The Philadelphia Flyers have a few decisions to make before the puck drops on the 2025-26 NHL season next week. Quite possibly the most important one is if Jett Luchanko will make the roster for the second straight season, or if he’ll be sent down to the OHL for the full campaign.
The 2024 13th overall pick impressed John Tortorella & Co. in training camp last season, and due to the lack of center depth on the roster at the time, got a look with the big club to begin the season. While he ultimately got sent to the OHL after appearing in just four games, the 18-year-old centerman didn’t look out of place in just over 56 minutes of action.
Then, after a 21-goal, 56-point season in 46 games with the Guelph Storm, he finished out the year playing 16 total games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He had three assists in nine regular-season AHL contests and then, once he felt a little bit more offensively comfortable, added six more helpers in seven playoff games.
Luchanko was held off the ice at Flyers’ development camp in early July due to a groin issue, and that kept him out of action in rookie camp as well. However, he’s since ramped things up with plenty of practice time and games under his belt, putting together perhaps his most impressive performance on Monday night in Boston.
Luchanko progressing throughout the preseason
In a game that didn’t feature many NHL regulars, Luchanko centered Nikita Grebenkin and Garnet Hathaway on the second line. That could very well be the Flyers’ fourth line to begin the season.
While Rodrigo Abols furthered his case for a roster spot on Monday night, so did Luchanko. And the organization sure seems like they want the 19-year-old center to make the team. After all, why shouldn’t they? He needs to play in the NHL this season, even if it’s only for the start.
Unfortunately, the Flyers aren’t allowed to send Luchanko to the AHL as they can with Grebenkin, Abols, Alex Bump, and the like, so they’re stuck between keeping him in the NHL or sending him back to the OHL.
If the Flyers keep Luchanko on the roster to start the season, they can send him to the OHL at any time — but can’t bring him back to the NHL. They could even let him play with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship, but that’s a discussion for another day.
Luchanko has the tools to be a solid third-line center right now, and the speed and hockey sense to make his way up the lineup eventually once some offense comes his way. His puck skills and shot definitely need some work, but he’s not necessarily going to improve them more in the OHL than he would in the NHL.
Luchanko’s potential role on the Flyers right now
Having Luchanko on the Flyers’ roster would give them a skillset that they don’t really have anywhere else. Not only does he bring the speed down the middle, but he always seems to be making the right play. If you pair him with two competent wingers, that should be a line that ends up in the offensive zone more than being pinned in their own end.
Of course, you don’t want one of your top prospects stuck on the fourth line, or even really in the bottom six. And while the Flyers shored up the center position with Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak over the summer, it looks like those two might be playing on the same line with Matvei Michkov. That opens the door even wider for Luchanko to grab a roster spot.
Even if Luchanko does start the season on the fourth line, the Flyers are a team that should be rolling all four lines, and they’ll be sure to get him playing time on the penalty kill and power play as well. And just because he starts down in the lineup doesn’t mean that he’s finishing there.
There are bound to be injuries throughout the season, and if Luchanko progresses well — or maybe just doesn’t regress — he could see himself centering the second line if one of the Flyers’ top pivots goes down. Hell, he could move up the lineup anyway if the Flyers need speed and a spark.
Speaking of injuries, it’s quite possible that Luchanko is still not at the top of his game after missing the start of camp. If Monday night’s game was any indication, he could be on the up and up with two preseason games remaining.
Development can still happen with the Flyers
You can make the argument that having Luchanko play in the NHL this season would be too early, rushing him, and potentially hurting his development. But that’s rubbish.
Learning and developing skills doesn’t have to happen in the lower leagues. Players are constantly improving and adding things to their bags of tricks throughout their careers, especially early on. The Flyers have made a point of growing a strong culture in the locker room, and there are plenty of players on the roster who he could learn different things from.
Luchanko’s NHL floor is going to be pretty high anyway. He’s already looked the part as a bottom-six center, and if he can find some offensive flash, his speed could easily make him a second-line center. I don’t see his ceiling lowering too much — if at all — by having him start the season with the Flyers.
Getting a proper look at Luchanko this season would also help things going into next offseason, when the Flyers are prepared to spend big. If you know that Luchanko can be a middle-six center, you can confidently go after some of the bigger names on the market and present yourselves as contenders for the next several years. If Luchanko has a passable season but doesn’t overly impress, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a bust. It’s just something to monitor and keep in mind moving forward.
Let’s say that Luchanko does get the full OHL season down in Guelph. He had 1.08 points per game in the 2023-24 season and 1.21 last year. If he keeps on that trajectory with, say, 90 points, does that make you feel that much better about him? He’ll still have the question marks around him regarding his puck skills and shot. Why not have him work on that and find that out in the NHL instead?
While the Flyers want to take a step forward and potentially become a playoff team this year, this season is once again mostly about finding out what works and what doesn’t. They think they are on the rebound after shedding even more dead weight last season, and now it’s time to see if they can take that step forward.
Luchanko should be a part of that journey.
