The 2024-25 Philadelphia Flyers’ season is just over a week away and it’s the most looked forward to puck drop in many years. There are some players with some big expectations to fill that could be make or break for the success of the team. So who’s under the spotlight looking for a breakout campaign?
Number 5: Samuel Ersson
Sam Ersson will get his second crack at becoming the Flyers’ starting goaltender this season after some wildly inconsistent results last year. He went from reliable backup to struggling starter when that weight was thrown on him last January, and he (along with Ivan Fedotov, Cal Petersen and Felix Sandstrom) had the collective worst save percentage in the league during the back half of the season.
Though the soon-to-be 25-year-old has had plenty of flashes of brilliance in his young career, and with the team back at full strength and an opportunity to refocus, maybe Ersson (and Fedotov by proxy) can put some roots down and start building into a solid 1A/1B tandem. It’ll be a season-long test, but now that he was prepared for the role, there’s no excuse for failure.
Number 4: Morgan Frost
It’s hard to call it a “breakout” season when the 25-year-old Morgan Frost is entering the sixth NHL campaign of his career, but it really is now or never for Frost to finally step up. He’s the de facto number one center on the team, meaning he should get plenty of time riding shotgun with Matvei Michkov, which should theoretically help get him over the 50-point hump he has yet to reach on his own. He’s still going to have to fight with Tortorella for every inch, but if he’s given a bit of room to run, maybe we’ll finally see what all the long lost hype has been about.
Number 3: Bobby Brink
Brink spent his rookie season in the NHL fighting an uphill battle against his own head coach, but he still posted 23 points in 57 games, which may not seem overly impressive, but considering he was lucky to break 10 minutes of ice time a game down the stretch, it’s a decent start to his career.
He has been one of the standout players during the preseason, so hopefully he’ll get a real opportunity to prove himself when the games start to matter. He’s still down the depth chart of a crowded winger corps, but if Tortorella’s “accountability” works both ways, it may be all Brink needs to secure a NHL role with the Flyers.
Number 2: Owen Tippett
Owen Tippett is already entering his third full season with the Flyers and he has been one of the players that just oozes potential. He posted a career best 28 goals and 53 points in 78 games last season and seemingly still has more to give. If he ends up flanking Michkov at points during the season, who may easily be the best offensive player he’s ever suited up with, Tippett may benefit the most from his presence and finally tips the scale from “good” to “great” player.
Number 1: Jamie Drysdale
The Flyers don’t want a breakout season from Jamie Drysdale, the Flyers need a breakout season from Jamie Drysdale. The former sixth overall pick in 2020 hasn’t exactly lived up to that selection during his career, dealing with injuries and the general mess that was the Anaheim Ducks. He stated himself that this is the best he feels after an offseason hernia surgery cleaned up what ailed him. The Flyers need a top right handed defenseman as well as a PP QB, and Drydale is in line for both of those roles, provided his on-ice play rises with his opportunities on his plate.
Honorable mention
Matvei Michkov
This one feels kinda unspoken, and it’s not technically a “breakout” when there’s nothing previous to compare it to, but it’s true the Flyers will live or die based on the results Michkov can bring during his rookie campaign.
Noah Cates
As Noah Cates enters the third season of his NHL career, the 25-year-old forward is at a bit of a crossroads, with his first two campaigns telling completely different stories. As a rookie, he became one of the better shutdown centers in the league, garnering both Calder and Selke votes for his efforts. Then as a sophomore, he ended up back on the wing and was generally ineffective in most aspects of the game. So which version is the real version? For the Flyers’ sake, with the weakness down the middle and the unknown state of Sean Couturier, if Cates can throw it back to his rookie sensation days, it would go a long way for the team’s stability at center.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit:
brotherlypuck.com 