Flyers season preview: Michkov to make much-anticipated NHL debut

The 2024-25 NHL season starts Oct. 4. With training camps underway, NHL.com is taking a look at the three keys, the inside scoop on roster questions, and the projected lineup for each of the 32 teams. Today, the Philadelphia Flyers.

Coach: John Tortorella (third season)

Last season: 38-33-11; sixth place in Metropolitan Division, did not qualify for Stanley Cup Playoffs

3 KEYS

1. Finding a fit for Michkov

Flyers management is doing its best to temper the high amounts of enthusiasm surrounding the arrival of Matvei Michkov. The 19-year-old, selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, had 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) in 48 games in the Kontinental Hockey League last season, the second-most ever by a teenage KHL player. Michkov is expected to play in the top-six forward group, but which center would be the right fit? Sean Couturier is Philadelphia's No. 1 center and best defensive forward, which would ease some of that burden on Michkov, but Morgan Frost has the skating and playmaking ability to get Michkov into advantageous scoring positions. It's imperative on the coaching staff to find the right linemates for the player who could be Philadelphia's most explosive offensive talent.

2. Fixing the power play

The Flyers had the worst power play in the NHL (12.2 percent) for the third straight season, and it got worse in the second season of Tortorella and assistant Rocky Thompson overseeing it (15.6 percent, 2022-23). The arrival of Michkov should help, as should a healthy Jamie Drysdale. The defenseman had two power-play points in 24 games after being acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 8 but played through a sports hernia sustained the first game of the season. Drysdale had surgery in April and began skating in July, and the expectation is he'll more closely resemble the player from 2021-22 who averaged 4.31 power-play points per 60 minutes of ice time for an Anaheim power play that was 14th in the NHL at 21.9 percent.

3. Balancing the goaltending

Goalies Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov will compete for starts this season as the Flyers wait for one of them to emerge as a true No. 1. Ersson was 23-19-7 with a 2.82 goals-against average and .890 save percentage in 51 games last season but noticeably wore down late in the season while starting 28 of the final 34 games. Fedotov played three games after arriving in Philadelphia in late March, starting one, and should be more comfortable after a regular training camp and preseason, and potentially be closer to the player who was voted the best goalie in the KHL in 2021-22. The two have a combined 66 games of NHL experience, but the Flyers will need them to be better than the .887 save percentage they combined for last season.

ROSTER RUNDOWN

Making the cut

The Flyers have seven defensemen on NHL contracts and are high on prospects Emil Andrae, Hunter McDonald, Ronnie Attard and Helge Grans. But don't overlook Oliver Bonk having a chance to at least start the season in the NHL. The 19-year-old was fifth among Ontario Hockey League defensemen with 67 points (24 goals, 43 assists) in 60 games for London last season and was second with 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 18 OHL playoff games. The Flyers also have been impressed by Bonk's professionalism and maturity on and off the ice. General manger Daniel Briere has said the expectation is Bonk will return to London for another season of development but won't completely close the door if he's one of the seven or eight best defensemen during training camp.

Most intriguing addition

Michkov's high-end offensive skill set is what has Flyers management and fans so enthusiastic. But director of player development Riley Armstrong said what has most impressed him is Michkov's coachability. "The one thing that I've talked to him [about] throughout the last year is understanding when you're playing in the NHL and you're playing for 'Torts,' is just understanding the other side of the puck as well," Armstrong said. "During the course of the season, I even showed clips to Danny [Briere] of him blocking shots, of him backchecking hard. Those little things like that, that I was trying to get into him, it's like, 'Hey, if you want to play here and you want to be an impact player, you have to play 200 feet in North America, you have to play 200 feet in the NHL, to kind of be that all-around player.' I've seen him kind of buy into that already being over there and playing like that."

Biggest potential surprise

McDonald has impressed with how quickly he's developed since the Flyers selected him in the sixth round (No. 165) of the 2022 NHL Draft. In 2022-23 at Northeastern University, he was the first freshman voted best defensive defenseman in Hockey East, and after he had six points (one goal, five assists) in 23 games as a sophomore, he signed a two-year, entry-level contract April 15 and stood out with his size (6-foot-4, 205 pounds) and physicality in 11 games with Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League. With defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen working his way back from surgery to repair a ruptured triceps tendon, McDonald could be an option as a physical presence on the third defense pair early in the season.

Ready to contribute

Samu Tuomaala likely won't start the season in the NHL, but a good training camp could put him in position to be the first forward recalled from the AHL. The 21-year-old, selected in the second round (No. 46) of the 2021 NHL Draft, had 43 points (15 goals, 28 assists) in 69 games with Lehigh Valley last season and played in the AHL All-Star Game. He's a right wing, where the Flyers have Travis Konecny, Michkov and Bobby Brink penciled into their top three lines. But as Tuomaala's skating and confidence have improved, he could have a shot to steal a job at training camp, or at least make a statement that he's ready for the NHL if there's an injury or a drop-off in play by anyone ahead of him on the depth chart.

Fantasy sleeper

Fedotov, G (average draft position: 181.4) – He is an intriguing option as part of a goalie tandem on an improved Flyers team heading into this season. Fedotov played in only three NHL games last season but is worth taking a look at, as he has the potential to end this season as their go-to option in goal. The Flyers skater group should see a boost with the addition of Michkov, which should help in front of Fedotov. -- Anna Dua

PROJECTED LINEUP

Tyson Foerster -- Sean Couturier -- Travis Konecny

Owen Tippett -- Morgan Frost -- Matvei Michkov

Joel Farabee -- Scott Laughton -- Bobby Brink

Noah Cates -- Ryan Poehling -- Garnet Hathaway

Cam York -- Travis Sanheim

Nick Seeler -- Jamie Drysdale

Egor Zamula -- Rasmus Ristolainen

Samuel Ersson

Ivan Fedotov