The Philadelphia Flyers currently have seven defensemen you can pencil in to roster spots out of camp, featuring an intriguing mix of veterans and players under 25. However, pencil those players in for now, as a couple of rookies don't necessarily need to make the team this season but could make a case, depending on how well they perform.
Travis Sanheim, Rasmus Ristolainen, Cam York, and Jamie Drysdale seem like locks for the top four. Nick Seeler and David Jiricek have the inside track for the third pair if Jiricek can earn the spot, while former Toronto Maple Leafs depth piece Simon Benoit factors in as the seventh defenseman.
Oliver Bonk is the blue liner with the best chance to steal a spot, as the 21-year-old could be interchangeable with the 22-year-old Jiricek. The Flyers would likely favor Jiricek for this season just because he is no longer waiver-exempt, and the chances of them rostering both Bonk and Jiricek at this point in their development are unlikely.
One other small battle to watch out for is whether Hunter McDonald can steal the seventh-defenseman spot from Benoit. Briere may opt to give McDonald another year of big minutes in the AHL instead of sitting him in the press box for half the games in the NHL, which makes it less intriguing than the battle between Jiricek and Bonk.
Ristolainen has one year remaining on his contract and was in trade rumors for much of last season. It is unlikely that Philadelphia will keep the right-shot defenseman through this season, and it would automatically open up a spot to make next year's depth down the right side look like Drysdale, Bonk, and Jiricek.
Flyers could be choosing between Oliver Bonk and David Jiricek
The majority of fans are happy with the league's decision to shrink the preseason schedule and make the regular season longer. One group of people who aren't quite as happy are the young players in each organization who have less of a chance to earn a spot out of training camp. This year, Jiricek and Bonk fall into that category, but the younger Bonk has the biggest gripe.
Jiricek is a former sixth-overall pick who already has 85 games under his belt. The Columbus Blue Jackets rushed him into action, and it came at the detriment of his development, which led them, then the Minnesota Wild, and now the Flyers to try and have a do-over. The Czech defenseman looked the most comfortable of his pro career last season in Lehigh Valley, recording 13 points in 15 games.
Jiricek deserves the chance to continue his NHL career, and he will likely be the winner of that position battle. Bonk had an average rookie AHL season, and he could use a bit more development. He scored a goal and added an assist in his NHL debut, and that will be the narrative for why he should play in Philadelphia this season. However, it might be a little too soon and too risky to put Jiricek on waivers in hopes that Bonk can replicate that debut success.
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