Gameday Preview 1: Flyers vs. Canucks

The Philadelphia Flyers kick off the 2024-25 NHL season with a four-game west coast road trip, starting with the Vancouver Canucks.

There was plenty of excitement generated over the summer, from the arrival of Matvei Michkov, to the breakout preseason performance of Jett Luchanko, and Jamie Drysdale returning to full health.

Fans have been impatient for the Flyers to begin this new season, with a renewed sense of hope in what the year could bring. While the front office and coaching staff have been adamant about tempering expectations and not getting too far ahead of themselves, it’s undeniable that the fans and the organization are raring to go.

The Kids Are Alright

The Flyers have consistently stated that the young players are the focal point of the New Era of Orange, and with a season of experience together under their belts, the 2024-25 campaign will be their chance to really show what the future of the Flyers could look like.

With Michkov and Luchanko joining the ranks, the Flyers’ young guns are looking particularly dangerous. They know what’s being expected of them, and they’ve dedicated their entire preseason to making sure they’re up for challenge.

It’s literally the first game of the season, so who knows where it all will go, but this will be the big storyline to watch as the schedule progresses.

No Nick Seeler

Defenseman Nick Seeler has been dealing with persistent numbness in his leg after taking a puck to the knee area during a preseason game against the Boston Bruins, and will not play against the Canucks, although he did travel with the team.

Not having Seeler available is a blow to the defense, especially considering how keen the Flyers have been on his pairing with Jamie Drysdale coming into this season.

Goalies On Film

This season will also give fans the first real look at how the Sam Ersson-Ivan Fedotov tandem will look—something that head coach John Tortorella admitted he was “nervous” about.

Ersson has had the summer to properly train and prepare for being the starting goalie, while Fedotov will actually have a whole season to adjust to the NHL and have more opportunities to show his skills (he only played three games last season).

The Flyers’ goaltending situation has resembled nothing short of a ten-car pileup in recent years, but Ersson swooping in to try and salvage the team’s playoff run and providing a glimmer of hope until the very end could mean that things are turning around in net.

Related: John Tortorella Credits Sam Ersson With Keeping Flyers’ Playoff Hopes Alive

Projected Lines

Philadelphia Flyers

Forwards:

Matvei Michkov – Sean Couturier – Travis Konecny

Owen Tippett – Morgan Frost – Tyson Foerster

Joel Farabee – Jett Luchanko – Bobby Brink

Scott Laughton – Ryan Poehling – Garnet Hathaway

Defense:

Cam York – Travis Sanheim

Egor Zamula – Jamie Drysdale

Erik Johnson – Rasmus Ristolainen

Starting Goalie:

Sam Ersson

Vancouver Canucks:

Forwards:

Danton Heinen – J.T. Miller – Brock Boeser

Jake DeBrusk – Elias Pettersson – Daniel Sprong

Pius Suter – Aatu Raty – Conor Garland

Nils Hoglander – Teddy Blueger – Kiefer Sherwood

Defense:

Quinn Hughes – Filip Hronek

Carson Soucy – Tyler Myers

Derek Forbort – Noah Juulsen

Starting Goalie:

Kevin Lankinen

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