The calendar has turned to September and we’re officially mere weeks away from hockey getting back to action. The season is fast approaching, and along with it, we have some news on changes to the CBA being brought into effect for the start of the 2025-26 season.
Per the folks over at PuckPedia, along with some changes to the playoff salary cap and elimination of paper loans to the AHL, among other pieces, being fast tracked into effect is teams’ allowance to assign one 19-year old player to their AHL squad. It’s a change that’s been long in the making and should benefit some players who are in the murky middle space of their development — having already mastered the CHL level but not quite ready to jump into NHL games just yet — and it’s good news for the Flyers in particular.
There are a number of major storylines carrying into this coming training camp, roster spots being fought for throughout the Flyers’ lineup as they have a surplus of bonafide NHL ready players vying for limited spaces, before we even begin to get into the Jett Luchanko of it all. That is, we recall, Luchanko put together a strong camp last year and endeared himself well enough to the coaching staff to earn himself a nine-game tryout with the big club to start the season, before it became clear that he wasn’t quite ready to stick around on a full time basis. What followed was a commanding season back in the OHL on a truly struggling Guelph team, and then a run with the Phantoms down the stretch and through two round of the Calder Cup playoffs, where he brought some really notable flash — not to mention some much needed speed down the middle for that team — but still was left working through some growing pains. Up until now, it looked like he was primed to have a similar season in his future, as his readiness for an NHL job remained up in the air, and the return to junior hockey being the only option open for a more patient approach (as Luchanko has already signed his entry level contract, making him unavailable to benefit from the new rules allowing CHL players to jump ship and try things out in the NCAA), but now the Flyers will have the option open to them to return Luchanko to pick right back up where he left things off in the spring with the Phantoms.
Of course, just because they now have this option doesn’t mean they have to exercise it — the door remains open for Luchanko to grab an NHL job if he absolutely blows the Flyers’ management group away come training camp, while on the flip side, a combination of a lackluster camp and the already crowded AHL roster outlook could leave the Flyers inclined to still return Luchanko to Guelph after all — but all in all, a move to the AHL on a more full-time basis feels like the best option for a player in Luchanko’s developmental position. It’s a step up in intensity from what he will have been used to in the OHL, but it’s a smaller step than it would be to the NHL, and it would allow him to make that step while still getting some targeted work in with the development staff down in the AHL. We’ll see if this comes to fruition in the end, but it could well be just the break the Flyers need to best handle Luchanko’s development.
UPDATE
Correction/Clarification:
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) September 2, 2025
The 19 year old AHL change is not yet in effect. It requires agreement with CHL, & the NHL/NHLPA have agreed to push to get this agreement & change done for this season. However, those negotiations have not started yet & no guarantee it's effective… https://t.co/NYT6l1xSaK
So, as things stand right now it looks like this is still up in the air. This doesn’t mean that it’s out of the question but in the coming weeks, there should be some clarification.
We certainly hope that this gets ironed out so Luchanko is able to play on a very exciting and young Phantoms squad, but if not, he will have to battle his way to an NHL spot or join the OHL’s Guelph Storm.
