The Philadelphia Flyers have a couple spots open for several players to fight over as training camp starts Thursday. But all the focus is primarily on two rookie wingers who are looking to scratch and claw their way to standing on the blue line and hearing their name called when the Flyers have their home opener on Oct. 13.
Alex Bump, fresh off a national championship and looking like an offensive dynamo with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and Nikita Grebenkin, the prospect as part of the trade return for Scott Laughton at last year’s deadline, are the two most prominent prospects outside of the OHL-or-NHL decision looming over Jett Luchanko. Both certainly have their cases to make to stake their claim to a roster spot due to their play style, and they are starting camp on the right foot.
As we found out on the first day of training camp, it looks like they won’t have to be battling from the bottom of the lineup and trying to get noticed as they drag an AHL veteran or future real estate agent around the ice in Voorhees — both Grebenkin and Bump are getting prime opportunities alongside top-end NHL talent to show what they can do.
Flyers' Group A:
— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) September 18, 2025
F
Bump-Zegras-Konecny
Grebenkin-Couturier-Michkov
Pederson-Nesbitt-Hathaway
Kaplan-Abols-Gaucher
D
Seeler-Drysdale
Sanheim-Gill
Murchison-Vlooswyk
Gilbert-Moline
As reported by NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jordan Hall, as part of Group A at training camp, Alex Bump will be on the so-called first line with none other than Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny — two forwards who could certainly score around a point per game for the Flyers this season. And there he is, the shoot-first, willing-to-get-dirty winger from Western Michigan right alongside them.
In theory, we could see this line working so well. Zegras as the primary playmaker and his ability to work in the smallest areas of the ice to keep possession; Konecny to get in the corners, muck it up with the defenders and generally cause havoc; and then Bump to be along the halfboards, making his own plays for two linesmates who know where to be and also being a major scoring threat himself.
Just below that eye-popping first line that we all want to see in action this preseason, Nikita Grebenkin has found a home alongside the steady veteran Sean Couturier and a countryman in Matvei Michkov. Maybe it’s just the potential for more communication as Grebenkin attends a very important training camp and having Michkov able to be right alongside him, but there is certainly a style matchup that has us drooling.
Any line with Michkov on it is bound to work in some way, but the combination with Couturier later last season started to work exceptionally well, especially after John Tortorella was fired as Michkov finished the season with six goals and 12 points in nine games alongside Couturier and Konecny. But with Konecny serving another role on the other line, Grebenkin is here to cause the same amount of havoc and potentially be another netfront man for Michkov to bounce pucks off of. It is interesting that Rick Tocchet decided to pair two of the more physically gifted players alongside Michkov, but maybe we’re looking too much into that.
Regardless, both Bump and Grebenkin are being handed prime opportunities to make the most out of this training camp. If they’re not able to look good on these lines, with these players next to them, then they don’t deserve to start this season with the Flyers and could do with having a month or two down with the Phantoms.
It’s everything that they need to shine. It’s basically Tocchet himself hoisting those two wingers up and all they need to do is actually go ahead and grab the roster spot off the top shelf.
