as he continued to show a nice diligence in continuing to chip away at the improvements in his game.

What are we hoping to see from him this season?

In spite of his rookie season ultimately being quite a short one, Murchison put in some really good work to build a sound foundation for himself, and from here it’s all about continuing to build up from there. He was able to deliver quite a bit in the way of strong initial returns in the first half of last season, but there’s still room for him to work to expand his puck moving game further — the strength of his skating remains still something of an under-tapped asset in that regard — while still keeping his defensive zone positioning as stable (if not even more) as ever.

What’s more, it’s even more important for him to show that he was able to take some lessons from all of that time spent watching from above, and to be able to implement them into his game, keeping his upward trajectory rolling to prove that those positives shown last season weren’t just a flash in the pan.

What became quite apparent for the Phantoms as they got deeper and deeper into the season — and longer and longer without Murchison, in turn — was that their collective defensive play pretty desperately needed some shoring up, particularly to insulate their goaltenders a bit more, but really to make everyone’s lives a little bit easier, and while it’s going to take a number of different angles of approach to take the team defense to the next level (through systems and personnel), the hope is that Murchison can get onboard quickly with any changes to the structure and contribute to a new commitment for the group to keep pulling in the right direction.

What kind of role do we expect him to play?

The Phantoms cleared out a bit of space on the back end, so they won’t be heading into this season with quite so severe of a logjam as they had last year, but the battle for minutes among the defensemen will still be a heated one. There’s certainly no shortage of talent in this mix, and with standing more or less equal, particularly between Murchison and Hunter McDonald, the ongoing battle for top usage will be a really interesting one to watch play out. The broad strokes of Murchison’s expected usage are already knowable — he’s already made himself one of the team’s top options on the penalty kill, and has shown that he can hold up under, at the very least, a middle of the lineup deployment with (what would seem) a higher volume of defensive zone starts — but whether he can provide a game consistent and responsible enough to win out for top usage at 5-on-5 will be the big question. He’s been plugging along nicely, adapting his game to the AHL, but an ability to grab onto that role would go a long way towards asserting his mastery of this level, whenever that might happen.

While Danny Briere did make a few key moves to raise the Flyers’ floor, it’s going to be on the players who tasted playoff hockey last year to get Philadelphia back there again and raise the ceiling.

But how will the lineup look?

If you sit down and try to put the Flyers’ forward lines together for this season, there are countless combinations that make sense. They have a handful of centers and even more wingers that can fill several holes in the lineup.

Let’s take a look at three important questions for the Flyers’ lineup construction this season.

Will Trevor Zegras play center or wing?

This one of the big questions not only for training camp and this season, but really for the entire rebuild.

It’s fair to say that Trevor Zegras exceeded expectations last season, setting career-highs with 26 goals and 67 points. But we still don’t really know exactly where he best fits in the Flyers lineup.

Zegras spent the majority of the season on the wing, playing in a hybrid-type role alongside fellow newcomer Christian Dvorak. They became quite the duo, helping the veteran center to a career year, and a five-year contract extension.

That was until around the Olympic break, and Zegras didn’t look too out of place when playing at center in the final months of the season. In fact, he showed that he’s capable of being a first-line center.

Although it was a smaller sample size, Zegras lining up down the middle continued into the playoffs. There are still questions about Zegras’ two-way play, though, and his faceoff struggles will be magnified in crucial situations.

It’d be easy to line up Zegras at center and call it a day. You’d then have Dvorak, Cates, and Couturier as the likely three centers behind him, with Denver Barkey and Noel Acciari able to slide over in a pinch. And ultimately, playing center is what the Flyers need from Zegras.

However, given how Zegras and Dvorak fed off each other, you could easily see them together early on in the season as well. That, of course, would depend on how the depth centers are performing. If Couturier can build on a great second half in a fourth-line role, perhaps he starts the season as the third-line center, with Acciari anchoring the fourth line.

But it all comes back to Zegras at either center or wing. If he is at wing, that adds even more questions down the depth chart on a team that already has a logjam at the position — it’s not exactly set in stone even if he is at center.

Will Matvei Michkov play his natural position?

Originally we had this question more general in asking which right winger will play on the left side, but where Matvei Michkov lines up is going to be a storyline throughout the season — hell, his offseason activities are practically being tracked like Santa on Christmas Eve.

The Flyers only really have a few natural left wingers. Tyson Foerster plays on the left side, as does Zegras when he’s not at center, but Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Porter Martone, and Michkov would all prefer to play on their natural side. While it doesn’t matter for some players, as we’ve seen all of those wingers on both sides of the ice, it can have an impact.

And it seems to have an impact for Michkov.

After the Flyers traded away right winger Bobby Brink, Rick Tocchet and the Flyers gave Michkov a chance to “try” the right side. This coincided with a hot streak for the team and Michkov himself. He finished the season with 18 points (4 goals, 14 assists) in his final 16 games.

Ultimately, as long as Michkov produces it doesn’t really matter where he plays, but giving him a chance to play the position he’s grown up playing sure does seem sensicle for the Flyers.

Will Denver Barkey and Alex Bump make the roster?

Denver Barkey and Alex Bump can be added into that group of wingers above, and they do both play on the left side, which could give them a leg up. They’re brought up together in conversation as they’ve risen through the prospect ranks on a similar timeline, and they’ll be competing for a roster spot in training camp.

It’s not the same role, though.

The Flyers would likely be willing to keep Barkey in the NHL to play in a bottom-six role, even if that means starting on the fourth line. He plays a responsible game in all three zones and can chip in some offense as well.

Barkey is more of a Swiss Army Knife that the Flyers can use in a variety of areas, including at center if needed, as shown in the playoffs. He is also one of the smartest prospects in the system, and quite possibly has one of the highest hockey IQs in the locker room.

Barkey has already shown chemistry with Couturier at center and Tippett on the other wing, so perhaps you could see a Barkey – Couturier – Acciari line wreak havoc as a checking line.

Bump, on the other hand, seems like a player that the Flyers would want to be playing either on the third line (or higher) in the NHL or in the top six in the AHL. While he could hold his own in a fourth-line role and give that unit an offensive weapon, that may not be best for his development or the team as a whole.

The shoot-first winger primarily played on a line with Dvorak and Konecny with lackluster results, but did have a better showing in a smaller sample size with Cates and Michkov. That trio could very well be a Flyers line at some point this season — maybe as early as opening night?

Of course, both Barkey and Bump will have to show that they’re able to bring more to the table than some other legitimate depth options. If either of these youngsters spin their wheels in camp, they could start the season in Lehigh Valley with a more seasoned player like Carl Grundstrom earning a spot with the Flyers.

*Speaking of prospects and the rest of the young core, Danny Briere doesn’t seem to think they’re all the way where they need to be just yet. [BSH]

*He also shared some thoughts in that recent interview on why the team opted not to go the route of a complete teardown. [BSH]

*Still, they’ve been able to do a lot, and this offseason saw them taking some necessary steps to advance in their process. [BSH]

*These are those moves ranked, by the way. [BSH]

*Also, we finally wrapped up our Top 25 Under 25 ranking, and it’s probably not much of a surprise to see that Porter Martone claimed the top spot. This exercise was as fun as ever to put together, and we thank all of you fine folks who played along with us. [BSH]

*Checking in with Travis Sanheim, who just had a monster year, and probably still has quite a bit more to give, still. So, what’s next? [PHLY]

*Sanheim’s place in the lineup is probably pretty set in stone, but the Flyers do have a couple of other key pieces who could see their roles expanded this season. [BSH]

*Speaking of moving up, who could we see moved up from the Phantoms next (at least in a call-up capacity)? [BSH]

*And speaking of the Phantoms, we’re digging into some expectations for newcomer Riley Thompson in his first full season with the team. [BSH]

*Asking the big questions around here: are the Flyers now the best team in the league without a bonadife superstar? [BSH]

*In around the league news, Connor Hellebuyck seems to want out of Winnipeg, and there’s no shortage of teams who could be an interesting fit for him. [The Athletic]

*And finally, the Avalanche finally got a contract extension done with Cale Makar, and it is a doozy. [TSN]