The Edmonton Oilers are one win away from a return trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Likewise, the Florida Panthers need one victory to reach the Cup Final for the third straight year. Meanwhile, at the Memorial Cup, one of the finalists is set. Locally, here are your Flyers Quick Hits for May 28, 2025.
Phantoms head coach search: McKee in the lead?
The Flyers interviewed Jay McKee for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ vacant head coach job, Hockey Hot Stove has learned. The interview took place a few weeks ago. McKee, the head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Brantford Bulldog (formerly Hamilton), coached his team to the OHL championship in 2021-22.
Roughly two weeks before the Flyers hired Rick Tocchet on May 14, McKee’s name came up as a possible Flyers head coaching candidate. Previously, the 47-year-old McKee was an AHL assistant coach with the Rochester Americans and OHL head coach for the Kitchener Rangers.
McKee and Daniel Briere were NHL teammates with the Buffalo Sabres from March 2003 through the end of the 2005-06 season. Subsequently, Briere signed with the Flyers as an unrestricted free agent. McKee played most of his 802-game NHL playing career with Buffalo. Later, he played three seasons with the St. Louis Blues and one with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Later, after retiring as an active player, McKee started his professional coaching career with the Amerks.
The Belleville Senators, seriously considered hiring McKee last year. However, he ended up staying with Brantford.
Laperriere accepts advisory role
As reported yesterday, former Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere accepted an offer to remain in the Flyers’ organization as a Hockey Operations advisor. Laperriere will report directly to general manager Briere and hockey operations president Keith Jones.
The decision for Laperriere not to return as Phantoms head coach in 2025-26, was made by Flyers management: Briere, Jones, and assistant general manager Alyn McCauley . At 51, Laperriere is rather young to leave the coaching ranks for an advisory role. Moreover, he’s made no secret of the fact that his ultimate ambition is to earn an NHL head coaching opportunity.
Consequently, the advisory role seems to be a short-term step for “Lappy” while he figures out his next move. It remains to be seen when that step happens. I have little doubt that he’d strongly prefer another coaching gig (whether an assistant or head coaching job) to the advisory role for Hockey Ops. The question is when that opportunity will arise and where it will take him.
Laperriere served as a Flyers assistant coach for nine seasons. Subsequently, he coached the Phantoms for four seasons. His initial role in the organization after his playing career was as a developmental coach.
Memorial Cup: Medicine Hat Defeats London
The Western Hockey League champion Medicine Hat Tigers defeated the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights, 3-1, on Tuesday evening. Medicine Hat goalie Harrison Meneghin made 35 saves on 36 shots to earn the win.
Kasper Hulttinen gave the Knights an early 1-0 lead, assisted by Sam Dickinson and Flyers prospect Denver Barkey. The score held until Ethan Neutens knotted the score at 5:11 of the second period. Later, in the third period, an early goal by Mathew Ward and a late empty-net goal by Ryder Ritchie (fourth of the tournament) decided the match in the Tigers’ favor.
Medicine Hat swept the round-robin phase of the tourney, going 3-0-0 to earn an automatic spot in the championship match on Sunday. London (2-1-0) will play the winner of Wednesday’s game between QMJHL clubs Moncton and Rimouski. Whichever team prevails in Friday’s semifinal game will oppose Medicine Hat for the Memorial Cup trophy.
McKeen’s Ranks Flyers Farm System 14th in the NHL
McKeen’s Hockey ranked the Flyers’ farm system 14th in the National Hockey League in the publication’s annual pre-Draft league-wide ranking. Unsurprisingly, with Matvei Michkov having graduated to the NHL level in 2024-25, Jett Luchanko is now McKeen’s top Flyers-affiliated prospect.
I do not agree across the board with all of McKeen’s Flyers (or league wide) rankings. I particulary disagreed with Yegor Zavragin being called “a somewhat OK” KHL player (as a teenager) and in general found the list a bit too deferential in places to Draft position. However, these lists are largely geared toward advocacy and stirring debate. The top 15 in the Philadelphia system, per McKeen’s:
- Jett Luchanko – C
- Oliver Bonk – D
- Emil Andrae – D
- Alex Bump – LW
- Nikita Grebenkin – LW
- Carson Bjarnason – G
- Spencer Gill – D
- Yegor Zavragin – G
- Samu Tuomaala – RW
- Denver Barkey – LW
- Jack Berglund – C
- Ethan Samson – D
- Helge Grans – D
- Alexis Gendron – RW
- Cole Knuble – C
Nasty Knuckles: Craig Berube episode
Former Flyers player and head coach Craig Berube was the guest on the most recent edition of the Nasty Knuckles podcast. Specifically, Chief talked with hosts Derek Settlemyre and Riley Cote about all of the following topics:
Berube’s first season coaching in Toronto (27:01), taking the captaincy from John Tavares and giving it to Auston Matthews (29:10), the pressure Mitch Marner deals with (33:41), the Game 7 loss to Florida (36:26), the Scott Laughton trade to Toronto (40:38), the media in Toronto (41:56), and the importance of keeping things light with his players including William Nylander (44:31), lessons learned from Jaromir Jagr and others, Maple Leafs goaltending and Anthony Stolarz’s postseason concussion (52:20), Berube’s scouting report on Nikita Grebenkin (56:26), Brendan Shanahan’s departure from Toronto (58:29), his thoughts on Rick Tocchet coming to Philly (59:50), his thoughts on the Conference Finals (1:05:14), and Laughton and Claude Giroux mixing it up in Round Two (1:07:30).
