The Philadelphia Flyers finished the 2025 preseason with a 3-4-0 record, needing a shootout to achieve each of those three wins. Despite some new players impressing, there are causes for concern, too.
Chief among those concerns is the performance of the defense, especially the third defense pairing, as the group continues to adjust to the new Box +1 system preferred by Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet.
The Flyers already waived Dennis Gilbert on Saturday, so the final three roster spots on defense, at least for now, are going to Adam Ginning, Egor Zamula, and free agent addition Noah Juulsen.
Stock Up: Adam Ginning
A disastrous preseason and training camp last year left many, including myself, thinking Ginning, 25, was effectively done for at the NHL level with the Flyers.
Ginning appeared in just one NHL game for the Flyers last season and played a measly eight minutes, but a solid AHL campaign and offseason have put him right back where he was at the end of 2023-24.
The Flyers' former second-round pick won't be mistaken for Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes, but he has the size the team wants at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, and uses that size far more effectively than Zamula, for example.
I still have reservations about Ginning's ability to move the puck, but he's no more mistake-prone than Zamula in that regard while being a substantially more physical and quicker (relative to his size) player.
He's earned his spot on this roster, though we'll have to see if he keeps it when Rasmus Ristolainen returns from injury.
Stock Down: Egor Zamula
Those of you who have followed my coverage of the Flyers on here often know that I was skeptical of Tocchet's patience for Zamula's play, and it seems that Thursday's preseason loss to the New York Islanders pushed Tocchet over the hump.
Injured Flyers Prospect Missing Out on Big OpportunityIn what is shaping up to be a race to the bottom in the battle for a roster spot on defense, injured Philadelphia Flyers prospect Oliver Bonk is, unfortunately, missing out on a big opportunity.
Zamula, 25, has squarely lost his spot to Ginning and has shown little development over the last two seasons, and he's prone to turnovers and doesn't use his size.
Zamula already carries a $1.7 million cap hit and is on an expiring deal, like Ginning; I can't see him re-signing and/or earning a raise unless he can completely turn over a new leaf by April.
Stock Up: Nikita Grebenkin
Seemingly everyone's favorite Flyers rookie, Nikita Grebenkin has quickly endeared himself to Flyers fans and the coaching staff with his slick playmaking, underrated zone entry skills, and dominant presence around the opponent's net.
The 22-year-old former Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick has produced in a variety of roles up and down the lineup, at times featuring with Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, Noah Cates, and Bobby Brink.
Grebenkin can be a little over-zealous with his stickhandling and passing at times, but it's refreshing to see a young Flyers player try to make plays at every opportunity.
The 6-foot-2 winger also had two screens to help his teammates score goals in as many games to finish the preseason, which should help him establish a foothold on one of the power play units with time.
Flyers Working to Turn Nikita Grebenkin Into 'A Force'While it's still early, the Philadelphia Flyers may have found themselves a hidden gem in winger prospect Nikita Grebenkin, who continues to impress in the NHL preseason and training camp.
As Grebenkin continues to learn the game, adjust to the language barrier, and clean up some miscues, he could easily become a formidable top-six support winger for the Flyers.
Stock Up: Dan Vladar
As far as goaltending goes, I feel that Dan Vladar had a better season overall than Sam Ersson, at least as far as shot-stopping goes.
I was skeptical of the Flyers signing the 28-year-old to a two-year deal in the summer when they are clearly prioritizing the development of their prospects, which still, apparently, includes Aleksei Kolosov, but Vladar has looked legit.
The former Calgary Flame and Boston Bruin did have a miscue in Saturday's preseason win against the New Jersey Devils, mishandling the puck behind his net and allowing Arseny Gritsyuk to feed Paul Cotter for a slam-dunk score that gave the Devils a temporary 3-2 lead in the third period.
As for the other goals, though? Vladar had no chance on the Kevin Rooney deflection and was hung out to dry when Shane Lachance connected with Lenni Hameenaho on a back-door pass on the power play.
Right now, Ersson probably still starts for the Flyers on opening night, but Vladar is certainly going to push for 50% or more of the starts this season, health willing.
Stock Down: Owen Tippett
To say this is a big year for Owen Tippett would be an understatement, but equal onus should be placed upon the Flyers to put him in a position to succeed.
The 26-year-old played with Trevor Zegras, Matvei Michkov, and Travis Konecny, respectively, to finish the preseason, but those combinations don't work. Why?
Simply put, Tippett is at his best when he generates his own offense with his legs, but often settles for low-danger looks rather than getting in position for high-danger looks.
The Flyers are right for trying to get him more of those high-danger looks with players like Zegras and Michkov, but Tippett would be at his best driving the offense for Cates and Brink, for example.
He can still hit and check and has improved enough defensively to be utilized on the penalty kill, where he can also find some scoring opportunities by using his legs to latch onto breakaways.
Tippett is basically the Jaromir Jagr of Daniel Sprongs--he has considerable offensive talent, but there's a reason the top-six isn't calling for him.
Right now, the chemistry with those top-six players isn't there, and I like Tippett's game more when he plays with guys like Cates and Jett Luchanko.
Yes, the former No. 10 pick is just one year removed from a 28-goal, 53-point campaign, but that was before the days of Michkov and Porter Martone.
The Flyers' $49.6 million man will need to adapt to stay in Philadelphia long-term; his 10-team no-trade list will come into effect on July 1, 2026.
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