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Author: Jackie Spiegel

  • Contract grades: Was signing Christian Dvorak for the long haul the right move for the Flyers?

    Contract grades: Was signing Christian Dvorak for the long haul the right move for the Flyers?

    With a dearth of centers on the market, the pivot-needy Flyers acted quickly to retain one of their own, signing Christian Dvorak to a five-year, $25.75 million contract extension on Monday night.

    The deal, which kicks in next season, carries a reasonable $5.15 million average annual value but will pay the soon-to-be 30-year-old Dvorak through the age of 35. It also contains some player trade protection, including a full no-move clause in the first two seasons.

    Flyers sign center Christian Dvorak to five-year, $25.75 million contract extension

    But was general manager Danny Brière right to lock in a player who is having a career year but doesn’t necessarily fit the team’s age profile? We asked our writers to grade the deal from a Flyers perspective.

    Jackie Spiegel: B

    Why did the Flyers sign Dvorak to an extension? Just take a look at Trevor Zegras’ first goal in the Flyers’ statement win Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks.

    There is no denying the chemistry the two friends have on the ice. According to Natural Stat Trick, when they are on the ice together at five-on-five, the Flyers have scored 27 goals. When it’s Zegras without Dvorak? Seven. When it’s Dvorak without Zegras? Five.

    But while their connection has not only fueled a possible career year for Zegras, it has done the same for Dvorak. At 29 years old, he is on pace for 18 goals and 53 points, which would demolish his career high of 38 set in 70 games during the COVID-19-impacted 2019-20 season. And his coach that year? Rick Tocchet.

    Dvorak has an established bond with Tocchet and Zegras, and while both appreciate his smart 200-foot play and his propensity to drive the net — something this team has long missed — Dvorak also brings stability and versatility. He can play up and down the lineup at wing or center, and at any strength.

    Flyers center Christian Dvorak is on pace to tie his career high of 18 goals and shatter his career high of 38 points.

    This is something to keep in mind when asking the question about him standing in the way of future centers like Jett Luchanko, Jack Berglund, and Jack Nesbitt. Although no one knows what the roster will look like in one to three years, knowing the veteran forward can slide over or down when those guys are ready is key.

    And there has been some chatter that maybe, just maybe, because the Flyers have an abundance of high-end talent on the wing in Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster, Alex Bump, and, for argument’s sake, Zegras, the need is just for solid centers who can complement these guys. Why not have a responsible two-way guy like Dvorak fill one of those slots?

    Plus, it needs to be noted how much the Montreal Canadiens and their reporters have said that Dvorak is missed in the locker room and on the ice.

    Now, it is only 41 games into Dvorak’s tenure in Philly, so it’s interesting that Dvorak is being handed a long-term deal; he did say on Tuesday that term was important to him. But Brière continues to stress that he likes guys who bet on themselves, like Ryan Poehling, like Noah Juulsen, like Dan Vladař, and like Dvorak did when he signed over the summer and did again on Monday.

    Will there be the same motivation going forward? Dvorak seems like a guy who is determined to keep the pedal to the floor.

    For Trevor Zegras, the trade to the Flyers is not just a refresh, it is also a homecoming of sorts

    “We wanted to get to know him a little better, and since he arrived, total pro,” the GM said. “What he’s done on the ice, he’s a good example for our players and for all our young guys that are coming up; that’s the part that I love.

    “His play speaks for itself, obviously. But I’m excited about what he’s bringing to the rest of the team, and eventually all our good young prospects, being able to play both ends of the ice, win faceoffs, smart hockey. I’m excited that he wanted to stay here. I think for us, it’s a good sign [that] someone who bet on himself chose us and then wants to stay here. It’s very exciting.”

    There’s a lot to read between the lines on that quote, but the biggest is “chose us.” Philly hasn’t been a destination for a while, and it’s fair to say that with the free-agent market for centers shrinking by the day, Dvorak would have been paid handsomely. But he chose the Flyers because he believes in what is happening here.

    The Flyers are doing so well in part because of a good vibe in the locker room. It happened for a long chunk of the 2023-24 season before the wheels fell off. Locker room chemistry is vital to on-ice production. Teams have fallen apart when players have been traded. It’s why a team makes, let’s say, the Stanley Cup Final, and, for lack of a better term, a glue guy is allowed to walk or is traded, and it quickly falls apart.

    Could this deal age poorly? Sure. But could it also work out and pay off? Yes. And why not take a gamble when you know things are going well now, things should get better for the team in the future, and well, there’s not much else out there?

    Trevor Zegras has thrived alongside Christian Dvorak and was thrilled to see his close friend sign a long-term deal in Philly.

    Gustav Elvin: C

    I’ve been largely a Brière defender to this point, as I think he’s done an underrated job of clearing bad contracts or fits from the previous regime like Ivan Provorov, Kevin Hayes, Tony DeAngelo, and Joel Farabee, while patiently stockpiling assets and making some shrewd additions like Sean Walker, Zegras, and Vladař. But I simply can’t wrap my head around this one for the Flyers.

    Dvorak is a good player, and $5.15 million is fair monetary value for a player who plays a position of need and seems to have some untapped offensive skill and chemistry alongside Zegras. But giving an oft-injured, soon-to-be 30-year-old center, not to mention one who has primarily been a third- and fourth-liner until this season, five years is a major risk and potentially a costly misstep as the rebuilding Flyers inch closer to their window of contention. A three-year deal with a higher $6 million or $6.5 million AAV would have made more sense to me from a Flyers perspective.

    Flyers general manager Danny Briere is taking a risk signing a nearly 30-year-old center to a five-year contract.

    To borrow a 2024 line from former coach John Tortorella, whom I did not expect to be channeling here, the Flyers “can’t fall in love” with players who don’t fit the timeline or plan. Signing Dvorak — someone the team prioritized signing to a one-year deal so much so that it overpaid him just six months ago — to a contract with this long a term is doing exactly that. It’s a rash response to a barren center market and an overreaction to a player on pace for a career year while attached to a really good creator in Zegras.

    To me, this screams: We don’t have a No. 1 center and none are available, so let’s sign the closest thing we’ve got, even though he’s ideally a third-line center. To make matters worse, the Flyers already have two of these guys signed long-term in Sean Couturier and Noah Cates.

    From a 30,000-foot view, the move appears to be a signal that the Flyers are done rebuilding in earnest and now are ready to push for the playoffs. It will be a popular deal with the players in the locker room and surely will add juice for them to try and get over the line this spring. But might it have lasting consequences?

    While I don’t think this move alone completely kiboshes the team’s future, it sets a worrying precedent. The mantras of “patience” and “threading the needle” that Brière and president Keith Jones have constantly preached suddenly seem to be taking a backseat to winning. This will remind many of the panic moves from the Flyers’ past, when general managers and ownership prioritized sneaking into the playoffs rather than looking in the mirror, tearing it down, and trying to build a sustainable Stanley Cup contender from the studs up.

    The Flyers need a high-end center. How can they get one?

    It also seems like a bit of an indictment of the center prospects in the system like Luchanko, Nesbitt, and Berglund, and their potential timelines to becoming NHL contributors. The Flyers are no closer to having a bona fide No. 1 center or No. 1 center prospect after this deal, and no matter how good their wingers are or how hard they work collectively, they won’t be legitimate Cup contenders until they unearth or acquire at least one. Dvorak is a solid player, not a great one, and the Flyers already have plenty of those. While he might help the Flyers reach the playoffs this season, he isn’t the type of needle-mover that will help them truly contend in a top-six role.

    At best, Brière’s big bet pays off and Dvorak stays healthy and continues to produce at this season’s level. But I’ve seen this story countless times before with aging centermen with a lot of tread on the tires. It usually doesn’t end well.

  • Flyers’ Bobby Brink, Jamie Drysdale ‘still getting evaluated’ after injuries

    Flyers’ Bobby Brink, Jamie Drysdale ‘still getting evaluated’ after injuries

    Tuesday’s Flyers-Ducks game was always going to have extra emotion and intensity given the connections and bad blood between the teams after Cutter Gauthier demanded a trade from Philadelphia two years ago.

    That bad blood quickly ratcheted up another level when two Flyers were injured by blindsided hits. Bobby Brink and Jamie Drysdale each left the game and did not return.

    “Still getting evaluated, type of thing,” coach Rick Tocchet said on Wednesday. “I don’t want to say it’s a day-to-day. I don’t know yet. So it’s kind of one of those things. … I really don’t know. I talked to them today; they’re in a half-decent mood. Still being evaluated, so we’ll see.”

    Reevaluating the Flyers-Ducks trades involving Cutter Gauthier, Trevor Zegras, and Jamie Drysdale

    Brink was blindsided by a Jansen Harkins hit just 2 minutes, 38 seconds into the first period.

    Off the rush, the Flyers winger received a pass from Nikita Grebenkin and was skating toward the slot when Harkins cut across the slot and clipped Brink up high. The Flyers winger did not return to the bench in the first period and was later ruled out with an upper-body injury.

    Noah Cates went right after Harkins, and the two dropped their gloves. Both players received five-minute majors for fighting, and Cates was handed an extra two minutes for instigating. Harkins was not assessed a penalty for the initial hit.

    According to Hockeyfights.com, it is Cates’ first pro hockey fight. The site says he logged one fight when he was with Omaha of the United States Hockey League in 2018, dropping the gloves with Paul Cotter, who now plays for the New Jersey Devils.

    Injury struck for the Flyers again in the second period, as Drysdale went down after a cheap hit well away from the puck by Ducks forward Ross Johnston.

    Johnston was skating into the zone and ran over an unsuspecting Drysdale, who was curling up top near the blue line. The puck was deep in the Ducks’ zone at the time. Johnston appeared to be pleading that the hit was incidental and just a collision between two players who didn’t see one another. On replay, it appeared that Johnson had enough to see and avoid Drysdale and that he even stuck out an arm and threw it into Drysdale. The two seemed to bang knee-to-knee, with Drysdale also absorbing a blow up high.

    Johnston was handed a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct. The play by Johnston came after Garnet Hathaway drilled Olen Zellweger — cleanly — in the offensive zone. The Flyers failed to score on the five-minute power play.

    Drysdale, who was acquired in the deal for Gauthier almost two years ago to the day, laid on the ice and did not move for a considerable amount of time. The stretcher did come out, and the doctors came out of the stands, but Drysdale sat up and skated off the ice with help.

    He did not return and was officially ruled out at the start of the third period with an undisclosed injury.

    There was no supplemental discipline handed out by the NHL on any of the hits.

  • Trevor Zegras scores twice against his old team in the Flyers’ 5-2 win over the Ducks

    Trevor Zegras scores twice against his old team in the Flyers’ 5-2 win over the Ducks

    Ed Snider would be proud.

    The crowd brought it. The Flyers brought it.

    On what would have been the founder and late owner’s 93rd birthday, in front of a sellout crowd at Xfinity Mobile Arena, and with the faithful amped up, the Flyers dominated the Anaheim Ducks 5-2. It was their second straight win and fifth in the past seven games.

    In between boos and words not safe for print, former Flyers prospect Cutter Gauthier struck first for the Ducks with a power-play goal, celebrating with a “mark it” reaction. But the Flyers answered with four straight goals.

    Flyers’ Bobby Brink, Jamie Drysdale exit Ducks game early with injuries

    Trevor Zegras, who was acquired from the Ducks in June and has been off to a red-hot start with his new club, scored twice past goalie Lukáš Dostál in the first period — each from the same spot.

    The first came at even strength, when Christian Dvorak, who signed a five-year extension on Monday, kept a bouncing puck in at the Ducks’ blue line. He carried it down and sent a no-look pass to Zegras between the bottom of the right circle and the goal line. The New York native sent a one-timer past Dostál from the sharp angle.

    On the celebration, he “hung up the phone” on the Ducks. He said on NBCSP’s postgame show, “That’s how quick the phone call was before.”

    Just over four minutes later, Zegras did it from almost the exact spot on a Flyers power play to give the home team a 2-1 lead. On this goal, it was Cam York who skated down and sent a no-look pass over to Zegras for the one-timer from the bottom of the right circle for his 17th goal of the season.

    Zegras now has four games with two goals this season and 11 in his career. He has never had a hat trick.

    Early in the second period, York got the puck at the point, and after walking the line a few steps, he put it on net. The puck appeared to be deflected on the way in, but York was awarded his third goal of the season.

    Travis Sanheim pushed it to 4-1 after Noah Cates won a faceoff deep in the Ducks’ end back to him. The defenseman stepped into the puck and fired it home.

    Anaheim’s Alex Killorn scored a power-play goal to cut it to 4-2 early in the third period, but Nikita Grebenkin added an empty-netter with 1 minute, 14 seconds left in the game.

    And the Flyers dominated the game despite a decimated bench.

    Goalie Dan Vladař earns Czechia Olympic nod amid breakout season with the Flyers

    Already without Matvei Michkov, who is day to day with a lower-body injury, the Flyers lost two more players in the game.

    Bobby Brink left the game and did not return after a blindside hit by Jansen Harkins just 2:38 into the first period. Off the rush, Brink received a pass from Nikita Grebenkin and was skating toward the net when Harkins cut across the slot and clipped Brink.

    Noah Cates went right after Harkins, and the two dropped the gloves. According to Hockeyfights.com, it is Cates’ first pro hockey fight. The site says he had one fight with Omaha of the United States Hockey League in 2018, dropping the gloves with Paul Cotter, who now plays for the New Jersey Devils. Cates said postgame he “wouldn’t consider that [USHL one] a fight,” and he doesn’t think he got a five-minute major.

    In the second period, Jamie Drysdale was curling high in the offensive zone without the puck. Anaheim forward Ross Johnston was skating into the zone and appeared to stick out his right arm as Drysdale skated by. The puck was deep in the Ducks’ zone.

    Drysdale, who was acquired in the deal for Gauthier almost two years ago to the day, lay on the ice and did not move for a considerable amount of time. The stretcher came out, and the doctors came out of the stands, but Drysdale sat up and skated off the ice with help.

    But he did not return, and Johnston was handed a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct. The play by Johnston came after Garnet Hathaway drilled Olen Zellweger — cleanly — in the offensive zone.

    Flyers’ Noah Cates (right) shown during the second period of Tuesday’s game against Anaheim.

    Breakaways

    Hathaway also threw a huge hit into Ducks defenseman Ian Moore in the third period and dropped the gloves with former Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas. … Forward Nic Deslauriers and defenseman Noah Juulsen were healthy scratches. … Before the game, Flyers Charities presented the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation with a $300,000 donation for assistance with programming and operational support for four Philadelphia ice rinks.

    Up next

    The Flyers host Scott Laughton and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday (7 p.m., NBCSP).

  • Goalie Dan Vladař earns Czechia Olympic nod amid breakout season with the Flyers

    Goalie Dan Vladař earns Czechia Olympic nod amid breakout season with the Flyers

    Dan Vladař remembers watching the highlights of the Czech Republic’s only Olympic gold medal in men’s ice hockey. It was how he fell in love with the sport.

    Growing up in Prague, the goalie was less than a year old when Dominik Hašek and former Flyers like Jaromír Jágr and the late Roman Čechmánek helped their country win at the 1998 Nagano Olympics.

    Now the 28-year-old Flyers goalie will get a chance to follow in their footsteps. On Tuesday, Vladař was named to the Czechia, formerly known as the Czech Republic, team for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.

    Reevaluating the Flyers-Ducks trades involving Cutter Gauthier, Trevor Zegras, and Jamie Drysdale

    “I wouldn’t say it was a goal, but it was maybe in the back of my head somewhere,” he said Monday before the announcement. “Obviously, especially coming here as a new guy, I didn’t really have time to think about it that way.

    “I was just trying to establish myself on this team and get to know everybody and focus on myself and the team here.”

    Vladař joked that if his phone didn’t ring, he’d go somewhere warm during the two-week NHL break. But how could Czechia leave him off the roster after the season he is having?

    Through 24 games, Vladař is 15-6-3 with a 2.39 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. His 24 starts are five off his career high, set last season when he backed up Dustin Wolf in Calgary. And his 15 wins are already his all-time best.

    “I feel great. Still hungry, as everybody else is in this locker room,” he said about his season with the Flyers. “So, obviously, I’m glad for the opportunity and trying to take advantage of it every day. Body feels great. Head feels really good, too. So everything’s good.”

    Flyers goaltender Dan Vladař is tied for eighth in the NHL with a .910 save percentage.

    Everything is better than good. Vladař has looked sensational in net with his tracking and ability to read plays. He will put up a bad game here or there, but they have been few and far between as the Flyers have lost only once in regulation following a loss.

    He’s also been one of the NHL’s top goalies.

    Vladař’s save percentage ranks him tied for eighth in the league among goalies with 20 appearances, and his GAA is the fifth best. He could challenge to be Czechia’s starting goalie, too, as his numbers are better than those of Karel Vejmelka (.896, 2.70), who plays for Utah, and projected starter Lukáš Dostál (.887, 3.18), who might be in the opposite crease when the Flyers host the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday (7 p.m., NBCSP).

    “I think he worked on his game this summer because he went with a skating coach, and I think he wanted to work on some stuff like the next play, the rebound,” coach Rick Tocchet said before the season resumed after the holiday break. “And I noticed him this year, he’s in position for the second rebound. … I think Vladdy’s worked on that, and I think he’s really done a great job when it comes to that second save, being in position and not being out of position.”

    Vladař joins Rasmus Ristolainen (Finland), Travis Sanheim (Canada), and Rodrigo Ābols, who was one of Latvia’s original six players named. Tocchet will be an assistant on Jon Cooper’s staff for Canada.

    The netminder last played for Czechia at the 2025 IIHF men’s World Championship, posting a 3-0-0 record in four games with a 1.09 goals-against average and a .951 save percentage; Vladař relieved Vejmelka in the Czechs’ quarterfinal loss to Sweden.

    It was the first time he suited up for his country since 2017 at the World Juniors. In 2014, he was the backup to Vítek Vaněček as the Czechs lost to the United States in the gold-medal game at World Juniors. That same year, he started the gold-medal game against Canada at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, giving up four goals, with one scored by his current teammate Travis Konecny.

    Czechia is expected to compete for a medal in Milan, and boasts NHL stars like David Pastrňák (Boston Bruins), Martin Nečas (Colorado Avalanche), and Tomáš Hertl (Vegas Golden Knights). Former Flyers Radko Gudas (Anaheim Ducks) and Lukáš Sedlák (HC Dynamo Pardubice) will also suit up for the Czechs. The tournament begins on Feb. 11 and will run through the gold-medal game on Feb. 22.

    Breakaway

    After clearing waivers on Tuesday, Egor Zamula agreed to a one-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets through the end of the season. The former Flyers defenseman, who was traded to Pittsburgh last week but refused to report to its American Hockey League affiliate, was placed on waivers Monday by the Penguins for the purpose of contract termination. Puckpedia lists the deal at $1 million. Zamula, 25, will reunite with former teammate and fellow Russian Ivan Provorov with the Blue Jackets. Ivan Fedotov is also in the Columbus organization but is currently in the AHL with Cleveland.

  • Reevaluating the Flyers-Ducks trades involving Cutter Gauthier, Trevor Zegras, and Jamie Drysdale

    Reevaluating the Flyers-Ducks trades involving Cutter Gauthier, Trevor Zegras, and Jamie Drysdale

    Danny Brière has officially been the Flyers’ full-time general manager since May 11, 2023. In the two-plus years since, he has made 27 trades, with most involving draft picks or swapping players in the AHL.

    But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been splashy deals. And two of the biggest ones are with a little guy he doesn’t hate working with, Pat Verbeek of the Anaheim Ducks.

    As the Flyers get set to host the California team, let’s revisit them:

    Who was involved in the Flyers-Ducks trades?

    Trade 1: Jan. 8, 2024

    Flyers received: Jamie Drysdale and a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft

    Ducks received: Cutter Gauthier

    Trade 2: June 23, 2025

    Flyers received: Trevor Zegras

    Ducks received: Ryan Poehling, a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft (Eric Nilson), and a fourth-round selection in the 2026 draft.

    Trevor Zegras has fit in seamlessly with the Flyers. What will it cost to keep him long-term?

    What happened to Gauthier and Poehling?

    As for Gauthier, Flyers fans may want to look away.

    Selected with the No. 5 overall pick in 2022, Gauthier never played for the Flyers after forcing a trade out of Philly.

    “We tried to give him space,” Brière said the night the trade was made. “We tried to get in touch with him many times. They would not communicate, as far as the Gauthier side. So at some point, we had to make a decision.”

    Why? No one knows.

    “It wasn’t one specific reason why I asked for a trade,” Gauthier said on a Zoom with Anaheim’s media after the trade. “It was multiple, [recurring] issues that I’d seen over the past year and a half, two years of being under the Flyers organization. It kind of hit me all at once, thinking, ‘I can’t move forward with this, and I really need to step up for myself and see what’s best for my future,’ and that’s what I did.”

    Last season, Gauthier notched 20 goals and 44 points in 82 games, finishing fifth in Calder Trophy voting with 92 votes — well behind fourth-place finisher Matvei Michkov — and was named to the All-Rookie Team. Amid that, he returned to a city that did not show him any brotherly love on and off the ice in a 6-0 thrashing by the Flyers last January.

    Cutter Gauthier, once the Flyers’ top prospect before forcing a trade, has 19 goals this season for Anaheim.

    This season, he already has 19 goals and 39 points in 42 games for an upstart Ducks team that is tied for third in the Pacific Division. Gauthier, who turns 22 this month, is on pace for 37 goals and 76 points.

    In October, Gauthier had an eight-game point streak, helped by his first NHL hat trick against the Florida Panthers. He skates on the left wing of the Ducks’ top line, alongside Leo Carlsson and Alex Killorn, while also getting time on the second power-play unit, where he has tallied four power-play goals and eight points.

    Poehling, a first-round pick in 2017 for the Montreal Canadiens, resurrected his career in Philly after being signed to a one-year, bet-on-himself deal on July 1, 2023.

    The speedy center, who collected 28 points in 77 games that season, became a favorite of then-coach John Tortorella and earned himself a two-year extension on Jan. 26, 2024. The following season, despite being impacted by injury, he set career highs in goals (12) and points (31) in 68 games with the Flyers.

    Trevor Zegras is even better than the Flyers thought, and other things we know as the calendar flips

    Across his two seasons, Poehling was heavily relied on to kill penalties. He skated the second-most shorthanded minutes among forwards (235 minutes, 17 seconds). He tied Scott Laughton and Garnet Hathaway for second on the team with three shorthanded goals during that time frame and tied Hathaway, with whom he was often paired, for third with five shorthanded points.

    Poehling, who has two goals and 14 points this season, has eight points across his last 12 games while centering Anaheim’s fourth line with Jansen Harkins and tough guy Ross Johnston.

    What happened to Drysdale and Zegras?

    In summation, two words: good things.

    The two buddies have been key to the Flyers’ good vibes this season, with Zegras leading the team in goals (15), points (39), power-play goals (five), and power-play points (12) through 40 games.

    While Zegras has officially put his last two years in Anaheim behind him, Drysdale has quietly shifted from being just a purely offensive blueliner who is questionable on defense to a guy who can play a complete 200-foot game.

    Jamie Drysdale, who is still just 23, has improved defensively in his first year under Rick Tocchet.

    With Drysdale paired with Emil Andrae since Nov. 22, the two have skated more than 300 minutes together and have been on the ice for 18 goals by the Flyers and just nine against.

    So does Drysdale like being the veteran on the pairing with Andrae, who is the same age as him (23) but has played 182 fewer NHL games?

    “A little bit, I do, yeah, I like it,” Drysdale said. “I love playing with Emil. He’s got a good mind, and I think that we have similar mindsets as well on and off the ice. And it’s good to build off each other.”

    Drysdale is known to be a quiet guy, but he says he’s been more chatty on the ice, which is important as the veteran in the pairing. And a lot of it is to remind himself what to do, too, which seems to be working.

    For Trevor Zegras, the trade to the Flyers is not just a refresh, it is also a homecoming of sorts

    He takes a lot of pride in his trajectory, noting that the defensive side is “coming to me more naturally now.” And while Drysdale’s power-play time is up and down, coach Rick Tocchet likes that he is consistent at five-on-five and is very good at following his philosophy of skating forward to defend.

    “Well, I had heard a lot of different things, but what’s his identity?” Tocchet said when asked what he knew of Drysdale before coming to Philly. “And I didn’t really know that, but I know the one thing is that he came to camp in really good shape and he wanted to shake the tag that he wasn’t a good defensive player.

    “So he corrected those two things, right? Came in great shape. He’s been really good [at] defending, so now we’re going to ask him [for] a little more offense eventually, but that’s a work in progress. I don’t want him to suffer in his other parts of the game to try to get the other part. I think he’s just got to chip away at that part, and he’s a very coachable kid.”

    What is the trade grade today?

    Originally, our Drysdale-Gauthier trade received an A-minus grade, and the Zegras trade an A. Today, almost two years after the former and just over six months after the latter, it’s an overall A.

    Why?

    Although Gauthier would rank No. 2 in scoring on the Flyers behind Zegras across several categories and has a promising career ahead of him as a goal scorer, the forward made it clear he didn’t want to play in Philly. So why keep a malcontent?

    Trading him away became inevitable, and it made sense to bring in another young guy with pedigree like Drysdale, who has not only shown a stark improvement — and a desire to do that — but is good in the room. He has become a key defenseman for the Flyers while skating an average of 21:35, tying his career high from 2023-24. And he has worked so well with Andrae that the Swede has finally become an everyday defenseman on a pairing earning top-four minutes.

    And what can one say about Zegras? The New York native has been a revelation on the ice and in the locker room.

    Those 39 points in 40 games are setting him up to demolish his previous career highs — he’s on pace for 31 goals and 80 points — set in 2022-23, before then-Ducks coach Greg Cronin moved him to the wing. Is he playing the wing in Philly? Sure. Is he also playing some center? Absolutely. And he’s in a spot where he’s able to shine with his creativity and awareness while also having buddies like Drysdale, Cam York, and linemate Christian Dvorak around.

    Flyers players and close friends (from left) Trevor Zegras, Cam York, and Jamie Drysdale have had a strong season since being united.

    “You’re always looking for high skill level, talented players, and at the time, he was a distressed asset. … You have to be thoughtful and a little bit lucky, and provide an environment where the player can shine,” Flyers president Keith Jones recently told The Inquirer.

    “He’s done a great job,” Jones added. “It’s really proof of Danny’s willingness to wait for the right time, and he was really patient on this one. It’s been well-documented that it was a long process. Trevor kind of fit what we were looking for, and he has been all that and more with what he’s done for us.”

  • Flyers sign center Christian Dvorak to five-year, $25.75 million contract extension

    Flyers sign center Christian Dvorak to five-year, $25.75 million contract extension

    Christian Dvorak is sticking around Philly for the foreseeable future.

    He just needed some help from Trevor Zegras first.

    “It’s great. I think it’s well-earned. I think it’s a great deal for both sides,” Zegras said his buddy’s new deal before dropping this: “And, funny backstory, he had nobody to be his witness for signing the contract. So he drove over to my house last night at like 11 o’clock, and I was his witness.”

    The late-night visit came after the Flyers announced the almost-30-year-old centerman was signed to a five-year, $25.75 million contract extension with an average annual value of $5.15 million. A team source confirmed to The Inquirer that the first two years of the deal come with a full no-trade clause while the third and fourth years carry a modified no-trade clause.

    “We’re very happy to have Christian be a part of the Philadelphia Flyers for the foreseeable future,” general manager Danny Brière said in the news release. “He has played a pivotal role in our team’s success this season and proven to be a reliable, two-way center that can be trusted in all situations.

    “More importantly, he plays a big role in our locker room and has fit in seamlessly to our group and what we are building.”

    Christian Dvorak has done wonders for Trevor Zegras and the team’s depth down the middle. Should the Flyers consider keeping him around?

    On July 1, after Dvorak signed a one-year, $5.4 million deal that many thought was an overpay, Brière said that players like him, Noah Juulsen, and Dan Vladař, “were willing to bet on themselves, which is awesome.” Dvorak reiterated Tuesday that he was doing just that this past summer.

    And it paid off, with the term being one of the main things he was looking for.

    “I’ve just loved my time being here, first off,” Dvorak said. “It’s a great group of guys. We have a lot of fun, and it’s been a good fit for me, and, yeah, just like where the team’s headed. We’re playing some good hockey this year, and I think we’re just headed in a good direction here.

    “And that’s really important to me.”

    However, there were several questions raised with his initial signing — amplified even more now — including where he would fit and what his signing meant for the team’s long-term outlook.

    Brière said over the summer that the short-term deals the team handed out, including the one to Vladař, who was signed for two years, would provide flexibility as the Flyers work their way through a rebuild. It would allow them to keep their options open for free agency in 2026 — which always seemed to be earmarked as a big moment for the team.

    But the market for centers and top-tier wingers dried up with Jack Eichel, Kirill Kaprizov, and even Connor McDavid signing extensions. A player comparable to Dvorak was 31-year-old center Alexander Wennberg, who signed a three-year, $18 million deal with the San Jose Sharks on Sunday.

    With the salary cap rising, the amount Dvorak is getting paid isn’t the issue. But the number of years he got is a little eyebrow-raising, considering where the Flyers are in their rebuild and the drafted players expected to start making pushes in the coming years.

    Jett Luchanko and Jack Nesbitt, two of the Flyers’ first-rounders from the past two drafts, and 2024 second-rounder Jack Berglund, who impressed at development camp and World Juniors, are expected to be centers in the NHL in the next one to three years. The only centers in Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League who could push next season are Jacob Gaucher and Karsen Dorwart, with the former a fourth-line type and the latter a former college free agent signing who projects as a bottom-six forward.

    But, in the here and now, Dvorak has worked out.

    Trevor Zegras has fit in seamlessly with the Flyers. What will it cost to keep him long-term?

    Skating on a line with Zegras and Travis Konecny since Dec. 3, Dvorak is on pace for career numbers. He has 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 39 games, having missed one game in December with a lower-body injury.

    The Illinois native is halfway to his career high in goals and is on pace to demolish his career high in points (38) set in 2019-20 when he skated for the Arizona Coyotes — and their then-coach, Rick Tocchet. Entering Tuesday, Dvorak is on pace for 18 goals and 51 points.

    “I think it’s been pretty good,” Dvorak told The Inquirer in mid-December. “It’s been a good transition for the most part, coming in to a new team. They took me in right away. It’s a very tight-knit group, and it’s a good group to be a part of.

    “And it helps knowing Tocc from prior, and I think it’s been a pretty smooth transition. It’s helped pretty much being with Zegras pretty much every game.”

    Tocchet has relied heavily on Dvorak, as the former Coyote centers the top line, plays on the penalty kill, and was recently added to the power play. He has worked with Zegras in a hybrid center role where he takes the faceoffs and whoever is the first player back in the defensive zone fills the position of center.

    Tocchet said in early December that Dvorak — who is sorely missed by his last team, the Montreal Canadiens, on and off the ice — was in more of a defensive role previously. Now he’s getting a chance to spread his wings offensively again.

    “The one thing with Christian, he knows just because he signed this deal and he’s playing with Trevor, he’s still got to be Christian Dvorak,” Tocchet said on Tuesday, adding that it has helped the centerman’s season knowing his systems and their open line of communication.

    “… That’s one thing that he’s really good at is knowing his identity — is being a really good two-way forward that can make plays, that can defend the puck and be a penalty killer. And he’s actually played a little bit of power play for us. So, a jack of all trades, and if he stays in that identity, he can be a good hockey player for you.”

    Christian Dvorak and Rick Tocchet go back to their time together in Arizona.

    According to MoneyPuck, among the Flyers lines that have played at least 65 minutes together, the trio ranks third in expected goals percentage (50.6%) and expected goals for per 60 minutes (2.9). They only recently have been clipped by the trio of Denver Barkey, Sean Couturier, and Owen Tippett.

    “I’ve learned so much from him,” Zegras said in December. “[Looking] back to earlier in my career, like maybe when things weren’t going my way, I’d be screaming and slamming sticks on the bench, and saying all crazy stuff that doesn’t really help in a positive way.

    “He’s as cool as a cucumber, and his famous line or expression is: it’s a game of runs. So that’s what I tell myself. It’s a game of runs. And you go back out there, you get ready to go for the next shift. So I just think that from the aspect of being himself, he’s a leader in that regard. And I’ve definitely learned a lot from him.”

    With Dvorak signed, all eyes will turn to Zegras, who is a restricted free agent at season’s end and will command a hefty pay raise. Jamie Drysdale, Bobby Brink, Emil Andrae, Nikita Grebenkin, and Sam Ersson also are restricted free agents at season’s end. Nic Deslauriers, Carl Grundström, Rodrigo Ābols, and Noah Juulsen are the team’s only NHL unrestricted free agents next summer.

    Rick Tocchet wants the Flyers to get to the net more, specifically on the power play. Is Christian Dvorak the answer?
  • Matvei Michkov out vs. Ducks with a foot injury

    Matvei Michkov out vs. Ducks with a foot injury

    The Flyers returned home to the friendly confines of their training center in Voorhees after a solid 3-2-0 road swing, one that included three stops in Western Canada.

    But they are a man down Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks (7 p.m., NBCSP) with Matvei Michkov out due to injury. The Flyers announced before puck drop that Michkov is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

    Earlier in the day, coach Rick Tocchet said Michkov, who did not practice Monday but returned to the ice for an optional morning skate Tuesday, was a game-time decision with a foot injury.

    “Mich had an X-ray that was negative yesterday. He’s got a little bit of swelling, but he’s going to skate. It’d probably be a game-time decision on him,” Tocchet said on Tuesday.

    It’s worth noting that Michkov stayed on the ice late Tuesday with the expected healthy scratches, so that indicated he was unlikely to play tonight.

    According to Tocchet, the winger took a puck off his foot on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. “We didn’t know until [Monday],” Tocchet said.

    It appears to have happened Saturday during the Flyers’ power play in the third period of their 5-2 win. Skating in the neutral zone, Trevor Zegras went to zing a cross-ice pass to Christian Dvorak standing at the opposite end of the blue line. Instead, the pass attempt went off the left skate of Michkov as he skated by. Michkov picked up his leg and seemed to wince after the contact.

    The apparent injury happened seven seconds into a one-minute power-play shift by Michkov. The 21-year-old winger did skate two more shifts, including a 43-second shift that started with 70 seconds left in the game.

    Michkov has nine goals and 23 points in 40 games this season, with his best game coming against the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 30. He had the secondary assist on Bobby Brink’s goal, the eventual game-winner against the Oilers, when he took his time and hit Cam York as he skated down the middle. York’s shot went in off the leg of Brink.

    It is the first time in his NHL career that he will miss a game due to injury. Michkov was a healthy scratch for two games last season under then-coach John Tortorella.

    Breakaways

    The Pittsburgh Penguins waived former Flyers defenseman Egor Zamula on Monday for the purpose of terminating his contract, and he cleared on Tuesday. Zamula, who was traded by the Flyers last week, was suspended by the Penguins for refusing to report to the team’s American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. An unrestricted free agent, Zamula signed a one-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

  • Penguins suspend Egor Zamula for failing to report to AHL team after trade from Flyers

    Penguins suspend Egor Zamula for failing to report to AHL team after trade from Flyers

    The Pittsburgh Penguins have suspended former Flyers defenseman Egor Zamula for failing to report to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, a Penguins spokesperson confirmed Sunday.

    Pittsburgh acquired Zamula from the Flyers on New Year’s Eve in exchange for forward Philip Tomasino, who made his AHL debut with Lehigh Valley on Friday.

    At the time of the trade, Zamula was playing for the Phantoms after clearing waivers on Dec. 18. He skated in three games, registered two assists, and was a minus-3.

    Denver Barkey notches his first NHL goal as the Flyers hold off the Edmonton Oilers

    Entering the season, Zamula was expected to be in the top six, but he struggled with his pace of play — a long-standing criticism that dates back to John Tortorella’s tenure as Flyers coach.

    As time wore on, it also became more evident that he was losing his spot in the lineup. Zamula was leapfrogged in the depth chart by Emil Andrae, Noah Juulsen, and, after an impressive three-game debut in December, Ty Murchison. And when Rasmus Ristolainen returned from a triceps tendon injury on Dec. 16, there was no need for eight defensemen on the Flyers roster.

    Flyers defenseman Egor Zamula vying for the puck with Islanders center Kyle MacLean in October.

    In 13 games this season, the Russian defenseman had one assist and was plus-4, boosted by a plus-5 night when he returned to the lineup on Nov. 22 against the New Jersey Devils. Signed as an undrafted free agent in September 2018, Zamula had 41 points (eight goals, 33 assists) and was minus-12 in 168 games with the Flyers.

    Zamula, 25, is a restricted free agent at the end of the season. His salary-cap hit is $1.7 million, resulting in a qualifying offer of $ 1.4 million if he is given one in June.

  • Denver Barkey notches his first NHL goal as the Flyers hold off the Edmonton Oilers

    Denver Barkey notches his first NHL goal as the Flyers hold off the Edmonton Oilers

    EDMONTON, Alberta ― The Flyers kick-started 2026 with a bang.

    In their first game of the new year, the Orange and Black handed the blue and orange Edmonton Oilers a 5-2 loss. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering the Flyers are now 13-1-5 after a loss; they lost to the Calgary Flames on New Year’s Eve.

    The win helped the Flyersclose out a five-game road trip, which began in Chicago before the holiday break, with a 3-2-0 record. It was the fourth victory in their past six games.

    And while Connor McDavid did get a goal and an assist, Leon Draisaitl had a plus-minus of minus-3, as the Flyers had more shot attempts, shots on goal, and scoring chances than the high-flying Oilers.

    “Those are the moments that I think a lot of guys in here are living for,” said goalie Dan Vladař, who was outstanding in net, stopping 22 of 24 shots. “If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best, right? That’s what we’ve been told since we were young. Obviously, we’re still not the best, but we are doing everything we can to get to the best spot as we can.

    “We still know it’s a lot of hockey left, but I think that if you’re going to follow our leaders and the coaching staff, that we are going to be in a good spot.”

    All Bark

    Denver Barkey has been waiting patiently for that first NHL goal, and it was worth the wait.

    Barkey started the breakout from deep in the Flyers’ end when he pickpocketed Vasily Podkolzin along the end boards and then skated the puck up between the Russian winger and the net. He hit Sean Couturier on the right wing as the captain, and Owen Tippett went two-on-two with the Oilers’ defensemen.

    Denver Barkey (carrying the puck by the net) started the breakout deep in the Flyers’ end. His play trapped three Oilers forwards deep, allowing the 20-year-old winger to rush up the ice to finish with his first NHL goal.

    Couturier sent a leading pass to Tippett as the two crossed just before the Oilers’ blue line, and he carried the puck in. Meanwhile, Barkey was speeding down the center of the ice and heading toward the net. He got behind the defense and tapped the perfect pass from Tippett past former Flyers goalie Calvin Pickard.

    “He’s been playing great for us [and] he’s been generating chances, it was only a matter of time before he put one in, and [I’m] happy for him,” Travis Sanheim said. “He deserves it, and it was a big goal for us.”

    “Kind of settled us down a bit,” he added as the Oilers had a little more control to start the game. “And then ended up getting a couple more [goals] there. And I thought it kick-started us.”

    Barkey’s first NHL goal comes in his seventh game, complementing the two assists he had in his debut. His first NHL goal also comes in the building in which Matvei Michkov scored his first two goals last season.

    “I think just over time as many reps you get with each other, you start to get more comfortable,” Barkey said when asked about his confidence. “But I think they’ve done a great job of making me feel welcome [and] comfortable playing on their line since day one. So I think that’s helped a lot. I’m just super grateful to be playing with two really, really talented hockey players.”

    Couturier finished with two assists, and Tippett had a goal (a late empty-netter) and an assist as the line was plus-2 on the night.

    “Yeah, that’s the key, right?” coach Rick Tocchet said of Barkey’s play in his own end. “[Heck] of a defensive play and then playing a 200-foot game. I thought Couturier’s line was outstanding tonight. They were really good. Coots had a great game. Tipp and Barkey, they were the main reason why we won tonight.”

    Building goal by goal

    Barkey’s goal gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead for only the 13th time this season. It is the fewest in the NHL — which probably explains why the Flyers have the most wins when trailing, 1-0 (13-9-5).

    But it was a lucky No. 13 for the Flyers, who won for the eighth time as they kept piling it on.

    Travis Sanheim made it 2-0 when the Couturier line went to work again. After a Barkey pass to Tippett missed its mark, Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse got the puck and sent it up the boards. Podkolzin couldn’t control it, and it bounced out to Couturier above the circles.

    The Flyers captain put a shot on immediately that Pickard stopped before Couturier got it again near the slot. The rebound went out to Sanheim, and the defenseman, who was named on New Year’s Eve to Canada’s squad for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, walked into the right circle and sent the wrister into the back of the net.

    The goal is Sanheim’s fourth of the year and 18th point.

    Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim makes Canada’s Olympic roster for Milan

    Bobby Brink then made it 3-0 with his 11th of the year, one shy of his career high set last season in 79 games.

    Brink started the play when he intercepted a stretch pass by Evan Bouchard on the Flyers’ side of the neutral zone. He carried the puck into the Oilers’ end before dishing it over to Michkov along the right boards.

    The sophomore winger took his time and hit Cam York as he skated down the middle. York waited as the Oilers put a double screen on their goalie before he shot the puck, which ended up going off the leg of Brink.

    “Obviously, it’s a tough thing to go into the game thinking that you can play up and down hockey against this team. So I thought that everybody played responsible hockey in here, and we just outgrinded them,” Vladař said.

    “We knew that if you were going to play good defense, you were going to have those opportunities and that we are skilled enough to take advantage of it, and we did. So great for the guys in front of me, they did much of the work today.”

    Bobby Brink is already approaching his career high in goals.

    Bending but not breaking

    Much like the Flyers, there is no quit in this Oilers team, which has gone to the Stanley Cup final the past two seasons.

    McDavid cut into the Flyers’ lead to extend his point streak to 15 games with a breakaway goal on Vladař in the first period. Sanheim carried the puck from Philly’s end into the Oilers zone and tried to send a cross-ice pass to Couturier; however, it was picked off by Edmonton defenseman Mattias Ekholm.

    The Swede sent it up to McDavid, who skated in and notched his 25th of the season and 1,153rd point of his career in 754 games.

    “Yeah, I thought, minus my turnover in the first, I think we did a pretty good job against them,” Sanheim said. “Just the whole team buying in and understanding you’re playing against two of the best players in the world, and you’ve got to be smart out there.

    “And for the most part, I thought we were, and that’s kind of why we ended up on the winning side.”

    Trevor Zegras is even better than the Flyers thought, and other things we know as the calendar flips

    In the second period, Michkov was called for high-sticking Mattias Janmark as he carried the puck through the neutral zone. Not the best move when the Oilers entered the day with the NHL’s best power play at 33.3%. And just over a minute into the man advantage, Bouchard scored with a slapshot from the point to make it 3-2.

    “No, just breathe,” said Vladař, when asked if the talkative netminder said anything to his teammates after the second goal. “And, obviously, it’s hockey. It’s not always going to be perfect, and especially against a team like that, they’re going to get their chances, and eventually they’re going to capitalize, right?

    “So, just trying to be positive as always, and obviously, I always had the trust in our group and the guys in front of me. So, I was really confident that we can pull those two points for me.”

    After allowing just five shots on goal in the second period — Bouchard’s goal came on the third shot — the Flyers held the Oilers to just six in the final frame. They all came in the final 6 minutes, 24 seconds after Nick Seeler scored his first goal of the season off a faceoff win by Rodrigo Ābols to make it 4-2.

    “We get those three in the first there, and they make it 3-2. So we just wanted to do what we’re doing in the first there, and play consistent and be above their top guys,” Seeler said. “Obviously, they have a couple of the best players on the planet so contain them the best you can, and try to match their speed. And I thought we did a good job.”

    Philly is now 14-0-1 when leading after two periods, with all but one win needing a shootout. Nine of those wins were also by three goals. And they are 8-0-2 when leading after one period, with two of those wins going to a shootout.

    “I think the conversation in the room [heading into the third] was just don’t get on your heels,” Barkey said. “Stay on our toes; I think that’s when we’re at our best. And we’re shutting them down, and we’re creating offense when we’re on our toes. So continue to stay on our toes and not get back on our heels and start watching the game come to us.”

    Breakaways

    Defenseman Noah Juulsen and forwards Nic Deslauriers and Nikita Grebenkin were the healthy scratches. … Forward Garnet Hathaway returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for six games. He dropped the gloves with Darnell Nurse in the first period and had a game-high six hits with a plus-1. … Defenseman Emil Andrae also returned after being a healthy scratch against the Flames. He played 15:52 and was plus-1. … The semifinals are set at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. Jack Berglund and Sweden will face Heikki Ruohonen, Max Westergård, and Finland on Sunday (4:30 p.m., NHLN). In the other semi, Czechia goes up against Jett Luchanko, Porter Martone, and Canada (8:30 p.m., NHLN).

    Up next

    The Flyers return home to face Ryan Poehling, Cutter Gauthier, and the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday (7 p.m., NBCSP).

  • Garnet Hathaway and Emil Andrae are excited to rejoin the lineup after hitting the reset button

    Garnet Hathaway and Emil Andrae are excited to rejoin the lineup after hitting the reset button

    EDMONTON, Alberta ― Garnet Hathaway may not want to use the word reset, but like a reset button on your iPhone or Android, he does want to restore his system to what made him a successful, everyday NHL player.

    Hathaway has skated in 639 games since being signed by the Calgary Flames as an undrafted forward out of Brown University in April 2015. But lately, and for the first time in about six or seven seasons, Hathaway has been watching games from the press box as a healthy scratch.

    The move came after he posted zero points and an uncharacteristic plus-minus of minus-8 over the Flyers’ first 33 games. But he has been putting in the work.

    Garnet Hathaway knows he has struggled this season. But he’s working to get back to his impactful self

    “That’s why I respect him. He didn’t waste his time being out. He really worked on his game,” said coach Rick Tocchet, referring to the 34-year-old veteran’s work with assistant coaches Jaroslav “Yogi” Svejkovský and Jay Varady during his six-game absence from the lineup.

    Hathaway has also been watching and taking notes on what makes the Flyers successful and how lines build chemistry. And now he’ll get a chance to show the work he’s been doing against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m., NBCSP) as he slots back in alongside Rodrigo Ābols and Carl Grundström.

    “This league is addictive, and I think when you start focusing on the outcome rather than the process, you tend not to focus on the gratitude of the game. [And] not focus on the process of you getting to where you are,” Hathaway said as he reflected from the visitors’ locker room at Rogers Place on Friday.

    “I thought about that a lot [over the years]. I wanted to play one game in this league, and then I wanted to play 10, and then I wanted to play 100, and I wanted to play 200, and I wanted to play every single game. And I wanted to be successful. I wanted to continue to grow my game. … I think that for me personally, I want to continue to learn how to be, to show gratitude for this game, for what I’m fortunate enough to do.”

    There is no doubt that Hathaway has another gear. His legs have really been the problem this year as he is 12th in the NHL in hits — everyone above him has played more games — and has drawn 13 penalties.

    Tocchet noted that the veteran is a true professional who has put in the work. He wants to see it now.

    “Just confidence with the puck,” Tocchet said when asked what specifically he needs to see from Hathaway. “In all fairness to him — and I just don’t blame him — a lot of times he was leading the rush. He had the puck on his stick by himself a lot, and I think he’s one of those guys who is a support guy. He’s a really good forechecker.

    “So those are the things I want to see him do, as the F1 be a disruptor, get on top of their defense. That’s when he’s on this game.”

    While Hathaway is a grizzled veteran getting another chance, Emil Andrae is on the other end of the spectrum. At 23 years old, the defenseman is trying to solidify himself as an everyday NHLer and will re-enter the lineup after being a healthy scratch in the Flyers’ loss to Calgary on New Year’s Eve.

    Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae, 23, has been one of the team’s biggest bright spots this season.

    “He’s a young guy, and we’ve played a lot of consecutive games, and I think he was getting a little tired,” Tocchet said. “For him, it’s just like puck decisions, breakouts. When he’s on his game, he wheels the puck well, and that’s it. He’s given us a lot of good games, but this is just part of the process.”

    Andrae has played in 28 of the Flyers’ 39 games this season after originally starting the season with Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League. He has one goal and 10 points and is tied with Travis Konecny for the second-best plus-minus on the team (plus-11). And since Nov. 22, when he began getting second-pair minutes alongside Jamie Drysdale, he has been averaging the fifth-most minutes on the Flyers (18 minutes, 49 seconds), tied with forward Trevor Zegras.

    “I think overall, just get back to my swagger, get back to the confidence that I have, the play style I have to be [successful],” he said, noting he was disappointed that he had to sit but sees it as a learning experience.

    “I have to be skating. And I think that’s one of the biggest things that I can improve, that I need to be on my toes and skating, and being aggressive. I think that’s when I play the best. So it’s been a little bit of that.”

    Rasmus Ristolainen makes Finland’s Olympic roster; Sam Ersson not on Sweden’s team

    The Swedish blueliner is self-aware that he is in the early stages of his NHL career, and that it has been an interesting year to do that.

    Philly has been playing a bit of a condensed schedule with the upcoming Olympic break. Across the next 34 days, the Flyers will play 17 games.

    “You need to go on your game every game, because if you’re not, you get kind of punished for it,” he said. “So yeah, it’s been tough, obviously, for a guy who’s not used to it, both mentally and physically. It’s tough, but you learn every day. And I think I’ve been getting better and better.”

    Andrae has been a bright spot this season and continues to build and grow his game. Which is why he’ll be back in the lineup alongside Drysdale.

    “He hasn’t been bad at all. I think for like, smaller guys, he’s a quick guy. When you can defend with your brain, and he’s a smart guy … [and] when he doesn’t get his body position, I think that’s when he gets pinned, and he’s been getting hit a little bit,” Tocchet said.

    “So I think for him, on his toes, getting off the walls quicker, things like that, are beneficial to him. But he’s one of our best breakout guys, too, so when he’s on his game, it really helps our breakouts.”

    Breakaways

    Two Flyers prospects are on the move. Matthew Gard and Luke Vlooswyk, who were each taken in the 2025 NHL draft, have been traded by Red Deer of the Western Hockey League. Gard, a 6-foot-5, 194-pound center taken in the second round, is heading to Seattle. An alternate captain for the Rebels, he had six goals and 11 points in 23 games this season. Vlooswyk, a native of Calgary, was traded to Everett after putting up six assists in 32 games. Listed at 6-5, 201 pounds, the defenseman was selected in the fifth round by Philly.