Should Flyers use 11 forwards, seven defensemen more this season?

The regular season is approaching, and with that another season that\'ll see the Flyers (and a lot of other teams) up against it when it comes to navigating their way through the 82-game schedule. As previously reported, Philadelphia will see 14 back-to-back games this year.

That is not ideal. But that\'s the best of what\'s to come. They\'ll also play three games in four nights 19 times, which is a sizeable amount of games bunched together. The real kicker? Well, an almost criminal 24 times this year Philadelphia will have played four games in six nights. Three months they\'ll be playing essentially every other night with 15 games each of those months (December, January, and March). Granted, the nearly three-week break for the Winter Olympics will be a slight reprieve. But it\'s going to be hellish at best. Before the Olympics and after the Olympics.

So, with the bumps and bruises that come with a season, as well as injuries, it\'s essential the Flyers try to bank as many points as possible as early as possible. Which is why it might be an idea for head coach Rick Tocchet to consider going with a lineup that sees 11 forwards and seven defensemen used more often in 2025-26. There are a few reason this could be beneficial for Philadelphia, so let\'s break them down here.

Last season, the Flyers -- under John Tortorella primarily and Brad Shaw temporarily -- used six defensemen and 12 forwards 81 out of 82 games. Technically it\'s 81, because they dressed six defenseman against Montreal on March 27 in Brad Shaw\'s first game as head coach. It\'s just that Cam York was disciplined and never saw a second of ice time despite being dressed and ready to go. So against Montreal they went essentially with five on the blueline. Thus 80 of the remaining 81 games they dressed and used six. Only on Feb. 2 against host Colorado (a 2-0 loss), did the Flyers go the 11/7 route. On that night Emil Andrae, Jamie Drysdale, Erik Johnson, Rasmus Ristolainen, Travis Sanheim, Nick Seeler and Cam York all played in various combinations.

Previously, in 2023-24, it seemed that Tortorella was open to 11/7 but that idea went out the window most of last year. However, this year it would seem to be more pragmatic. First off, seven defensemen generally takes a little bit of pressure off your top pairing if not your top four. The idea is another body will eat up some (not all) of the workload the likes of Travis Sanheim or Cam York would see on a nightly basis. As small or inconsequential as two or three fewer minutes or two or three shifts might seem in one game, those minutes could give the blueline a little breather, particularly if they have three in four or four in six. Workload management is necessary when you have a slate this concentrated both before and after the Winter Olympics. And that rest, albeit small, adds up over the course of an uphill marathon this season expects to be.

As well, if the game is essentially over with a big lead (or big deficit), having those top pair or top four being used in garbage time is ridiculous. Spreading that time is a lot easier using your fifth, sixth, and seventh defensemen than over-working your third pairing. Basically, an extra defender should generally help share the workload a little better than with the standard six. There\'s also the argument (albeit far more remote) that should one of the defenders get injured during the game (or is tossed for a major penalty), the Flyers would still have six defensemen playing, thus keeping three pairs for the rest of the game. Of course the devil\'s advocate could argue if there were 11 forwards and the same situation transpired, Philadelphia would be left with essentially three lines (10 forwards) which isn\'t great either. But overall more defensemen should result in a slightly smaller workload for all of them.

Another reason this blueprint could be used a little more than normal is that the Flyers didn\'t just add one depth defenseman this year but two. Noah Juulsen and Dennis Gilbert were signed to give the backend a bit more size. But perhaps the biggest difference between these off-season signings and previous ones, it\'s the fact both Juulsen and Gilbert could be seen as much more than depth defenseman. Unlike Marc Staal and Erik Johnson, neither Juulsen nor Gilbert are over 30. They still have a chance to shine or prove themselves. Both are big and tall, traits that Tocchet loves in his blueline. And neither should be considered as the just the seventh or eighth defenseman. Perhaps one or both have great camps and end up playing themselves into the lineup. Or both are playing well enough that going with seven defensemen for a stretch isn\'t a liability but actually a plus. Although Rasmus Ristolainen looks to be out of the lineup for some time due to his second surgery in as many years, a lineup of Jamie Drysdale, Travis Sanheim, Nick Seeler, Cam York, Egor Zamula, Noah Juulsen and Dennis Gilbert might not be a longshot but a reality on some nights. Or should Zamula take a step back, and Emil Andrae play his way into the conversation during training camp, Zamula could be the odd man out in terms of defensemen.

Perhaps another key reason Tocchet might run with 11 forwards is that while it can certain screw up your fourth line combinations, it would give more ice time to the 11 forwards, and particularly your best players. Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny and now Trevor Zegras could all find some chemistry or synergy simply by playing a bit more each game. And that chemistry or synergy could be found a lot quicker if they are given more time. Michkov made it clear he wanted to see the ice far more in 2025-26 than he did, and it\'s possible Tocchet gives him more rope in that regard. Having another high-level talented offensive forward in Zegras could also allow him to see a few more shifts to iron out any kinks he might have with his linemates. Given the relative youthful average age of the team, perhaps the young forwards can handle a bit more ice time throughout the first half of the season. And not totally give in to the demands of Michkov but let him see the ice far more than the 16:41 average ice time he got in his rookie year. Especially when that average was boosted a bit by Shaw using him much more down the stretch.

It\'s also evident that the Flyers do not have a confirmed 12th forward in their lineup. One only has to see last season how many people basically had that role. Whether it was Anthony Richard, Olle Lycksell, Rodrigo Abols, Nic Deslauriers, Jacob Gaucher or Karsen Dorwart, the Flyers didn\'t seem to have that forward set in stone throughout the season. So would having that extra body every night for the sole reason to go with four full lines be all that necessary?

As for Tocchet, he hasn\'t used 11/7 a lot, but he has used it. Some of the rationale was to ease up the minutes of his workhorse Quinn Hughes in Vancouver. During the 2023-24 season while coaching Vancouver the Canucks used it for the first time late in the season when Vancouver beat Arizona 2-1 in early April. And last season he employed it occasionally. But in a new situation with a new team, he could employ it a bit more this year to ease the minutes for the likes of Sanheim and York. Especially regarding Sanheim if he\'s possibly going to make the Team Canada roster at the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Of course, the forward unit, like the blueline, aren\'t composed of robots. They would eventually wear down eventually as much as the defensemen if the same 60 minutes was divided by 11 skaters instead of the usual 12. But it\'s possible that the schedule will almost dictate that the 11/7 model will be used not every single night, but far more often than once every 82 games. The bottom line is the schedule is going to be nightmarish for teams all over the league. So it\'s almost required that teams are flexible with their lineups night to night and game to game. The Flyers might not go unbeaten using 11/7 all season, but it could result in the backend being able to survive the heavy lifting down the stretch towards the playoffs. Regardless, it definitely should be a reality this season, much more than last year.

Talking Points