Ad Disclosure
Early Season Flyers Impressions, and a Sincere Thank You
Published:
We are now roughly two weeks into the marathon that is an 82-game hockey season. The Flyers sit with a 3-2-1 record after six games and have wins over the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and the previously- unbeaten in regulation Seattle Kraken. All 3 victories have come at the newly renamed Xfinity Mobile Arena, but they also took a point in Carolina against the 5-1 Hurricanes.
Is this a HOT START for the Flyers? I wouldn’t go that far. Is it a SOLID start? That’s how I would describe it.
Here are 5 key impressions through this early part of the season:
1) Goaltending
Always a HUGE question mark for the Flyers since the days of Bernie Parent and Ron Hextall’s first stins. Coming off a very bad season in net a year ago, Danny Briere made some changes. Gone is Ivan Fedotov, Alexei Kolosov is developing his game in the AHL with the Phantoms, and so the duo of Sam Ersson and Dan Vladar is the tandem.
Vladar is here on a two-year contract, and had hip surgery in 2024. Finally healthy, in his 11 games last season as a Flame, he played all of those games on the road against top opponents to shield the young Dustin Wolf. Those contests were often the second of a back-to-back, and he went 6-4-1 with a .916 save percentage. The opponents were tough as well, with the Blues, Jets, Caps, Panthers, Stars, Leafs, Avalanche ,and Kings included. His game has looked refined and sharp, and at least for the time being he is ahead in what will be a season-long battle for the crease. Vladar is 3-1 in 4 games played with a 1.75 GAA and .929 Save%. Not too shabby.
2) Strong starts for forwards… well, some
Sean Couturier has 7 points in 6 games, leading the team. Tyson Foerster, who at one point this summer was questionable to start the season on time due to an infection in his elbow has 3 goals (2 on the Power Play) and 6 points. Although scoreless, the newly-acquired Trevor Zegras has 5 points and Owen Tippett has 5 goals in 6 games and looks poised to put the disappointment of last season in the rear view and have that breakout offensive season. Also notable, Bobby Brink and Noah Cates on that line with Foerster have been impactful every game so far.
3) Matvei Michkov is still looking for his game
Michkov comes into his 2nd season with some very high expectations after a very good rookie season in which he lead the Flyers with 26 goals. His conditioning apparently was affected by an ankle injury and it has been noticeable at times, which has also limited his usage late in games. Some say he should be out there no matter what and let him play through it. I am a firm believer that part of a coach’s job is to not put his players in a position to fail. When a player doesn’t have his legs, the solution isn’t more ice time in a tight game. Am I worried about the slow start for Michkov with only one goal and an assist so far? Nope. All players have these stretches of play. This is just exacerbated because it’s the start of the season. If a stretch like this is in January it doesn’t get nearly the same amount of attention. Pretty much all of that said about Michkov also applies to Travis Konecny, who got his first goal vs Seattle and has 3 points on the season.
4) Travis Sanheim’s usage
Travis Sanheim played 29:58 versus the Wild this past week and is averaging 26:44 average time on ice this season. His play has been stellar but is that usage sustainable? With Cam York now back, that helps to a degree, especially with York seeing Power Play time. Noah Juulsen, who was an offseason signing, has played in all 6 games on the third pairing and been solid in his role with a variety of partners. Eventually though, the Flyers will have to manage the minutes of Sanheim to avoid burning him out. That has already begun, with coach Rick Tocchet demanding Sanheim take a practice day off completely. The answer on the left side of the 3rd pairing doesn’t have a clear cut answer. Is it Egor Zamula whose game varies in execution? Adam Ginning will deal with the same issue, or Emil Andrae. Obviously Andrae provides the most offensive upside but for many the concern is the lack of size overall with York, Jamie Drysdale and Andrae all in the lineup. For me, I don’t worry about that until I know it is an issue and that issue has yet to be proven.
5) Box and 1 defensive zone structure
The Box and One is not revolutionary in NHL defending. This system is widely used at all levels of hockey. It accomplishes a few important elements when implemented properly. First, it protects the middle of the D zone and prevents high-danger scoring chances from there, where most goals are scored from. Two, it forces the attacking team to play on the perimeter and eventually force low danger shots and chances. In today’s analytically-driven NHL, teams are looking for quality over quantity when it comes to shots, which is why this past week we saw the Flyers hold the Jets to 14 shots on goal and the Wild to 16 for the game. Systems are implemented by a coaching staff traditionally from the crease-out, and it seems for the most part the Flyers have adapted to this system pretty well early.
Lastly, I want to thank so many for the unbelievable support throughout my Colorectal Cancer journey. Last week I found out the results of my post treatment CT Scans and Pelvic MRI. The result, in short, is that I am considered radiologically Cancer Free. I still may need what would be a now-minor surgery to resect some of my insides, and I will know that by November. But overall the treatment achieved its intended result. How do I feel? Well a lot of varying things. Physically good, but I still suffer from fatigue after what my body went through and some lingering neuropathy in my feet. Mentally, I have a lot of work to do. This was an element I underplayed going through this experience but I am committed to attacking that the same way I attacked the treatments. This is not the end of this journey for me. It is just the first chapter. I will continue to use my platform to create awareness about prevention and early detection. I will help those that are in this fight, caregivers of those in the fight and do whatever I can for anyone affected by this horrible disease. That became the purpose when I was told I had cancer, and that will not end, EVER!!!.
Jason Myrtetus is a Philadelphia-based broadcaster and host, best known for his work with the Philadelphia Flyers since 2008. He serves as a radio pregame, intermission, and postgame host and is the voice behind the Flyers Daily and Hockey & Hounds podcasts. A passionate hockey enthusiast, Myrtetus played organized hockey from age 5 to 50, starting as a goalie and later coaching youth teams. His career began in rock radio before transitioning to sports, including roles at WIP, WYSP, and 97.5 The Fanatic, where he worked as Assistant Program Director, producer, and co-host. Diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in December 2024, Myrtetus has openly shared his battle, drawing on his hockey-rooted resilience to face treatment. A father of three and husband to Angela, he remains a vital part of the Flyers’ broadcast community.