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Briere, Tocchet excited about chance for Flyers to ‘maximize' roster originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Rick Tocchet knows the importance of playoff hockey in Philadelphia.

He knows what it means to the Flyers’ fan base, what it means to the history of the organization.

As a player for the Flyers, he went to the Stanley Cup Final twice and experienced 95 postseason games, eventually putting himself into the franchise’s Hall of Fame.

But as Tocchet takes over the Flyers with the team in a five-year playoff drought, the head coach really hasn’t talked publicly about the postseason being a goal. After all, ownership and management have embraced staying on course with this rebuild. There is a pressure to improve in 2025-26, but the vibe is not playoffs or bust.

So, in Year 1 of guiding the Flyers, how does Tocchet view expectations?

“It’s the development of players,” he said Monday. “We call it maximizing the player. Are players improving? That’s a big part of it. If players are improving, you’ve got a better chance at winning hockey games.

“I understand people want to talk playoffs and all these variables. I don’t know. But for me and my staff, we’re going to be judged, for me, on we’ve got to get guys to maximize their talent. I think that’s really what it comes down to. We have guys that I really believe we can make them really good hockey players.”

The Flyers kick off the regular season Thursday when they visit the two-time defending champion Panthers (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). The club submitted its season-opening roster Monday, a group that has a different look up front compared to last season.

Over the summer, Danny Briere addressed the Flyers’ thin picture down the middle. The general manager traded for Trevor Zegras, a talented playmaker, and signed Christian Dvorak, a well-rounded piece who played 82 games for a playoff team last season.

The Flyers are hoping those acquisitions bolster a blend of young and established forwards. Tyson Foerster, Noah Cates and Bobby Brink, the Flyers’ most effective line last season, will be back together. Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, Sean Couturier and Owen Tippett were four of the team’s top five scorers and could have more help this season.

“The addition of Zegras brings us some creativity, the addition of Dvorak brings us flexibility, he can play a little bit of everywhere,” Briere said Monday. “It’s exciting that the Cates line still looks the same way that they finished the season last year. So if you have that line, then it gives you so many options to work in Michkov, Konecny, Tippett, Couturier, etc. I think it’s a great problem for the coaching staff.”

Here were the Flyers’ line combinations Monday, with Nikita Grebenkin and Jett Luchanko as the extras.

Christian Dvorak-Sean Couturier-Matvei Michkov
Owen Tippett-Trevor Zegras-Travis Konecny
Tyson Foerster-Noah Cates-Bobby Brink
Nicolas Deslauriers-Rodrigo Abols-Garnet Hathaway

The Flyers will keep a close eye on Luchanko, their 2024 first-round pick who made the team out of training camp for a second straight season.

Like last season, the Flyers will be able to play him up to nine games before burning the first year of his entry-level contract. The 19-year-old center got a four-game taste of the NHL last season before going back to his junior club.

Luchanko is not eligible to play for the Flyers’ AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley, so a return to the OHL’s Guelph Storm is on the table again. The Flyers will have to find him spots to play because they don’t want a young prospect sitting for too long.

“It can’t be a steady diet of it, not playing,” Tocchet said. “It’s too bad because it’s that rule, that sweet spot — a guy can’t play in the minors, you have to send him to junior. We’re stuck in that situation a little bit. It happened to Barrett Hayton with me in Arizona, you can’t have guys sitting around too much. We’ve got to figure that out, but the first couple of weeks, we’ll see how it goes down.”

That puts Luchanko in prove-it mode again, along with others competing for roles in the lineup.

“Nothing’s set in stone, nothing’s set in stone,” Briere said. “He has to keep earning it, he has to keep playing well. He’s not the only one; it applies with everyone. I know we make a big deal of the opening roster, but that doesn’t mean that you’re on the team forever. Every day, you’ve got to keep earning your ice time and your spot on the team.

“When we discuss Jett, the whole time, it’s about his development. He’s a big part of the future and we’re always keeping that in the back of our mind.”

When it comes to the future on the defensive side of things, the Flyers sent Emil Andrae to the Phantoms after he played in just two preseason games. It was a surprise considering the 23-year-old played 42 games for the Flyers last season and is one of the team’s better prospects on the back end.

But Andrae is 5-foot-9 and the Flyers already have a couple of smaller puck-movers under the age of 25. Could that hurt Andrae’s long-term opportunity with the Flyers?

“Emil is still young, Emil had some struggles in camp, but we still believe in him,” Briere said. “He’s still a very good prospect for us. I think the best thing for him is to play a lot of heavy minutes rather than sit on the sideline and watch at the moment, at his age.

“It’s better for him to go down and play hopefully 22, 24 minutes a night, find his game again, build off of that, get the confidence to make plays, carry the puck and become an everyday, serviceable defenseman.”

The new NHL regular season begins Tuesday, and there is no shortage of storylines for fans to keep their eye on.

Here's what to watch for in Week 1.

Important Matchups And Rivalry Showdowns Right Off The Bat

The first week of the season won't make or break a team's playoff hopes. But people need to understand how important each match is for some squads while the parity in the NHL is as strong as it’s ever been.

When teams are making the playoffs on tiebreakers or by a couple of points, any win or loss to a division rival can be critical.

The Montreal Canadiens – a wild-card team last season – have it particularly tough to start the year with back-to-back road games against Atlantic Division rivals.

After travelling to play a historic foe, the Toronto Maple Leafs, on Wednesday, the Canadiens visit another Original Six opponent, the Detroit Red Wings, the next night.

For Montreal and Detroit especially, they need to separate themselves from the rest of the teams in the playoff bubble all season long. So this game is more important than people may think.

The NHL’s marketing centers around the league’s regional rivalries, so those matchups should provide lots of entertainment value early on. But some other ones across the NHL will be worth watching as well for the sake of rivalries and for the standings.

The Edmonton Oilers will take on the Calgary Flames in their first game Wednesday. Calgary then plays the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday in an important game for two teams that lost the playoff race last season. Edmonton then faces Vancouver on Saturday.

There are other rivalries that are a work in progress this year. For instance, Central Division opponents, the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche, face off on Thursday. The Mammoth have every incentive to lock up a wild-card spot in the Western Conference, while Colorado is aiming its competitive bar a little higher, as it focuses on earning home-ice advantage. 

Any team could theoretically bounce back from a poor beginning to the season or regress after a strong start. But don't think these games don't mean anything – they're quite the opposite.

Veterans Can Hit Major Milestones In Week 1

Tampa Bay Lightning star left winger Nikita Kucherov begins the season just six points away from reaching the 1,000-point plateau in his incredible career.

Considering the Lightning play twice this week, it’s not an exaggeration to say Kucherov might generate six points in these first two games against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday and New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

The 32-year-old posted 84 assists and 121 points last season. While that was a step back from his 100 assists and 144 points in 2023-24, Kucherov will reach the 1,000-point mark quickly and drive straight through it.

Meanwhile, Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin is a hat trick away from 900 goals. Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are becoming the first trio in NHL history to play 20 seasons together. Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar is beginning his 20th and final NHL season. And Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl and Dallas’ Jamie Benn are each a goal away from 400.

There’s no shortage of noteworthy achievements across the league, and that’s why the savvy hockey fan will be highly attuned to every NHL team’s veteran players.

New Faces In New Places

As is true of every NHL season, there are a slew of familiar faces in unfamiliar cities.

For starters, there are NHL rookies who will be notable to watch this year: Minnesota Wild defenseman Zeev Buium will get a good deal of the spotlight as he challenges Canadiens right winger Ivan Demidov for the Calder Trophy. Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin also will be a prominent rookie who could get Calder votes. The Calgary Flames' Zayne Parekh and San Jose Sharks' Michael Misa could also be integral components for their team this season.

Eight bench bosses make their debuts with their new teams this week as well. The Anaheim Ducks hired longtime coach Joel Quenneville to steer them into a playoff berth. The Penguins hired Dan Muse to help lead a youth movement while their veterans are still there.

Former NHL player Marco Sturm will try to guide the Boston Bruins back to the playoffs. Former Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill gets another try, this time with the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Canucks chose former star defenseman Adam Foote to replace Rick Tocchet, who is now coaching the Philadelphia Flyers. The Seattle Kraken hired former New York Islanders coach Lane Lambert after one season of Dan Bylsma. Ex-Pens coach Mike Sullivan is now coach of the New York Rangers, while Glen Gulutzan returns to the Dallas Stars for a second stint.

​​Finally, there are veteran NHL stars wearing different uniforms this season.

Former Leafs star winger Mitch Marner is now a Vegas Golden Knight. Former Winnipeg Jets right winger Nikolaj Ehlers signed in Carolina.

Vladislav Gavrikov left the Kings for the Rangers, while former Capitals center Lars Eller signed with the Ottawa Senators. And former Oilers, Leafs and Sens winger Connor Brown is now a Devil.

All in all, there are plenty of reasons to tune in from every team’s Game 1 through Game 82 this season. Time will tell which players and teams succeed this year, but until final judgment is rendered on them, it’s going to be extremely intriguing to watch everything play out.

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Cayden Primeau's last 24 hours have been a whirlwind.

The 26-year-old was plucked off waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday afternoon and had to make the quick trek up from Raleigh, North Carolina, to join the team for practice one day before their home opener against the Montreal Canadiens.

"I don't think my phone stopped blowing up when people found out because I have so many friends and family in Toronto. They were texting me non-stop," Primeau smiled.

"It was a little hectic. My flight was delayed out of Raleigh, and then I was sprinting through the Newark airport trying to catch my connection. So, I made it. That's a good thing. But I was a little tired."

Primeau's acquisition gives the Maple Leafs more depth at the goaltending position, with Joseph Woll away from the team due to personal reasons. Originally, Toronto had James Reimer on a professional tryout, but that ended shortly after the club claimed Primeau from the Carolina Hurricanes.

Maple Leafs Believe ‘Things Are Progressing Well’ With Joseph Woll And An Updated Look At Toronto's Goaltending Situation One day before the Toronto Maple Leafs' regular season opener, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving provided an update on goaltender Joseph Woll, who has been absent for most of training camp to tend to a personal matter.

The netminder had signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Hurricanes on July 2 after spending the first five years of his pro career with the Montreal Canadiens.

"With Cayden, it was, obviously, with Joe's situation, we had brought (James Reimer) in. We felt bad for James. He really didn't have a lot of time to get up and go through a camp and get his feet under him," Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving said on Tuesday.

"We probably felt having someone that's been through a camp, we like the background of Cayden. It gives us more depth. The other piece with that is, Dennis has had a really good camp. Now, I know we all get excited about opening day rosters. This allows us to have depth at the position.

"It allows us just need be for Dennis (Hildeby) to come back and play. It allows him to keep playing, so really, at the end of the day, we felt it gave us depth of the position with Joe's absence right now with a goaltender we like. And with Anthony (Stolarz), Cayden, Dennis, and (Artur Akhtyamov), we've got some depth here at the time right now."

Primeau and Stolarz worked with Maple Leafs goaltending coach Curtis Sanford before Maple Leafs practice. During the skate, the now-Toronto netminder received several stick taps from his new teammates.

"They've been super welcoming, and it's been good so far," Primeau said.

Maple Leafs 2025-26 Season Opening Roster Revealed The Toronto Maple Leafs have officially submitted their 23-player regular season roster.

Primeau even wore blue pads and a blue mask as he stepped onto the ice.

"I don't know [how they got it done so quickly]," he grinned. "You've got to ask the equipment managers. That was impressive."

And what was day one like working alongside Stolarz?

"We were talking about just [being] two goalies from Jersey. So, yeah, he's been great as well. Super welcoming like the rest of them," he smiled, before stamping down that they're not from the same part of Jersey.

"He's North Jersey. That's like a different state," Primeau joked. "Yeah, North and South don't get along very well."

It remains unknown as to when Primeau could step into the Maple Leafs' crease. If anything, he might get into one of Toronto's back-to-back games next week — either against the Detroit Red Wings on Thanksgiving Monday, or vs. the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.

"I had a great off-season. I feel stronger and that's definitely going to translate on the ice," he said. "I'm just trying to build off of the last couple of weeks that I had and just trying to get better."

'You Take It In From A Different Perspective': Maple Leafs Rave About Atmosphere At Blue Jays' Postseason Game Vs. YankeesThe Toronto Maple Leafs had a lot to talk about on Monday.

In 55 career NHL games (over the span of six seasons with Montreal), Primeau has tallied 13 wins and an .884 save percentage. It's not the most promising, however, Primeau did put up 21 wins and a .927 save percentage — the third-best among qualified AHL goaltenders — in 26 games with the AHL's Laval Rocket last season.

After that year, plus being placed on waivers by Carolina, Primeau is very motivated to prove his value to the Maple Leafs and their fans.

"I mean, anytime you're in the NHL, or being able to play the sport you love, you're super motivated," he said. "So, I wouldn't say there's one set of goals or anything that I've put on myself for the time being. Just trying to get out there and play and get better and give the team the best opportunity to win."

Latest stories:

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MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Part of Doug Armstrong wanted to be selfish and keep goalie prospect Colten Ellis in the St. Louis Blues organization.

But the Blues' GM also understands -- and is happy -- that the 25-year-old gets a crack to be on an NHL roster, something that may or may not have happened in St. Louis after Ellis was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Sabres on Monday.

The Blues are locked in with Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer as their 1-2 punch in the NHL, and Ellis would have been the organization's No. 3 goalie on the depth chart and starter in Springfield of the American Hockey League, but the Blues needed waivers in order to put Ellis back in Springfield, and with the Sabres' starting goalie, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, and despite the Sabres having Alex Lyon, Alexandar Georgiev and Devin Levi available, Ellis is an intriguing option for Buffalo. Georgiev was put on waivers Tuesday and Levi was sent to their AHL affiliate in Rochester.

Still, Armstrong was taken aback a bit to lose Ellis.

"I'd say somewhat surprised," Armstrong said. "Only because he doesn't have that NHL resume. When he gets put into that first contest with the Sabres, it's his first contest (in the NHL). Sometimes when you're dealing with injuries, you're looking for stability of someone that's got a proven track record that the players can see. But he had a great year last year (22-14-2, 2.62 goals-against average, .922 save percentage). He's progressed very well.

"When I called him yesterday, I said, 'I'm really happy for you and really disappointed for the organization because you've done everything you could to put yourself in a great spot.' He was clearly our No. 3 going into the year. Now he has the opportunity to take whatever Buffalo gives him and carve out an NHL career quickly. He wasn't going to get that obviously here with Hofer and Binnington."

Blues coach Jim Montgomery echoed those thoughts.

"It's a tough loss for our organization," Montgomery said. "A young man that ... he's a guy you cheer for. He started in the East Coast League, he just kept on working, kept on building his game and he's established himself as a premier goalie in the American League and had a really good camp. Every time he was in the nets, he's battling, he's making difficult saves look easy. So he's right on the cusp. It's unfortunate. We'll see how everything else develops from there from the goaltending aspect in our organization."

Once the Sabres do get Luukkonen back, they could always carry three goalies, which isn't likely, but then they will have to put someone on waivers to assign them to Rochester, and if it's Ellis, the Blues could always reclaim him if given the chance and assign him right to Springfield. 

In the meantime, it does take away from Springfield's strengths, and the Thunderbirds would have gone with a tandem of Ellis and Vadim Zherenko, but now it will be Zherenko and Will Cranley for the foreseeable future.

"Right now we'll go with 'Z' and Cranley," Armstrong said before joking. "It's a great business. The agents are always looking out for the St. Louis Blues. My phone is ringing off the hook on potential guys to help us. It's great to see everyone care about us."

Blues Know Jordan Binnington Is Elite, Yet Goalie Has To Prove Once Again He's One Of The BestST. LOUIS – The NHL season for 2025-26 drops the puck on Tuesday. For the St. Louis Blues, it opens Thursday at home against the Minnesota Wild. Blues GM Gives Update On Sundqvist, Lucic MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong provided updates on two veteran forwards before the regular-season opener on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. St. Louis Blues Set Opening Night Roster For 2025-26ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues have set their opening night roster, and the big question heading into it was whether they'd sign veteran Milan Lucic to a contract and have him on the opening night roster.

Two former NHL starting goalies are among five players on NHL waivers as the season begins Tuesday.

The Anaheim Ducks placed Ville Husso on the waiver wire, while the Buffalo Sabres did the same with Alexandar Georgiev, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman and PuckPedia.

Also on waivers are Carolina Hurricanes winger Juha Jaaska, Utah Mammoth center Kevin Rooney and Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Jeremy Davies.

For each player, the rest of the NHL can submit a claim on them by 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Otherwise, they're eligible to be assigned to the AHL.

Husso, 30, was once the Detroit Red Wings' No. 1 netminder in 2022-23. Detroit acquired him in July 2022 after he played 40 games for the St. Louis Blues in 2021-22, posting a 25-7-6 record, 2.56 goals-against average and .919 save percentage. In his first season in Detroit, he played 56 games that year and went 26-22-7 with a 3.11 GAA, .896 SP and four shutouts.

In 2023-24, Husso played just 19 games as Alex Lyon broke out as the new starter. Last season, Detroit traded Husso to Anaheim for future considerations. He played 13 NHL games, going 2-6-3 with a 3.47 GAA and .890 SP. He also played 22 AHL games between the Grand Rapids Griffins and San Diego Gulls.

In the pre-season, Husso had a win and a loss with a 2.02 GAA and .929 SP. He's in the first season of a two-year contract with a $2.2-million cap hit. Anaheim appears to be running with a tandem of Lukas Dostal and Petr Mrazek.

In Buffalo, Georgiev hit waivers two days after the Sabres claimed netminder Colten Ellis from the Blues. Georgiev signed a one-year contract worth $825,000 before training camp.

The 29-year-old was the Colorado Avalanche's bona fide starter for two seasons after their Stanley Cup championship. Between 2022-23 and 2023-24, no NHL goalie had more wins than Georgiev's 78. He even earned one second-place vote for the Vezina Trophy in 2022-23.

In the last two seasons, Georgiev hasn't posted a save percentage above .897 and a goals-against average below 3.02. After starting last year with an 8-7-0 record, 3.38 GAA and .874 SP, the Avalanche traded him to the San Jose Sharks in a package that sent Mackenzie Blackwood the other way. Georgiev played 31 games for San Jose and posted a 3.88 GAA and .875 SP.

In the pre-season, Georgiev played 157 minutes across four games and went 1-2-1 with a 4.19 GAA and .872 SP.

Five NHL Veterans Who Cleared Waivers Years After Their Last AHL GameA handful of NHL veterans found themselves on the other side of the waiver wire in the past week.

Rooney, 32, signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 with the Mammoth on Monday. He recorded a goal and assist in four pre-season games for the New Jersey Devils on a professional tryout. He played 70 games last year for the Calgary Flames' fourth line, putting up five goals, 10 points and 109 hits.

Jaaska, 27, played 18 games for Carolina last season and recorded four assists. He added another 33 points in 53 AHL games. He didn't play in the pre-season due to injury. He's in the first season of a two-year contract worth $775,000 annually.

Davies, 28, recorded 11 goals and 48 points in 72 games for the AHL's Belleville Senators last season. The 5-foot-11 blueliner was a minus-1 with one shot in two pre-season games for Vegas.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

The regular season is finally here! The Pittsburgh Penguins will open the 2025-26 season inside Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. 

Penguins head coach Dan Muse is looking to win his first game as an NHL head coach against the team he coached the previous two years. He was an assistant coach under Peter Laviolette for the last two seasons before the Penguins hired him as their new head coach during the offseason.

On the other side, Mike Sullivan is trying to get his first win as the head coach of the Rangers after they hired him during the offseason. He was with the Penguins for 10 seasons before he and the team agreed to part ways after the 2024-25 season. 

The Penguins lost the season series against the Rangers last year (1-3) and are hoping to change that this year. Here's a look at the expected Penguins' lines for tonight's game.

Forwards

Koivunen-Crosby-Rakell

Mantha-Malkin-Brazeau

Novak-Kindel-Tomasino

Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari

Defensemen

Wotherspoon-Karlsson

Shea-Letang

Jones-Brunicke

Goaltenders

Silovs 

Jarry

Top prospects Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunicke will make their NHL debuts on Tuesday night after having great training camps. Brunicke was really close to making the roster last year and did even more this year to make the opening-night roster.

Kindel continued to improve throughout camp and passed each test that came his way during the preseason. He may not stay up past the nine-game trial, but the coaching staff is at least rewarding him for his outstanding camp. 

Arturs Silovs will get the start in goal over Tristan Jarry after Jarry struggled during the Penguins' last preseason game. He gave up three goals on 19 shots against the Buffalo Sabres last Friday and will start the regular season as the backup goaltender.

Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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