Flyers Morning Round Up

Flyers Struggle as of Late

The Philadelphia Flyers are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games, just one point ahead of the Rangers and Islanders for last in the Metropolitan Divison. They also sit just outside of the bottom 10 in the whole league. If the season were to end today, the Flyers would have the best odds to land the 11th overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Two of the Flyers’ three wins in that 10-game stretch were against the Colombus Blue Jackets, who are tied with the Flyers with 34 points this season.

Special teams have been a big part of Philly’s recent struggles. In their last 10 games, the Flyers’ power play percentage is 14.3%, and they kill 57.7% of their opponents’ power plays.

Goaltending has also earned its share of the cause for struggle. The Flyers trio of goaltenders (Ivan Fedotov, Aleksei Kolosov, Sam Ersson) have a combined .810 save percentage in the last 10 games, while teams are averaging just over 24 shots per game on the Flyers. The Flyers have never had anything super special with their trio, but to win games, they have to be better than this.

Some Players are Heating Up

Owen Tippett is finally starting to truly catch fire. He has 10 points in his last 10 games, including six goals. One thing worth noting is that three of his four assists game against the Blue Jackets in his four-point night. He will look to continue to stay hot once the Holiday freeze ends, and the Flyers head to Anaheim on Dec. 28th to take on the Ducks.

Tippett is not the only player who has started to heat up before the short break. The Tyson Foerster – Noah Cates – Bobby Brink line is really starting to get going. Foerster has six points (3G, 3A) in the last five games. Noah Cates has five points (4G, 1A) in that same stretch, including goals in the last four games. Brink has the low total of the line with two points, both assists, but he still plays a key role in the line’s success.

Line Shakeup

The forward lines were shaken up a bit before the Flyers’ last game before the holiday break. The former top-6 were broken up, while some moved up. Here is how the Flyers lined up in Pittsburgh before the break:

Owen Tippett – Morgan Frost – Travis Konecny

Tyson Foerster – Noah Cates – Bobby Brink

Joel Farabee – Sean Couturier – Matvei Michkov

Scott Laughton – Ryan Poehling – Garnet Hathaway

World Junior Ice Hockey Championships Starts Today

The Flyers will have a handful of prospects playing in the IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. The Flyers will get to see a different look at Jett Luchanko, as he, along with defenseman Oliver Bonk and goalie Carson Bjarnason, will be representing Team Canada. Forward Heikki Ruohonen is representing Finland, who will take on Canada in the opening day slate.

One prospect we will not see is Jack Berglund of Sweeden, who suffered an injury during an exhibition against Germany, per Team Sweden’s X.

Pre Roster Freeze Trade Rumors

Frank Seravalli recently reported that the Flyers and Los Angeles Kings were in trade talks prior to the roster freeze. The two sides are seemingly a perfect match, as the Kings have been rumored to be looking for young wingers, while the Flyers need young centers. Each team has a surplus of the other’s needs, so a trade would just make plain sense.

The three usual suspects—Morgan Frost, Scott Laughton, and Joel Farabee—were all linked to L.A. Bobby Brink was also mentioned. As to who the Kings player the Flyers were talking about was, there is little other than speculation.

Alex Turcotte is one name that would make sense. A young center who has yet to really prove anything but has lots of potential could be the perfect move for the Flyers. He likely would not cost anything but a player swap/two-for-one or a mid-round draft pick.

Of course, Flyers X took matters into their own hands and sleuthed that Quinton Byfield could be on his way to Philly.

I am not so sure L.A. has made him available, considering the 22-year-old has already played games in five NHL seasons, is coming off his best and first full season, and is signed for five years with a cap hit just over $6 million. However, it did get me thinking about what that package could look like.

The Flyers would most certainly center the package for Byfield around Farabee and one of their three first-round draft selections in the coming draft. One of Bobby Brink and Morgan Frost would also likely find themselves heading to L.A. There would need to be more heading to L.A., possibly another draft pick to sweeten the deal, and, more likely than not, Scott Laughton.

Until more comes out on the King’s side of the trade talks, it is all just speculation.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP