theathleticuk
In a 3-1 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Wednesday, Philadelphia Flyers rookie Cole Knuble—son of former Flyers forward Mike Knuble—paced the team with two goals. The win marked the Flyers’ third straight victory following a season-opening nine-game skid (3-6-3), signaling a gradual emergence from their early struggles.
The Flyers will enjoy a two-day respite before hosting the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday afternoon, a matchup that promises a charged atmosphere in Philadelphia given the recent Cutter Gauthier trade. While the team still has considerable ground to cover before being viewed as a playoff threat—goalie Dan Vladar’s 27 saves were the main reason they escaped Buffalo with two points—several aspects of their play are trending positively, suggesting this winning streak is no fluke.
Trade Talk and Evaluation Period
Trade rumors inevitably spark clicks and social media buzz, but blockbuster deals at this point in the season are rare. While players like Connor Hellebuyck and Dylan Larkin could be moved soon, Hellebuyck makes little sense for Philadelphia, and Larkin reportedly has no interest in joining the Flyers, according to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun and Max Bultman. Beyond that, general manager Daniel Brière is unlikely to rush into any moves. This remains a young team, and despite the discouraging start, it’s a prime opportunity to evaluate the roster. Brière hinted at this in Boston on Oct. 10: “It’s a good chance for us to evaluate our players when expectations are higher—who can rise up, and who gets crushed by the higher expectations? Because they’re just going to keep rising.”
Some players have clearly responded. Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov top the list—Zegras scored a power-play goal Wednesday with Michkov providing the primary assist. Others like Jamie Drysdale and Tyson Foerster remain stuck in neutral, though Drysdale notched his first point of the season with a secondary assist on Zegras’s goal, and Foerster drew a penalty and recorded three shots on goal after sitting out Monday’s game against Colorado. These players should take note of the hustle, skill, and jam displayed by Knuble and defenseman Oliver Bonk since their recall from the AHL; active roster spots are limited.
Larkin Situation Highlights Season’s Importance
The Larkin saga underscores how crucial this season is for eventually attracting top talent to Philadelphia. Would the Flyers be on Larkin’s list if they were, say, 8-2-2 instead of 3-6-3? Hypothetically, if the Detroit Red Wings sought a futures package for Larkin, they’d likely insist on the Flyers’ 2027 first-round pick—which the front office would be wise to retain given the standings. The Flyers should also hold onto the Toronto Maple Leafs’ first-round pick, as that club could go either direction; they’re 5-4-2 in what may be the league’s toughest division.
Foerster’s Slow Start Raises Questions
Regarding Foerster, one wonders if the organization is beginning to worry after signing him to an eight-year extension that starts next season. His delay-of-game penalty late in the Flyers’ 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators—when he inexplicably shot the puck over the neutral-zone glass from inside his own defensive zone—epitomized his season. He has just one goal and one point in 11 games. What’s more surprising is that Foerster had a full offseason without rehab, unlike the 2025 offseason when he dealt with an elbow infection. He mentioned in September how strong he felt, but that hasn’t translated to on-ice performance. To be clear, an early slump won’t make Foerster expendable; he’s still the type of player playoff teams covet—big frame, heavy stick, strong on the walls, and a laser wrist shot. But since returning from a shoulder injury late last season, Foerster has just five goals and one assist for six points in 30 combined regular-season and playoff games. That’s not a small sample size.
Konecny’s Future and Lineup Logjam
Travis Konecny’s future has been a hot topic online. He remains out of the lineup but is expected to resume skating soon after injuring his ankle blocking a shot in Ottawa on Oct. 8. The Flyers have a logjam at wing—Konecny, Foerster, Michkov, Owen Tippett, and Porter Martone are top-six wingers (or should be). Zegras has recently moved back to wing, where he’s been more effective, while others like Knuble, Denver Barkey, and Alex Bump could keep pushing for more minutes. So what to do with Konecny? Moving him soon is highly unlikely. He has led the Flyers in scoring the last five seasons, and the team still struggles to generate offense. He’s in the second year of an eight-year deal with an $8.75 million AAV—reasonable for a player of his caliber. He’s probably the one player who has most voiced his commitment to the organization and desire to win here, going out of his way to help players like Michkov and Zegras acclimate. He just built a house in the area with his wife and kids after his previous one burned down. He also has a full no-move clause for four more seasons after this one. Brière, I strongly believe, is not the type of executive to force a player to waive that. If the season goes off the rails—still entirely possible—perhaps Konecny will have had enough and approach Brière to discuss options. Maybe the Flyers would even be open to moving him. It’s fair to suggest Konecny might struggle to stay healthy as he ages into his 30s given his play style. But to suggest Brière will actively try to trade Konecny now is, in my view, pretty silly.
Bonk’s Emergence on Defense
Even when Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York return, it’s hard to see the Flyers reassigning Bonk to the AHL soon. While the 21-year-old’s game hasn’t been perfect, he’s looked far better than David Jiříček and Simon Benoit in mobility, breaking the puck out, and creating offense. Don’t forget he’s getting tougher matchups, paired with Travis Sanheim on the top pair for all six games he’s played. On Wednesday, Bonk recorded his third and fourth assists of the season on Knuble’s two goals, while he and Sanheim both posted approximately 57 percent of the shot-attempt share. He’s making noticeable progress. The Flyers are already evidently down on Benoit and Jiříček, considering rookie Hunter McDonald—who threw a thunderous open-ice hit on Ryan McLeod on Wednesday that earned the Flyers a power play when Mattias Samuelsson received an instigator penalty for fighting him—has played the last two games. (Benoit was scratched Monday, and Jiříček, a healthy scratch for the first two games, sat again Wednesday.) Jiříček has had moments in the offensive end but still gets turnstiled far too often. On Monday, Brock Nelson went around him at the blue line as if he wasn’t there, forcing Joseph Woll to make a difficult stop. That sort of thing has happened about a half dozen times. Jiříček has a strong shot but has put it on net just six times in nine games—not nearly enough, especially when he was sixth on the team in power-play time before Wednesday. The Flyers shouldn’t worry about waiving Jiříček if they prefer to make room for Bonk, as they should. I can’t imagine he’d get claimed with the Flyers already being his third organization.
Woll Acquisition Looks Like a Steal
The Woll acquisition already looks like a home run. Woll has not only been the Flyers’ best player this season but also one of the top goalies in the NHL. After his win over the Avalanche on Monday, he ranked ninth in the league in save percentage (.917) among goalies with at least four games played, while his plus-4.7 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck, was also ninth. Flyers coach Rick Tocchet echoed what Woll’s former coach, Craig Berube, told me about a month ago: Woll has an unparalleled work ethic. “The guy works harder than any guy I’ve ever seen,” Tocchet said. That aligns with what Berube, who coached Woll for the previous two seasons, said on Sept. 24: “Very dedicated player—works at his game extremely hard and spends a lot of time outside the rink to work on his game, whether it’s conditioning or the mental side of things. That’s the biggest thing that stood out to me when I was in Toronto with him.” The Flyers are in a great spot with their goalies. Woll and Dan Vladar (whose save percentage is up to an even .900 after Wednesday’s game) are pushing each other, and both seem to be true team-first guys. I would imagine Tocchet will simply continue alternating starts between them as long as he can.
Originally reported by theathleticuk.