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The Philadelphia Flyers begin their preseason slate against the Washington Capitals in Hershey, PA on Monday. Following a spirited inter-squad scrimmage on Saturday, they reduced their training camp roster to 42 players. None of the 15 players cut were surprising, but it was a much quicker turnaround than in past years. But the shortened four game preseason slate means getting a firm handle on your likely opening night roster.
As for that opening night group, there are a number of burning questions that the Flyers face entering the 2026-27 season.
Beyond the Leo Carlsson offer sheet attempt, Flyers general manager Briere did not make massive changes to his roster this summer. So can the team as currently constructed can make another run for the playoffs? They had the element of surprise in the spring, but they know that they won’t be sneaking up on anyone this year.
There’s little question the group that will focused upon the most will be the Flyers’ forwards. The center position will be under close scrutiny. It’s where many pundits are skeptical in the Flyers chances of repeating last spring’s success.
With that in mind, here are five essential questions facing their heading into the 2026-27 season.
Can The Flyers Compete With Their Centers?
The Flyers have a competent center group from a basic needs of the position standpoint. Their biggest issue is they lack scoring line quality there.
Briere’s Carlsson gambit clearly shows the organization feels that way as well. And all reports have indicated that he’s still actively searching for a fit that makes sense for their competitive timeline. So, for now, the team’s top two centers are Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak.
Zegras has the skill, but not the fully rounded game for the position. He played as a center in junior hockey and early in his Anaheim tenure. His instincts lean more to the offensive side of the game, so it’s not hard to see how the Flyers .
However, his shortcomings are obviously face-offs and defensive zone positioning, which are vitally important to the position. He got marginally better in the second area the more he played there. But obviously not enough when the Flyers faced the eventual Cup champions in the second round of the playoffs, where Tocchet decided to give rookie Denver Barkey a chance. More on him below.
Dvorak has had his best offensive outputs under Rick Tocchet (in Philadelphia and in Arizona, previously). But he would more likely profile as a high level third line center on a Cup contender because of his face-off ability and two-way accountability. His 200 foot game melds well with younger players or veterans who might take more offensive risks.
A player who could push into top six level minutes is Noah Cates, who is one of the Flyers’ most reliable pivots. Already carrying a reputation as one of the hardest working players on the roster, Cates had career bests in goals (18), points (47), plus-minus (+26), and ice-time (16:15). He is a mainstay on the team’s penalty killing units. His absence was keenly felt after his lower-body injury (right ankle was hit on a blocked shot) in the Hurricanes series. It also exacerbates the team’s overall depth issue at the position.
Captain Sean Couturier may no longer be reliable threat when it comes to be a scoring line center option. However, he took to his fourth line role and more limited ice time with aplomb late last season and into the playoffs. He played a physically ferocious style that made his line with now-departed Luke Glendening and Garnet Hathaway the team’s heartbeat. In short, his play kept them in the fight.
Even in a rising cap world, a $7.75 million AAV on a fourth line center is a premium cost. Especially with a 36 point regular season, the lowest of Couturier’s career (where he played 78 or more games in a season) With potential line-mates in Barkey and newly acquired Noel Acciari, he’ll have quicker players on his wing, so we’ll see if he can get an uptick offensively.
Is Michkov Ready For Year Three?
All signs throughout training camp this week point to Matvei Michkov’s maturation as he enters his third NHL season. The Russian winger came to camp in far better shape than he did this time last fall. He handled his first English-only interview with reporters with flying colors.
Head coach Rick Tocchet, from whom Michkov received pointed criticism throughout the season, praised him for his conditioning and camp performance so far. One of the points that Tocchet mentioned Michkov’s vigor in pushing his shifts.
Last season, Tocchet didn’t trust Michkov shifts longer than 30 seconds at times. He also didn’t trust him defensively and shifted him to the left wing. Now, the expectation is that the Flyers will lean on him more since he’s done his part in preparation. And it’s expected he’ll be back at his natural right wing position as well.
But perhaps more importantly, Tocchet said he saw Michkov as someone who could extend offensive zone time like a Jaromir Jagr did. While they are not the same size, Michkov has a powerful lower body like Jagr.
For as much as last season was a disappointment, if finishing with 20 goals and 51 points is his floor, then the Flyers have all the reason to think about what a driven Michkov’s ceiling could be.
If Michkov can elipse 25 goals and 70 points as a benchmark (with some of those numbers helping their power-play), then Philly will be very pleased.
How Do Martone, Bump, & Barkey Handle Expectations?
Briere said that he wanted to give his younger players the opportunity to be even greater contributors. The trio of Porter Martone, Alex Bump, and Denver Barkey were key parts in the team’s playoff push. After starting in college hockey or the AHL, all three players have the Flyers rightfully intrigued.
Other than Michkov, no one is coming into this season with more expectation based on his immediate impact than Martone. Following his season at Michigan State, he looked like a NHLer when he jumped into the lineup. After finishing with 10 points in nine games, he started off strong in the Penguins series with two goals and three points in the first three games. While his performance tapered off, it was enough of a taste to make the Flyers wonder what he can do over a full season.
After a successful senior season at Western Michigan, Bump was expected to make the opening night roster last season. However, an underwhelming training camp and preseason tempered his chances. Eventually, he was assigned to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms on September 30.
His game was a work in progress for much of the early season. He scored 11 goals and 26 points in 36 games for the Phantoms. However, he lost significant time due to upper-body injury that threatened to derail his rookie season.
As the season wore on, Bump began to display some of the talents that earned him Frozen Four MVP. He earned a recall to the Flyers on March 8 and scored in his NHL debut. He displayed a solid two way game down the stretch, scoring five goals and nine points in 17 games.
In the offensive zone, Bump is at his nest when he uses his size (6 foot 2, 202lbs) to spin off the board and cut to the net for scoring chances. The Flyers will need him to do that on a consistent basis this season.
While Barkey was a center during junior hockey, he switched to left wing predominantly because of his lack of size. And he played that position for the majority of the season. However, Tocchet deployed him back at pivot late in the playoffs and showed some promise there. In Saturday’s scrimmage, Tocchet lined him up there again, so he is likely to get some looks there this week.
Regardless of where he lines up, Barkey is projecting to be a versatile piece for the Flyers this season.
What Will The Early Season Line Combos Look Like?
Through the early portion of training camp, there have been plenty of expected pairings that are carrying over from last season. Zegras has lined up with Owen Tippett, while Cates has lined up with Tyson Foerster. Both groups have shown chemistry in past season(s). What will be interesting to see on a team with an overabundance of right wings who is going to slot to the left side.
Tippett was highly effective on the right wing and was a force early in the playoffs. All indications have been that Michkov and Martone will also stay there as well. That likely leaves Travis Konecny and Tyson Foerster to play on the left wing, which isn’t a terrible problem to have.
As for the remaining left wing spots, Bump and Barkey will fight to gain ice-time. As stated above, Couturier could greatly benefit from having a pair of relentless quick players like Acciari and Barkey as his wings.
The idea of a Foerster-Cates-Michkov line is a fascinating one. Cates and Foerster are excellent two-way players. If Michkov is able to carry the puck in the offensive zone, that could lead to big goal scoring numbers for Foerster who was already on a 30-40 goal pace before his upper-body injury.
Can Luchanko & Kuble Be Flyers Contributors This Year?
It’s been a solid September so far for Luchanko as he comes off a summer where he had corrective lower-body surgery. He’s made some good plays with speed during both the Rookie Series and through this week’s training camp sessions. But preseason games will tell the tale as to how soon he could be a contributor for the Flyers.
It’s important to remember that Luchanko was one of the youngest members of his draft class. He’ll get the opportunity to re-prove himself this season as a potential top six talent, likely with the Phantoms. But he has to develop his shot. So much of his chances of becoming a top-six level talent rests on it.
In addition to Luchanko, Cole Knuble is firmly on the Flyers radar as a potential call-up this season. Knuble has shown himself to be a versatile player as a center and a right wing. The Flyers are reportedly interested in seeing how he adapts to the pivot position. During the team’s developmental camp, he showed excellent awareness, skating explosiveness, and physical board work. That carried over to Rookie- and now the main Training Camp.
Off The Post Radio Weekend Edition
Russ Cohen, Michael Augello, and I are back with the latest edition of Off The Post Radio, exclusively on Hockey Hot Stove. We discuss what we’ve seen and heard from training camp so far and much more.
Check it out below:
