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Flyers Open 2025 Preseason in Elmont

The Philadelphia Flyers open their 2025-26 exhibition game slate on Sunday. The team is in Elmont, NY, to take on Patrick Roy’s New York Islanders. The game will be streamed on the Islanders’ official website.

Back in Voorhees, Lehigh Valley Phantoms/ Reading Royals players will hold a 9:30 a.m. EDT practice session on the Phantoms’s Rink of the Flyers Training Center. Participants: Zayde Wisdom, Cooper Marody, Massimo Rizzo, Sawyer Boulton, Tucker Robertson, Garrett Wilson, Yaniv Perets (G), and Keith Petruzelli (G).

The Flyers have not yet released their game day roster for the match against the Islanders as of this writing. However, there could be a fair amount of continuity between Saturday’s practice/scrimmage groups and Sunday’s game/practice groups.

The players who are not going to Elmont will have a late-morning practice session.

The NHL club held a scrimmage and Fan Fest at FTC on Saturday. A huge crowd turned out for the event. For a scrimmage recap, click here. Meanwhile, for a look at the penalty kill under new assistant coach Todd Reirden, click here.

Tocc’s Take

After the scrimmage, Rick Tocchet said that he expected some fatigue and sloppiness on the third day of camp. Consequently, he wasn’t too bent out of shape that the on-ice execution was a bit lackluster. This was particularly true during the special teams practice session that opened the day on the ice.

On a positive note, Tocchet praised Cam York several times over the three days of camp to date. The head coach said he’s considering breaking up York’s long-running pairing with Travis Sanheim. He might want Sanheim to anchor one pairing and York another. For his part, Sanheim is comfortable playing either the left or the right side of a pairing. York attempted to play the right side a few years ago, but prefers the left.

Tocchet plans to give Trevor Zegras a long look at center. Meanwhile, the head coach wants the player to make some adjustments on both sides of the puck. With the puck on his stick, Tocchet wants Zegras (and the team overall) to focus on shooting the puck more often. Zegras scored a goal in the scrimmage. However, he also made two very low-percentage and risky diagnonal passes up high in the attack zone. Additionally, Zegras passed up an open shot at one juncture to send a cross-ice pass attempt to Matvei Michkov.

Flyers Quick Hits: Sunday edition

• Michkov himself had a so-so day on the ice on Saturday. He was one of the few players who made crisp plays during the power play practice. However, his energy seemed to drop as the day moved along on the ice.
• Alexis Gendron stood out positively again on Saturday. Not only did he score the opening goal — he also scored in each of the two Rookie Series games — he found ways to make other contributions. He’s still very much a bubble player for the NHL opening-night roster. Nevertheless, Gendron has started to build a case to be in the recall mix. Most notably, in the second Rookie Series Game, Phantoms coach Jon Snowden elevated Gendron into Samu Tuomaala’s spot on the top line.
• Defenseman Dennis Gilbert and Lane Pederson are two other bubble player who have stepped up so far in camp. Gilbert showed both physicality and mobility in the scrimmage. Meanwhile, Pederson seems to consistently go to the right spots off the puck.
• One player who noticeably struggled in the scrimmage: defenseman Noah Juulsen. The right-handed shooting D had a tough day on both sides of the puck. Tocchet liked the player in Vancouver, so there’s already a certain rapport and trust. However, Gilbert had the better day on Saturday in the battle for sixth/seventh defenseman. ‘

The Travii Do Battle… As Usual

It’s no secret that Travis Konency and Travis Sanheim are the best of friends away from the ice. Meanwhile, those two frequently engage in pretty heated battles (both physically and verbally) on the ice in practice. That was the case again in Saturday’s scrimmage. Konecny and Sanheim went right after one another nearly from the outset.

Sanheim also got a pretty good battle going with Alex Bump on Saturday. The rookie hopeful tried to beat Sanheim wide. The defenseman sent Bump sprawling with a heavy hit. He also put Bump on the seat of his pants again later in the scrimmage.

The Travis Sanheim of today is night-and-day different from the rookie version of himself. He’s always been approachable. However, back then, the Manitoba rarely spoke much above a whisper on the ice, the bench or in the dressing room. He lacked self-confidence around the media, too. Today, Sanheim is much more of a take-charge and vocal leader in all venues.

With the departure of Scott Laughton late last season, several players have worked to fill supporting leadership mantles in the room. Sanheim is one. Others include Noah Cates and veterans like Garnet Hathaway and Nick Seeler.

Grebenkin vs. Bump

It is possible that both Nikita Grebenkin and Alex Bump could both make the Flyers’ opening night roster in a couple weeks. If the team carries 14 forwards, that’s possible. More likely, however, one makes the roster and the other starts the season in Allentown.

• Rookie Series: Bump played very well in the first game. He was in thick of numerous scoring chances. However, he didn’t get on the score sheet. Grebenkin was quiet in regulation. However, scored the game-winner in overtime on a nice shot. The second game was a dud for most of the Flyers (and Rangers) prospects. Even so, Grebenkin had a pair of primary assists, including a nice set up on Gendron’s goal. Grebenkin also had a nice assist in Saturday’s scrimmage. Edge: Grebenkin.
• Structure: Grebenkin noticeably goes to the wrong places at times. Bump was an offense-only gut when the Flyers first drafted him. He’s worked hard to round out his game.He made a couple of good back-checking plays in Game One of the Rookie Series. I’ll spare you the Grebenkin “Backcheck, Forecheck, Paycheck” joke. Neither player is an exceptionally fast skater. Tocchet noted on Saturday that he thought the Russian forward skated OK so far in camp. Slight edge: Bump.
• Natural scoring ability: Grebenkin has some skill. However, Bump’s hands are superior. Grebenkin has produced more so far in camp. Bump had the higher offensive ceiling. Edge: Bump.
• Versatility: Although he’s become a better all-around player, Bump is still primarily a player judged largely on the offense he produces. Grebenkin has “energy line” upside. He’s also expressed a willingness to adapt to being a fourth-line player if that will get him to the NHL. It’s hard to see Bump as a fourth-line candidate. He HAS to be top-six/top-nine to be effective. Edge: Grebenkin.

Flyers Gettin’ Gritty Wit It podcast

In addition to my weekly Mondays with Meltzer appearance on Flyers Daily and my wrestling/hockey pod with Haley Taylor Simon, I do occasional guest appearances on O&B Puckcast (with Isaiah, Chef B and Dan Silver) Gettin’ Gritty Wit It (Yariv Wolok and Vasili Gianarakos). I always have a great time on all these pods.

The other day, Yariv, Vasili and I talked all things Flyers deep into the night. It’s a two-hour podcast, covering a huge array of topics. Thankfully, the hosts indexed the conversation, so viewers can skip to the part(s) of interest.

South Jersey Game-Worn Expo

The fourth annual South Jersey Game Worn Expo is less than a week away. The event is on Saturday, September 27, at the RiverWinds Community Center in West Deptford (10 a.m. EDT to 4 p.m. EDT). Admission is free. The event features 48 tables of game-worn hockey jerseys, memorabilia and collectives.

The expo benefits the Flyers Warriors disabled veterans hockey program. Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Howe will be on hand for the event. Check out the event’s Instagram page.

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