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.
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.
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).
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
DONE DEAL FOR DVO. 📃✍️
We have agreed to terms with forward Christian Dvorak on a five-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $5.15M. https://t.co/0jLng32Pec
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.
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.
Need proof? Look no further than Flyers prospect Aleksei Kolosov.
A year after a season marred by underwhelming play and off-ice drama, the Lehigh Phantoms goaltender has bounced back beyond belief, culminating in him winning the American Hockey League’s Player of the Week award this week. Kolosov went 2-0-0 with a 0.50 goals against average and a .984 save percentage for the Phantoms. He stopped 60 of the 61 shots he faced over the two games, including posting a 30-save shutout of Hershey on New Year’s Eve.
“He is a different player, different personality. He’s really trying to fit in,” Flyers assistant general manager and scouting head Brent Flahr told The Inquirer last month of Kolosov. “He’s very athletic, very competitive, and he’s giving our team a chance to win down there almost every night. He’s a talented kid, so he’s got a chance to be an NHL goalie now. He just skipped a step last year. Now he’s building it back up again here, and we’ll see where it goes.”
Kolosov’s award is the biggest highlight in an impressive season for the 24-year-old netminder. He is now 9-8-1 with a .910 save percentage in 18 AHL games. The Belarusian also looked more comfortable in the NHL than he was last season, stopping 26 of 28 shots (.929 save percentage) over two games in November while Sam Ersson was injured.
This all comes after an offseason where many speculated that Kolosov and the Flyers would part ways. Kolosov famously tried to force a loan move back to his native Belarus before last season and later reported to training camp late. There were reports that he felt isolated and was frustrated with the Flyers’ goaltending hierarchy.
“I think on [Kolosov’s] end, it’s more about he wants to be guaranteed a spot in the NHL. If not, he prefers to stay over there, and that’s not the way we see it,” Flyers general manager Brière said in September of 2024.
“We agreed last year to loan him back [to the KHL] for one year because he wanted to stay home. But at some point, you signed a contract, and we want him here. We want him to start integrating himself with the game the way it’s played here in North America, the smaller ice, and learning the language and all of that. And I guess he doesn’t see it that way at the moment.”
Things didn’t improve during the season as the Flyers inexplicably carried three goalies for large stretches, in part seemingly to accommodate Kolosov, who didn’t want to be in the AHL. The on-ice results weren’t good either, as Kolosov posted a 3.11 goals against average and .884 save percentage in 12 minor league games, and 3.59 and .867 splits in 17 games with the Flyers. During a stretch last January, Kolosov remained up with the Flyers despite not playing in a game for 20 days.
When asked for an update last March, Brière told The Inquirer that the situation was “not ideal, but I’ll leave it at that.”
Aleksei Kolosov seems to be a different person and player than he was last season as a rookie.
But despite expectations that the Flyers would trade the disgruntled goalie or terminate his contract and free him to return to Europe, Kolosov remained a Flyer throughout the summer and was present on the first day of training camp. He’s won back even more good faith since then.
Might it mean a recall to the NHL is imminent?
When asked on Monday if Kolosov could unseat the struggling Ersson (.868) for the backup role, Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said this:
“I think organizationally, the internal competition is huge. There’s guys in the minors, they’re pushing, right? They’re trying to get up. It’s a domino effect, right? So yeah, he’s just challenging the goaltending situation, he’s come into camp really focused, and just from the reports down there, he’s stringing a bunch of good games together, not one good game, one bad, like he’s stacking good games together, and that’s a sign of maturity, and that internal competition helps the organization.”
Kolosov’s turnaround is just one of several promising developments when it comes to the Flyers’ goaltending situation. Free-agent signing Dan Vladař has looked every bit of a No. 1 goaltender through 24 starts with a .910 save percentage, while 2023 draft picks Carson Bjarnason, who has a .912 save percentage as Kolosov’s partner in Lehigh Valley, and Egor Zavragin (.919 SV% in Kontinental Hockey League) continue to come along nicely.
Could the Flyers’ goalie curse finally be over? Well, it might be a little early to go that far just yet.
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.
Per #Flyers coach Rick Tocchet, Matvei Michkov took a shot off his foot and mentioned it today. He is getting checked out. https://t.co/dhb9dBmtCI
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.”
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).
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.
“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.”
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.
Changing of the Gard. @NHLFlyers prospect Matthew Gard has been acquired by the @SeattleTbirds in exchange for 2008-born forward Cameron Kuzma and three #WHLDraft selections.
EDMONTON, Alberta — Rasmus Ristolainen is heading to Italy.
On Friday, the Flyers defenseman was named to Finland’s roster for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, next month.
“Obviously, very special,” Ristolainen said over Zoom on Friday about receiving the call to represent Finland. “Obviously missed the last two Olympics [as the] NHL didn’t go. And obviously you never know what happens in four years. So could be once a lifetime opportunity. So very excited.”
Ristolainen joins Travis Sanheim, who was named to Canada’s roster on New Year’s Eve, and Rodrigo Ābols, who was one of Latvia’s original six players named. Flyers coach Rick Tocchet is an assistant on Jon Cooper’s staff for Canada.Czechia has not released its roster yet but the expectation is that Dan Vladař will be on it.
A native of Turku, Finland, Ristolainen, now 31, last played for his country at the 2016 World Cup. At the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship, he scored the golden goal against rival Sweden. It gave the Finns their first gold since 1998. Ristolainen was also named that tournament’s top defenseman.
The blueliner was on the initial roster for Finland at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off but was unable to play due to an upper-body injury. The hulking defenseman did return to play a handful of NHL games after the tournament break, but did not play for the Flyers after March 11.
“So basically, three surgeries in the same elbow,” he disclosed of the injuries that also cut short his 2023-24 season. “Obviously started with a pretty bad infection, which I played with for multiple weeks until I couldn’t anymore. And then we found out there is some infection and a torn triceps tendon. So obviously, did those two things separately, and then tried to get back.”
He played just 31 games in 2023-24 and 63 last season.
“Probably the schedule was pretty too quick, looking at it now, after doing two” procedures in 2024, he said. “So came back pretty quick, played some decent hockey for 50, 60 games, and then it suddenly snapped, and not sure when or where it happened again.
Rasmus Ristolainen will bring some physicality to the Finns’ blueline.
“Obviously, second time the same tendon [was] torn. So saw a different doctor this time, and his timeline and recovery were a lot longer, which I think was the key and helped. And, yeah, right now I’m here and feel pretty good.”
Ristolainen said he had making it back for the Olympics “circled on the calendar” as he was rehabbing his latest injury, before adding that the honor is extra rewarding given all he has been through the past few seasons.
“Injuries happen when you play a long time and you, obviously, you can’t, can’t do anything about that. And obviously, was very excited to go to 4 Nations, too … so obviously, obviously, kind of [stunk] that I couldn’t join the team,” Ristolainen said of missing the 4 Nations. But then obviously knew about the Olympics, an even bigger tournament. And … been working my [butt] off for nine months to rehab and get healthy.”
A source had told The Inquirer in mid-December that Ristolainen was on the radar for Finland despite only recently getting back to the Flyers’ lineup.
Ristolainen returned Dec. 16 and has looked like his old reliable self while playing physical, throwing down monster hits — like the one that sent Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovský to the ice in his season debut — and skating over 20 minutes a night.
“Guys got to keep their heads up, because he is a good hitter, open-ice hitter,” Tocchet said after his debut. “It’s always good to have guys like that. Just a long stick in the corners, squashing plays, squashing a cycle, cutting off a reset.
“Those are big plays. They’re unnoticed plays, but they go a long way. Instead of defending 20 times a game, you’re only defending 14, because he’s squashing a player and gets his stick on a puck or something like that.”
The Flyers defenseman also believes the experience and style of play could benefit him with his NHL team when he returns from Italy.
“That time of year in the regular season, the games get even harder,” Ristolainen said. “Obviously, a lot to play for, especially you look at the East right now. So hopefully have a really good tournament, and I bet the games have a lot of speed and playoff-type hockey, so should be coming back feeling pretty good about myself and hopefully [we are] able to get into playoffs with Flyers. And that’s obviously a big goal for myself and for the team.”
Ristolainen joins a stacked roster for Finland, which has one only player, Mikko Lehtonen, who doesn’t play for an NHL team. Notable names include forwards Mikko Rantanen, Anton Lundell, and Sebastian Aho, defenseman Miro Heiskanen, and goalie Juuse Saros.
Florida’s Aleksander Barkov was not named to the team as he continues to recover from knee surgery, which repaired the ACL and MCL in his right knee.
Sweden also announced its roster on Friday, but Sam Ersson did not make the cut. The Flyers netminder, who has struggled at times this season with a .867 save percentage, was beaten out by Jacob Markström, Filip Gustavsson, and Jesper Wallstedt for the team’s three goalie slots.
