Projecting the Flyers Opening Night Lineup
By Nick Butler
Flyers Defense
Top Pairing: Ivan Provorov-Ryan Ellis
Provorov finally has a partner to replace Matt Niskanen.
Ellis is a little shorter than Niskanen but brings a lot more physicality to his game. He will also allow Provorov to open up his offensive game once again and not have to worry about rushing back to the play to cover for a lesser partner.
These two together will most likely be the best defensive pairing we have seen in a long time. The only question is if Ellis can stay healthy. Luckily for the Flyers, Provorov has never missed a game in his five-year NHL career.
2nd pairing: Travis Sanheim-Rasmus Ristolainen
Even though Sanheim is still going through arbitration, he will be on the roster opening night. With great skating ability and good stick, he is a very valuable weapon.
He had to fix a lot of Phil Myers’ mistakes last season. Pairing him with a veteran guy who can skate will help his game elevate to the next level.
Ristolainen is a big, strong player who has been the Buffalo Sabres top defenseman for years. After playing for multiple head coaches with too many different partners over his career, he will finally have better stability in Philadelphia.
It’s hard to remember the last time the Flyers had a defenseman who could make other teams terrified to come down the center of the ice, but Ristolainen could do that.
This pairing will allow Sanheim to open up his game offensively as well. Sanheim and Ristolainen both have hard shots and can get them through to the net for deflections or rebounds. They will be a big improvement from last season’s second pair.
3rd pair: Keith Yandle-Justin Braun
Yandle and Braun will bring veteran stability on the backend of the Flyers blue line. They can also help young players like Cam York and Yegor Zamula in their development.
Justin Braun will be better as a third-pair guy, especially playing with Yandle, after being forced into top-pair minutes last season. The two of them together will be able to feed off of each other and fix each other’s mistakes with ease.
These two will likely play together to start the season, and it remains to be seen when York and/or Zamula will be ready to play at the NHL level full-time.
Sam Morin will also most likely be our seventh defenseman to start the year.
Flyers Goalies:
Starter: Carter Hart
Hart did not have anywhere near a decent season in 2020-21. The defense didn’t do him wonders, but neither he nor backup Brian Elliot was at his best.
Hart just signed a bridge deal which will lead to a longer term contract if he proves himself as the Flyers top goaltender. He hopes to return to the peak form we saw during the 2019-20 season and 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. His confidence level coming into this season should be much higher than last.
Backup: Martin Jones
Jones may not be a glamorous pick up, but is a good back up for Carter Hart.
The time had come for a new backup to come in. The Flyers needed someone who can keep them in games more frequently when Hart has the night off.
Jones is returning to play for Flyers goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh, who he had a ton of success with back when he was with the Los Angeles Kings. He has gone through a few tough seasons with the San Jose Sharks, but the Flyers hope the reunion will reset his game in Philadelphia.
The defense has been revamped and should put the goaltenders in more favorable positions than they did in 2021-22. The presence of a stronger all around effort will be key in helping the Flyers recover from a season in which they allowed the most goals in the NHL.