The Flyers’ fourth line is like most fourth lines on any National Hockey League club: they’re limited in their minutes, they are often “energy” lines which throw body checks and stir things up, and they rarely end up being huge offensive producers. For this first eight games of the 2025-26 season, Philadelphia has had a bit of a rotating crew who have assumed the bottom three positions. Rodrigo Abols has been used in that capacity. The same goes for Nikita Grebenkin, Garnet Hathaway, Nic Deslauriers, and Jett Luchanko.
But on Monday, the musical chairs saw one less player trying to get some playing time. With their hands tied because sending a 19-year-old junior player to the American Hockey League is still a year away, the Flyers sent Jett Luchanko back to Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League. It’s not that Luchanko was shipped out of town because he had a horrible four games. It’s just that the Flyers figured he would be best served playing “high minutes” according to Flyers’ General Manager Danny Briere. The idea being more playing time (and a chance to play for Canada at the World Juniors) should help Luchanko develop into a better player when the Flyers training camp rolls around for 2026-27.
So, with Luchanko now no longer in the picture, it might be a change that could see the fourth line begin to play a little better. And become a bit more solidified. The trio of Abols centering Grebenkin and Hathaway has had 24:18 of ice time at 5-on-5 heading into Tuesday’s game against the Penguins. Their share of shot attempts is lower than when Luchanko was centering Grebenkin and Hathaway (38.89 per cent versus 47.06 per cent). And Abols, Grebenkin and Hathaway have also had far less ice time together (just 9:30 in two games). However, the fact these three players know they might be the trio going forward most of the season barring injury should ease their minds slightly. Having a rotation where two guys are healthy scratches isn’t ideal. Now that rotation will primarily see Deslauriers as the healthy scratch unless head coach Rick Tocchet feels Deslauriers and his intangibles (otherwise known as being able to fight and enforce) are needed against bigger, heavier and far more physical teams.
“I’ve got to get more minutes out of them,” the coach said regarding Abols, Grebenkin, and Hathaway, adding he liked the hockey intelligence Abols brought to the line. “I like the fact he’s had a good camp for us. Hopefully, I can get him some more minutes there and see what he can really do. I think he can really solidify that fourth line center for us.”
A steady trio of Abols, Grebenkin, and Hathaway?
In Saturday’s game against New York, the line of Abols, Grebenkin, and Hathaway were on the ice for a goal against but otherwise held their own five-on-five. They split the share of shot attempts down the middle (50 per cent) and were slightly above average in expected goals share (54.55 per cent). This came after being caved in (like most of the team) against Ottawa in the previous contest.
Of course, the fourth line is always at the mercy of Tocchet. Heading into the Penguins game it appears he will be putting Deslauriers in the lineup and removing Grebenkin.
Nicolas Deslauriers and Egor Zamula come into the lineup for Nikita Grebenkin and Adam Ginning.
— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) October 28, 2025
It might be surprising considering Abols, Grebenkin, and Hathaway can only gain chemistry by playing together. The Penguins have Mathew Dumba who fought on Monday night, and it’s not like the Flyers and Penguins have a history of mutual admiration over the decades, so there’s a chance some physicality could ensue. However it could also be a slight wake-up call to Grebenkin, demonstrating there will still be competition for the spot despite Luchanko out of the picture. A short reset might be what the doctor ordered. As well, the pairing of linemates that Tocchet stressed during training camp and the exhibition season might still exist between Abols and Hathaway. If those two can develop some oomph or mojo game after game, that might be enough for the line to improve and develop into something that isn’t a defensive liability if neither Deslauriers or Grebenkin are able to seize the opportunity.
Again, the fourth line isn’t going to be the make-or-break line for the Flyers this season. At least we hope not. But like any line, they have to play a role and need to excel in that role. With Luchanko gone, the possible combinations have been reduced. Ideally, Grebenkin wins the spot outright and gets most of the starts, with Deslauriers used as the backup when called on. The main thing might be Abols and Hathaway working well together, which could be enough to see the line getting the 10 to 12 minutes you want out of a fourth line. At the very worst, the roles of Abols and Hathaway should be much clearer now. And even a little less murky for Grebenkin and Deslauriers.
