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What each Flyers player should be thankful for

Posted on by Jason MacNeil

Although it happened north of the border about five weeks ago, as it usually does, Thursday is Thanksgiving in America. It’s a time for family, reflection and just being grateful or thankful for either the little or bigger things in life. The Flyers will go into Thanksgiving out of a playoff spot but in the wildcard hunt. But despite the so-so, yo-yo opening quarter to the season, each Flyers player probably has something to be grateful or thankful for, right? Well, whether it’s a silver lining or a sliver of hope at what could be on the horizon for some players, it’s time to look at what each Flyers player (in no particular order) should be grateful for this Thanksgiving.

Sean Couturier

Captain Sean Couturier had a five-point game against Minnesota. The last time he had a game like that he had a knee brace on against the Penguins in the playoffs. But more importantly, Couturier (knock on wood or the bandwidth equivalent) has been healthy for the most part, missing just one of the first 22 games this season. He also scored in consecutive games in this last string of tilts while looking like he could be a much needed boost down the middle where the Flyers are still sorely lacking.

The underlying metrics have yet to pan out on the stat sheet (five goals and six assists heading into the Nashville game), but he’s doing everything he’s been asked to do. And it appears he’s not about to end up in the doghouse anytime soon, or at least until sometime in 2025.

Helge Grans

Grans had a good training camp and has played a good game since his call up. He hasn’t dazzled as much as Emil Andrae has. Yet he still goes about his business quite well, often ending up on the right side of the puck while being able to make crisp, smart passes out of his own zone quickly and effectively. He also registered his first NHL point in his first four games. In short, he’s not embarrassed himself.

Ivan Fedotov

Fedotov was at a remote Russian military base in the summer of 2022, thinking he might be heading to play for the Flyers when Russian officials had other plans. After doing his military service, and then playing in the KHL, Fedotov finally got his chance to play for the Flyers almost a decade after the team drafted him. So the fact he’s in North America and living out his dream is something he can’t help but appreciate or grasp.

But even better for fans, he’s been playing well. Not great by any stretch, but looking more composed and in control in the crease then he did when the season first started. And he got his first NHL win against Tampa in Florida, something he clearly savored once the shootout was over.

Nick Seeler

The Flyers defenseman is in year one of a four-year deal which is a far cry from when he was with the Minnesota Wild and contemplated calling it a career in hockey and starting a new chapter. Seeler had some injuries issues to start and is still finding his way on a backend that continues to use different combinations as injured players are on the mend, reassigned, or called up. Seeler has blocked shots and been hard to play against at times. In other instances, he looks like he’s thinking to himself, “Where the hell did Walker go?”

Hopefully he starts improving on some metrics, some of which are ridiculously poor. But for now he’s playing third-pairing minutes while trying to figure out who he might be paired up with the rest of the season. This slow start is also magnified given how well both Helge Grans, Emil Andrae and even Rasmus Ristolainen have performed while on the ice.

Nic Deslauriers

Looking more and more like he’s going to be playing less than half or one-third of the games in his third year of a four-year contract, Nic Deslauriers is probably the healthiest he’s been in years after being an enforcer for essentially his entire career. The knuckles aren’t quite as bruised or swollen, the cuts and shiners have been kept to a mininum and he’s done nothing to make himself a distraction off the ice. Nor should he or any fourth-liner with a talent level that isn’t screaming for more minutes.

Deslauriers should get back into the lineup at some point if the forwards run into injury troubles or if the team has fallen off a cliff and need something to change things up. It must be nice for the Flyer to know he’s not waking up sore or in pain from the battles he’s literally fought. One only has to look at the tilt with Matt Rempe last year to see how quickly a man’s head can be transformed with a few vicious rights and lefts.

Garnet Hathaway

The fourth-liner avoided serious injury against the Golden Knights on Monday night when he blocked a shot off his hand or wrist. Many thought when he went down the hallway to the locker room he might have fractured his hand, fingers or his wrist. He only missed a few minutes but was fine to play the rest of the night.

Cam York

Cam York had a bit of rust on him after missing almost a month due to injury, but his return should make the blueline a little harder to play against. And it should help the workload Travis Sanheim’s been given so far this year, even if it is just a wee bit less. York has three points in his nine games while having a career high so far in chances for (52.71 per cent in 166:06 time on ice five-on-five). Yes, a small sample size I’ll admit, but it’s a good sign.

If York can take a step forward this year nearly half as dominant as Sanheim’s season seemed to be last year then the Flyers may have two pieces of a core blueline that will be here for possible deeper playoff runs down the road when the seeds of the rebuild are starting to bloom a bit more.

Scott Laughton

Having a little bundle of joy brought into the world this year has been a blessing for Laughton, who many believe will be here for as long as he wishes to be. His contract isn’t backbreaking, he’s a “culture” guy in the locker room and he can play effectively on the penalty kill with Travis Konecny. He’s still off his pace of 39 points last season but he’s been doing enough to keep himself in the lineup, whether it’s in the middle six or on the fourth line with Ryan Poehling and Garnet Hathaway.

Laughton, whose first game for the Flyers was in the 2012-13 season, has 24 playoff games in his career. It’s a number that a lot of Flyers over the decades when they were near the top of the league would’ve seen as two so-so playoff seasons. Hopefully Laughton can be around long enough for some more playoff games, but it looks like he’s going to play for one team his entire career. That’s something fewer and fewer players these days can lay claim to. (Note: Of course he’s now being mentioned in trade talks so what the hell do I know.)

Jamie Drysdale

You have to probably look long and hard to find something Jamie Drysdale’s can be thankful for. In the last 10 months he’s been traded, injured, returned, had surgery, rehabbed, then started playing in 2024-25 and got injured. It’s been a tough go for the young and hopefully still promising defenseman. If there is probably one thing he can hang his hat on, it’s that general manager Danny Briere, coach John Tortorella, and assistant coach Brad Shaw know he’s a work in progress. And a project that needs time.

Drysdale played 81 games in 2021-22. Since then the numbers are ridiculously low each season: eight, ten, twenty-four and so far fifteen this season. That adds up to just over two-thirds of a full NHL season. If he can somehow play the rest of the season without getting banged up for inordinate amounts of time then the Flyers may finally be able to see what exactly they could have in the 22-year-old blueliner. Or what they have to work with.

Joel Farabee

If Joel Farabee’s contract had bonuses for almost scoring this year he might be in the salary range of Leon Draisatl or Connor McDavid. He’s scored an empty netter in a road win against Boston but he could probably have eight to ten goals so far. The upside? Well the fact he’s been around and around and around the net is proof he’s playing good hockey. John Tortorella this week made it a point to acknowledge Farabee has been probably the best Flyers forward the last three weeks, which is high praise coming from the demanding coach.

He should also be grateful that he can do this and not get injured in the process.

Ryan Poehling

Poehling has found himself again avoiding the doghouse while blocking shots (22) and being a serviceable forward. He’s found himself with Matvei Michkov for a little bit (and Anthony Richard) while moving up and down the lineup. He’s on pace to outdo his 20 point total (seven so far) but his metrics have been on a slight decline over last season. Poehling could be one of a handful of forwards the Flyers could consider moving if and when the time arises. This might be a hindrance with another year left on his contract but at a reasonable $1.9 million AAV it’s not an anchor or albatross. He should be thankful though that he’s been able to stay out of the discussion in terms of playing horribly.

Rasmus Ristolainen

The head shaking that began (and continues) when Rasmus Ristolainen was acquired and then resigned by former general manager Cliff Fletcher had thoughts of Andrew MacDonald 2.0 dancing in my head. With three years left on his contract, Ristolainen has been performing at a level the Flyers nor fans probably didn’t anticipate. He’s been fine. Not top-pairing great (although he’s been on the top pair) but he’s come leaps and bounds from where he was when Tortorella essentially said he was taught anything but defense while playing in Buffalo.

If he continues this level of play, and keeps skating like he has, he’ll be another plus on the blueline but, more importantly, given a look by other teams who need a big man on the back end. We’re not sure playing yourself out of town is something Ristolainen might be grateful for. But a team who might be all in at the deadline could see him as a piece that could make them go deeper for a Cup run. That would result in a few more draft picks or prospects Briere could use or keep.

Aleksei Kolosov

Aleksei Kolosov should be thankful, but perhaps not as much as others believe he should be thankful. Kolosov’s tenure with the organization got off to a rocky start according to him with the language barrier and isolation supposedly causing him angst in Lehigh Valley. After playing hooky for a summer with the Flyers wondering if he was coming over or not, Kolosov finally arrived in North America. It’s unclear if he’s put a shot across the bow: play me or I go back overseas. If he has, he’s probably not long for the organization given how the Flyers goaltending prospects are doing both in the KHL and the WHL.

So, Kolosov should be grateful he’s up with the big club and has some playing time under his belt. When Sam Ersson returns the Flyers could keep carrying all three but that doesn’t seem to be a workable situation long-term. If he tries to use whatever leverage he (or his agent) may feel he has, it’s probably not going to work for the Belarus native.

Bobby Brink

Bobby Brink has taken some dumb stick penalties. He looked lost to start the year and was out of the lineup for three games so far. Yet he’s sixth in team scoring, probably something you would not have expected going into the Nashville game on Wednesday night. Michkov, Sanheim, Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim and Couturier are the only ones ahead of him in the point totals. And, like Farabee, he has done a better job looking like he’s creating offense (10 points in 19 games after only 20 points in 57 games last season). If he and/or Farabee can start putting some point streaks together it will be critical in getting the Flyers back in the chase or deeper into the season playing meaningful hockey.

Sam Ersson

Some of these will be short and to the point. This is one of them. For Sam Ersson, the fact that he’s injured and neither Ivan Fedotov’s or Aleksei Kolosov’s play in his absence has led anyone to believe either is worthy of being the starting goalie. He’ll have the job when he gets back, assuming he gets back.

Matvei Michkov

The Mad Russian has 17 points in 20 games. He’s been scratched twice. Never made a stink about it. He has four even-strength points, which means the power play has been doing something this season (13 points there). He has three game-winning goals (two at home, one away). He was the NHL Rookie of the Month for October. And he’s leading all rookies (going into Tuesday night’s action) in points.

Michkov can also celebrate his first American Thanksgiving with his family as they are with him through this adjustment to North American hockey and lifestyle. It’s a far cry from June, 2023 when the Flyers picked him and didn’t expect him in Philadelphia for three more seasons. So to have him here two years ahead of time is probably something everyone who roots for the Flyers is extremely thankful for.

Egor Zamula

Egor Zamula is no longer translating for Matvei Michkov. Some people might have thought translating on the fly was a huge deal. But it appeared to put more pressure on Zamula than he needed. So that’s no longer a problem. So he should be grateful for that small pet peeve eliminated. He’s been in for 16 of the first 22 games and paired with a bevy of defensemen. Erik Johnson, Drysdale and Ristolainen each have over 30 minutes of time on ice five-on-five with the Russian.

There’s still a boatload of options that the Flyers are going to have to address when the backend are all healthy (assuming it happens once or twice the last 60 games). With Emil Andrae and Helge Grans showing poise and promise, Zamula could end up being one of the two odd men out alongside Johnson.

Owen Tippett

Owen Tippett hasn’t been great this year. He needs to score more. He needs to hit the net more. He’s on pace for almost half of the goal output he cashed in on last season. That doesn’t mean the contract is a bad one. Some seasons are better than others. But you would like to see him score more than he has so far. One thing both he and fans should be thankful for is that he has shown flashes of dominance and glimpses of that dazzling speed. He has a motor few in the league have. And he’s one of only seven remaining Flyers who have yet to miss a game this season. We know, it’s a bit of straw-grasping in terms of being thankful, but he has yet to make most reasonable people rue the day the Flyers gave him the term and salary they did. The fact he also hasn’t killed anyone with one of his seemingly dozens of errant shots is another blessing to behold.

Morgan Frost

To be a healthy scratch for four of the first 22 games might not be something to be thankful for. But considering Morgan Frost had the same thing happen to him 11 times last season it might be an improvement. The last few games he’s looked like he removed the sleep from his eyes and the rust from his skates, making a few nifty moves while also getting a goal that didn’t bounce off him and in. He’s also possibly on the cusp of finding some chemistry with Matvei Michkov (who seems to love to chat it up with Frost on the bench).

An uptick in his play will probably not secure his spot on the roster in the big picture but it might be enough to see him as trade bait for a prospect (hello, Columbus!) or draft picks. One hopes he finds his game at some point just for his own sake, even if the stint with the Flyers is possibly pointing to a termination in the not too distant future.

Emil Andrae

Emil Andrae got his first NHL goal and you’d swear it was a playoff overtime winner with his enthusiasm. Andrae started the season in no man’s land, not in the AHL but not getting any playing time with the Flyers. When he was sent back down the Lehigh Valley Phantoms had a few days between games. So he ended up playing a handful of times in the first month. But since injuries to the Flyers blueline, and since his call up this time, he’s made a name for himself. Depending on what happens with the other defensemen, Andrae has almost made it impossible for the front office and the coaching staff to rationally explain sending him back down again. Perhaps a defenseman being shipped out (not Andrae!) is in order (or the Flyers go 11/7 for a while), but Andrae is someone who has been another bright spot in a rather ordinary season for the team so far.

Noah Cates

Having scored his first goal of the season recently, Cates has been all over the map with the lineup combinations (then again who hasn’t?). He has gone from being the odd man out for most of the West Coast trek to being a +8 in plus/minus for November while getting points in two of his last three games heading to Nashville. Cates doesn’t have the trade value of other Flyers that could be on the market like Ristolainen or (gasps) Laughton which could see him keep his name in the lineup for some time to come.

Travis Sanheim

Sanheim has been nothing but a huge asset since Torey Krug nixed his trade out of town. The workhorse has looked a bit more mature this year, not being as much of a rover but having the sense to know when an offensive rush or carrying the puck is needed to change the pace or momentum of a game. If healthy Sanheim could have career highs in goals as he has half his season total last year (10) with 60 games left.

Sanheim has also made nearly everyone he’s played with look better, which is a testament to his play and his team-first approach. If Sanheim is part of Team Canada’s roster (with another Travis on the Flyers) for the upcoming Four Nations tournament it might surprise a lot of people around the league but shouldn’t come as a shock to those in the know. The defenseman should be grateful Krug opted out of the trade. Most Flyers fans are.

Tyson Foerster

Foerster should be grateful that in a sophomore season, where players can sometimes slump, he’s hasn’t been the focus of the media glare for his slow start. With Michkov and now Emil Andrae being feel good stories to open the year, Foerster didn’t look like himself at all. And that’s not just offensively. Whether it was missed assignments, not winning the battles on the boards or just a few brain cramps with stick infractions, Foerster looked more like a rookie this season then he did last year.

Travis Konency

Konecny should be thankful he got off to such a tremendous start, making any doubters of his contract extension hit the pause button on their cynicism. He leads the team in goals, assists, points and is even tied for penalty minutes with Foerster (27) after 22 games. He has been dependable on the penalty kill although he hasn’t delivered the goals a man down like he did last season thus far. But he has put up some numbers that should be career highs across the board if he keeps healthy despite playing like a guy twice his size.

He’s worked well with Couturier, he’s worked well with Michkov (see below) and works fine with anyone he’s lined up with. If he can deliver similar production the next three or four years, it will make that rather large and lengthy contract a bit more digestable. He definitely hasn’t been a turkey this year! Besides being in contention for a Team Canada roster spot for the Four Nations tournament, he’s also now in the top 20 in terms of all-time total points leaders for the Flyers.

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