Devils vs. the Metro: Flyers Get Early Gift, Mostly Status Quo; Lineup Projection

No one expected the Philadelphia Flyers to be near the top of the Metropolitan Division last season for most of the year. The New Jersey Devils’ division rival wound up nosediving toward the end of the season and missing the playoffs, but there’s little doubt that head coach John Tortorella squeezed out as much as he could out of an otherwise written-off roster.

Heading into 2024-25, the Flyers don’t project to be much better on paper, although they did receive an early gift this summer that certainly helps the outlook of their future.

2023-24 record: 38-22-11, 87 points, sixth place in the Metropolitan Division, did not qualify for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

**This is the next in a NJHN series comparing the New Jersey Devils to their Metro Division rivals to further projections and understanding of the coming Devils season. See previous parts — New York Rangers — Carolina Hurricanes

Flyers Key Arrivals

The Flyers will come back next season looking similar to what they looked like last season. They didn’t add all that much via free agency, however, they did make one key add this offseason.

Highly touted prospect forward Matvei Michkov made the leap from Russia to North America, terminating his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg and inking his entry-level contract with the Flyers.

Michkov immediately becomes a Calder Trophy favorite in 2024-25 as the 19-year-old has superstar upside.

In 47 games on loan with HC Sochi, Michkov nearly reached a point per game pace, scoring 19 goals and 41 points in 47 games.

Although he was drafted at the small size of 5-foot-10, 147 lbs, Michkov weighs in more recently at 176 lbs. As he continues to grow, Michkov will only further exemplify an electric game that is certain to add an element of excitement to the Flyers’ lineup.

Devils fans very well may audibly “ugh” when Michkov comes to town for years to come.

Flyers Key Departures

The Flyers will be slightly less experienced after a couple of veterans won’t be returning next season. At the beginning of the offseason, the Flyers opted to buyout veteran forward Cam Atkinson. Although Philly is paying Atkinson for the next two seasons, he will play for the Tampa Bay Lightning next season on a one-year contract.

In 70 games last season, Atkinson scored 13 goals and 28 points in the orange and black.

On the blueline, the Flyers won’t employee Marc Staal next season after his one-year deal he signed last summer has expired. Staal remains a free agent after logging 13:49 seconds of average time on ice last season. He contributed a goal and five points in 35 games.

Prospect Pipeline

Although he’s a goaltender who is in the prime years of his career, Ivan Fedotov is Philly’s closest to NHL-ready prospect at the ripe age of 27 years old. That’s partly because he spent the first six years of his professional career playing in the KHL, most recently for CSKA Moskva.

Before he got in his first career NHL game toward the end of the 2023-24 season (plus two additional), Fedotov accrued a 2.37 GAA and .914 SV% in the KHL last year. The Flyers’ former seventh round selection in the 2015 NHL Draft made a name for himself during the 2021-22 season, winning the award as the KHL’s best goaltender, capturing first-team All-Star honors, claiming the KHL Gargarin Cup. He also won a silver medal at the Olympics with Russia. The Flyers are hoping Fedotov’s elite KHL status translates to the North American game much like how it did for the New York Islanders and Ilya Sorokin or New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin.

Needs

Although Fedotov has the upside, the Flyers’ biggest need could be their goaltending. In the instance that Fedotov doesn’t pan out and Samuel Ersson proves he’s not a true starter in the NHL, Philly is out of goaltending options.

The unforeseen circumstance came about suddenly for the Flyers when former Philadelphia goaltender Carter Hart was summoned to court in Canada in relation to the 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault allegations. In 227 career NHL games, Hart accrued a 2.94 GAA and .906 SV%.

Quotable

Flyers GM Daniel Briere certainly has high expectations for Matvei Michkov:

“He has special skills. He’s extremely talented. We hope that down the road it turns out to be. But let’s be honest, it’s not going to be the case next season, or even the following season. Patience is the key here. It’s going to take a little bit of time. You look at guys — you can start with Connor Bedard coming in. He’s a good player, we all saw that. But there’s a learning curve that you have to go through. That’s what we expect with Matvei.” — Daniel Briere via The Athletic

Projected Lineup

Forwards

Tyson Foerester—Sean Couturier—Travis Konecny

Owen Tippett—Morgan Frost—Matvei Michkov

Joel Farabee—Scott Laughton—Bobby Brink

Noah Cates—Ryan Poehling—Garnet Hathaway

Defense

Cam York—Travis Sanheim

Nick Seeler—Jamie Drysdale

Egor Zamula—Rasmus Ristolainen

Goaltenders

Samuel Ersson

Ivan Fedotov

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