*The Philadelphia Flyers started their preseason out with a little bit of a whimper in what was a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals in the somewhat neutral site of Hershey, PA. It wasn’t a great showing overall but some young prospects like Cole Knuble got noticed and is suddenly in the conversation. Check out all the takeaways from the first preseason bout. [BSH]
*But more important than any result in the preseason, Denver Barkey got banged up in the first period of the first exhibition game and was ruled out for the remainder of the game for the Flyers. At the time of writing, we don’t know the specifics to Barkey’s injury, but we’re of course going to assume it is the worst news possible and there is some sort of absence. [BSH]
*Regardless, the Flyers did unveil their lineup for Monday’s game and it did raise some questions. It’s not the full team or anything, but it’s good to see where people stand. [BSH]
*We all know that Matvei Michkov changed some of his offseason habits and really focused on bettering himself this past summer. But, he made it known with some quotes about his summer and about the discourse. [TSN]
*Tyson Foerster is ready to come roaring back and with his potential breakout season cut short by injuries last year, he is even more inspired to make a name for himself. [Inquirer]
*Elsewhere, some slight drama is happening. The Toronto Maple Leafs appeared ready to move on from defenseman Morgan Rielly this past offseason. A trade felt likely. But now he remains on the team and wants it to be known that he’s happy to be there. [Daily Faceoff]
*Mike Babcock just admitted that he doesn’t “have a clue” when it comes to the Edmonton Oilers and the lineup he wants to work with. That seems good. [Sportsnet]
*And finally, former Flyer Kevin Hayes has decided to retire from professional hockey after just a week or so in the KHL, saying his body just can’t cut it for high-level hockey anymore. [NHL.com]
