The Flyers have been building their prospect pool back up. They have made some good picks over the past few drafts. It takes time for players to develop. Remember these kids that are drafted are 17 and 18 years old! Just need some patience. But since 2019 the Flyers have drafted and developed Brink, York, Foerster, Andrae, Kolosov, Gauthier -> Drysdale, Michkov, Bonk, Barkey, Bjarnason, Zavragin (19 years old and chewing up the KHL), and most recently Luchanko, Berglund and Gill. These are very good prospects and some are already very good NHL players.
- jd250

That is very exciting. Remove MM and they have what exactly? Nothing that stands out nor anything that almost every other NHL team has on their roster/pipeline. Do those prospects really give you a lot of hope?

Zavragin is not chewing up the KHL. May want to check that.

You post that Cutter is not good. Yet here you are pumping up the pick.

Everyone keeps saying its not a rebuild, but then they just describe tanking. The Flyers are not tanking. They are not going to jettison players for pennies on the dollar just for the hell of it. For example, as well as Risto is playing, the most the Flyers could expect to get in return from a deadline trade is another late 1st round pick. Is that more valuable that what Risto is giving this team right now? Any rational and knowledgable person not named MJL would answer No, its not. All it would do is open up another hole in the roster that the Flyers would eventually need to fill. How about trading Laughton and his $3M salary. The most the Flyers will get for Laughton is a 2nd or 3rd round pick. Is that worth it? No! So let's trade Frosty. What will the Flyers realstically get for him, maybe a 3rd round pick? Again, given the lack of centers on this team is that worth it right now? No!

The Flyers right now do not have the cap space to bring in any players. The Flyers also are not making impulse moves for short term gains which is exactly what we have said we wanted as a fanbase. The Flyers are developing their younger players to see what they got but also to make them more valuable assets down the road. The Flyers are also bringing in young players and trying to restock their farm system, with 6 picks in the first two rounds of this draft. They already have Michkov, Bonk, Barkey, Luchanko and Drysdale, plus Andrae and Grans ready in the AHL.

I think we just need to see what happens before this year's draft, because that is where I think the Flyers can make some significant moves. The Flyers will have about $5M of dead money coming off their books after this season, plus the $4M from RYJO which should be settled by then. However the Flyers have 4 RFAs that they need to extend or make a decision on, plus TKs new contract kick's in, so there still will not be a lot of cap space to play with next season.
- jd250

Trading Ristolainen for a late 1st with no salary retention would be a dream scenario. Any GM would be a fool to turn that down. You're supposed to create holes in the lineup when rebuilding. You fill it with younger players. That's how you rebuild. Such as Grans whom you state is ready. Andrae is also ready.

The Flyers have been building their prospect pool back up. They have made some good picks over the past few drafts. It takes time for players to develop. Remember these kids that are drafted are 17 and 18 years old! Just need some patience. But since 2019 the Flyers have drafted and developed Brink, York, Foerster, Andrae, Kolosov, Gauthier -> Drysdale, Michkov, Bonk, Barkey, Bjarnason, Zavragin (19 years old and chewing up the KHL), and most recently Luchanko, Berglund and Gill. These are very good prospects and some are already very good NHL players.
- jd250

You don't seem to have any understanding of player projections

When you're supposedly in a rebuild but your top three prospects are projected to be a "3-5 defenseman" and a "middle-sixer" and a "top-six D":

https://www.nytimes.com/a...-prospects-rankings-2025/




- Tomahawk

Its pretty pathetic when people look to bash the team so early in the morning. It's like they can't wait to look cool.

The Phantoms desperately need goaltending, so why it took so long for the Flyers to send Kolosov down is beyond me. Kolosov will stabilize that team and allow the other players to play more freely and actually develop.
- jd250

I think the threat if him going back to his previous team was real. Yesterday Charlie O pointed out that the season for his previous team is wrapping up soon.

I think the threat if him going back to his previous team was real. Yesterday Charlie O pointed out that the season for his previous team is wrapping up soon.
- WhiskeyMan

Then the inmates ae running the asylum? Sending him down was long overdue and best for all parties involved. Just another situation the Flyers mishandled.

Then the inmates ae running the asylum? Sending him down was long overdue and best for all parties involved. Just another situation the Flyers mishandled.
- furio16

He was outplaying Fedotov, there were multiple goalie injuries, it wasn’t until recently that Ersson has been able to put together a few good games in a row and that Fedotov has started to look better. Of all the stuff to complain about this team I don’t really see this situation as a big deal.

So let me understand this. In your delusional world, rebuilding a hockey organization takes less than 2 years? Please already .. just stop the nonsense!
- jd250

In your delusional world, you think they have already started.

I do not recall anyone say trade players for pennies on the dollar. Any examples? You need to realize the Flyers do not have many players with a lot of value. The ones that do they clearly will not move.

Is it about the future or right now? For arguments sake if they can get a late 1st for Risto you take it no questions asked. If they are rebuilding of course. This team is going nowhere with or without Risto. Apply the same logic to Laughton. When they re-sign both Laughton and Risto what will your take be then? If Frost doesn’t factor into the future, you move him.

All those players you mention are not needle moves nor are they guaranteed to even make to the NHL as productive players. I do not get all excited nor do I see a path to cup contending team seeing how they are running the team.

They are a capped team treading water. That is not a good spot.
- furio16

I agree with a lot of this. What some fail to realize is that there is a wide spectrum of Tanking and being in a rebuild…. You don’t have to tear it down to the studs necessarily. But if you are in a so called rebuild you simply have to move out older valuable pieces and be AGGRESSIVE IN DOING SO, in order to gain assets designed to help you down the road. If the so called culture is predicated on one guy, like a Scott Laughton, then it ain’t much of a culture to start with.
The apathy this organization has shown for the last decade is getting old.

Trading Ristolainen for a late 1st with no salary retention would be a dream scenario. Any GM would be a fool to turn that down. You're supposed to create holes in the lineup when rebuilding. You fill it with younger players. That's how you rebuild. Such as Grans whom you state is ready. Andrae is also ready.
- MJL

Agreed….although I do think Risto has played well enough that maybe it’s not such a pipe dream anymore.

He was outplaying Fedotov, there were multiple goalie injuries, it wasn’t until recently that Ersson has been able to put together a few good games in a row and that Fedotov has started to look better. Of all the stuff to complain about this team I don’t really see this situation as a big deal.
- Dkos

He should have been sent down way before yesterday. Do you disagree? Last game was 1/2/25.

Do you think it was in both parties' best interest to have Kolosov sit when he could be potentially helping the Phantoms?

I think the threat if him going back to his previous team was real. Yesterday Charlie O pointed out that the season for his previous team is wrapping up soon.
- WhiskeyMan

If the kid looked ready I could see them handling him this way….but I don’t think his play has warranted the kid glove treatment. I honestly think the Gauthier situation has played into how the Flyers have dealt with Kosolov.

Agreed….although I do think Risto has played well enough that maybe it’s not such a pipe dream anymore.
- landros 2

Well enough, maybe. But I think its somewhat of a delusion, it's more like he is the fastest sprinter at the special Olympics. Risto IS playing better compared to his old standard, but his old standard was so bad he has risen to mediocre.

Well enough, maybe. But I think its somewhat of a delusion, it's more like he is the fastest sprinter at the special Olympics. Risto IS playing better compared to his old standard, but his old standard was so bad he has risen to mediocre.
- MBFlyerfan

We’ve all seen worse traded for more.

So let me understand this.
- jd250

You are not understanding lol

In your delusional world, you think they have already started.
- MBFlyerfan

Bingo ☝️

I do not recall anyone say trade players for pennies on the dollar. Any examples? You need to realize the Flyers do not have many players with a lot of value. The ones that do they clearly will not move.

Is it about the future or right now? For arguments sake if they can get a late 1st for Risto you take it no questions asked. If they are rebuilding of course. This team is going nowhere with or without Risto. Apply the same logic to Laughton. When they re-sign both Laughton and Risto what will your take be then? If Frost doesn’t factor into the future, you move him.

All those players you mention are not needle moves nor are they guaranteed to even make to the NHL as productive players. I do not get all excited nor do I see a path to cup contending team seeing how they are running the team.

They are a capped team treading water. That is not a good spot.
- furio16

The Flyers are not a capped out team, not now and not projected to be next year. However the Flyers also do not have a ton of cap space to sign some big names, but then again they are not in any position to do that yet anyway.

You and I don't know how the Flyers' prospects will work out. Some might move the needle, some might never play an NHL game. That is the nature of drafting players at 17 and 18 years old. It's not a guarantee that simply because some ranking has a teenager as the top 5 prospect that player will realize their potential. It's about the future for sure, but there is no reason the future has to be 8 years from now. Risto can be part of the future. He is a legitimate top 4 NHL defenseman that has size, good legs and a RHS. Those are hard players to find, and the Flyers currently do not have anyone in their system that is ready to step into that role.

A tanking team would just trade any veteran that has value, get what they can and then take their chances in the draft. The Flyers are not tanking. They are not going to trade good players that play well within their system unless what they get back would move the needle further in their rebuild.

That is very exciting. Remove MM and they have what exactly? Nothing that stands out nor anything that almost every other NHL team has on their roster/pipeline. Do those prospects really give you a lot of hope?

Zavragin is not chewing up the KHL. May want to check that.

You post that Cutter is not good. Yet here you are pumping up the pick.
- furio16

Look at that draft class, no one drafted is exactly lighting it up right now.

He should have been sent down way before yesterday. Do you disagree? Last game was 1/2/25.

Do you think it was in both parties' best interest to have Kolosov sit when he could be potentially helping the Phantoms?
- furio16

Yes I agree. DB is indecisive. Kolosov should have gone down sooner. Still, in the grand scheme of things not a big deal. The inmates aren’t running the asylum. The asylum just has poor management

Its pretty pathetic when people look to bash the team so early in the morning. It's like they can't wait to look cool.
- WhiskeyMan

I wouldn’t kill them for graduating Michkov.

Not my dream scenario at all. I am all for tanking if, IF, there is group of players at the top of the draft worth tanking for. The 2015 draft was such a draft, so was the 2023 draft. Not every draft class is worth tanking for. This 2025 class is not worth tanking for.
- jd250

The draft is "shallow", not some kind of writeoff. There's still gonna be elite players available at the top that the Flyers desperately need.

Matt Schaefer alone would completely change the Flyers' long term outlook.

The Flyers are not a capped out team, not now and not projected to be next year. However the Flyers also do not have a ton of cap space to sign some big names, but then again they are not in any position to do that yet anyway.

You and I don't know how the Flyers' prospects will work out. Some might move the needle, some might never play an NHL game. That is the nature of drafting players at 17 and 18 years old. It's not a guarantee that simply because some ranking has a teenager as the top 5 prospect that player will realize their potential. It's about the future for sure, but there is no reason the future has to be 8 years from now. Risto can be part of the future. He is a legitimate top 4 NHL defenseman that has size, good legs and a RHS. Those are hard players to find, and the Flyers currently do not have anyone in their system that is ready to step into that role.

A tanking team would just trade any veteran that has value, get what they can and then take their chances in the draft. The Flyers are not tanking. They are not going to trade good players that play well within their system unless what they get back would move the needle further in their rebuild.
- jd250

Mediocre 3rd pair right hand defenseman like Ristolainen are not hard to find.

Flyers aren't gong to trade good players that play well within their system on a team with a 10% chance of making the playoffs. Makes sense. That would be very Flyeresque. It's why they only have a 10% chance of making the playoffs.

You have now gone in a short time from saying that you will be criticalif they don't trade Ristolainen at the deadline to now saying he is part of the future. That is how easily you are manipulated.

Well enough, maybe. But I think its somewhat of a delusion, it's more like he is the fastest sprinter at the special Olympics. Risto IS playing better compared to his old standard, but his old standard was so bad he has risen to mediocre.
- MBFlyerfan

This is just you being stubborn because you were wrong about Risto and you don't want to admit it. Risto IMO is playing the best overall game of any Flyers defenseman. Better than Sanheim right now. Better than York. In fact, just about every one that is talking about Risto around the Flyers and around the NHL beleive Risto is playing the best hockey of his career. Just watch the games. Risto kills plays better than any other defenseman on the ice most nights. Is he perfect, hell no. His first pass out of the d-zone is an adventure for sure, but he is healthy, skating well, adding more offense to his game, using his size to make hits more appropriately, and playing very sound in his own end. What else do you want from a top 4 defenseman?

The draft is "shallow", not some kind of writeoff. There's still gonna be elite players available at the top that the Flyers desperately need.

Matt Schaefer alone would completely change the Flyers' long term outlook.
- Tomahawk

He would be a defense changing pick, sadly I doubt he is even still in the building by the time the Flyers pick.

The draft is "shallow", not some kind of writeoff. There's still gonna be elite players available at the top that the Flyers desperately need.

Matt Schaefer alone would completely change the Flyers' long term outlook.
- Tomahawk

But they are on the verge of almost making the playoffs this year. In five years you are going to look back at this season as one of four they almost made the playoffs in the last five years.