The Flyers' roster is a lot different now than it was at this time last year. Gone are Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee. Instead, Christian Dvorak and Trevor Zegras are in their place. The team also has some young players ready to make their mark on the NHL, much like Matvei Michkov did this past season.
With that in mind, are there any young prospects who may be ready to join the Flyers? With Olle Lycksell, the Flyers' go-to AHL option, leaving in free agency, who could be the next player to take his place?
Porter Martone
The Flyers' top pick in this year's draft will almost certainly get a look in training camp. If he can come close to producing in the NHL what he did in the OHL, that would be amazing. Flyers fans everywhere are super excited to see Martone and his skill set light the lamp in the NHL.
The thing is, is he going back to the OHL or the NCAA? That will determine what happens, as there are different rules for players depending on where they play. There is an outside chance he comes to Philly after camp and sticks with the team all year. We don't know. The last player who did that was Tyson Foerster, which is interesting, because it is Foerster's current injury that could allow for Martone's chance.
Jett Luchanko
Luchanko was drafted last year and spent four games with the Flyers, as well as 16 games with the Phantoms. He spent most of the year with the Guelph Storm of the OHL
That's the problem with him. Because of CHL rules, he couldn't play for the Phantoms and had to play in the OHL. The new CBA agreement, which will allow 19-year-olds to play in the AHL, won't kick in until 2026-27. He shouldn't go to the OHL, but he can't go to the AHL either. Is he NHL-ready? We'll find out. He will be a future Flyers' star, but when is yet to be seen.
Alex Bump
Bump is showing that the 2023 Draft was one of the best that this team has ever had. As a fifth-rounder, Bump has risen in the ranks while starring for Western Michigan University, scoring 23 goals with 24 assists last season. He also endeared himself to Flyers fans when he called the Wilkes-Barre team "soft" in the AHL playoffs.
The Flyers need a strong, offensive presence at left wing. Bump could provide that. It's because of that need, I think he may have a stronger chance of making this team than Luchanko or Martone. A strong camp in September could see him starting the season on the left wing in the top nine
Nikita Grebenkin
With all of the hype surrounding the first three prospects on this list, and with good reason, Grebenkin sometimes gets left behind. The 22-year-old Russian was a fifth-round pick of the Maple Leafs and joined the Flyers in the Scott Laughton trade. He was a hot commodity for a former fifth-rounder, as other teams had inquired about him.
In the new Rick Tocchet era of "size matters", Grebenkin is a 6'2", 210 lbs guy who can play both wings. If he has a great camp, and especially if he forms a connection with a young player like Michkov or Owen Tippett, he could stick around. The Flyers could use a left winger, and he can play on the left side.
Jack Nesbitt
When the Flyers drafted Nesbitt, there was a lot of debate as to whether he was worth the trade-up. At the development camp, he turned a lot of heads, especially when paired up with Bump. The two scored in clutch moments during the scrimmage and made some big impressions.
Nesbitt has a lot to learn and probably should develop some more at the junior level. However, like Luchanko did last year with a solid camp, there is the chance that Nesbitt comes out of camp with the Flyers. It would be interesting to see what happens with him. He could be more ready than all the experts think. I feel he'd make his debut near the end of the season, but stranger things have happened.
Samu Tuomaala
The reason Tuomaala is on this list, instead of someone probably more intriguing like Denver Barkey, is because it's his time. The Flyers' top pick in 2020 was a (kinda) star in Finland, but has struggled in the AHL. He is still 22 and has room to grow.
Still, the Flyers need to see what they have in him. He has scored 26 goals in two seasons with the Phantoms. At 5'10", 180 lbs, he might not fit the future vision of this team. It might be good to get him in the NHL to see what he could do. At the same time, he could also be seen as trade bait.
Massimo Rizzo
It seemed like it took forever for the Flyers to finally acquire Rizzo from the Carolina Hurricanes. Since then, he's been kind of "meh". After a fairly successful career at the Univ of Denver, he spent his first year with the Phantoms and appeared in 46 games with six goals and 12 assists. To be fair, he did have a high ankle sprain for part of the season.
Rizzo just turned 24. Again, with so much time and energy invested in getting him, it would seem that the Flyers should try to bring him up at some point. If he has a good camp and if he has a good start to the AHL season, he could be a mid-to-late-season call-up. We'll see. With some of the other prospects on the rise, he needs to make his move soon.