They’re a team in a four-year playoff drought, the organization’s longest since 1989-90 to 1993-94, when it went five straight seasons without a postseason berth. They’re still considered a rebuilding club in transition. After all, the general manager and head coach used phrases like “a long ways to go” and “a ways away” at their end-of-the-season press conferences in April.

But, at least on paper, the Flyers look like they have more answers now compared to this time a year ago.

Up front, Matvei Michkov is here, Tyson Foerster has established himself as an NHLer and Bobby Brink is no longer a training camp dark horse.

On the back end, Jamie Drysdale and Erik Johnson are in the picture unlike the start of last season, Egor Zamula is firmly a Flyer and Rasmus Ristolainen is healthy, vying for his first regular-season opener with the club.

And the goaltending tandem of Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov appears set for at least the start of the season unless something unforeseen happens.

More: Briere defends Flyers amid Kolosov absence, says time for prospect to ‘step up’

On Day 1 of 2023 training camp, John Tortorella called the Flyers “a land of opportunity.”

Is that still the case this time around?

“There are definitely some guys that are going to be pushing for spots,” general manager Danny Briere said Tuesday. “Nobody can be too comfortable.

“The exciting part is we’re a young group, still developing, still trying to figure out how far we can push it.”

Assistant general manager Brent Flahr echoed that sentiment.

“We’re not a five-year Stanley Cup-running team,” he said Sunday. “We have some competition and guys are aware they’re going to have to battle for jobs here going forward as some of the younger players kind of step in.”

More: Flyers release 2024 training camp roster and schedule

Briere mentioned Olle Lycksell, Anthony Richard, Rodrigo Abols and Oscar Eklind as forwards who could make things interesting. Lycksell played 18 games for the Flyers last season and had 38 points in 39 games for AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley. Richard played nine games for the Bruins last season and put up 55 AHL goals over the past two years. Abols and Eklind are both 6-foot-4 and were very effective in the SHL, Sweden’s top pro league.

Last year, Foerster and Brink won jobs out of camp. This year, spots don’t seem as wide open.

“Those two young guys played so well, we made room for them,” Briere said. “Going into this year, and that’s going to be the key for players including Tyson and Bobby, they have to know that nothing’s a lock. They still have to push ahead and not take anything for granted.”

On defense, the Flyers have four pieces 25 years old or younger who will be knocking on the door. Ronnie Attard and Adam Ginning experienced the Flyers’ playoff race last season. Emil Andrae opened the year with the big club and the Flyers really like the 22-year-old’s makeup. Hunter McDonald is a “throwback” who has a chance to make his NHL debut at some point this season.

Briere didn’t rule out the Flyers carrying eight defensemen to open the regular season. The Flyers definitely have seven that will be tough to unseat.

Undeniably, though, the Flyers’ biggest storyline entering camp is Michkov, the 19-year-old top prospect who arrived two years ahead of schedule. The Flyers will temper expectations but he absolutely changes their dynamic.

“I can’t wait to see how he’s going to create offense,” Briere said. “I think his brain is pretty special and he’s going to adapt, but it might not be instant, he might need time to adapt.

“We have our own expectation, we expect to have a team that’s going to compete. Hopefully players individually get a little better than they were last year. I don’t have a lot of expectation for Matvei. What I hope is for him to figure out how he can take the first step and get better as a player, as the season goes on. I’m realistic, it’s going to be a tough season for him. This is the best league in the world, it’s a big step, it’s not going to be easy.”

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The Flyers open 2024 training camp Thursday and potential franchise cornerstone Matvei Michkov has arrived two years ahead of schedule. The team contended for the playoffs last season all the way up to Game 82 without losing sight of its rebuild.

But, understandably and inevitably, the opening topic of discussion Tuesday revolved around a player who wasn’t here.

Alexei Kolosov, one of the Flyers’ best goaltending prospects, didn’t attend rookie camp and won’t be in main camp, either. A puzzling situation that has brewed since May essentially came to a head at Briere’s press conference.

And the general manager was blunt. Tough to blame him.

“All we know is he’s under contract with us,” Briere said. “The way we see it, if he wants to play hockey, he has to respect his contract.”

The 2021 third-round pick from Belarus signed his three-year entry-level contract in July 2023. He played last season on loan in the KHL, Russia’s top pro league, with his club Dinamo Minsk. After appearing in 53 games, including the playoffs, Kolosov joined the Flyers’ AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley at the start of April.

The Flyers felt the 22-year-old spending a month-plus with the Phantoms would help his full-time transition to North America in 2024-25. But apparently the plan didn’t go as planned.

“For us, we have no interest in loaning him back, we want him to develop here,” Briere said. “There’s a great opportunity in front for our goalies right now. We have young goalies in net, we have Cal Petersen that’s fighting for a spot, as well. We just thought it would be a great opportunity for him at this time. It’s too bad that he’s not willing to come over.”

In May, five days after Lehigh Valley was knocked out of the playoffs, Belarushockey.com reported that Kolosov possibly wanted to return to the KHL for the 2024-25 season because of problems adapting to North America. At the time, the Flyers believed that he had been homesick, according to a source, but were hopeful he’d be OK come training camp. Tony Androckitis of InsideAHLHockey.com reported in July that Kolosov felt “isolated.”

“To be honest, like, maybe I’m the worst coach in the world, but I make people around me comfortable,” Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere said Monday. “I’m a friendly guy, you guys have known me for 15 years.

“It was a tough spot for him, but guys asked him to go out every night for dinner, he said no.”

When European players chase their NHL dreams in North America, it’s a challenge. They must adjust to a different culture and language. Kolosov doesn’t speak English and Lehigh Valley didn’t have a player on its roster from Russia. Both the Flyers and Phantoms were in the heat of playoff races. Briere understood if Kolosov battled homesickness but the GM defended Lehigh Valley’s leadership group and coaching staff.

“I have to say something about that because some of our players and coaches and development guys went above and beyond to try to help him integrate with the team,” Briere said. “I feel bad for some of the leaders, Garrett Wilson especially, Louie Belpedio and I could go on and on. These guys went out of their way to try to help him fit in, they would ask him to go to dinner and stuff like that.

“I talked to some of the guys and they all said that he was fine, he was great around the rink, they liked him as a person. I just want to make that clear out there with all the rumors, there didn’t seem to be any issues and I believe in the leadership of those guys. Same thing with our coaches.

“You have Jason Smith and Ian Laperriere, two of the greatest leaders who would do anything for their teammates, on the coaching staff. So when you hear things like that, you have to take it with a grain of salt a little bit.”

The Flyers’ goaltending picture in the present and future is far from sacrosanct. It oozes with opportunity. Kolosov was projected to open this season with the Phantoms and would have played a lot alongside Petersen. Depending on the performance and health of the Flyers’ Samuel Ersson-Ivan Fedotov tandem, Kolosov had a shot at his NHL debut.

“Most teams around the league use their third goalie or fourth goalie,” Briere said. “He’d be in a competition with the guys that we have to play some games this year. I think on his end, it’s more about he wants to be guaranteed a spot in the NHL. If not, he prefers to stay over there. And that’s not the way we see it.

“We agreed last year to loan him back for one year because he wanted to stay home. But at some point, you sign a contract, we want him here, we want him to start integrating himself into the game the way it’s played here in North America, with the smaller ice, learning the language and all of that.”

The Flyers seem to have a flickering hope that Kolosov might eventually change his mind and want to come back over. But this all looks precarious at best. One has to seriously wonder if this can ever be mended, if Kolosov will ever play for the Flyers.

“We do wonder at this point because he doesn’t show that he wants to come,” Briere said. “That was the understanding last year when he signed the contract, he asked us to loan him back for one year so he can keep developing one more year and then he would come over. And then we’re here now and he’s still saying the same thing. … It’s time for him to step up and respect the contract that he signed.”

The Kolosov development comes eight months after the Flyers were forced to trade Cutter Gauthier in January because the 2022 fifth overall pick did not want to play for the organization.

“We’re always looking at ourselves and seeing how we can do better,” Briere said. “But don’t forget, we’re talking about two guys from the outside. When I look at the culture that we’re building here on the inside, the players that are on the inside, they want to be here.”

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For a third straight year with the Flyers, John Tortorella will untangle his rope and kick off camp in grueling style.

“It’s hard, I’ve been around the game a long time and I’ve never seen a hard test like that,” AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley head Ian Laperriere said Tuesday. “And I had Mike Keenan as my first coach, so you would think that I did. But nothing like that.”

Practices at Flyers Training Center are open to the public.

Here are the schedules for the Flyers’ regular season and preseason.

Below is the Flyers’ training camp roster and schedule. The club has 58 players in camp. Expectedly, goaltending prospect Alexei Kolosov is not in camp. More on that here.

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🌭 The Philadelphia Flyers on Monday unveiled their 2024-25 promotional schedule for games at the Wells Fargo Center. Included among the theme nights and giveaways were two special nights dedicated to Dietz & Watson dollar hot dogs.

Flyers Dollar Dog Nights are scheduled for Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, against the Colorado Avalanche and Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, against the Florida Panthers.

$1 food includes more than just hot dogs this Flyers season

The cheap food fun doesn’t stop with those games as fans can buy $1 Super Pretzels 🥨 during the Thursday, March 27, 2025, games against the Montreal Canadiens and grab $1 Turkey Hill ice cream 🍨 during the Saturday, April 12, 2025, game against the New York Islanders.

What freebies can Flyers fans get?

One buck too much? How about free?

Giveaways during the 2024-25 season include home opener t-shirts on Sunday, Oct. 19, vs. Vancouver Canucks; Flyers fanny packs on Saturday, Oct. 26, vs. Minnesota Wild; a Coors Light giveaway on Thursday, March 13, vs. Tampa Bay Lightning; and a Flyers placemat on Saturday, March 15, vs. Carolina Hurricanes.

The highlight (or maybe it’s just nightmare fuel) of the giveaways has to be the Gritty night light giveaway for fans during the Saturday, Feb. 22, game against Edmonton.

Theme nights and community fun during 2024 Flyers season

Fans of Star Wars (Nov. 16), Halloween (Oct. 31) and Marvel (March 8) all have theme nights for them.

Community night include military appreciation on Monday, Nov. 11, Pride Night on Jan. 21 and the March 4 PAL game.

There are plenty of other promotions set for the 2024-25 Flyers season. Click here to get tickets to the game you don’t want to miss.

Things will wrap up Tuesday before John Tortorella’s rope comes out Thursday to commence main camp.

While one signed goalie prospect has been here for rookie camp, another has not. Carson Bjarnason played four of the six periods in the rookie games over the weekend. Alexei Kolosov, also under contract with the Flyers, did not report to camp.

For Bjarnason, Kolosov’s absence hasn’t changed his mindset.

“I’ve never met him but I heard he’s a great guy and great goalie,” the 19-year-old said Saturday. “I haven’t thought too much about it, it’s just kind of go out there, play my game and play the way I can.”

How does AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley head coach Ian Laperriere view the Kolosov situation? We’ll get into that and more with our latest three observations from rookie camp.

‘I was as surprised as everybody’

Laperriere saw Kolosov join his club last season at the start of April. The Flyers felt the 22-year-old Belarusian spending a month-plus with the Phantoms would be an effective way to facilitate his full-time transition to North America in 2024-25.

Kolosov, a 2021 third-round pick and one of the Flyers’ top goaltending prospects, had played 53 games, including the playoffs, on loan with Dinamo Minsk in the KHL, Russia’s top pro league. There was a gap of about three weeks from when his KHL season ended to when he arrived in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Kolosov played a couple of games for Lehigh Valley, which bowed out of the playoffs on May 11.

Five days later, Belarushockey.com reported that Kolosov would potentially want to return to the KHL in 2024-25 because of problems adapting to North America. At the time, the Flyers believed that he had been homesick, according to a source, but were hopeful he’d be OK next season. Tony Androckitis of InsideAHLHockey.com reported in July that Kolosov felt “isolated.”

“I was as surprised as everybody behind [the Flyers’] doors when I read what I read,” Laperriere said Monday. “To be honest, like, maybe I’m the worst coach in the world, but I make people around me comfortable. I’m a friendly guy, you guys have known me for 15 years. It was weird to read the stuff. I don’t think it’s coming from the kid. Stuff gets translated, who said what. … I really don’t know what to believe with what’s out there because the kid never told us that.

“It’s frustrating because he looked really good in practice. He didn’t skate for three weeks or a month, so he had some catching up to do and we were in a playoff race and Cal Petersen played unbelievable down the stretch. It was a tough spot for him, but guys asked him to go out every night for dinner, he said no.”

As a French Canadian, Laperriere had to learn English in 1994 coming up through the Blues’ organization with the Peoria Rivermen.

“I get it, he doesn’t speak English, so that’s got to be tough,” Laperriere said. “I know my English is not great now, but I didn’t speak English when I moved to Peoria (Illinois) when I was 20. So it’s part of pro hockey when you go from one country to the other, you’ve got to learn the language.”

To make up for Kolosov’s absence in main camp, the Flyers signed Eetu Makiniemi, a 25-year-old with NHL and AHL experience, to a professional tryout offer two and a half weeks ago. Kolosov, who changed agents last month, signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Flyers in July 2023. He would bolster the Phantoms’ goaltending picture.

“I wish him luck, hopefully we’ll see him soon because he is a talented kid,” Laperriere said. “But I’ll play the guys that I have.”

More: Briere defends Flyers amid Kolosov absence, says time for prospect to ‘step up’

‘He’s doing that with everyone’

A big storyline to Matvei Michkov’s arrival in July was the language barrier. As rookie camp has continued, the 19-year-old Russian has often been smiling and chatting with other prospects. He looks comfortable.

“He’s doing that with everyone,” Laperriere said. “He’s in the gym, he goes around, says good morning, high-fives everybody. For me, he wants to be here. That’s another example, his English has improved in two weeks I’ve been around him. When you want something, it goes quickly. That’s a kid who wants to learn the language because he wants to be a part of the solution here.”

Hunter McDonald, an American defenseman, has enjoyed getting to know Michkov this summer.

“It has been great, we took him out for his first burrito, working on his English,” he said. “He has been good, we got to hang out with him in the house, play some video games, just outside that rink, get to know him a little bit. Anytime we’re talking, we might not understand, we don’t bring out the translator just to kind of keep working on it and force the English.”

And Michkov has had help from translators, even Canadian defenseman Oliver Bonk, whose dad Radek Bonk is from Czechia.

“It has been great, he’s a great kid,” Bonk said. “I speak a bit of Czech, so I’m bit of a translator in the gym for him right now, his gym buddy. He’s a great kid, it’s fun being out there with him.”

Bumper Bonk in Philly?

The Flyers’ second first-round pick in 2023 was given a popular nickname of “Bumper Bonk” last season. It was fueled by the 19-year-old’s success in the bumper spot of London’s power play.

Bonk led all OHL defensemen with 15 man advantage goals and finished with 67 points over 60 regular-season games for the Knights.

So the Flyers put Bonk in the bumper spot for Friday night’s rookie game.

“I’ve never seen that, I’ve never seen a D in the bumper spot on the power play,” Laperriere said. “I was anxious to see that and he looked pretty good. You can tell he’s comfortable, his puck retrieval is amazing in that position.”

Can he play the bumper role at the next level?

“That’s going to be for Torts or if I get him next year, which I wouldn’t be surprised if I never see him,” Laperriere said. “But if I do, I’ll work with him, for sure.”

Bonk will be in the Flyers’ main camp and is expected to eventually head back to London for his final year of junior hockey. The Flyers love that he’s coachable. He credits a lot of that to his father, who played 14 years in the NHL.

“My dad was great, he always pushed me,” Bonk said. “I’m used to being pushed, when the coaches are yelling here and they want to get you going, they want to push you, I’m ready for it. It doesn’t really intimidate me or anything like that.”

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Fans filed in at 10:30 a.m. and the bleachers were pretty packed 15 minutes before the 11 a.m. practice even started.

Matvei Michkov mania was put into motion Thursday and it picked up Friday at PPL Center for the 19-year-old’s first game action.

After the Flyers’ prospects split their weekend series with the Rangers, let’s get into three more observations from Sunday’s rookie training camp practice.

‘There’s another level’

There had to be a sense of reward for the Flyers’ front office Friday night, that Michkov was here and playing a rookie game in front of the team’s fan base two years ahead of schedule.

The top prospect looked as advertised, scoring a goal and generating all kinds of chances in big minutes.

But perhaps the most exciting thing for the Flyers is that they feel it was just a taste of his game.

“He’s a dynamic player,” Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said Sunday. “From the blue line in, he’s driven to score, he’s highly competitive and obviously has the hockey sense, the skill and the drive to generate offense. Like, he wants to score every shift. If he doesn’t, he gets fired up.

“To see that compete level, he was having fun there. I think there’s another level to his game obviously, but to get his feet wet in a North American style game in camp before stepping on with the big guys will be an advantage for him.”

At practice Sunday, Michkov set up Elliot Desnoyers for a goal in a 3-on-2 drill. Looking as if he was ready to shoot, Michkov saw Desnoyers without directly staring his way and slid a pass to him for the tap-in goal.

Keep an eye on Avon

J.R. Avon was unavailable at last year’s rookie camp because of a PCL sprain in his left knee. It was his first year of pro hockey and he had to start it by rehabbing an injury.

Now healthy and with a year of the AHL under his belt, he’ll be a prospect to watch at Lehigh Valley. The 21-year-old can play center or winger. The Flyers had him down the middle in the two rookie games.

“I think there are some things he’s going to have to work on for that position, but you see some of the dynamics that he brings with his speed, quickness and his energy level,” Flahr said. “He’s going to have to work on his game and round out his game to find his niche, but at the same time, he has some assets that will give him a chance down the road. So we just need to help him along.”

As a rookie with the Phantoms last season, Avon had 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 65 regular-season games. He sat as much as he played in the team’s six-game playoff run.

Avon latched on with the Flyers in September 2021 after being invited to the team’s development and rookie camps. The Flyers want him to kill penalties and carve out a consistent role this season in the AHL.

“He needs to find his identity,” Flahr said. “Last year, it was kind of up and down, but he had some good games. He had to battle for ice time, found some traction there at the end. As a shootout specialist, he was great. To have just a little niche like that is something to build on.

“Becoming a penalty killer this year, finding a bigger role down in Lehigh Valley. Hopefully that part of his game can transition and hopefully next [year’s] camp, he can maybe push for more games and hopefully put himself on the map as a call-up or maybe he pushes for a spot, you never know.”

Avon showed his shiftiness Sunday in a 2-on-2, small-area drill by creating room for himself before sniping a corner.

Barkey bouncing back

Denver Barkey was poised for a big rookie camp. The 5-foot-9 forward was coming off a 102-point junior season with the OHL’s London Knights and had gained 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason.

Then, about three weeks ago, he got hit with mononucleosis, keeping him out of camp and the rookie games.

“Just finding out, it was not the best timing. It sucked,” Barkey said. “I knew I probably wasn’t going to be able to compete at camp and be a part of the games. The first couple of a days were pretty tough, but I can’t really control it. I’m just focusing on what I can control moving forward.”

The 2023 third-round pick is recovering well and could be cleared for contact later this week. He went through a 1-on-1 rehab skate recently with Patrick Sharp. The Flyers are hoping the 19-year-old Barkey can participate at some point in John Tortorella’s training camp. Their goal is to build him back up for his fourth season in London.

“I don’t know if I need to see him do Torts’ skate or anything, but he’s anxious,” Flahr said. “If you’ve gotten to know him, it’s driving him crazy sitting here watching games being played without him.”

Barkey has nearly put all the weight back on that he lost.

“Just getting back to that, I’m almost there now, just a couple of pounds short,” he said. “I think my fitness and conditioning is still a bit behind, but I’ve been working pretty hard here, they’ve been taking good care of me. I think I’m right around the corner.”

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“Do you want the BS or you want the honest truth?” the head coach asked.

In the second of two rookie games at PPL Center, the Flyers didn’t exhibit the same juice or edge they had Friday night against a Rangers team featuring some towering prospects. They also didn’t have 2023 first-round picks Matvei Michkov or Oliver Bonk. But they hung in there and found a way to win in overtime Saturday night, 3-2, splitting the weekend series at the home of AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

Laperriere, the Phantoms’ bench boss who runs Flyers rookie training camp, felt his team played better the night before when Michkov had all eyes on him and didn’t disappoint. The Flyers lost, though, in a shootout, 4-3.

“We looked afraid tonight,” Laperriere said. “I hate to say it. Some of the guys didn’t, that fourth line, they showed up physically. [Jett] Luchanko did, too. [Elliot Desnoyers] did, too. Other guys, they need to realize that it’s pro hockey and if they want to play for me or they want to play for the next guy above me, they’re going to have to be a little bit braver I guess.”

Samu Tuomaala flushed the OT winner off a great feed from Emil Andrae. Luchanko started the sequence by using his speed to make a play toward the net. The burst was commendable considering he looked a bit tired from Friday night.

Matteo Mann and Sawyer Boulton scored the Flyers’ other two goals. Ironically, on Friday, the two were practicing some grappling techniques after morning skate. A night later, they were producing offensively.

The fourth line of Boulton, Zayde Wisdom and Jacob Gaucher made a nice connection to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead in the second period. Gaucher, a Phantoms forward, had a two-assist night.

• A strength of Andrae is his stick-to-itiveness. He wasn’t perfect this weekend but he just kept going, kept battling. And those are qualities you want in a defenseman. It’s a position with high minutes, high pressure. Mistakes will be made, but how do you respond the next play?

With the Flyers up 2-1 in the second period and just starting a five-minute power play, Andrae turned the puck over, which led to a game-tying shorthanded goal for the Rangers. However, he was at his best in the final frame and overtime.

The 2020 second-round pick made a strong defensive play in the third period to quell a Rangers threat and get the puck going the other way for the Flyers.

“That’s Emil for you,” Laperriere said. “He’ll make mistakes but he’ll never stop trying, which I like that about him. We just need to cut down on the mistakes a little bit.

“He does shake off the mistakes that he makes. But it’s my job as a coach to make sure he cuts down on mistakes. Because you make that many mistakes, you can’t play at the next level. That’s the honest truth. We worked with him last year, he’s a hell of a kid. What I love about him is his compete level is through the roof, so I’ll work with guys like that any day of the week. I’m a big fan of his, he’ll be all right.”

In overtime, Andrae displayed excellent patience to set up Tuomaala’s game-winner.

“The first and second periods were a little bit so-so,” the 22-year-old said. “I feel like in the third, we kind of took over as a team. I feel like I played better in the third and it was nice to set up Samu there for his goal. I had some bad shifts and some good shifts. Just learn from that and keep going.”

The 5-foot-9 blueliner has been likened to Kimmo Timonen. Andrae opened last season with the Flyers and played four games, but the big club’s picture on defense will be tougher to crack to start 2024-25. He’s not far from the picture.

“Just going to be the best I can during the camp,” Andrae said, “try to play as good as I can and try to be the player that they want to bring up when there’s an opening.”

• After watching the film of Friday night’s game, Laperriere was even more impressed by Luchanko. The 2024 first-round pick is a speedy center that showed all-situation upside alongside Michkov.

“If you ask me, Michkov or him? I was impressed with Michkov, he made all those plays and he’s the buzz of training camp, but Jett [was] not too far behind yesterday,” Laperriere said. “I was very pleased and impressed by his game.”

Based off his draft ranking by various public scouting services, Luchanko being taken by the Flyers at No. 13 overall this summer was viewed as somewhat of a reach. Before Saturday night’s game, Laperriere scoffed when he was asked about draft pundits pegging Luchanko lower than No. 13.

“I’ll trust out staff with [assistant general manager] Brent Flahr way before anybody,” he said. “They know the game, they watch, they know what we need. So far they’ve been doing a hell of a job.”

• Carson Bjarnason started in net Saturday night and converted 14 first-period saves after playing the full game Friday.

With the precarious Alexei Kolosov situation, many eyes have turned to the 2023 second-rounder Bjarnason and 2023 third-rounder Egor Zavragin, whose KHL season is underway.

As the 22-year-old Kolosov didn’t report to camp, Bjarnason became the guy this weekend.

“I’ve never met him but I heard he’s a great guy and great goalie,” Bjarnason said of Kolosov. “I haven’t thought too much about it, it’s just kind of go out there, play my game and play the way I can.”

The 19-year-old is set for his fourth season of junior hockey with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. He wants to continue working on the mental aspect of his position.

“It’s every day,” Bjarnason said. “Your brain’s a muscle, too, and you have to train it. You have to tell yourself what you want to think and obviously if you put bad thoughts in, that’s what’s going to come about. That’s a huge part of my game, I started taking it pretty serious I’d say two or three years ago. It has definitely come a long way but I’ve got a lot further to go with it.”

Camp invite Sam Hillebrandt played the final two periods Saturday night and stopped 22 of 24 shots.

• The Flyers are scheduled to have three more days of rookie camp in Voorhees, New Jersey.

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The 19-year-old top prospect had just dangled the puck around the Rangers’ goalie in tight for a 5-on-3 power play goal during the second period Friday night.

And he soaked up the crowd’s reaction.

Michkov brought the fans out of their seats at PPL Center, looking as advertised in his first game action wearing orange and black. The Flyers’ prospects took a 4-3 shootout loss to the Rangers’ prospects in the first of two rookie games this weekend at the home of AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

The Flyers grabbed their only lead at 2-1 on Michkov’s goal. With the Flyers’ net emptied and 14.4 seconds left in regulation, Massimo Rizzo forced overtime.

Only the Rangers’ Brennan Othmann scored in the skills competition. Michkov, J.R. Avon and Jett Luchanko were denied for the Flyers.

• The Flyers’ front office brass and coaching staff watched the game upstairs in the management suite. They had to be giddy about what they saw from Michkov.

What stood out most was how he embraced being double shifted by Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere in the third period. Michkov was at his best when the game got later and tougher.

“He’s a special player and you can tell,” Laperriere, who runs the Flyers’ rookie camp, said.

At one point in the third period, Michkov lived with the puck behind the net, fending off a defenseman and then showing his creativity.

“Everybody likes to play a lot, but he’s in great shape, so he can handle it,” Laperriere said. “He made plays on the power play, 5-on-5, plays out of nothing. That’s a special gift that he has got.

“Just having him on the bench, it’s fun because you can tell he loves the game. He wants to be out there and he was out there quite a bit.”

On Michkov’s power play goal, Rizzo found Luchanko, who quickly fed the Russian winger on the doorstep. With little space, Michkov and his hands went to work. He found a way to squeeze the puck past Rangers netminder Dylan Garand.

“He’s 19 years old, we can’t forget,” Laperriere said. “I know there’s a huge buzz around him — around the league, not only in Philly. But he handles it great.”

Michkov’s mother Maria and his younger brother Prohor attended the game with Flyers defenseman Egor Zamula.

“I’m happy because my family could see my first goal,” Michkov said with Zamula as his translator. “That goal was for my family.”

• Luchanko was everywhere.

His speed was evident but the 2024 first-rounder did a lot more than just fly up and down the ice. He won draws, he protected the puck and he played in all situations.

When the 18-year-old center had the puck in the offensive zone, he kept it there.

“That’s a kid that I was very impressed by,” Laperriere said. “Just by the maturity in his game — great on faceoffs, good penalty killer, good on the power play. I’m very excited about his future, that’s for sure.”

Luchanko has more junior hockey ahead of him. He appreciated the trust from Laperriere on Friday night.

“That’s something that I’ve always kind of tried to do is to let the coach be able to put me over the boards anytime,” Luchanko said. “I’m glad he can feel that way about me.”

More: Michkov mania, Jett lives up to name and other observations from Flyers rookie camp

• Oliver Bonk, the Flyers’ first-round pick from 2023 not named Michkov, made a few subtle but important defensive plays. He twice cleared the puck from a dangerous area, with one of those times coming in OT.

The 19-year-old and Hunter McDonald made up the Flyers’ top defensive pair.

“It was great, he’s awesome,” the 22-year-old McDonald said of Bonk. “Hopefully we can keep gaining some chemistry, it was good to get that first game feel. We were talking. That was one thing we talked about with [Flyers assistant coach Brad Shaw], just talking more because that helps everybody. Just kind of having great gaps, read off each other and we’ll both be effective that way.”

• Elliot Desnoyers complemented Michkov and Luchanko well on the Flyers’ first line. He wanted to be a “dog on a bone” by getting those two the puck. He also looked effective killing penalties.

The 22-year-old winger is ready to flush a tough sophomore AHL season, which came after a promising first year at the pro level.

“He looked great,” Laperriere said. “He looked fast, he looked quick, he looked strong on that puck. That’s a great build-up for him. It’s a big year for him — he knows that, we know that.”

• Carson Bjarnason, the Flyers’ 2023 second-round pick, played the full game in net and stopped 28 of 31 shots.

The Flyers put 41 shots on Garand.

• Spencer Gill gave the Flyers a chance at overtime with a great defensive effort in the final minute to keep the Rangers from sealing the game.

“That was a hell of a play to save that empty-net goal,” Laperriere said.

The 2024 second-round defenseman assisted the Flyers’ first goal, which was a redirection from Alexis Gendron.

• Michkov will watch as the Flyers and Rangers get back at it Saturday for the second rookie game (5:05 p.m. ET).

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The Flyers made that official five months later, bringing Simmonds back home as a community relations ambassador and hockey operations consultant.

“I think it’s great, I think it’s cool,” Ian Laperriere, who coached Simmonds, said Friday before the Flyers’ rookie game at PPL Center. “He means so much to the organization, on and off the ice. Everybody knows how much he did off the ice in the community, giving back, playing hockey with those kids on the street, tougher neighborhoods he used to go. I think it’s just great news to have him on board because he kind of left, he went other places afterward, but they brought him back because they know how much he means to the organization.”

The 36-year-old officially retired last season and was honored before an April game at the Wells Fargo Center. He spent parts of eight seasons in Philadelphia, where he won over the hearts of Flyers fans with his toughness, loyalty and 203 goals.

“The way you played the game exemplified not only how Ed Snider, the founder of the organization, anticipated that a Flyer would play, but the way each of you held each other accountable, day in and day out,” Hilferty, the Comcast Spectacor chairman and CEO and Flyers governor, said in April while sitting next to Simmonds. “That was not only on the ice, but it was also in the community. What you did for Snider Hockey and education, you were always there.”

The Flyers made six other additions Friday, hiring Reid Simpson as director of pro scouting in Europe, Kedryn Orrison-Pilgrim as the Phantoms’ head athletic trainer, Lindsay Eastwood as manager of player and hockey communications, Ryan Cyr as a goaltending scout and development consultant, Oleg Znarok for European player development and a scouting consultant and Ellyse Robert as a hockey analyst.

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Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET. The game can be live streamed here on the Flyers’ official website. It can also be listened to on radio at the Phantoms365 app.

The game is the Flyers’ first of two matchups against the Rangers’ prospects in Allentown, Pennsylvania this weekend. Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere will be behind the bench for the Flyers.

The club opened rookie training camp Thursday as fans filled the team’s practice facility to get their first look at Michkov. The 2023 first-round pick will be on an intriguing line Friday with Jett Luchanko and Elliot Desnoyers.

Here’s how the Flyers will look against the Rangers:

Lineup

Forwards

Elliot Desnoyers-Jett Luchanko-Matvei Michkov

Santeri Sulku-J.R. Avon-Alexis Gendron

Josh Zakreski-Massimo Rizzo-Samu Tuomaala

Nick Capone-Jacob Goucher-Sawyer Boulton

Defensemen

Hunter McDonald-Oliver Bonk

Emil Andrae-Spencer Gill

Sam Sedley-Ethan Samson

Goalies

Carson Bjarnason

Sam Hillebrandt

Power play units

Matvei Michkov, Jett Luchanko, Santeri Sulku, Oliver Bonk, Emil Andrae

Massimo Rizzo, Samu Tuomaala, Alexis Gendron, Josh Zakreski, Ethan Samson

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It was a wait to watch the organization’s prospects take the ice.

Call it the Matvei Michkov effect.

Fans filled Flyers Training Center to watch the 19-year-old Russian winger up close for the first time. The Flyers opened 2024 rookie training camp and Michkov was undeniably the main attraction.

He felt the fan support.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Michkov said through translator Max Kuznetsov. “Words can’t even describe it.”

Fans will get a chance to see him in game action Friday night when the Flyers’ prospects take on the Rangers’ prospects for the first of two matchups this weekend at PPL Center.

Before that, let’s get into three observations from the Michkov-fueled Day 1 of rookie camp.

Seeing the Michkov hype

Michkov’s strengths were evident. His hands are high end. He sees the ice. He just has a real nifty and creative way to him when the puck is on his stick.

But what shouldn’t be overlooked is Michkov’s competitiveness. He has been regarded for his drive in practice and showed it by battling throughout drills. One would think John Tortorella, who looked on Thursday from above, will appreciate Michkov’s effort away from the game lights.

The Flyers will also preach patience with a teenager taking on a whole new culture and challenge.

“Everybody has got so much expectation on the kid,” AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley head coach Ian Laperriere said. “It’s a different league. The NHL is the NHL. Rookie camp is rookie camp. He’s going to be great, he’s going to be fine, but my point is, it’s going to take time maybe. I don’t care who you are, you don’t jump into the NHL and dominate. It’s the best league in the world for a reason.

“But, after one day and even last week when I was here watching him on the ice, it’s impressive — he’s 19 years old, to be that young and that skilled, he has got a bright future in front of him. And he has got the right coaching staff to teach him how to be a pro.”

What was also noticeable was the 2023 first-round pick having conversations with fellow prospects Jett Luchanko and Oliver Bonk. Back in July, the Flyers had planned to set him up with a tutor to help him learn English. Since his arrival over a month and a half ago, he seems to be more comfortable.

“Every day’s a new day,” Michkov said. “My English gets better every single day. Slowly but surely, I’m adapting.”

‘He has got the right name’

The Flyers’ decision-makers construct the lines in rookie camp. They made the call to put Michkov and Luchanko on the same line Thursday and suffice it to say we’ll see that combo Friday night.

Luchanko was the Flyers’ first-round pick this summer. He’s a swift center who just turned 18 years old last month. There’s plenty of intrigue with Luchanko flanking Michkov.

“We all have bosses, so they told me they play together,” Laperriere said with a laugh. “But that’s another guy, he’s impressive with his speed. He has got the right name because he flies out there. I’m excited to see him, too. He’s years away from turning pro, but these are the kids you hear about.”

Michkov wanted to speak in English when asked about his new linemate.

“I saw they drafted Luchanko,” he said. “A really good guy. Tomorrow, we’ll be ready.”

Luchanko was wearing No. 17, not his No. 43 from development camp in July. It sounds like a player from the big club’s training camp chose No. 43 and Luchanko was OK with that — he likes his new number.

He also likes the opportunity to play on a line with Michkov.

“It was my first time kind of being out there with him,” Luchanko said. “Obviously he’s an unbelievable player, it’s really cool to share the ice with him. I’m excited to hopefully do that as much as I can moving forward and I’m excited to play with him tomorrow, as well.”

Building the back end

Emil Andrae and Hunter McDonald are knocking on the NHL door, two potential pieces to the club’s all-important future on defense.

After the 22-year-old Andrae opened last season with the Flyers and then became arguably the Phantoms’ best defenseman, Laperriere was happy to see a different player Thursday.

“I grabbed him after practice and I asked him and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I changed my training program.’ It’s maturity,” the Lehigh Valley bench boss said. “He had a good year last year, it’s easy to go home and say, ‘I figured it out. Next step, I’m going to the NHL.’ Usually those guys don’t make it. But Andy went back home and worked on his weakness, which was his quickness a little bit. I’m excited to see him play tomorrow.”

Andrae worked with a personal trainer back in Sweden. The regimen included off-ice activities to improve his speed and explosiveness.

The 2020 second-round pick played four games for the Flyers last October. In 2023 training camp, Tortorella definitely liked Andrae’s confidence and fearlessness.

“We had a good talk after the game in Vegas before I got sent down,” Andrae said. “He told me I had to play more minutes for my development. I didn’t feel like I was really on my game and he felt like [the NHL] was a little bit too fast. He was happy, he was positive. He told me, ‘If you try to develop and be better, you’ll probably be up there again.'”

McDonald, a 2022 sixth-rounder, has yet to play for the Flyers but the club’s front office and player development staff love the way he defends with a bruising style. The 22-year-old got after it Thursday with general manager Danny Briere and others watching from the perch.

“We all saw that,” Laperriere said. “We did and so did the boss, too. Danny saw it, Torts saw that. That’s part of his game. I enjoyed him last year when he came to us in the playoffs and down the stretch there. He brings that intensity, he’s in your face, he’s physical. He put weight on this summer, he looks great. That’s his role and that’s why he was intense today. I didn’t talk to Torts yet, but I’m sure he really enjoyed that.”

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Fans standing along the boards and seated in the bleachers watched Michkov take the ice at Flyers Training Center to open 2024 rookie training camp. It marked the first time the public could see the 19-year-old Russian winger practice in a Flyers jersey.

Michkov arrived to the Flyers this summer two years ahead of schedule. When the team drafted Michkov at seventh overall last summer, general manager Danny Briere said the Flyers didn’t have “anybody like him in the organization.”

“I’m excited to see him. I know you guys are and everybody behind closed doors,” AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley head coach Ian Laperriere said. “What I saw today, there’s a reason to be excited. He had a lot of intensity. He doesn’t speak much English, but you can tell he wants to be a difference-maker. I know it’s one practice, but I’m impressed.”

Laperriere knows he won’t be coaching Michkov when the regular season rolls around. But before Michkov gets coached by John Tortorella, he’ll play in at least Friday’s rookie game against the Rangers at PPL Center, home of the Phantoms. There’s a second rookie game Saturday. Both will be live streamed on the Flyers’ official website and can be heard on the radio here.

Below are some shots of Michkov in action today.

More on Michkov

• Farabee says ‘sky’s the limit’ for Michkov, ‘can’t wait’ for Flyers fans to see him

• Why Michkov playing on Couturier’s line would make sense for multiple Flyers

• Flyers confident that locker room will facilitate Michkov’s transition

• Michkov throws out first pitch at Phillies vs. Yankees game

• From plane to press conference, Michkov shows more than just talent

• Michkov has landed — Flyers’ top prospect arrives (in a Phillies hat)

• IGot you — Johnson helping Michkov prepare for transition to Flyers

• Briere: Tortorella will coach Michkov ‘just like he does everybody else’

• Flyers surrounding Michkov with help just as important as his arrival

• How Flyers prospect Michkov’s rise was evident in ‘a title fight’

• What makes Flyers prospect Michkov a ‘spotlight player’

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The goaltending prospect will not be in 2024 rookie training camp, which starts Thursday at Flyers Training Center. That’s a pretty clear indication that Kolosov won’t be a participant in the club’s main training camp, either.

Concern over the 22-year-old’s status stemmed back to May when Belarushockey.com reported that Kolosov was going to potentially return to the KHL in 2024-25 because of problems adapting to North America. At the time, the Flyers believed that he had been homesick, according to a source, but were hopeful he’d be OK next season.

The 2021 third-round pick from Belarus joined the Flyers’ AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley last season at the start of April after playing 53 games, including the playoffs, on loan with Dinamo Minsk in the KHL, Russia’s top pro league. The Flyers felt Kolosov spending a month-plus with the Phantoms would be an effective way to facilitate his full-time transition to North America in 2024-25.

“We had people checking on him every day, guys were trying to get him,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere said in August on the Nasty Knuckles podcast with Riley Cote and Derek Settlemyre. “He’s shy, he didn’t speak a lot of English. So going into the season, we wanted to help him out and put him in the best possible position to succeed this year.

“We’re hearing all these rumors, we haven’t had a full or clear answer at this point. But if he wants to play hockey, he has to come over here. He’s under contract with the Flyers, he’s not allowed to play anywhere else, we want him here. So we’ll see. In our mind, he has to report.”

Where things go from here is uncertain. Kolosov, who changed agents last month, signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Flyers in July 2023. The Flyers prefer he’d develop here after having him play last season on loan. Similar to what they did with Ivan Fedotov, it’s possible they could have this year of Kolosov’s contract tolled, keeping it in effect for next season. But will Kolosov play in the KHL again this season? Will he ever want to play in Philadelphia or Lehigh Valley? We’ll see.

Kolosov is one of the Flyers’ top goalie prospects. He had a 2.39 goals-against average, .907 save percentage and four shutouts last season for Dinamo Minsk before putting up a 2.21 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in six playoff games.

As for Flyers rookie camp, Matvei Michkov is the unquestionable headliner. The Flyers will play the Rangers in two rookie games this weekend at PPL Center, the home of the Phantoms.

Practices at Flyers Training Center are open to the public.

Below are the full details on rookie camp:

Schedule

• Thursday, Sept. 12 — Practice, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

• Friday, Sept. 13 — Morning skate, 10:30-11 a.m. ET (at Flyers Training Center)

• Friday, Sept. 13 — First rookie game vs. Rangers at PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, 7:05 p.m. ET

• Saturday, Sept. 14 — Second rookie game vs. Rangers at PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, 5:05 p.m. ET

• Sunday, Sept. 15 — Practice, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

• Monday, Sept. 16 — Practice, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

• Tuesday, Sept. 17 — Practice, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

Roster

More on prospects

• Farabee says ‘sky’s the limit’ for Michkov, ‘can’t wait’ for Flyers fans to see him

• Flyers prospects know Luchanko as the ‘one-man power play break-in’

• ‘Heartbreaking’ moment fueled Flyers prospect Barkey’s 102-point season

• ‘Receptive’ and ‘resilient’ Bonk backing up Flyers’ pick

• ‘Throwback’ defenseman is ‘knocking on the door’ of Flyers’ rebuild

• Flyers’ 6-foot-4 center prospect has hockey bloodlines and desire to work

• After trade from Hurricanes and ELC with Flyers, can Rizzo push for call-up?

• Morin excited about 6-4 defenseman Gill, ‘a really good project’ for Flyers

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That means he has seen Matvei Michkov up close on the ice as much as anyone else. The 19-year-old top prospect arrived to the Flyers from Russia a month and a half ago. Farabee is among those who have skated with him about three or four times a week since his arrival.

What’s the scouting report?

“You can see the skill and the way he sees the ice is pretty remarkable,” Farabee said Tuesday in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “But honestly, it’s hard to tell before you get into live action. I think as we go through training camp and get into the preseason games, you’ll have a better understanding. Our summer skates are mostly working on skills and things like that, so it’s hard to tell his complete game. But we’re really excited for him. I’ve seen the clips of him playing in Russia last year, so if he can bring that skill over here, I think it’s going to be awesome for him.”

More: Flyers have challenged Farabee — and he wants that

Michkov is a dynamic winger fueled by a unique skill set. One expert considered him the second-best player in the 2023 NHL draft, behind only No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard. For various reasons, Michkov slid to the Flyers at seventh overall. He’s now in Philadelphia two years earlier than anticipated and fans are justifiably excited.

But as Farabee noted, it’s impossible to simulate game action in the summer. The battle drills in training camp and playing against other teams in the preseason this month will provide a real setting for Michkov to test his strengths.

The Flyers are going to be patient with a teenager jumping from the KHL, Russia’s top pro league, to the NHL, the best league in the world. They believe having him arrive in July should only help him in this September ramp-up phase.

“It’s really nice just having him at the rink every day, him getting to see what it takes to be an NHL player,” Farabee said. “I’m assuming it’s pretty overwhelming for him with the language barrier and things like that, but I think the Flyers’ organization has done an awesome job at getting him settled.

“I think his mom and his brother are over here now. You can see him at the rink now, he’s starting to really feel more comfortable. I think with most of our team in Philly now, he’s getting to meet everybody. I think for him, the sky’s the limit. He’s a really good player on the ice and I can’t wait for the fans to see him live and see what he can do.”

More on Michkov

• Why Michkov playing on Couturier’s line would make sense for multiple Flyers

• Flyers confident that locker room will facilitate Michkov’s transition

• Michkov throws out first pitch at Phillies vs. Yankees game

• From plane to press conference, Michkov shows more than just talent

• Michkov has landed — Flyers’ top prospect arrives (in a Phillies hat)

• IGot you — Johnson helping Michkov prepare for transition to Flyers

• Briere: Tortorella will coach Michkov ‘just like he does everybody else’

• Flyers surrounding Michkov with help just as important as his arrival

• How Flyers prospect Michkov’s rise was evident in ‘a title fight’

• What makes Flyers prospect Michkov a ‘spotlight player’

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In a few, noticeable ways, the Flyers have challenged Farabee to give them more even after the 24-year-old winger put up a career-high 50 points last season and played all 82 games for a second straight year.

At his end-of-the-season press conference in April, Danny Briere mentioned Farabee and Noah Cates as two players that “maybe didn’t develop quite as much” as the general manger would have hoped. Farabee’s production dropped off after the All-Star break and head coach John Tortorella had him on the fourth line in April.

But Farabee doesn’t mind being pushed.

“I think just as a hockey player, you always want your peers, this coaching staff and management to want more from you,” he said Tuesday in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I don’t think anyone’s ever come out of a year saying, ‘I wish you would do less.’ I think for me, it’s just motivation. Obviously I hope that the staff and the management believe in me as a player. I believe in winning here and being someone that can help the team win.”

There has been an overall positive track record of Farabee responding well to challenges. After an in-game benching last season at the end of November, he was a point-per-game player over his next 25 games (nine goals, 16 assists). In 2022-23, he played all 82 games and didn’t make excuses despite coming off sudden disc replacement surgery on his neck. And as a 19-year-old rookie, he dealt with a rough game and short leash like a pro.

As he takes on this challenge, he’ll fall back on what has helped him play in 174 consecutive games, an ironman streak that is tied with Sidney Crosby’s heading into this season.

“I think my ability to play up and down the lineup helps me a lot,” Farabee said. “So just being able to continue to do that and be more consistent, I know down the stretch, it gets a lot tougher with the games and things like that. But for me, just trying to be a guy that’s reliable and someone that can be out there, play both sides of the puck and try to help this team win.”

He knows what will elicit faith from the coach.

“I feel like Torts and I have a really good relationship,” Farabee said. “Just like with everybody else, he’s honest and he’s upfront with what he expects from you. And if you’re not doing that, he’s going to let you know and your ice time’s going to be limited because of it. I feel like we have a pretty good understanding of both our roles.

“I just try to be a guy that’s reliable and trustworthy as possible. Especially in Torts’ system, you have to be trustworthy and responsible on the defensive side of the puck if you’re going to get minutes. So just keep trying to focus on that part of my game and not try to think too much about the offense because I feel like if I’m not thinking, that’s when I play my best offensively.”

After playing for Team USA at the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in May, Farabee went back home to the Syracuse, New York area to see his parents for a few weeks. He has been in Philadelphia since early June.

He’s hoping to eventually play postseason hockey in Philadelphia. He has been to the NHL playoffs one time and it was 2020 up in the Toronto bubble with no fans.

“I think where we are as a team, you can’t really focus on the personal stats,” Farabee said. “It’s more about the team goal and what can I do to help this team get into the playoffs and even further than that, make a run in the playoffs. I think at this point in my career, I just want to win. I’m going into my sixth season and I’ve only been to the playoffs once. I’m at the point now where I’m willing to give up the offensive numbers if it means the team’s going to win.”

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One player stood at 6-foot-5, the other at 5-foot-9. The big Hayes protected the puck with his size and the boyish Gaudreau darted and dazzled.

They had different playing strengths. But the two sure seemed just alike off the ice.

“He’s one of my best friends,” Hayes said on Nov. 22, 2019, a day before Gaudreau and the Flames visited Hayes and the Flyers. “Not even within hockey, just within my life.”

Hayes tragically lost his friend Thursday night. He and so many others are trying to somehow process the deaths of Gaudreau and his 29-year-old younger brother Matthew Gaudreau, who were killed by a drunk driver in Salem County, New Jersey, while riding their bikes, police said.

Johnny Gaudreau, 31, was a local star, coming from Carneys Point Township in New Jersey and playing for Gloucester Catholic High School. He was an electric player for three years at Boston College alongside Hayes, who got married last August with Gaudreau as one of his groomsmen.

“We pretty much were inseparable for three years there,” Hayes said in November 2019. “That’s when he became Johnny Hockey. … He was this little kid that looked like he was 12 and he was scoring every night, it was crazy.”

Gaudreau would have been entering his third season with the Blue Jackets. He was a seven-time NHL All-Star, with six of those honors coming with the Flames. He played on the same line as Hayes at the 2023 NHL All-Star Game. It was Hayes’ final season with the Flyers before he was traded last summer.

Hayes also lost his older brother Jimmy Hayes three years ago on Aug. 23.

The Flyers released the following statement Friday morning on the deaths of the Gaudreau brothers:

“The Philadelphia Flyers are heartbroken to learn of the sudden and tragic passing of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.

Johnny and Matthew were deeply rooted in the Philadelphia and New Jersey community, where they spent their entire childhood on the ice.

Both were members of Gloucester Catholic High School, Team Comcast and the Philadelphia Little Flyers. Matthew reconnected with the Flyers organization where he played for our ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals, and later joined the coaching ranks in Philadelphia, which included his high school.

Throughout all of their success in the hockey world, both continued to give back to our community. Johnny and Matthew, as well as the entire Gaudreau family, have made a sizable difference in the lives of so many in the Philadelphia area to learning and growing to love the sport of hockey.

Our prayers and deepest sympathies go out to Johnny’s wife, Meredith, their children, Noa and Johnny, Matthew’s wife Madeline, and the entire Gaudreau family during this unimaginably difficult time.

Johnny and Matthew were, and always will be, beloved and cherished members of the Flyers community and entire hockey world.”

There was an outpouring of condolences and other messages Friday for the Gaudreau family on X, formerly Twitter:

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They’re a team in a four-year playoff drought, the organization’s longest since 1989-90 to 1993-94, when it went five straight seasons without a postseason berth. They’re still considered a rebuilding club in transition. After all, the general manager and head coach used phrases like “a long ways to go” and “a ways away” at their end-of-the-season press conferences in April.

But, at least on paper, the Flyers look like they have more answers now compared to this time a year ago.

Up front, Matvei Michkov is here, Tyson Foerster has established himself as an NHLer and Bobby Brink is no longer a training camp dark horse.

On the back end, Jamie Drysdale and Erik Johnson are in the picture unlike the start of last season, Egor Zamula is firmly a Flyer and Rasmus Ristolainen is healthy, vying for his first regular-season opener with the club.

And the goaltending tandem of Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov appears set for at least the start of the season unless something unforeseen happens.

More: Briere defends Flyers amid Kolosov absence, says time for prospect to ‘step up’

On Day 1 of 2023 training camp, John Tortorella called the Flyers “a land of opportunity.”

Is that still the case this time around?

“There are definitely some guys that are going to be pushing for spots,” general manager Danny Briere said Tuesday. “Nobody can be too comfortable.

“The exciting part is we’re a young group, still developing, still trying to figure out how far we can push it.”

Assistant general manager Brent Flahr echoed that sentiment.

“We’re not a five-year Stanley Cup-running team,” he said Sunday. “We have some competition and guys are aware they’re going to have to battle for jobs here going forward as some of the younger players kind of step in.”

More: Flyers release 2024 training camp roster and schedule

Briere mentioned Olle Lycksell, Anthony Richard, Rodrigo Abols and Oscar Eklind as forwards who could make things interesting. Lycksell played 18 games for the Flyers last season and had 38 points in 39 games for AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley. Richard played nine games for the Bruins last season and put up 55 AHL goals over the past two years. Abols and Eklind are both 6-foot-4 and were very effective in the SHL, Sweden’s top pro league.

Last year, Foerster and Brink won jobs out of camp. This year, spots don’t seem as wide open.

“Those two young guys played so well, we made room for them,” Briere said. “Going into this year, and that’s going to be the key for players including Tyson and Bobby, they have to know that nothing’s a lock. They still have to push ahead and not take anything for granted.”

On defense, the Flyers have four pieces 25 years old or younger who will be knocking on the door. Ronnie Attard and Adam Ginning experienced the Flyers’ playoff race last season. Emil Andrae opened the year with the big club and the Flyers really like the 22-year-old’s makeup. Hunter McDonald is a “throwback” who has a chance to make his NHL debut at some point this season.

Briere didn’t rule out the Flyers carrying eight defensemen to open the regular season. The Flyers definitely have seven that will be tough to unseat.

Undeniably, though, the Flyers’ biggest storyline entering camp is Michkov, the 19-year-old top prospect who arrived two years ahead of schedule. The Flyers will temper expectations but he absolutely changes their dynamic.

“I can’t wait to see how he’s going to create offense,” Briere said. “I think his brain is pretty special and he’s going to adapt, but it might not be instant, he might need time to adapt.

“We have our own expectation, we expect to have a team that’s going to compete. Hopefully players individually get a little better than they were last year. I don’t have a lot of expectation for Matvei. What I hope is for him to figure out how he can take the first step and get better as a player, as the season goes on. I’m realistic, it’s going to be a tough season for him. This is the best league in the world, it’s a big step, it’s not going to be easy.”

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They’ll have six games on TNT, four on ESPN+, two on ESPN and two on ABC. The ESPN+ exclusive games will be available only by live stream.

Two of the Flyers’ national matchups come in a back-to-back set against the Capitals, the first meetings between Russian wingers Matvei Michkov and Alex Ovechkin.

The NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast schedule will be released on a later date. The Flyers open the regular season Oct. 11 when they visit the Canucks and start the preseason Sept. 22 when they visit the Capitals. Here are the schedules for the Flyers’ regular season and preseason.

Below is the full list of the Flyers’ games on national broadcasts this season:

• Tuesday, Oct. 15 — Flyers at Oilers, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN

• Tuesday, Oct. 22 — Flyers vs. Capitals, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN

• Wednesday, Oct. 23 — Flyers at Capitals, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT

• Thursday, Nov. 7 — Flyers at Lightning, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+/Hulu

• Wednesday, Nov. 20 — Flyers vs. Hurricanes, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT (blacked out locally, available on NBCSP)

• Wednesday, Dec. 18 — Flyers at Red Wings, 7 p.m. ET, TNT

• Thursday, Dec. 19 — Flyers vs. Kings, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+/Hulu

• Tuesday, Jan. 7 — Flyers vs. Maple Leafs, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+/Hulu

• Wednesday, Jan. 29 — Flyers at Devils, 7 p.m. ET, TNT

• Thursday, Jan. 30 — Flyers vs. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+/Hulu

• Saturday, March 8 — Flyers vs. Kraken, 12:30 p.m. ET, ABC

• Sunday, March 9 — Flyers vs. Devils, 1 p.m. ET, TNT

• Wednesday, April 9 — Flyers at Rangers, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT

• Saturday, April 12 — Flyers vs. Islanders, 12:30 p.m. ET, ABC

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But should that be the case when opening night arrives Oct. 11?

Hear me out.

With Matvei Michkov now in the big club’s picture two years ahead of schedule, the Flyers need to make sure they put him in the best possible position to succeed, to have a healthy transition to the NHL level as a 19-year-old coming over from Russia.

They also can’t forget what’s best for Morgan Frost and his important season. The 25-year-old center is a candidate to play alongside Michkov on the Flyers’ second line. The sheer talent of the teenage winger coupled with Frost’s creativity offensively is definitely intriguing.

However, assigning Frost with the initial task of getting Michkov acclimated to the top league in the world is a huge responsibility. That’s a ton of pressure on Frost, who has endured tough starts over the last two seasons.

In 2022-23, he put up six points (three goals, three assists) through his first 27 games. He turned it on down the stretch, leading the Flyers in scoring from Jan. 1 to the end of the season.

Last season, he was surprisingly benched for 10 of the Flyers’ first 20 games. He handled it like a pro and still finished the season with a career-high 28 assists.

What could shoot Frost out of a cannon this season? Playing him with the team’s best player. Konecny is now the guy for the Flyers. His presence on the second line would give the Flyers more balance and Frost a great opportunity.

But this isn’t strictly about Frost; it’s also about Michkov playing with Sean Couturier. The youngster would get an ideal chauffeur in the 2019-20 Selke Trophy winner, a 31-year-old veteran who will have him in good spots and can bring him along in the defensive zone.

The Flyers’ first and second lines will be interchangeable when it comes to minutes. Konecny is the team’s de facto first-line right winger. Couturier is the team’s experienced captain. Spreading them around just makes sense.

More on Michkov

• Flyers confident that locker room will facilitate Michkov’s transition

• Michkov throws out first pitch at Phillies vs. Yankees game

• From plane to press conference, Michkov shows more than just talent

• Michkov has landed — Flyers’ top prospect arrives (in a Phillies hat)

• IGot you — Johnson helping Michkov prepare for transition to Flyers

• Briere: Tortorella will coach Michkov ‘just like he does everybody else’

• Flyers surrounding Michkov with help just as important as his arrival

• How Flyers prospect Michkov’s rise was evident in ‘a title fight’

• What makes Flyers prospect Michkov a ‘spotlight player’

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At 11:39 p.m., Haddon Fire Company No. 1 was called to 500 block of Jobel Drive for a report of a dwelling fire, according to officials.

Crews reported heavy fire from the first floor and heavy smoke on the second and third floors. The first and second floors sustained significant damage.

The house was empty at the time of the fire. According to Haddonfield tax records, the home belongs to Flyers’ star Travis Konecny and his wife.

The fire was placed under control within an hour. Two firefighters received minor burns that did not require hospital transport or treatment, officials said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

No further information is being released at this time.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

The head coach will serve as an assistant for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston. The tournament, which replaces the NHL All-Star break, features the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden.

Tortorella will be joined by John Hynes and David Quinn on head coach Mike Sullivan’s staff.

In late December last season, Tortorella recorded his 1,500th career game as an NHL head coach, becoming the first U.S.-born coach to hit the milestone. He ranks second among U.S.-born coaches in all-time wins (742), behind only Rangers head coach and former Flyers bench boss Peter Laviolette (807).

Tortorella also represented USA Hockey in 2016, 2010, 2008 and 2005. He has a silver medal from the 2010 Olympics as an assistant coach.

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The Flyers placed the 32-year-old forward on unconditional waivers Tuesday for the purpose of terminating the final year of his contract. The club has cited a material breach for its reasoning and will not have any further comment.

Johansen’s contract was taken on by the Flyers to facilitate the Sean Walker trade in March. Walker was moved to the Avalanche in a deal that netted the Flyers a first-round draft pick.

After the deal was made, the Flyers placed Johansen on waivers and he went unclaimed. He ended up never playing for the Flyers’ AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley because of a hip injury, according to a report by The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz.

For what it’s worth, Johansen had played in a game with Colorado two days prior to the trade. When the Flyers acquired him, it was clear they did not view him as a piece to their present or future.

“In Ryan Johansen’s case, all I can tell you is I don’t expect him to be back,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere said in April at his end-of-the-season press conference. “I don’t know exactly the situation. We’re dealing on the medical side with him. I think the No. 1 thing for him is to get him back to being able to play. At this time, he doesn’t think he can play hockey. I wish I had a better answer for you, but we need to get him better to figure out if there’s even a remote chance of him dressing for the organization at whatever level.”

Johansen would be entering this season on an expiring contract with a $4 million cap hit. The cap relief from his deal, of course, would be welcomed by the Flyers.

As part of a statement, Johansen’s agent Kurt Overhardt said his client is dealing with “a severe hockey injury that requires extensive surgery.” Overhardt called the Flyers’ attempt to terminate Johansen’s contract “disappointing.”

TSN’s Chris Johnston reported that a grievance filed through the NHLPA could lead to a negotiated settlement.

Johansen has played in 905 career NHL games between time with the Predators, Blue Jackets and Avalanche.

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The Flyers’ goaltending prospect recently switched his representation to Dan Milstein of Gold Star Sports Management Group, the agent confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia on Monday. Kolosov was previously represented by J.P. Barry of CAA Hockey.

Daria Tuboltseva first reported Milstein becoming Kolosov’s agent.

Milstein represents a number of notable NHLers from Russia, including Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Ilya Sorokin, all of whom once played in the KHL, their country’s top pro league.

Kolosov is a 22-year-old from Belarus who has played parts of the last four seasons with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk. He signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Flyers in July 2023 and played for Dinamo Minsk last season on loan. He then joined the Flyers’ AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley at the start of April after playing 53 games, including the playoffs, with Dinamo Minsk. Kolosov played a couple of games for the Phantoms, who bowed out of the playoffs on May 11.

Things took an interesting turn five days later when Belarushockey.com reported that Kolosov was going to potentially return to the KHL next season because of problems adapting to North America. At the time, the Flyers were not aware of anything regarding Kolosov going back to the KHL and the belief was that he had been homesick, according to a source.

On Monday, Milstein did not have any information to disclose regarding Kolosov’s status for 2024-25. With Flyers rookie camp under a month away, it’s still uncertain if the 2021 third-round pick will join the club’s picture in North America.

“Nothing has been said directly to us,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere said recently on the Nasty Knuckles podcast with Riley Cote and Derek Settlemyre. “We were trying to get some answers. Alexei doesn’t speak English, so we can’t just grab the phone and call him. It was tough to get answers from his agent or clear answers, there’s always dancing around the pot. He just changed agents in the last few days, so we were just notified of that. I don’t know exactly what it means.”

The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reported Monday that Kolosov would prefer to play on loan again for the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk.

One would think the Flyers don’t love that idea given Kolosov was on loan last season and his development with the Phantoms is critical to his eventual NHL transition.

“You’ve just got to keep in mind, it’s not easy,” Briere said on the Nasty Knuckles podcast. “You come from Belarus, you come over here, you don’t speak the language. Unfortunately we didn’t have any other Russian-speaking players [in Lehigh Valley last year], we were late in the season. The plan with him was just to give him the chance to come over, see what it’s like, to help his transition this year. That was the plan.

“It was very clear from the get-go that he was just going to play in a couple of games because we didn’t want to put him in a bad situation. He had played a full season already, didn’t know the coaching staff, didn’t know the style. The game over here is a lot more physical, even for a goalie. So we just wanted to give him a couple of games, help his transition going into this year. That was the plan all along.

“We had people checking on him every day, guys were trying to get him. He’s shy, he didn’t speak a lot of English. So going into the season, we wanted to help him out and put him in the best possible position to succeed this year. We’re hearing all these rumors, we haven’t had a full or clear answer at this point. But if he wants to play hockey, he has to come over here. He’s under contract with the Flyers, he’s not allowed to play anywhere else, we want him here. So we’ll see. In our mind, he has to report.”

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He could have played in Liiga, his country’s top pro league, and done so with comfortable surroundings.

But he instead chose to pursue an education in America. Oh, and not just any school.

Harvard.

“Most of the national team guys from Finland, they go play Liiga,” Ruohonen said over a month ago at Flyers development camp. “I’m pretty much the only one going the NCAA route.”

A unique course. And a commendable one.

“I always saw myself coming to North America,” the Flyers’ 2024 fourth-round draft pick said. “My childhood dream is to play in the NHL and I just saw it as it’s a smaller rink and North American style of hockey is a bit different. So I just wanted to get used to it as soon as I could.

“I’ve always been pretty good in school, so I was in between the CHL and college route. But school has always been pretty easy for me, so I decided to use that opportunity.”

Ruohonen will play for the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints this season before heading to Harvard in 2025-26. He liked what he heard from Crimson goaltender Aku Koskenvuo, who is from Finland. The 18-year-old center appreciated the esteemed academics and the history of Harvard sending players to the pros. The Crimson have produced NHLers like Adam Fox, Alex Killorn, Alexander Kerfoot, Jimmy Vesey and John Marino.

“School has been pretty easy for me, so that’s why I wanted to go the NCAA route,” Ruohonen said. “I always thought when I was younger, ‘Is the hockey going to be as good as pro leagues in Europe?’ But then you see like 20 guys [from college] jump into the NHL every year, so that pretty much sums it up.”

Playing at the junior level in Finland last season, Ruohonen had 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists) and a plus-19 rating over 37 games for Kiekko-Espoo. He also represented Finland at the 2024 IIHF U-18 World Junior Championship, putting up five points (three goals, two assists) and a plus-4 rating in five games.

As a 6-foot-2, 204-pound center, he likes to watch Aleksander Barkov, a Finnish product who has won two Selke Trophies and a Stanley Cup with the Panthers.

“I’m a two-way, hard-working forward,” Ruohonen said. “I skate pretty fast up and down the ice, I like to play physical. I think I can play every situation.”

The Flyers hope they addressed their organizational deficiency down the middle of the ice by using three of their first four picks this summer on centers. Along with Ruohonen, they drafted Jett Luchanko in the first round and Jack Berglund in the second.

Ruohonen believes his game will translate well to the North American-sized ice sheet.

“That’s also one of the reasons I wanted to come, I think I can play physical and fast here in the smaller rink,” he said. “I think that fits the smaller rink even better than European style of play.”

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On Monday, Philadelphia Flyers Charities officially opened registration for the annual Gritty 5k presented by Penn Medicine.

Since its inception in 2018, the fun run in honor of the Flyers’ mascot has not only been a fun-filled event, but also a significant fundraiser, raising over $750,000 to support Flyers Charities, promote the game of hockey and provide aid to families affected by cancer.

The sixth annual event, which participants can run, walk, or jog, will take place this fall on Saturday, October 26, 2024, before the Flyers face the Minnesota Wild at 1 p.m. that same day.

With an opening ceremony hosted by the legendary mascot himself, Gritty, participants will run a course filled with surprises and sweet treats, including cake. The one-of-its-kind 3.1-mile course will start and end in the Wells Fargo Center Complex, looping through FDR Park.

Features of the run include karaoke, ribbon dancing , caking, break dancing and hula hooping.

Come in your best Gritty attire- whether glitter, fur or googly eyes with a chance to win the infamous ”Best in Fur” award. Other creative fits can win prizes, including Flyers tickets for the upcoming season. Runners can also get some Gritty Attire in person by getting Gritt-ifed to increase their chances of winning top prizes.

There is both an in-person race and a virtual race option, so fans from all over the world can join in on the fun.

Registration is now open. For the first 48 hours, participants can access special early bird pricing of $50 for adults and $45 for kids under 12.

The club’s former president of hockey operations and general manager was hired by the Devils on Thursday as a senior advisor to Tom Fitzgerald, New Jersey’s GM.

In 2018-19, Fletcher briefly served the Devils as a senior advisor before being hired by the Flyers as their GM.

Fletcher was fired by the Flyers in March 2023, a week after a highly criticized trade deadline. In 2019-20, his first full season with the Flyers, he led the team to its first playoff series victory since 2012 and one win shy of the Eastern Conference Final. But over the following three seasons, the Flyers went 74-99-30 under Fletcher and are now in a four-year playoff drought.

The Flyers play the Devils four times this season, with three of the matchups coming in January.

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On Monday night, the 19-year-old was walking toward the mound at Citizens Bank Park, rocking a Phillies jersey and holding a baseball.

Before the Phillies opened a marquee three-game series with the Yankees, Michkov threw out the first pitch and got a taste of the city’s sports scene (see video above).

“I know there’s a baseball team in Philadelphia, one of the best,” Michkov said at his introductory press conference last Wednesday through translator Slava Kuznetsov, a Flyers consultant. “[I’m excited] to meet with the players and watch the game.”

Flyers teammates Joel Farabee, Cam York and Tyson Foerster joined Michkov at the game. Coming over from Russia, Michkov is still learning about the Phillies and the other teams in town.

He now has a sweet jersey and a memorable moment as he prepares for his first NHL season.

More on Michkov

• From plane to press conference, Michkov shows more than just talent

• Michkov has landed — Flyers’ top prospect arrives (in a Phillies hat)

• IGot you — Johnson helping Michkov prepare for transition to Flyers

• Briere: Tortorella will coach Michkov ‘just like he does everybody else’

• Flyers surrounding Michkov with help just as important as his arrival

• How Flyers prospect Michkov’s rise was evident in ‘a title fight’

• What makes Flyers prospect Michkov a ‘spotlight player’

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He recorded back-to-back seasons of 30-plus goals and 60-plus points, the first of which came in just 60 games.

He turned into an all-situation player, leading the NHL with nine shorthanded goals over the last two seasons.

He became the Flyers’ best player and an All-Star again.

Those players heading into their prime age get paid. It happened for Konecny on Thursday as the Flyers signed him to an eight-year, $70 million contract extension, avoiding the dicey nature of a contract year. The deal has an average annual value of $8.75 million, making Konecny the Flyers’ highest-paid player starting next season (2025-26).

“One of the biggest things for me was I just wanted to get this over with and make sure that there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be a Flyer for life,” the 27-year-old winger said Thursday in a Zoom press conference. “What we have been working toward and what I believe that this team can be, this is where I wanted to be. It was pretty easy for me to make the decision that I was going to stay here as long as possible.”

Konecny has 40-goal upside. An $8.75 million AAV is justified for a player with that capability, who plays around 20 minutes a night, scores at even strength, kills penalties and is the team’s top power play producer.

If Konecny didn’t battle two injuries in 2022-23, there’s a strong chance he would have hit 40 goals and 75 points. Last season, he posted career highs in goals (33) and points (68) through 76 games. He has 129 points (64 goals, 65 assists) in 136 games and 19:58 minutes per game over the last two seasons.

Jack Eichel, the Golden Knights’ center with a $10 million cap hit (per PuckPedia), has registered 134 points (58 goals, 76 assists) in 130 games and 19:37 minutes per game over the last two seasons.

Johnny Gaudreau, the Blue Jackets’ winger with a $9.75 million cap hit, has put up 134 points (33 goals, 101 assists) in 161 games and 19:07 minutes per game over the last two seasons.

In the last two seasons, Konecny has scored one more even strength goal (46) than Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk (45), who has played 23 more games over that span and has a $9.5 million cap hit.

In the last two seasons, Konecny also has six more even strength goals than Panthers winger Sam Reinhart (40) and the same number of even strength points (92). Reinhart has played 28 more games in that span and just signed an eight-year, $69 million contract on July 1 to stay in Florida.

Konecny deserved to get paid and was going to get paid. He has a good age for the Flyers’ timeline. He has a higher ceiling than what he has already reached. He’s a homegrown Flyer who has wanted to stay despite a four-year playoff drought and plenty of change.

“I have no doubt in my mind that at some point, when we get the consistency down and all the players are comfortable playing in the big games,” Konecny said, “that we’re going to be a consistent playoff team and trying to make a run every single year.”

If there’s a concern with the deal, it’s how Konecny might age through the contract. As a smaller winger who plays in the hard areas, likes to stir the pot, there’s a greater chance of wear and tear on the body.

Can he stay healthy for the long haul? What kind of player will he be when he approaches his mid-30s?

Those are fair questions but ones that face most players on premier contracts.

The Flyers don’t have to worry about those questions right now. Their best player is 27 years old and getting better. If they didn’t pay him, somebody else would have next summer.

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The Flyers signed their All-Star and leading scorer Thursday to an eight-year, $70 million extension. The deal has an average annual value of $8.75 million, making Konecny the Flyers’ highest-paid player starting next season (2025-26).

The contract has a full no-move clause for the first six years and a limited no-trade clause for the final two years, according to a source.

The 27-year-old winger just entered the final year of his six-year, $33 million deal and was in line for a pretty good raise from his $5.5 million average annual value. His new deal has him under contract in Philadelphia through the 2032-33 season.

“One of the biggest things for me was I just wanted to get this over with and make sure that there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be a Flyer for life,” Konecny said Thursday in a Zoom press conference. “What we have been working toward and what I believe that this team can be, this is where I wanted to be. It was pretty easy for me to make the decision that I was going to stay here as long as possible.”

The last two seasons convinced the Flyers that Konecny was not their best trade chip for a rebuild but instead their best player, a guy that fit their timeline and could lead a younger team.

“Travis Konecny is an integral part of the fabric of our team and we are thrilled to have him under contract for the long-term,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere said in a statement released by the club. “Travis has grown into a significant leader on our team and he truly embodies what it means to be a Flyer. His work ethic, combined with his tenacity and talent makes him a central figure for what we are building towards, and his determination for our future success speaks volumes about his commitment to our team and city.”

In 2023-24, Konecny delivered career highs in goals (33) and points (68) as he made his second All-Star Game. He was the heartbeat of a team that overachieved by pushing for the playoffs through Game 82 but fell short because of a 2-7-2 finish.

Over the last two seasons, Konecny has put up 129 points (64 goals, 65 assists) in 136 games. He has played just under 20 minutes per game and his nine shorthanded goals lead the NHL.

“I think his inner confidence has grown that he can be a great player; not a good player, that he can be a great player,” Flyers head coach John Tortorella said last December. “And that he can put some people on his shoulders and carry.”

More: Konecny earned his money and Flyers were fine to give it to him

When Briere took over as interim general manager in March 2023 and expressed an openness to the idea of rebuilding, Konecny wanted to be a part of it.

“Been through a lot of good times and also down times,” Konecny said then. “So when you go through that stuff as a team and some of the guys that have been here, it would mean that much more when you can get to the end goal and winning. It means a lot to be a part of a process like that.”

He’ll now look to prove he can be the guy who eventually pushes the Flyers back into the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 bubble.

“I look at if I get the opportunity to win a Stanley Cup, which I believe we can do in Philly, it wouldn’t feel like an accomplishment unless it was with the Flyers and the team that believed in me,” Konecny said. “I believe in the Flyers, as well. I’ve always been in it for the long haul and I’m really, really excited for the next chapter here.”

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The sheer talent is what has Flyers fans gaga over his expedited arrival.

But how about mental fortitude? The kid sure seems to check that box, too.

Just consider his last 48 or so hours.

A draining trip from Russia to America, flying from Perm to St. Petersburg to Moscow to Dubai and, finally, to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, where members of the Flyers’ front office were happy to greet him Tuesday.

Then facing the cameras and attention of a crazed sports city, the pressure of staring down expectations as a 19-year-old still learning English, far away from his home country.

And he still took the ice Wednesday before the Flyers even formally introduced him at a crowded press conference in the morning.

“It’s the second day, it was a very long flight and day of travel,” Michkov said through translator Slava Kuznetsov, a Flyers consultant. “I was on the ice today and I feel better. I’ll get better and better.”

The Flyers’ top prospect gave off a serious confidence but an innocent smile as he fielded questions alongside Kuznetsov and Danny Briere. The Flyers’ general manager had no problem smiling. His first-ever draft pick as GM — a high-risk, high-reward selection that could define his rebuild — was sitting next to him two years ahead of schedule.

Leading up to the 2023 NHL draft, Briere and company did their homework on Michkov, hosting the young winger at Flyers Training Center. When they decided to take a swing on his talent at No. 7 overall, a three-year wait was expected. Michkov was under contract in the KHL, Russia’s top pro league, which had his arrival slated for 2026-27.

The rebuilding Flyers were willing to be patient. John Tortorella was not expecting to coach Michkov this season or the next. But the plan changed this offseason as SKA St. Petersburg, Michkov’s KHL club, was open to terminating his contract one year into the deal so he could pursue his NHL dream now.

Michkov was released by SKA St. Petersburg a month ago and the Flyers had him signed six days later. The buzz all started back in late April.

“We started hearing rumblings after the season that their was a possibility of it happening,” Briere said. “We talked to his representatives, his agents to help us understand what was going on, they did most of the work. It was definitely exciting the more we realized that there was a strong possibility that it could happen. But it was definitely a long wait.

“When we drafted him last year, we never thought this would happen. It’s part of the reason why he fell to us, because he would have gone a lot earlier, we knew that. We felt we were in a position to be able to wait the three years for him to come, so to have this opportunity is amazing. To get him early, at 19 years old, to learn under a coach like Torts and the coaching staff that we have, it’s a great opportunity for him and for us.”

Wednesday marked a significant victory for the Flyers, especially after the organization lost its other top prospect Cutter Gauthier in January. The 2022 fifth overall pick was traded to the Ducks after refusing to sign with the Flyers.

It made delivering on Michkov all the more critical. But the Flyers know they need to help Michkov help them. Their rebuild still has plenty more work and there’s no guarantee they snap their four-year playoff drought in 2024-25.

“We don’t see him as a savior, that’s certainly not what we’re putting on his shoulders,” Briere said. “He’s 19 years old, he’s coming in to learn, to expand his game. Obviously we hope that the sky is the limit for him, but we’re certainly not expecting him to be the savior of this team. We’re building a team that’s going to have many pieces to work together and we’re hoping that he becomes one of them.

“For me, it’s the internal growth. Our younger guys are getting a year older, a little bit more mature. To add a player of his talent level, hopefully, eventually it’s going to make us a better team. With where we are in our timeline, it’s kind of a good time to bring him in and expose him to our style of play.”

Moments after being picked by the Flyers last summer, Michkov became emotional as he thought of his dad Andrey, who died fewer than three months before the draft.

“I think my father would be real proud,” Michkov said Wednesday about making the NHL.

“It hasn’t settled yet, it doesn’t feel real, it feels like a dream. … I want to help the team, win the Cup with the team. All the Cups possible.”

The Flyers are hopeful that Michkov’s mother Maria and his younger brother Prohor will come to the United States in a month or month and a half. That should help with a challenging transition to a whole new culture at such a young age.

As for on the ice, Michkov’s dynamic game speaks for itself and his competitive drive is highly regarded. On loan with Sochi last season, he had 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) in 47 games. He recorded 66 points (30 goals, 36 assists) over 91 career KHL games and tore up the junior level in his home country, putting up 68 goals and 107 points through 84 career MHL games.

Now it’s time for the Flyers.

“I want to bring young blood to the team,” Michkov said. “Put goals on the scoreboard and help the team win night after night so the fans can come and enjoy the games more and more.”

More on Michkov

• Michkov has landed — Flyers’ top prospect arrives (in a Phillies hat)

• IGot you — Johnson helping Michkov prepare for transition to Flyers

• Briere: Tortorella will coach Michkov ‘just like he does everybody else’

• Flyers surrounding Michkov with help just as important as his arrival

• How Flyers prospect Michkov’s rise was evident in ‘a title fight’

• What makes Flyers prospect Michkov a ‘spotlight player’

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Wells Fargo confirmed with NBC10 on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, that they will be removing their name from the Wells Fargo Center in 2025.

A spokesperson with the bank said that after reviewing their sponsorships, they decided to not renew their naming rights contract to the arena located in South Philadelphia.

“Wells Fargo regularly reviews and adjusts our overall sponsorship strategy,” the spokesperson said in a statement to NBC10. “As such, we have made the business decision not to renew the naming rights contract to Wells Fargo Center. We value our relationship with Comcast Spectacor and we look forward to collaborating on live entertainment and sporting events at the Wells Fargo Center through the end of our contract in August 2025.

“Wells Fargo has a long, rich history in the City of Philadelphia. Our nearly 4,000 employees across Pennsylvania make us one of the largest private employers in the area, and we remain committed to the City of Philadelphia region. Since 2020, Wells Fargo has invested more than $21 million in philanthropic giving in the City of Philadelphia and in Pennsylvania, focused on supporting affordable housing, small business, financial health, sustainability and more.”

Wells Fargo has held the naming rights for the building since 2010. It was previously known as the First Union Center, Wachovia Center and CoreStates Center.

Comcast Spectacor shared their reaction to the news with NBC10 by issuing a statement that reads, “We are grateful for our long-standing relationship with Wells Fargo and look forward to working with a new partner as we continue to bring the best sports and entertainment experience to fans in the Philadelphia region.”

Comcast owns the Wells Fargo Center building. Comcast is also the parent company of NBC10.

The highly touted 19-year-old winger was formally introduced by the Flyers in a press conference Wednesday. He was accompanied at Flyers Training Center by general manager Danny Briere and translator Slava Kuznetsov.

You can watch the press conference right here.

More: From plane to press conference, Michkov shows more than just talent

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They’re a team in a four-year playoff drought, the organization’s longest since 1989-90 to 1993-94, when it went five straight seasons without a postseason berth. They’re still considered a rebuilding club in transition. After all, the general manager and head coach used phrases like “a long ways to go” and “a ways away” at their end-of-the-season press conferences in April.

But, at least on paper, the Flyers look like they have more answers now compared to this time a year ago.

Up front, Matvei Michkov is here, Tyson Foerster has established himself as an NHLer and Bobby Brink is no longer a training camp dark horse.

On the back end, Jamie Drysdale and Erik Johnson are in the picture unlike the start of last season, Egor Zamula is firmly a Flyer and Rasmus Ristolainen is healthy, vying for his first regular-season opener with the club.

And the goaltending tandem of Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov appears set for at least the start of the season unless something unforeseen happens.

More: Briere defends Flyers amid Kolosov absence, says time for prospect to ‘step up’

On Day 1 of 2023 training camp, John Tortorella called the Flyers “a land of opportunity.”

Is that still the case this time around?

“There are definitely some guys that are going to be pushing for spots,” general manager Danny Briere said Tuesday. “Nobody can be too comfortable.

“The exciting part is we’re a young group, still developing, still trying to figure out how far we can push it.”

Assistant general manager Brent Flahr echoed that sentiment.

“We’re not a five-year Stanley Cup-running team,” he said Sunday. “We have some competition and guys are aware they’re going to have to battle for jobs here going forward as some of the younger players kind of step in.”

More: Flyers release 2024 training camp roster and schedule

Briere mentioned Olle Lycksell, Anthony Richard, Rodrigo Abols and Oscar Eklind as forwards who could make things interesting. Lycksell played 18 games for the Flyers last season and had 38 points in 39 games for AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley. Richard played nine games for the Bruins last season and put up 55 AHL goals over the past two years. Abols and Eklind are both 6-foot-4 and were very effective in the SHL, Sweden’s top pro league.

Last year, Foerster and Brink won jobs out of camp. This year, spots don’t seem as wide open.

“Those two young guys played so well, we made room for them,” Briere said. “Going into this year, and that’s going to be the key for players including Tyson and Bobby, they have to know that nothing’s a lock. They still have to push ahead and not take anything for granted.”

On defense, the Flyers have four pieces 25 years old or younger who will be knocking on the door. Ronnie Attard and Adam Ginning experienced the Flyers’ playoff race last season. Emil Andrae opened the year with the big club and the Flyers really like the 22-year-old’s makeup. Hunter McDonald is a “throwback” who has a chance to make his NHL debut at some point this season.

Briere didn’t rule out the Flyers carrying eight defensemen to open the regular season. The Flyers definitely have seven that will be tough to unseat.

Undeniably, though, the Flyers’ biggest storyline entering camp is Michkov, the 19-year-old top prospect who arrived two years ahead of schedule. The Flyers will temper expectations but he absolutely changes their dynamic.

“I can’t wait to see how he’s going to create offense,” Briere said. “I think his brain is pretty special and he’s going to adapt, but it might not be instant, he might need time to adapt.

“We have our own expectation, we expect to have a team that’s going to compete. Hopefully players individually get a little better than they were last year. I don’t have a lot of expectation for Matvei. What I hope is for him to figure out how he can take the first step and get better as a player, as the season goes on. I’m realistic, it’s going to be a tough season for him. This is the best league in the world, it’s a big step, it’s not going to be easy.”

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Not even a month later, his rights were traded to the Flyers. So this July, it was Voorhees, New Jersey for Flyers development camp.

A whole new playing field and organizational picture.

“Definitely a whirlwind, but super exciting being here and getting to know all the staff, different players,” the 23-year-old center said two and a half weeks ago. “It has been super cool for me.”

Theoretically, the Flyers could give Rizzo a better opportunity at carving out an NHL role.

The Hurricanes have been a team in win-now mode, averaging 53 victories and 113 points a year over the last three seasons and making the playoffs the last six.

The Flyers haven’t made the postseason since the 2020 bubble. They’re a rebuilding team with a focus on youth and a need for centers.

“I would say I’m more of an offensive guy, probably more of a playmaker than a shooter,” Rizzo said. “I like to find my teammates in different spots and be creative, kind of have fun and enjoy myself out there.”

After being selected by Carolina in the final round of the 2019 draft, Rizzo went on to win two national championships with Denver. As a junior last season, he missed 14 games down the stretch, through the playoffs and into the NCAA tournament because of a high ankle sprain. He was able to return in the Frozen Four as the Pioneers beat Boston University and then Boston College to win the national title.

Rizzo finished the season with 44 points (10 goals, 34 assists) and a plus-24 rating in 30 games. The previous season, he led Denver in scoring with 46 points (17 goals, 29 assists) over 38 games. As a freshman, he won his first national championship alongside Flyers winger Bobby Brink.

“He’s a good player and a good person,” Brink said in April after Rizzo signed his two-year entry-level contract. “He’s obviously skilled and can make a difference offensively. You see his stats in college, he has those stats for a reason. I think he’ll be a really good pro player.”

Brink and Rizzo will be on the ice together again in September at Flyers training camp.

“Me and Bob are close,” Rizzo said. “So he has been great with kind of taking me in and introducing me, showing me what to do around here and how things work.”

Rizzo is projected to open the 2024-25 season with AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley for his first year of pro hockey. He’s on the smaller side (5-11/180) and not regarded as an elite skater, so he’ll have to prove he can take contact and make plays with less space.

But his vision and hands are plus attributes, he was a winner at the college level and there’s positional versatility in his game. Rizzo can play down the middle, an area in which the Flyers are looking for help, and on the wing.

“I’ve played both,” Rizzo said. “I’ve played more center recently, but I’m good to play all positions. I’m comfortable doing both.”

He became more comfortable with the Flyers’ organization at development camp. Next up is rookie camp and then trying to make an impression on John Tortorella.

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He plays a premium position, he has a 6-foot-4, 210-pound makeup, he takes pride in playing the full length of the rink and there’s offensive upside.

The great thing about Berglund is he knows where he can be better and wants to get better.

The 18-year-old center admitted that skating is his biggest weakness. No teenage prospect is perfect. With Berglund, who was one of the Flyers’ two second-round picks in the 2024 NHL draft, his foot speed isn’t there yet.

“I’m just trying to get better every day with the skating because I have other tools,” he said two weeks ago at Flyers development camp. “If I get that right, I think I can be a great player someday.

“It starts off the ice. You have to grind there off the ice, do the work that you have to do. For me, it’s more quickness and explosiveness that I have to do to get faster out there.”

Berglund was the 14th center taken in last month’s draft and the 51st overall pick. The Flyers had that selection as compensation for not signing 2018 first-rounder Jay O’Brien.

In Berglund, they have a Swedish prospect who likes to watch the Wild’s Joel Eriksson Ek and the Avalanche’s Mikko Rantanen.

“I try to follow those guys and take inspiration,” he said. “I think they’re both really smart players, work hard every day, real role models that are [making] a difference out there.”

Berglund has his father to lean on, as well. Christian Berglund played for the Devils and Panthers in the early 2000s.

His first career NHL goal came against John Tortorella’s 2001-02 Lightning team. Five days prior, his second of 86 career NHL games came against the Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center (then the First Union Center). John LeClair, a Flyers alternate captain then, was on the ice earlier this month working with the young Berglund at development camp.

“He’s super supportive,” Berglund said of his dad. “I’m happy to have him by my side.”

Heading into the draft, Berglund was the 28th-ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting, jumping 10 spots from his midterm mark. Overall, he was ranked as high as 55th by TSN’s Craig Button and as low as 131st by EliteProspects.com.

Berglund had 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists) over 41 games last season for Farjestad BK in Sweden’s top junior league. He got a taste of the SHL, Sweden’s top pro league, scoring a goal over eight games.

He also competed for Team Sweden at the 2024 IIHF U-18 World Junior Championship, putting up five points (two goals, three assists) in seven games to help his country take home bronze medals.

“I just tried to work hard in the offseason before the season,” Berglund said. “I got great opportunities from my coaches and my club at home in Sweden, got to play a lot and play in the SHL, as well, got to play for the national team. It was just super fun to get those experiences and opportunities, tried to take care of that and make the best of that.”

The Flyers have badly needed more centers matriculating through their system. They used three of their first four picks on centers last month in Las Vegas. There has been a focus on draft picks and development in the team’s rebuild under general manager Danny Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones.

“That’s been the messaging from up top since Danny and Jonesy took over, they’re looking for young players,” Flyers assistant director of player development Nick Schultz said two weeks ago. “We have to draft well and we have to develop, that’s big for our team. I think our scouts have done a great job drafting well the last few years and us for developing.”

Berglund knows a critical part of his development will come down to his skating.

“It’s up to me, really, how good I want to be,” he said. “I’m just trying to put in the work.”

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The Flyers were in a significant transition with an emphasis on youth and development. Hathaway was a veteran, hard-nosed winger that contending teams covet for Stanley Cup runs.

The match had the potential for a breakup come one of the two trade deadlines over Hathaway’s contract.

Not so much anymore.

Hathaway is now under contract for the next three seasons after signing another two-year deal with the Flyers two weeks ago. Danny Briere has thoroughly appreciated Hathaway’s impact on the team’s present and future.

And the 32-year-old wanted to stay a part of it.

“I think when you ask Danny, we talked last summer and at that point, a two-year deal made a lot of sense for both of us,” Hathaway said Monday in a Zoom press conference. “For me, it was a great opportunity and a challenge to come in and prove myself. Prove that not only will they see me as a part of their two-year plan, but more than that. I want to be here when their plan really continues to take off and you see us be even more successful than we have been.”

In Year 1 with the Flyers, Hathaway became a tone-setter for the team’s standard on the ice. Briere called him “a Flyer-type player” when the club first signed him.

One year later, he had no problem signing him to an extension with a similar cap hit ($2.4 million a year).

“A player like that, you’re going into next year and you get to the trade deadline, and if the team’s not doing well, now you’re thinking, ‘Are we trading him?'” the Flyers’ general manager said two weeks ago. “Now you’ve got to negotiate with him and all the teams start calling, [the AAV] can escalate in the [$3 million range]. We wanted to keep the cap hit [around] the same. When we saw that he was also willing to extend for pretty much the same cap hit, it got interesting for us.”

Hathaway was one of four Flyers to play all 82 games last season. He had 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) over 12:29 minutes per game and recorded the NHL’s second-most hits with 326. He was also a key penalty killer for the Flyers, scoring one of the team’s league-leading 16 shorthanded goals.

Down the stretch, Hathaway and 25-year-old center Ryan Poehling helped form an effective line that played top-six minutes at times. It wouldn’t be surprising if they open the 2024-25 season on a line together.

“I would love that,” Hathaway said. “I think Poehls is an unbelievable player. I was so happy for him when he signed his extension. He came in on that one-year deal that he really had to prove himself to be able to get his next contract, let alone prove to this organization that they made a great decision and they wanted him to be around longer than that initial, short-term plan. They see him as a part of the big plan.

“Chatting with him a bit this summer, I know his work ethic, I know he’s going to be ready. He’s a good player that I think we complement each other. He’s got that speed, that skill, that vision and then his awareness on the D-side of the puck, I think he’s really good. I’m excited for him to take an even farther, bigger step.”

In February of the 2022-23 season, the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins acquired Hathaway from the Capitals. Now under contract for three more years with the Flyers, he shouldn’t have to worry about the trade deadline this season.

But that won’t change his approach.

“I don’t think there’s really ever a moment to feel free,” Hathaway said. “Playing in this league, you can’t take your foot off the gas and feel like, ‘Hey, I’ve made it. Hey, I have time for this, I can take a step back.’

“I want to live up to how the organization sees me and the role I play for this team, I want to be there for them.”

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In the eyes of many, the 2024-25 Flyers are still considered a rebuilding team or at least not yet a bona-fide contender.

But Johnson, a collected, well-spoken veteran who has witnessed a lot in 16 seasons, wants the Flyers to think differently. The 36-year-old didn’t come back to Philadelphia to simply play another season and hit the milestone of 1,000 career NHL games.

He cherishes another opportunity.

“Just because expectations maybe aren’t high from the outside or maybe the organization doesn’t think it’s time to win now, I think if you look back the last few years, there have been No. 8 seeds that have slipped into the playoffs and have gone on to the Final and even won the Cup,” Johnson said Thursday in a Zoom press conference. “I think it’s super important for us players to realize that just because those expectations aren’t heightened and aren’t there doesn’t mean that we can’t do something special. I think the guys have to realize that every year’s an opportunity, your career is only so long.”

After joining the Flyers last season at the trade deadline in March, Johnson re-signed with the club 10 days ago to a one-year, $1 million contract. He has extolled the Flyers’ locker room ever since arriving from the Sabres in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round draft pick.

He never considered retirement after the Flyers were eliminated from playoff contention on the final day of their regular season.

“I’ve talked to a lot of guys that have stepped into retirement and it has been their choice, they’ve all said, ‘Wait until they tell you no more, don’t do it yourself, let them rip the jersey off you,'” Johnson said. “So I’m going to play as long as I can, as long as my body feels good and I still have that passion. Even in the gym right now getting ready for another season, I still have that drive, love the competition and love being in the room with the guys, love going on the road and playing meaningful games.”

It’s easy to see why the Flyers value Johnson’s presence on their team. He’s a 6-foot-4, righty-shot defenseman who can still contribute. He has a Stanley Cup ring and 987 games of regular-season experience. And he’s a quality influence on the team’s defensemen, particularly Cam York, Jamie Drysdale and Egor Zamula, who are all 24 years old or younger.

The Flyers haven’t been Johnson’s only suitor going back to last offseason, when the veteran signed with Buffalo following parts of 13 seasons in Colorado.

“You never really know how valued or how much interest you’re going to have until you’re a free agent,” Johnson said. “I was talking to five or six teams last summer and then at the deadline this year, there were three, four, five teams that I almost went to and Philly ended up being the one. I wanted an opportunity to play and it ended up being a great fit.

“My days of 25, 26 minutes a night are behind me and I know that, I’m comfortable with it. … I told them I’d be open for any role. I’m here to help these guys, on and off the ice, whether it’s 20, 30, 40, 50 games or whatever it is, I’m here for them and I’m here for the Flyers. Whatever they’re going to ask of me, I’m going to do.”

More: IGot you — Johnson helping Michkov prepare for transition to Flyers

Johnson’s 55 games of postseason experience are more than the Flyers’ other six defensemen have combined. Travis Sanheim owns 20, Nick Seeler five and Rasmus Ristolainen, York, Drysdale and Zamula have yet to reach the playoffs.

The Flyers could have up to 12 players that are 25 years old or younger in their season-opening lineup.

“Maybe it’s a young team with low expectations, but that doesn’t mean anything,” Johnson said. “We could go in and surprise a bunch of teams, a bunch of pundits, whoever. … There’s no telling what you can do if you get hot, you ride your goalie, you have some young enthusiasm, you inject some youth, speed, skill in your lineup.

“I think we have to believe that we can do damage this year and make the playoffs and you never know what can happen once you get in. I think that’s our mindset, that’s what we have to believe as a team and I think that’s what we’re going to preach when camp starts.”

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He knows what it’s like to jump into the NHL at 19 years old, carrying the pressure of being a touted draft pick.

Now 36, Johnson was once that teenager. Drafted No. 1 overall by the Blues in 2006, he made his NHL debut over a year later after playing one season of college hockey at Minnesota.

And that’s why Johnson wants to be a resource for his new teammate, the 19-year-old phenom from Russia who is making his anticipated arrival to the Flyers two years earlier than expected.

“I’ve been doing my best to communicate with him via Instagram,” Johnson said Thursday, 10 days after he and Michkov signed their contracts. “With the translation tool, it has been pretty easy to do that. … Just trying to get him comfortable, any questions he has, I’m answering it for him.”

The transition for the 2023 seventh overall pick will be a different beast compared to Johnson’s when he debuted with St. Louis. Michkov will be learning English (the Flyers plan to provide him a tutor) and adjusting to North America, both on and off the ice. He’s coming from the KHL, Russia’s top pro league, in which some teams use the international-sized rink, which is bigger.

“Even as an American guy breaking into the league as a 19-year-old like I did back in 2007, I was super nervous being around the old guys,” Johnson said. “Just being in a new city, a new country, a new language, new food, new everything — new rules, new ice sheet, all that, it’s super challenging and I can’t imagine how difficult it would be for a young kid like Matvei coming over from Russia, just a new experience for him.”

Johnson and Michkov are both represented by CAA Hockey. They’ve exchanged phone numbers and will soon be on the ice together at Flyers Training Center. But for now, the translation tool on Instagram has come in handy.

“I’m here for him in anyway he needs and helping acclimate to Philly, to the NHL,” Johnson said. “Whether he needs a ride or needs recommendations for where to eat on the road, has questions about how practice is run, how things are going on with meetings, the schedule, all of that. He knows that I’m here for him to answer any questions and I’m excited to work with him. He’s a high-end package, tons of skill and it looks like Philly has a great one on their hands for a long time.”

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He was coming off a breakout season and an OHL title with London. He played for Team Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.

He could have treated the camp like he had all the answers.

But he didn’t. In fact, he was the opposite.

“You know what I like about him — he’s just a great kid, he just loves to be here, he’s receptive,” Flyers player development coach Samuel Morin said last Friday. “He reminds me a little bit of me, just like loves to be there and wants to ask a question every rep. That goes a long way. When you’re young, you need to ask questions because you want to get better, so that’s how you do it.”

Morin’s description matches Bonk’s game. The 19-year-old is an intelligent, righty-shot defenseman who took significant strides last season after the Flyers used their second 2023 first-round pick on him. The Flyers liked Bonk so much that they passed on Gabe Perreault, a 132-point U.S. forward who is now at Boston College.

So far, the 6-foot-2, 179-pound Bonk has justified the Flyers’ decision. He was a do-it-all guy for the Knights in 2023-24, putting up 67 points over 60 regular-season games. His 24 goals were second most among all OHL defensemen and his 43 assists were 10th.

“I think just the biggest part about me is smarts and using your IQ,” Bonk said last Tuesday. “Not the biggest, not the fastest, not the strongest, but I think I can always use my head to outsmart guys and get better position. I think overall, just a smart, cerebral D that goes two ways.”

He thrived in the bumper spot on the power play, leading all OHL defensemen with 15 man advantage goals. On the penalty kill, he was first among all defensemen in the league with five shorthanded assists.

Bonk added 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 18 playoffs games. In the regular season and postseason combined, he had a plus-44 rating.

“Throughout the course of the year, he never put a teammate in a bad spot when he was breaking a puck out,” Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong said last Tuesday. “Then I think throughout the course of the year, ‘Bumper Bonk’ got put into play there and I think his confidence kind of grew being on the power play and scoring a lot of goals in that area. I just believe he knows who he is as a player. He’s so smart, covers for teammates well, breaks pucks out well and he’s rewarded with the offensive opportunity at the end of the day.”

At the 2024 world juniors tournament, Bonk suffered a tough break in the quarterfinals when Czechia eliminated Canada with a goal that deflected off of his stick. But right as he returned to London, Bonk ripped off a prolific seven-game point streak in which he recorded eight goals and 11 assists.

“He’s a pretty resilient kid,” Flyers assistant director of player development Nick Schultz said last Wednesday. “Unfortunate plays, it’s not anything you can control, unlucky things are going to happen. A good thing and a big thing for us is how he responds and I think he responded all season long.”

Bonk is expected to be back with the Knights for his fourth and final season of junior hockey. He’ll get a second shot at the world juniors with Team Canada. It’ll be another important year for Bonk to develop his quickness, an area that is pivotal to defending at the pro level.

“That’ll be the biggest thing is to continue to work on his speed, his foot speed, getting up ice,” Schultz said. “The way the Flyers play here, their D are active, they’re angling, checking forward, surfing. So we’re going to work on that with these young D and getting them not retreating as much.”

When Flyers training camp rolls around in September, Bonk won’t have any problem with wanting to get better.

“You’ve got to come in and believe you’re going to make the team,” Bonk said. “It’s probable that I’ll go back. They didn’t tell me for sure you’re going back, they didn’t tell me you’re staying here, but I think you’ve just got to put in your head that you want to stay here, you’ve got to not lose any battles, you’ve got to out-battle every single guy and do your best. Because if you already think you’re going back, you’re probably going to end up back there.”

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The deal has an average annual value of $1.7 million. Per PuckPedia.com, Zamula will remain an RFA when the contract expires.

Four days ago, the Flyers signed Bobby Brink, their other restricted free agent in line for a new deal.

Last season, Zamula was no longer exempt from waivers and stuck with the Flyers for the full season. The 24-year-old defenseman had 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) and a plus-3 rating in 66 games.

As a smooth skater and plus passer, Zamula showed promise quarterbacking the power play at different times. He finished tied with Travis Konecny for second on the team in man advantage points, recording two goals and seven assists.

The Flyers will want him to continue to work on killing plays quicker in the defensive zone and making more confident, snap decisions with the puck.

“I would say the first 10 games, you’re playing with a lot of energy and emotion, first full year,” Zamula said in April at his end-of-the-season press conference. “Next 20 games, until Game 30, 35, you’re going up and down because it’s a hard league and a lot of good players. But after that, you understand a lot of players who you play against and you understand how you need to play — sometimes you need to play fast, sometimes you need to make a play. I feel like after Game 30, 35, I started growing and felt more comfortable and I feel like I started playing faster.”

Including Cam York and Jamie Drysdale, Zamula will be one of three players on the Flyers’ blue line this season that is 24 years old or younger. He’ll have to nail down a lineup spot come training camp and the preseason with Rasmus Ristolainen and Erik Johnson pushing for more minutes.

Also over the weekend, the Flyers signed 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko to his three-year entry-level contract. The center turns 18 years old next month and is set for his third year of junior hockey with the OHL’s Guelph Storm.

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And the Flyers loved the way Denver Barkey responded.

The 2023 third-round pick was cut from Team Canada ahead of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship and lost his high-scoring teammate Easton Cowan, who made the team.

Barkey headed back to London with crushing news and much more on his plate. But as the world juniors tournament played out, he took over in the OHL, embracing the lead role with a sizable chip on his shoulder.

“That Cowan kid made the team, Barkey went back and I know he was thinking, ‘Well, I have no one to play with,'” Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong said Tuesday. “At that time, he realized he was now the guy and all these other players wanted to play with him. He actually took the biggest strides during that time, he put up a lot of points in that time on his way to get 100 points, which I think is a pretty big number to put up in the OHL, a guy with just his size in that league.”

In six games without Cowan and Flyers prospect Oliver Bonk, who also made Team Canada’s roster, Barkey went off for 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) as London won all six games. The 5-foot-9, 155-pound forward finished the regular season with 102 points (35 goals, 67 assists) and a plus-45 rating in 64 games. He then recorded 27 points (six goals, 21 assists) and a plus-10 mark in 18 playoff games to help lead the Knights to an OHL title.

Talk about a response.

“The world junior camp, it was a cool experience. To not make it, it was heartbreaking and it was a tough couple of days for me, it stung a bit,” Barkey said Wednesday at Flyers development camp. “But you’ve got to move on and my goal was to prove them wrong and use that to fuel the fire. After I got cut there, I kind of used it as motivation for the rest of the season to prove them wrong and just continue to grow as a player and a person.”

Did the Team Canada cut stay with him?

“Different times, I would just kind of think back on it,” Barkey said. “I wouldn’t let it bother me, but just let it motivate me and prepare me for games.”

Barkey, who was drafted by the Flyers at the same exact pick as Patrick Sharp, is set for his fourth and final year of junior hockey in 2024-25. He seems poised to make Team Canada’s 2025 world junior roster. As an undersized playmaker, gaining strength will be important every offseason.

“He got 100 points, I don’t know how much more we can ask from him at the junior level, but maybe he expands and rounds out his overall game,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere said in April. “The big thing would be, for him, the chance to play for Team Canada at the world juniors, that would go a long way toward his development.

“The one thing to remember with Denver is he has got a lot of work to do as far as getting stronger, more explosive. Being smaller in stature, he’s going to have to have a high-end motor, so keep developing his strength and power will be key for him in the offseason.”

In 2023-24, Barkey became an all-situation threat. He was tied with Cowan for the OHL lead in shorthanded goals (seven) and had 31 power play points (five goals, 26 assists). A coach like Dale Hunter — Keith Jones’ former teammate — has given Barkey a good grasp of what it takes to play 200 feet.

“Dale there, my head coach, he taught me a lot about the defensive zone and just little skills like that, because you need to get trust from your head coach at the next level on the defensive side of the puck,” he said. “I’d say a lot of that stuff is going to help [my game] translate.”

Some adversity doesn’t hurt, either. Barkey faced it and handled it.

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So did prospects Oliver Bonk and Denver Barkey. Their London Knights team faced the Flyers’ 2024 first-round pick and the Guelph Storm six times during the OHL regular season. Luchanko, known as a burner, had a coined name on London’s scouting report.

“A one-man power play break-in, that’s what we called him in London because they’d just sling it back to him, it’s one against four and he’d skate it every time,” Bonk said Tuesday at Flyers development camp. “He’s a special player.”

The 17-year-old center is a speed-driven playmaker who racked up 30 power play assists last season, tied for the second most in the OHL and four more than Barkey, who had a 102-point campaign.

“He’s unreal, he came in this year and really worked his way up,” Barkey said Wednesday. “I’d say he was a riser throughout the whole year, really impressive. Their break-in on the power play was legit just drop it to him and he would find a way to get it in.

“He’s a really special player, he seems like a great kid, really hard-working and he has got a lot of talent, as well. He has got a bright future.”

Luchanko finished the season with 74 points (20 goals, 54 assists) over 68 games en route to being drafted by the Flyers at 13th overall last Friday.

“Actually when I went to watch Barkey and Bonk play, they were playing against Guelph,” Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong said Tuesday. “Going into the game, I’m not like, ‘Oh, who’s the next draft class coming up?’ And I constantly was checking Elite Prospects, being like, ‘Who’s this No. 7 on the Guelph Storm?’ And it was Jett.

“So it was pretty cool to see that experience of him playing, kind of catching my eye and obviously he caught a lot of others, too.”

Down the road, the Flyers would welcome Luchanko’s strengths on the man advantage. They’ve had the NHL’s worst power play percentage in each of the last three seasons.

Based off his draft ranking by various public scouting services, Luchanko being taken at No. 13 by the Flyers was viewed as somewhat of a reach. But that won’t do anything to his mindset.

“The draft doesn’t change the way that I see things or go about my business,” Luchanko said Tuesday. “For me, I’m always just trying to work hard every single day and I think good things come from that. I’m not really worried about where I went, I’m just kind of worried on getting to work and getting started here.”

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The deal has an average annual value of $1.5 million and, per PuckPedia.com, Brink will remain a restricted free agent when it expires.

As a 22-year-old rookie, Brink put up 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) and a plus-1 rating in 57 games last season. He impressively won a season-opening lineup spot after going into training camp as a dark-horse candidate to make the roster.

He turns 23 this upcoming Monday and will look to cement his lineup spot heading into the 2024-25 season.

The skilled, 5-foot-8 winger overcame a demotion to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley in January by making his way back to the Flyers in February.

“I’m not the first guy that has had that happen to them,” he said. “So it’s not like I can sit there and whine about it. It has happened to a lot of guys in this league. Just kind of depends on how you handle it.”

Brink scored goals in his first two games back but also received an in-game benching during the second game. Head coach John Tortorella will want to see him consistently impact the game away from the puck.

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After having the final year of his contract bought out by the Flyers last Friday, he has found that situation.

The veteran winger signed a one-year, $900,000 deal with the Lightning on Tuesday. He joins a pedigree-laden Tampa Bay team that is looking to make another Stanley Cup push.

At 35 years old, Atkinson would love a chance to play a role in a playoff run.

“I’ve been in the league 13 years and have only made the playoffs five times, so it’s really hard just to make the playoffs,” he said in February. “Once you make the playoffs, anything can happen.”

Last season, with the rebuilding Flyers in a postseason race, Atkinson’s role diminished down the stretch and he sounded open to a change of scenery at his exit interview.

“I don’t care what anyone says, I’ve just got to believe in myself like I always have and prove everyone wrong like I always have my whole life and just go from there,” Atkinson said in April. “I know this is a very important summer for me, getting back to the player I want to be and I know I can be. That’s all I’m going to focus on.”

Atkinson will return to Philadelphia on March 13 when the Lightning make their one and only trip to the Wells Fargo Center. He thanked the Flyers’ organization and fans Tuesday night in a social media post.

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John Tortorella’s club kicks off the regular season on a Friday night when it visits the Canucks. The game lines up to be Michkov’s highly anticipated NHL debut. It’s also the start of a four-game road trip for the Flyers, who then come back for their home opener Oct. 19, a Saturday night, against Vancouver again.

Michkov, the organization’s top prospect, signed his three-year entry-level contract Monday and is all but certain to be in the Flyers’ lineup opening night.

“When I told Torts, he was really excited,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere said. “And that’s one of the things that I’m most excited about, too — the chance for Matvei to learn from a coach like Torts. I know he’s going to coach him the right way, just like he does everybody else. He’s going to be tough on him, he’s going to be fair and he’s going to teach him the right way.”

As a 19-year-old coming from the KHL in Russia, there will be an adjustment to the NHL level. But Michkov’s dynamic offensive ability has fans excited.

“The blue line out, when he gets the puck, I think he’s going to pull all of you guys right out of your seats along with the fans at the Wells Fargo Center,” Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong said Tuesday.

Let’s get into the schedule:

• The last time the Flyers started a season with four consecutive road games was 2017-18.

• The Flyers have 13 back-to-back sets, starting with their first two games. The last time they opened a season with a back-to-back set was also 2017-18.

• The Flyers go 13 days without a game from Feb. 9-21 (4 Nations Face-Off break).

• The Flyers’ longest stretch of consecutive home games is seven from March 4-15.

• The Flyers’ longest stretch of consecutive road games is six from Dec. 23-Jan. 5, but it’s broken up by the holiday break.

• The Flyers play the Rangers and Hurricanes only three times apiece.

Aside from the season and home openers, here are some fun and notable matchups:

• Oct. 22 — Michkov squares off with fellow Russian and history-chasing Alex Ovechkin in Philadelphia.

• Nov. 23 — A potential showdown between Michkov and Connor Bedard when the Blackhawks come to town for a Saturday afternoon.

• Nov. 29 — The always-popular Black Friday home matinee is against the Rangers for a second straight year.

• Dec. 5 — The Flyers host the defending champion Panthers.

• Jan. 11 — Former Flyers prospect Cutter Gauthier makes his first trip to Philadelphia since turning down the Flyers.

• Feb. 4 — The Flyers visit Delta Center to face the expansion Utah hockey club.

• Feb. 8 — The rival Penguins make their first of two trips to Philadelphia.

• Feb. 22 — The Flyers welcome Connor McDavid and the Oilers.

• March 11 — Claude Giroux and the Senators make their only trip to Philadelphia.

• April 15 — The Flyers’ final home game of the regular season comes against Johnny Gaudreau and the Blue Jackets.

Here is the Flyers’ full regular-season schedule, with start times in Eastern. The preseason schedule can be found here.

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After all, the decision wasn’t really up to the Flyers. They’re just happy to see him two years earlier than anticipated.

So on Monday, an hour and a half after the Flyers announced Michkov’s entry-level contract had ink on the dotted line, Briere smiled and offered the obvious.

“We’re excited that he’s finally coming,” the Flyers’ general manager said, one year and four days after calling Michkov’s name at the NHL draft. “I think there were a lot of things that needed to happen in the background, but that was mostly for him and the team in Russia and his representative.”

Last Tuesday, Michkov, a talented 19-year-old winger and inarguably the Flyers’ top prospect, was given his release from SKA St. Petersburg. For almost two months prior, it was all reports and speculation.

Michkov was only one year into his three-year deal to play in the KHL, Russia’s top pro league. That commitment and the uncertainty with the geopolitical landscape made Michkov drop to the Flyers at No. 7 in last summer’s draft. The Flyers couldn’t pass on him, especially after courting him leading up to the draft.

Now they have him.

And John Tortorella is ready to coach him.

“When I told Torts, he was really excited,” Briere said. “And that’s one of the things that I’m most excited about, too — the chance for Matvei to learn from a coach like Torts. I know he’s going to coach him the right way, just like he does everybody else. He’s going to be tough on him, he’s going to be fair and he’s going to teach him the right way.”

The 66-year-old has adapted over his 1,547 games as an NHL head coach. But he’s still John Tortorella. He will coach a player in a hard and direct way. Everyone is treated the same. There are no exceptions.

Michkov has been regarded for his competitiveness, even in practice. That should jibe with Tortorella (and his notorious skating test to open training camp).

“I think that’s some of the best news about all of this, he’s going to come here and nothing’s going to be given to him, he’s going to have to earn it,” Briere said. “Knowing how competitive we’ve been told he is, it’s going to be great, it’s going to be fun to see. I know I’m really excited about that matchup.”

The Flyers know Michkov has the capability of giving their rebuild a real jolt in the offensive department. But they will stress patience, as well. He’s a teenager jumping to the best league in the world. The language barrier is also a factor. The Flyers are going to provide Michkov a tutor to help him further grasp English and best communicate with the coaches. As a French Canadian, Briere had a similar transition in the AHL.

“We’re going to work with him,” Briere said. “I went through it, I barely knew any English when I started my first year pro in Springfield (Massachusetts). I get the culture difference is a lot less coming from Quebec than coming from Russia, but the players want to help and he’s going to be surrounded. Having Egor Zamula and Ivan Fedotov around, as well, we’re hoping will help his case, feel better and at home here.”

One of the next steps for the Flyers is adding more talent to put around Michkov down the road. They hope last weekend’s draft was a part of that initiative. Next summer, they have three first-round picks and three second-rounders.

“It’s a lot of picks early on, we’re going to try to leverage that the best we can,” Briere said. “It’s too early to tell if we’re going to pick or if we’re going to move them or if we’re going to use them to upgrade somewhere. But we’re going to look at all different scenarios.”

Once the offseason settles and September arrives, fans will have their eyes on Michkov. The touted youngster and the veteran head coach will get to work.

“Just on the power play alone, we hope that he can help us there,” Briere said. “As far as the rest of his game, he’s going to be in control of that and how much he’s committed to playing 200 feet for Torts. But look, to be honest, we don’t have really anyone like him in the organization as far as a player, as far as the skill level. He’s got a lot to learn and he’s not going to be put above anybody else, but he’s an exciting player and he’s a very talented player.”

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Matvei Michkov is going to be a Philadelphia Flyer for the 2024-25 NHL season. It’s one of those “Where were you when …” moments that you’ll never forget.

Michkov’s contract with SKA St. Petersburg was terminated June 25 and he officially signed his three-year entry-level contract Monday.

The Flyers took a risk in the 2023 NHL Draft when selecting the Russian forward seventh overall. But you know what they say about a high risk … high reward.

The No. 1 prospect in the organization has rejuvenated Flyers fans, who have sat on the fence with the franchise in recent years. They’ll welcome the 19-year-old winger to Philadelphia with open arms.

Let’s check in on how everyone is reacting to the news. Heads up – it’s as crazy and chaotic as you’d expect it to be (in the best way possible):

We should’ve known:

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Following two months of reports, questions and speculation, the No. 1 prospect in the organization signed his three-year entry-level contract Monday, a little over a year after being drafted by the Flyers at seventh overall.

Michkov was officially released by his KHL club SKA St. Petersburg last Tuesday, clearing the way for the 19-year-old winger to pursue his NHL dream in Philadelphia. On Monday, he put ink to paper.

“I’m extremely happy to officially become a part of the Flyers family,” Michkov said in a statement released by the team. “Being in the NHL has been a dream for me since childhood. I would like to say a huge thank you to the Flyers management for their trust. I will do everything possible to meet their expectations. I can’t wait to join my teammates and start preparing for the new season together, and I would especially like to greet our fans. We have the same dream to win the Stanley Cup and I promise that I will do my best to help this team and make that possible.”

More: Briere says Tortorella will coach Michkov ‘just like he does everybody else’

Michkov is coming to the Flyers two years earlier than anticipated. When he was drafted last summer, the 2026-27 season was the expectation for his arrival because of his three-year contract to play in the KHL, Russia’s top pro league. That and the precarious geopolitical landscape made Michkov drop down the board.

But the Flyers courted Michkov prior to the draft, making them comfortable with the risk and wait.

“We took a big swing, but we hope that this turns out to be a home run,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere said at the 2023 draft. “Time will tell, it’s a little early, but we feel when he’s ready to come, he could really be a difference-maker. That’s the risk that we were willing to take, to wait a little bit to hopefully have a difference-maker on our hands.”

More: How Flyers prospect Michkov’s rise was evident in ‘a title fight’

Last season, Michkov played only one game for SKA St. Petersburg, one of the premier teams in Russia. After sitting three times and playing just 6:12 minutes in his lone appearance, he was loaned to Sochi, a lesser KHL team. He put up 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) in 47 games.

“Matvei was extremely frustrated not playing,” Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said last September. “He had a goal of being the top scorer in the league and he was sitting there. They have 40-something players on their roster. Obviously he was frustrated. As a young guy in Russia, you kind of have to bite your tongue and just put in the work and hopefully you get to play.”

As a teenager playing against men, Michkov recorded 66 points (30 goals, 36 assists) in 91 career KHL games. He tore up the junior level in his home country, putting up 68 goals and 107 points over 84 career MHL games.

He now becomes what the Flyers hope is a pillar to their process, both in the present and future.

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The north-south, hard-hitting winger was entering the final year of his two-year, $4.75 million contract. He’s now under contract for the next three seasons, with his new deal starting in 2025-26 and having an average annual value of $2.4 million.

“Garnet has been a great addition to our team and we’re very happy to extend him to be a Flyer for the next several seasons,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere said in a statement released by the team. “His style of play and level of professionalism had a big effect on our group last season, and he embodies the standard our team set out to build both on and off the ice.”

Hathaway was one of four Flyers to play all 82 games last season. He chipped in 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) over 12:29 minutes per game and had the NHL’s second-most hits with 326. The 32-year-old is also a key penalty killer for the Flyers, scoring one of the team’s league-leading 16 shorthanded goals.

“A player like that, you’re going into next year and you get to the trade deadline, and if the team’s not doing well, now you’re thinking, ‘Are we trading him?'” Briere said Monday. “Now you’ve got to negotiate with him and all the teams start calling, [the AAV] can escalate in the [$3 million range]. We wanted to keep the cap hit [around] the same. When we saw that he was also willing to extend for pretty much the same cap hit, it got interesting for us.”

Some may argue that a rebuilding team shouldn’t commit too many years to an older role player. But Hathaway’s role is an important one and the Flyers are still going to be a young group up front moving forward. They could have eight forwards 25 years old or younger in their 2024-25 season-opening lineup.

“When we heard last year, you heard me say it, other teams are telling us we’re hard to play against, he’s a big reason why,” Briere said. “Coming into Philadelphia and having to face players like him, it’s not fun.”

Hathaway has been a tone-setter for how the Flyers want to play and he stands up for his teammates, an important quality with many young forwards.

“That’s what we’ve built on,” Hathaway said in April, “that’s what this organization has brought in to create a culture that plays for each other, that builds that team camaraderie.”

The next question is will the Flyers avoid a contract year with Travis Konecny? The team’s All-Star and leading scorer is entering the final year of his six-year, $33 million deal. He’s in line for a pretty good raise from his $5.5 million average annual value and at his exit interview he sounded open to signing an extension.

“Nothing new,” Briere said Monday on the Konecny front. “This is the first day that officially we could extend him. I’ve said from the beginning, I’m not going to negotiate through the media. But we love Travis and we hope he’s here for a long time.”

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He’ll be a part of it again, this time from the start, as the Flyers re-signed the 36-year-old veteran to a one-year, $1 million contract Monday.

The Flyers gave up a 2024 fourth-round draft pick for Johnson to provide stability on the back end last season. The club’s defensive depth was decimated down the stretch by injuries and the trade of Sean Walker.

Johnson will give the Flyers a reliable presence in 2024-25 and a good example for their younger blueliners. He has played in 987 career NHL games and won the 2022 Stanley Cup with the Avalanche.

“We’re very happy to bring Erik back for next season,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere said in a statement released by the team. “Since arriving at the deadline, Erik has fit seamlessly into our locker room and logged important minutes for us. His presence and championship experience, especially for our defensive core of players, will be valuable for our team throughout an entire season.”

In 17 games with the Flyers, Johnson had two goals, an assist, 50 hits, 29 blocked shots and a minus-9 rating. The 2006 first overall pick had high praise for the Flyers’ locker room.

“I didn’t know anybody on the team, so it was all new to me,” Johnson said March 26 before a game at Madison Square Garden. “But it didn’t take long to see that these guys care about winning and care about each other. If you have those two things, you can do a lot of great things as a team. It has been a lot of fun coming to the rink every day.

“It stands out because I think it’s pretty unique. I haven’t been in a lot of ones that have been this good. I just think there’s a time and place to have fun and there’s a time and place to focus, and I think this team has a really good balance of that. I think they definitely care about each other a lot.”

He’ll be the oldest and most established player on a team that has the potential to take another step but will not lose focus of its rebuild. As of right now, the Flyers’ defensive group is looking like it will be Johnson, Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Nick Seeler, Jamie Drysdale, Egor Zamula and Rasmus Ristolainen. Ronnie Attard, Adam Ginning and Emil Andrae should be pushing for games, too.

York, Drysdale and Zamula are 24 years old or younger. Briere clearly values Johnson’s influence on them.

“His leadership in the room was amazing,” the Flyers’ GM said Monday. “He was fantastic, some of the players loved him, the coaches all loved him. It’s intangibles that he brings. Look, at the end of the day, he’s also a 6-foot-4, right-shot defenseman. He’s not going to be in the way, slowing the growth of our young guys. He’s there to help them grow, that’s the way we see it.”

Briere has a good read on the defenseman. They were teammates on the Avalanche in 2014-15, Briere’s final NHL season.

“We had a really good relationship in Colorado,” Johnson said. “He was only there the one year and I was in my mid-20s. I remember really looking up to him and respecting him a ton, and still did. We kept in touch over the years since he retired. If we didn’t have that good relationship, maybe I’m not here right now, I don’t know. But I know we each had a mutual respect for each other.

“When he was in Colorado, everyone looked up to him and he always had very good words of wisdom to tell our younger team. Things kind of have come full circle and now I’m kind of in that role that he was, towards the end of my career. It’s kind of funny how it all works out because Danny and I remain close and now we can have a chance to do something special together.”

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