All throughout this summer we will be conjuring up some hypotheses of how exactly the Philadelphia Flyers might look on the ice next season. Will they be going super young and trading away some veterans? Will they add a more experienced presence down the middle or on the blue line to try and feel more secure about making the playoffs again? What about the backup goaltender?
To ask all of these questions and try to come up with answers, sometimes we have to know the rules. Those pesky little rules in the NHL’s CBA that we all have to search online about whenever a big question comes up about roster construction.
One of the more specific things that will be brought up is whether or not the Flyers can send a player down to the AHL and have them not pass through waivers. It will act as a big red X with a Family Feud-esque buzzer sound whenever you want to think about a prospect or a young player just being sent down to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms because they aren’t quite good enough for the Flyers but you want to keep them in the system.
There is a total of six players who are in the Flyers organization that will be losing their waiver exemption. Which means that to be demoted down to the AHL at the end of training camp (if they don’t make the Flyers) they will be on the waiver wire for the first time in their careers.
David Jiricek, D
Certainly the highest-profile Flyer that will everyone will need to know cannot just be sent back down to the AHL again, is defenseman David Jiricek. The return for winger Bobby Brink in the trade deadline move with the Minnesota Wild, since Jiricek signed his entry-level contract at 18 years old, enough seasons have passed that he will now require waivers.
This almost guarantees him a spot on the Flyers roster in some way. Unless he completely flames out at training camp and head coach Rick Tocchet is disgusted with the thought of putting him on the ice, Jiricek holding the pedigree of being a former sixth-overall pick and having some offensive abilities, could be a prime candidate to be claimed if put on waivers.
The Flyers’ hand has been forced so now it’s up to Jiricek to determine if he will be having a regular spot in the lineup, or just be a rotation piece as the eighth of eight defensemen the Flyers might carry heading into the 2026-27 season.
Nikita Grebenkin, LW/RW
One name that has not been brought up a whole lot regarding this topic is winger Nikita Grebenkin. If the Flyers don’t see a fit with him in the lineup, the 23-year-old winger will need to go through waivers to be demoted to the AHL.
It’s such an unlikely situation since he was playing in regular minutes last season even with veterans ahead of him and now with some more clearance, Grebenkin should have a clear path to a regular role in the Flyers’ bottom six (as long as his injury clears up). We’ve seen young players sink their value and end up not being a fit because of a bad training camp, but it would take something detrimental for the Flyers to be fine putting Grebenkin out on waivers for anyone to claim.
He should be a mainstay on the fourth line to give a little bit of some offensive juice next to Sean Couturier once he’s healthy.
Christian Kyrou, D
Maybe the only other interesting player is defenseman Christian Kyrou. The return for the one-for-one swap with the Dallas Stars for Samu Tuomaala in the middle of last season, the undersized blueliner went on a scoring heater with the Phantoms last season and cooled off, and then started scoring a little bit more.
He has yet to make it in the NHL and 5-foot-11, 182-pound defensemen don’t really make it unless your name is Lane Hutson. And while Kyrou does have some good offensive tools, scoring 10 goals and 34 points in 55 games for the Phantoms isn’t any eye-popping numbers that make you fight too hard about him making this team.
With the likely inclusion of David Jiricek and the possibility of Oliver Bonk also making the team, the blue line is not going to be only young right-handed defensemen and the Phantoms will need some guys too. Kyrou will be on waivers this fall, but is maybe the only player anyone has to think twice about.
And, the others
There are three other players who will be facing the waiver wire for the first time in their careers. Forward Brett Harrison (who the Flyers got in that weird minor-league swap with the Bruins at the trade deadline), Artem Guryev (defenseman part of the Ryan Ellis-Carl Grundstrom trade with the Sharks), and Tucker Robertson (who the Flyers traded for in September for J.R. Avon).
All three of these players will certainly be going on waivers as it would be maybe the biggest surprise in years if any of them suddenly became so good that they would even make it as extra skaters for the Flyers’ 23-man roster. Unless they are several injuries or Danny Briere traded everyone, these guys are Allentown-bound and will pass through waivers to get there.
Who is still eligible for waivers?
While there are six players who are now going to lose their waiver exemption, who still has it?
While we can go into every single player that is still exempt from waivers, the only notable names are: Porter Martone, Alex Bump, Matvei Michkov, Jett Luchanko, Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk, Hunter McDonald, and Aleksei Kolosov. That’s the group. Some of those players are guarantees to make the Flyers so we don’t have to worry about it, and then others are either having their first full season of pro hockey like Luchanko, or just got there, like Bonk and McDonald.
And then the newcomers like Cole Knuble, Jack Berglund, Alex Ciernik, Devin Kaplan, and such, are obviously eligible since they only just recently signed their entry-level contract within the last year.
The Flyers are going to have to take this all into account when making the precious roster decisions next fall.
