Philadelphia Flyers training camp battles: Here are the 5 competitions to watch

Philadelphia Flyers training camp is fast approaching, with the first day of on-ice activity set for Sept.

18, and the preseason opener on Sept.

21 against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.

It will be the most compelling camp since Daniel Briere took over as general manager more than two years ago.

The Flyers not only added depth in the offseason at every position, but a number of their younger players could be ready to make the jump to the NHL .

Advertisement Here are the primary battles well be monitoring when it all gets underway.

Top-nine winger Tyson Foersters status as he recovers from an infection in his elbow will dictate just how open this competition is, but even if hes healthy in time for opening night, there may be a vacancy here.

Alex Bump already has a leg up on the competition.

After his dominant performance at development camp, in which he was noticeably better than everyone around him, Bump, 21, could make the opening-night roster even if Foerster is ready to go.

I think Bumps put himself in a position, regardless of Foersters injury, where hes going to be competing for a job, assistant general manager Brent Flahr said in July.

Porter Martone going to Michigan State removes some of the competition for Bump.

But there will be other challengers.

Nikita Grebenkin, 22, made an impact with the Flyers AHL affiliate after he was acquired from Toronto as part of the Scott Laughton trade.

Grebenkin posted three goals and four assists in 11 games with the Phantoms after the deal, and added another goal and three assists in seven playoff games while playing mostly on the left wing.

Grebenkins 6-foot-2, 210 pound frame, coupled with his playmaking ability, will make him one to watch in camp.

What could also change the face of this competition is if coach Rick Tocchet envisions Matvei Michkov and Travis Konecny on the same line, as they were late last season.

Konecny was typically the left wing in that situation.

If thats how they line up in camp, it could open the door for a right wing such as Devin Kaplan or Samu Tuomaala, or a more veteran minor-leaguer such as Anthony Richard.

Grebenkin has played right wing in the past, too.

Denver Barkey will be another player to monitor, but the Flyers already lack size throughout their lineup, making the bar a bit higher at least for now for the small but skilled forward.

Advertisement Opening-night goalie Whether its Samuel Ersson or Dan Vladar who starts in goal in Florida on Oct.

9 wont much matter in the long run.

It seems inevitable that the Flyers will approach their goaltending this season simply playing whoever is hotter.

It will be a true tandem for at least the first couple of weeks.

But its still symbolic.

Theres no doubt that the two goaltenders will approach camp looking to earn the right to start that first game against the Panthers.

If one goalie excels in preseason action while the other consistently struggles, then Tocchet will naturally be more inclined to start the guy whos looked better.

Ersson is probably the early odds-on favorite, as a player the organization still believes in as he enters his third full season.

Theres also the matter of his career numbers against the Panthers.

In four games, Ersson is 3-0-1 with .924 save percentage and 1.96 goals-against average when facing the now two-time defending Stanley Cup champs.

Power-play quarterback Perhaps the most puzzling aspect of the Flyers putrid power play under John Tortorella and Rocky Thompson is that it never seemed like they gave any of their defensemen all that much rope to run it.

By the end of the season, including under interim Brad Shaw, they were even using five forwards at times in an attempt to get it going.

Jamie Drysdale getting the first crack at it under Tocchet would seem to make the most sense, considering his skill set.

While Drysdale may not have a booming shot, his lateral movement and puck skills should be able to open up the ice.

In fact, among Flyers defensemen, Drysdales 2.76 points-per 60 minutes on the power play was second behind only Emil Andrae (3.25), who may or may not make the team out of camp.

If he does, Andrae could get a chance to run one of the two units himself.

Advertisement It will be interesting to see whether Tocchet gives Cam York an opportunity on the power play, too.

York was essentially the only regular Flyers defenseman who didnt get any power-play time last season, despite playing there regularly in prior seasons.

Perhaps that was the most glaring evidence of him and Tortorella not having greatest of relationships.

Travis Sanheim could always see power play time, too, but considering how hes worn down late in each of the last two seasons, perhaps Sanheim is better off concentrating on his five-on-five play and the penalty kill particularly if he ends up on Team Canadas Olympic roster.

Top-six centers A team that concluded the 2024-25 season with arguably the worst center depth in the league will have more options down the middle this season.

And, regardless of how they line up on opening night, its probably going to be fluid for a little while.

The biggest question that will have to be answered early on is whether Trevor Zegras can play center.

Expect Zegras to start camp in the middle maybe even with Michkov at his side as Tocchet tries to determine that.

At the very least, Zegras is going to have to drastically improve on his career 40.1 faceoff winning percentage if hes to be a trusted, all-situations top six pivot.

Christian Dvorak could fill the hole left by Ryan Poehling, the fourth-line center who was dealt to Anaheim as part of the Zegras trade.

But Dvoraks offensive ceiling should, in theory, be higher than Poehlings, given that he was the Montreal Canadiens second-line center for most of last season and into the playoffs.

Between those two and Sean Couturier, who looked much better after Tortorellas firing, and Noah Cates, who took a huge step offensively last season and just signed a four-year extension, Tocchet can play around with different combinations throughout camp, likely with some of these guys taking shifts on the wing, too.

The wild card here is Jett Luchanko.

If the rookie is ready for NHL action, theres no telling how high he could end up in the lineup.

Briere seemed incredibly encouraged by Luchankos performance with the Phantoms late last season, and spending another season in juniors might not do much for the just-turned 19-year-old.

Advertisement Third-pair defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen is expected to be out until sometime in November, making this a wide-open competition if you assume Sanheim, York, Drysdale and Nick Seeler will comprise the top four.

Andrae, Egor Zamula, Helge Grans, Noah Juulsen, Dennis Gilbert the latter two of which were signed as free agents in July will likely be competing for three spots, assuming the club carries seven defensemen.

The 6-foot-4 Grans, in particular, would replace some of the size that the Flyers wont have early due to Ristolainens triceps injury, and, like Ristolainen, hes a right shot.

If hes going to make the roster, though, hes probably going to have to outplay Juulsen, who is also a right shot and brings some physicality (but absolutely no offense, with zero points in 35 games with the Canucks last season).

Grans would require waivers in order to be reassigned to the Phantoms, which could give him better odds to start with the Flyers.

On the left side, its Zamula, Gilbert, Andrae and Adam Ginning.

Zamula spent all of last season on the Flyers roster, but he was in and out of the lineup and could very well be supplanted by someone else.

Its difficult to envision any of the other prospects on defense seriously challenging for a spot, at least right now.

Oliver Bonk will be turning pro, but he didnt stand out in camp last year and likely will need some AHL seasoning.

Hunter McDonald is another guy that will be worth keeping an eye on, after the big blueliner took steps last season with the Phantoms.

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