Projecting the Flyers Opening Night Lineup

The Philadelphia Flyers will enter the 2021-22 season with Sean Couturier, Claude Giroux and Ivan Provorov as most prominent parts of their core. Ryan Ellis, Rasmus Ristolinen, Cam Atkinson, James van Riemsdyk, and Kevin Hayes will also figure into the leadership group.

This veteran core is a good mix of players who have been in the playoffs and worn letters on their sweaters. The leadership is going to be stronger than ever.

General manager Chuck Fletcher addressed his feeling that the organization unfairly put a lot of pressure on young players last season. He changed up the roster with veterans and new voices to help add to this leadership group.

The additions will make for a new-look lineup regardless of what combinations head coach Alain Vigneault chooses. We could see the following lineup on opening night on October 15.

Flyers Offense:

Top Line: James Van Riemsdyk-Sean Couturier-Joel Farabee

This line showed effective chemistry last season. Farabee broke out playing alongside both players, and JVR seemed to have a resurgence in his goal-scoring ability as well. Both wingers play a similar role with a mindset to get pucks on net and crash the crease area. Pairing them with Couturier allows the them to focus more on their offensive games because of the center’s strengths defensively.

Couturier is a fantastic playmaker as well. These three are a deadly force together and will cause mayhem if they can continue to play how they played last season.

2nd Line: Wade Allison-Kevin Hayes-Cam Atkinson

Allison would make a great compliment to Hayes and Atkinson. Being a net front presence and a big body will help his linemates create a lot of opportunities.

With Atkinson on this line, you get a guy who not only is willing to the shoot the puck but a guy who has speed and great hands. He can carry the puck and allow Hayes to get into more open spaces. Both are good passers and can help each other on the break. Overall, this line will be dangerous if Allison can extend and improve upon the way he played last season.

3rd Line: Claude Giroux-Morgan Frost-Travis Konecny

The quick injury to Morgan Frost was a blow to the Flyers depth at center last season. In the two games last season before his shoulder injury, Frost looked pretty good.

For a 22-year-old kid who is coming back from injury, playing with a rejuvenated Claude Giroux and a struggling Travis Konecny on a third line will allow these three to create matchup nightmares. This third line, in my mind, could pass for a top line.

This line playing together will allow all three players to get looks against second and third pairing defensive lines and also third or fourth forward lines. Getting each of them confidence will allow this team to succeed in spaces they did not during the previous season.

4th Line: Oskar Lindblom-Scott Laughton-Nicolas Aube-Kubel

These three players will be among the hardest workers on the ice every game.

This line together will create chaos and tire out opponents. It’s the type of line that you can throw out against first and second lines to try to help cause mismatches for your top lines as well.

NAK did not play his best hockey last year. Overskating his shifts taking bad penalties cancelled out any positive effects he brought to the game. I believe he can bounce back and be the grinder we saw in his first season in the NHL.

Lindblom is now over a year removed from his cancer treatments. He looked stronger and stronger each game late last season. I think we will again see the Oskar Lindblom from before his cancer treatments in 2021-22.

He is a good penalty killer and a grinder as well. He fights for every inch of ice and every puck battle he gets into.

Laughton needs to be the leader on this line. He has good speed and vision and likes to battle and get under the skin of his opponents. He embodies what it means to be a Flyer, which is why he was rewarded with his contract extension and why so many teams were calling for him. You can put him anywhere in the lineup, and he also kills penalties at a high level.

Nate Thompson will likely get consideration for a lineup spot as a fourth-line center.