5 Philadelphia Flyers Training Camp Battles to Watch

From the outside, the Philadelphia Flyers roster and lineup for the 2024-25 season looks set. In reality, head coach John Tortorella is going to have the final say.

Last year, rookies Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster surprised the Flyers’ coaches and forced the team to move off of Tanner Laczynski and Wade Allison, while Egor Zamula nailed down a full-time role by the end of the season.

Training camp is important, and for some guys, it’s now or never.

Let’s take a look at the most prevalent training camp battles over the next month.

No. 5: Ronnie Attard vs. Louie Belpedio vs. Erik Johnson

The Flyers brought back Stanley Cup champion Erik Johnson on a one-year deal this offseason with the hope that his experience and leadership will continue to help this team grow.

However, Johnson himself has said that his best days are behind him. Johnson, who will turn 37 before the end of the 2024-25 season, is going to face stiff competition from Louie Belpedio and Ronnie Attard for the seventh defenseman role on the team.

Johnson is fine as a fill-in option here and there, but the Flyers may have better options available to suit up in the wake of prolonged absences on the blueline.

On the other hand, Ronnie Attard is on an expiring contract and will turn 26 before the end of the season, so he’s no longer a prospect and quickly running out of time to make his mark at the NHL level. The one benefit Attard has over the other two, though, is his ability to perform on the power play should the Flyers need it.

Belpedio played 12 games for the Flyers last season and is a candidate to do so again, but he’s on the outside looking in with Attard and Johnson squarely ahead of him for the time being.

No. 4: Nick Deslauriers vs. Noah Cates

In general, most Flyers fans won’t be considering this a true competition, but the Flyers are going to give Nick Deslauriers his minutes. Noah Cates had a tough sophomore season in the NHL, suffering a broken foot early on and taking some time to re-adjust upon returning to the lineup.

Go deeper: Flyers Will Use Matvei Michkov’s ‘Best Friend’ Even More in 2024-25

All in all, Cates finished with six goals, 12 assists, and 18 points in 58 games, which was a far cry from his 38-point rookie season in 2022-23.

“Another one for me would be Noah Cates,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere said on Tuesday, talking about players who could take another step forward. “Had an excellent rookie season. Last year was a little tougher for him. I expect him to bounce back.”

Cates’s penalty-killing ability will be crucial in the fight against Deslauriers now that Cam Atkinson is in Tampa Bay, but Deslauriers is no stranger to playing that role and blocking shots. Plus, Deslauriers’s size on one of the NHL’s smallest teams could give him a leg up on his younger counterpart.

No. 3: Sam Ersson vs. Ivan Fedotov

There isn’t a goalie controversy in Philadelphia right now, but the Flyers are at least inviting the competition between Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov.

Ersson fell apart down the stretch after getting burnt out, while Fedotov was thrown in with little acclimation and uncomfortable stock equipment. Neither goalie showed much to distinguish themselves from each other or inspire confidence in Flyers fans heading into the season.

“Hopefully, Ersson takes the reins,” Briere said. “We see him as the No. 1., and, hopefully, Fedotov can be pushing him for starts the same way that Ersson did it to Carter last year.”

The good news is that Ersson does have a track record of playing exceptionally well at the NHL level, while Fedotov was a serial winner during his time in Russia. Both goalies are enigmas heading into the year, but the Flyers at least see the potential of Fedotov having an extended run in the crease.

No. 2: Joel Farabee vs. Tyson Foerster

The assumption in the offseason was that sophomore forward Tyson Foerster would occupy a role in the Flyers’ top-six over veteran Joel Farabee, but there are no guarantees that will be the case until Tortorella makes it a reality.

As brutal as the end of the season may have been for Farabee, he still finished with career-highs in goals (22), assists (28), and points (50) while playing in all 82 regular season games. Only two of those goals and five of those assists came on the power play, so there’s reason to believe a 60- or 70-point season is in store for Farabee with some positive regression at the end of the season and with the man advantage.

Foerster potted 20 goals and 13 assists of his own, but only nine of those assists came at even strength in his 77 games. While he’s sure to improve on such a low mark in his second season with the Flyers, you’re asking a lot of a 22-year-old playing on a team that just could not create offense at will.

When you account for Foerster’s defensive prowess, it may ultimately behoove Tortorella and Co. to play him in a shutdown-line role alongside Scott Laughton or Ryan Poehling.

No. 1: Emil Andrae vs. Adam Ginning vs. Egor Zamula

Briere said on Tuesday that the Flyers would be open to carrying eight defensemen this year, but if that’s the case, the Flyers would carry a rearguard they believe would not benefit from the playing time they would normally receive in the AHL.

Egor Zamula, who is serving as Matvei Michkov’s “personal assistant”, according to Johnson, is not waivers-exempt. That leaves Adam Ginning and Emil Andrae, who has played just one full season in North America.

It’s possible Ginning beats out Zamula – both signed two-year extensions in the offseason – but from the outside looking in, only one of these three left-shot defenders can make it. All three got NHL games last year for the Flyers, but Zamula gets the 10-second headstart in this race.

Honorable Mention: Rodrigo Abols vs. Anthony Richard vs. Oscar Eklind

Anthony Richard has the advantage in the battle to be the Flyers’ 14th forward, but SHL power forwards Rodrigo Abols and Oscar Eklind will have ample opportunities to make their cases, too.

Richard has the NHL experience that the other two do not, but Abols and Eklind are both 6-foot-4 whereas Richard is 5-foot-10. Additionally, Abols’s ability to flex between center and wing at his size might help him appeal to Tortorella.