Development Camp sessions resume on Thursday at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees. Unfortunately, 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko (groin strain) was not available to participate. He is officially day-to-day and will likely be held of the ice for precautionary reasons. Likewise 2023 first-rounder Oliver Bonk is also a spectator.
Meanwhile, 2025 first-round pick Porter Martone was the biggest standout –and focal point — on the ice on Wednesday. The player, who grew up rooting for the Flyers with Wayne Simmonds and Claude Giroux as his favorite players, revealed a cool story during media availability. As a child, he met Simmonds during a training camp. Now, Simmonds is one of the instructors at Development Camp. The Flyers’ media team ran photos of a very young Martone with Simmonds alongside a photo of the two on the ice yesterday.
Side note: Back on Nov. 16, 1995, the Flyers acquired right wing Pat Falloon from the San Jose Sharks for a 1996 first-round Draft pick, a 1996 fourth-round pick and prospect Martin Spanhel. Subsequently. flipped the fourth-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres and the first-rounder to Winnipeg Jets/ Phoenix Coyotes. The Coyotes used the first-round pick (24th) overall on center Daniel Briere. Buffalo used the fourth-round selection on Mike Martone. Mike is Porter’s father.
After the players were finished on the ice, Player Development director Riley Armstrong spoke to the media. So did Martone, Alex Bump, Spencer Gill (who has added roughly 15 pounds of muscle since last year’s Draft, 2025 first-rounder Jack Nesbitt and 2025 second-round selection Matthew Gard.
Shabanov Opts for Islanders
Much-rumored to sign with the Flyers, 24-year-old KHL star Maxim Shabanov chose instead to sign with the New York Islanders on Wednesday. Under the terms of the NHL/NHLPA collective bargaining agreement, Shabanov signed a one-year contract. He will be a restricted free agent next summer.
The Flyers never denied interest in the highly skilled Shabanov. However, some wondered how well the diminutive winger would fit in the same lineup with undersized winger Bobby Brink and three small-to-smallish defensemen (Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, and Emi Andrae). The inability to sign Shabanov also underscores the decision not to tender a qualifying offer to small, speedy winger Jakob Pelletier. As soon as Pelletier hit the unrestricted free agent market on Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Lightning pounced immediately. Pelletier signed a three-year contract .
Shabanov is not the same quality player as Kirill Kaprisov or Artemi Panarin, both late-bloomers who went on to thrive in the NHL. He may not even be of the same caliber as Brink. The Russian forward’s skill set has been likened to former Boston College point machine/ NHL role player Nathan Gerbe. Shabanov (5-foot-8, roughly 160 to 170 pounds these days) isn’t quite as tiny as the 5-foot-4 Gerbe, but they are said to have similar skill sets and similar limitations.
Shabanov may not be a probable NHL star in the fashion of Kaprisov or Panarin. However, it still stings a bit for the Flyers to target a skilled player, lose out on him to a division rival, and lose a speedy NHL role player on a modest contract walk for nothing.
The Flyers made five free agent signings on Tuesday: center Christian Dvorak, goaltender Dan Vladar, defensemen Noah Juulsen and Dennis Gilbert plus AHL/NHL center Lane Pederson.
Losing out on Shabanov actually makes things easier for the Flyers without having to make tough decisions about whom they have to shuffle out. If Shab was a stone cold lock for greatness, OK. But he’s not. His size will be a limiting factor on smaller ice with a much rougher game. Time will tell.
I’m ok with Shabby going to the Isles. Like others have said, I’m not sure how well his low-contact, finesse game will translate to the physical nature of the smaller rinks in North America. I wish him well, but not overly sad that he’s not going to try to learn it here.