The curtain rises on the 2024-25 regular season with John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers in British Columbia to take on Rick Tocchet's Vancouver Canucks. Game time at Rogers Arena is 10:00 p.m. EDT.
The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio broadcast is on 93.3 WMMR with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
Friday's game starts a four-game road trip to start the season for the Flyers. They will be right back in action on Saturday against the Calgary Flames.
Here are five things to watch in the regular season opener.
1. Michkov's NHL debut
Nineteen-year-old Matvei Michov, the Flyers' 2023 first round pick, has come to North America with great anticipation and excitement among Philadelphia fans. Touted as a potential Calder Trophy candidate -- an award that no Flyer has ever won -- Michkov possesses elite-caliber offensive skills.
The Russian forward is dangerous both as a playmaker and a goal scorer. His hands, creativity and offensive anticipation draw rave reviews. Although he has average speed in a straight line, his edgework is of high-end quality. Michkov is also a very competitive young player.
During the Flyers' seven-game preseason schedule (4-3-0), Michkov dressed in four matches. Recording at least one point in every game in which he played, the teenage winger (who split time between right wing and left wing) notched three goals and four assists for seven points. Now it starts for real with the faster pace and higher checking intensity that separates season games from exhibition matches.
Based upon recent practices, it appears that Michkov will make his NHL debut on the left wing of Sean Couturier's line with Travis Konecny. Michkov will also occupy a roving spot on the Flyers' top power play unit.
2. First look at Luchanko
Michkov is not the only teenage Flyers player set to make his NHL regular season debut on Friday night. Eighteen-year-old Jett Luchanko is poised to become the youngest player in Flyers franchise history to don the orange and black at the time of his first regular season match.
Born August 21, 2006, Luchanko was selected by the Flyers with the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft. One of the youngest players eligible for the 2024 Draft (September 15, 2006 birthday cutoff), Luchanko is one of just players picked in this year's Draft to earn a spot on an 2024-25 opening night NHL roster.
What the Flyers' coaching staff and Hockey Operations department likes about Luchanko: his blazing speed, exceptional defensive maturity for such a young player, his playmaking vision and deft passing touch. His goal-scoring ability is nascent but he can set up linemates in dangerous scoring areas.
Under NHL rules, Luchanko can dress in up to nine NHL games without burning the first season of his three-year entry-level contract. If and when he appears in a 10th game this season, it will trigger the first season of his ELC even if he is subsequently returned to the Ontario Hockey League's Guelph Storm.
Tortorella has pledged to give all-situation ice time to Luchanko right off the bat. Look for the young center to appear on the second power play unit and to be a secondary part of the penalty killing rotation. At five-on-five, Luchanko has recently been centering a line with Joel Farabee and Bobby Brink.
3. Seeler remains day-to-day
Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler status for the season opener remains day-to-day. He is dealing with a lower-body injury sustained in an October 1 preseason game in Boston. Seeler has been unable to practice since the injury.
If Seeler's absence continues, look for 36-year-old veteran blueliner Erik Johnson to be part of Philly's opening night lineup. Johnson is currently 13 games away from reaching the coveted Silver Stick milestone (1,000 regular season games played) in his NHL career.
4. Power play focus
It's no secret that the Flyers have struggled on the power play in recent years, ranking 32nd (last) in the NHL in each of the last three seasons. The club's 12.2 percent success rate on the man advantage was the lowest in franchise history.
The Flyers need to improve significantly in this area in 2024-25 if the team is to provide enough offensive support to better last season's 38-33-11 record. With the arrival of Michkov and offensive-minded Jamie Drysdale now fully healthy entering his first full season as a Flyer, the team believes the personnel has been upgraded on the power play.
The organization also formed a "power play committee" to brainstorm strategic ideas for power play coach Rocky Thompson to employ with the club. Along with Thompson himself, participants included John LeClair, Patrick Sharp, and Dany Heatley.
How well will these things translate on the ice this season? We'll start finding out on Friday as the marathon-like 82-game gauntlet begins.
5. Behind Enemy Lines: Vancouver Canucks
Flyers Hall of Fame member Tocchet saw his team enjoy a strong regular season in 2023-24, posting a 50-23-9 record for 109 points. However, the Flyers managed to win both of their games last season against the Pacific Division club.
This season, the Flyers two-game season series against the Canucks will be over in a flash. The teams will rematch next Saturday at Wells Fargo Center in the Flyers' home opener. Subsequently, the Flyers and Canucks won't face off again in the regular season until the 2025-26 campaign.
The Canucks are an offensively potent team against whom tracking back defensively is a must. J.T. Miller racked up 103 points last season. Brock Boeser enjoyed a 40-goal season. Dynamic center Elias Pettersson (34 goals, 55 assists) posted 89 points last season while fleet-footed offensive defenseman Quinn compiled a remarkable 75 assists among his 92 points.
Vancouver enters this game dealing with an injury in goal that has rendered No. 1 netminder Thatcher Demko unlikely to play until November. Kevin Lankinen (11-6-0, 2.82 GAA, .906 save percentage last year) and young Latvian goaltender Arturs Silovs are available for duty.
The Canucks are 0-0-1 to start the 2024-25 regular season. On Wednesday, the Canucks built a 4-1 lead over Calgary through the first period but went on to settle for just one point in a 6-5 overtime loss.
