Matvei Michkov’s fitness, roster battles, and other story lines to follow as the Flyers begin training camp

It’s that time of year again. No, not the return of football, the leaves changing color, or weekend trips to the apple orchard. On Thursday, it’s officially time to “do that hockey,” as the Flyers assemble for the start of training camp.

On the heels of the Flyers’ first non-COVID playoff appearance since 2018, the team enters 2026-27 with serious expectations and excitement for the first time in almost a decade. Can Rick Tocchet’s team live up to the hype and build on last season’s breakthrough? Here are five story lines to watch for as camp opens at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees.

» READ MORE: Flyers GM Danny Brière provides updates on Matvei Michkov and clarifies previous ‘step back’ comment

The biggest question surrounding the Flyers’ offseason was whether or not Matvei Michkov would take his training seriously and show up in better shape after getting behind the eight-ball from the onset last season.

We probably won’t have a definitive answer until the games begin for real on Sept. 30, but the early signs have been promising. Michkov, 21, notably participated in a training group for Russian players run by Artemi Panarin this summer, and also facilitated a visit from Flyers training staff member Lorne Goldenberg to his homeland. Time will tell if that work will translate to on-ice production, but he appears leaner in social media pictures and videos. In a recent interview in Russian, the winger took accountability for showing up out of shape last season and claimed he has lost 29 pounds since then.

General manager Danny Brière said Tuesday that since returning to the area earlier this month, Michkov has “a different swagger” to him. “He’s got a pep in his step. He feels good. He looks good. So I’m excited about Matvei’s season,” the GM said.

Tocchet said he’s anticipating a “vengeance tour” this season from Michkov, who will need a new contract at season’s end. Showing up in shape would go a long way in setting himself up for a breakout Year 3.

With the new 84-game schedule and condensed training camp, there will be fewer opportunities for young players and roster bubble guys to impress and stake their claim. Add in that the Flyers bring back a young and relatively unchanged core, and barring injury, there aren’t many obvious roster spots up for grabs.

With 20 virtual roster locks by my count, plus defenseman David Jiříček, who is no longer waiver-exempt and thus almost assured a place to start the year, that leaves two spots for the bubble guys to compete for. The Flyers could elect to keep 14 forwards or eight defensemen, with forwards Nikita Grebenkin, Carl Grundström, and Zach Aston-Reese, and defensemen Oliver Bonk, Ty Murchison, Hunter McDonald, and Helge Grans essentially battling for two spots.

Bonk’s training camp will likely decide whether the Flyers go with seven or eight defensemen. With seven defensemen already ticketed for the roster, the 2023 first-rounder will have to blow the brass’ doors off to make the team, especially since he isn’t subject to waivers. The Flyers won’t want the 21-year-old sitting long, so if he isn’t going to have a pretty regular spot in the top six, he’ll likely be headed for Allentown to log big minutes for the Phantoms.

» READ MORE: Oliver Bonk’s goal is to make the Flyers’ opening roster. The defenseman is off to a good start.

While the Flyers didn’t make a ton of offseason moves — their big swing for Leo Carlsson didn’t connect — there will be some new faces this week in Voorhees.

Backup goaltender Joseph Woll, who owns a .906 career save percentage, and depth defenseman Simon Benoit were acquired from Toronto in a trade that sent Emil Andrae and Sam Ersson north. The Flyers also signed former Pittsburgh Penguins grinder extraordinaire Noel Acciari to a two-year contract to elevate the team’s much-maligned fourth line.

Forwards Aston-Reese, Danila Klimovich, Jack Studnicka, Nolan Foote, and Riley Thompson, as well as defensemen Jiříček, Jackson Edward, Andrew Perrott, and Toms River’s Cam Dineen are the other newcomers who will make up the numbers at camp. Towering 2026 first-round pick Maksim Sokolovskii will also be present, although he is expected to be returned to London of the Ontario Hockey League at some stage.

It’s a fool’s errand to place too much stock in preseason NHL games, but the Flyers’ dormant power play could really benefit from some experimentation — and fingers crossed … momentum — leading up to the opener against Pittsburgh.

The unit, which has been the Flyers’ Achilles’ heel dating back to when Achilles roamed the earth, has finished dead last in the league four of the last five seasons, including a paltry 15.7% mark a year ago.

With Trevor Zegras, Michkov, Porter Martone, and others in tow, the excuse can no longer be we just need more high-end talent. And if that is the excuse, why did the Flyers elect to run it back with the same cast of characters and not look to add a power-play specialist on the blue line or someone to man the front of the net?

Brière said Tuesday that Tocchet and power-play coach Jaroslav “Yogi” Svejkovský spent a lot of their summer dissecting the power play and trying to figure out where it went wrong from an operational standpoint. That’s all grand, but we’ve heard that before.

The Flyers are betting that a fitter Michkov, a full season of Martone, and Jiříček’s big shot from the point will be enough to yield better results. In what should be a tight Metropolitan Division, that calculation could be the difference between making or missing the playoffs.

Finding some continuity, flow, success, and confidence with the extra man in the four-game preseason would do wonders for a young team that seems burdened by the team’s recent struggles in that area.

As much as the Flyers’ roster seems set, there seems to be someone every season who comes out of nowhere in training camp to push for a spot.

Last year, long shots Rodrigo Ābols and Adam Ginning earned their way onto the squad, while in 2024, an 18-year-old Jett Luchanko shocked the entire league by making the team just a few months after he was drafted 13th overall. Back in 2023, the Flyers kept three goalies, and a year earlier, a murderer’s row of Hayden Hodgson, Tanner Laczynski, Wade Allison, and Ronnie Attard all survived the chop.

» READ MORE: Roster hopeful Ty Murchison has already caught the eye of the Flyers’ brass with a strong rookie camp

That brings us to Bonk, who leads this year’s list of breakout candidates and seems to be the player in the best position to force his way onto the roster with a good camp. The consensus top defensive prospect in the organization, he has regularly showcased a poise and calmness on the puck beyond his years.

Bonk is also highly motivated, as his chance to make the team last year ended before it started thanks to an upper-body injury in rookie camp that ultimately kept him out until December. After a strong showing — and nifty assist — in the Rookie Series, Bonk seems destined to play more than the one NHL game he got into last season. But will he be able to do enough in a short camp to convince the Flyers to keep eight defensemen out of the gate?

The other roster dark horse is rapidly rising center/wing Cole Knuble, whose dad Mike played for the Flyers. Knuble, whom the Flyers have gone out of their way to praise for a few years now, has turned heads whenever he’s attended a prospect camp, with player development head Riley Armstrong telling The Inquirer he was his biggest standout at the recent Rookie Series. The 22-year-old, who played three years at Notre Dame, is a high-IQ, high-motor forward who keeps improving and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. While there isn’t an obvious roster spot open for him, if Grebenkin’s injury lingers or someone else gets dinged up in camp, Knuble could pounce.

Murchison, 23, is a third name to watch, as he caught Tocchet’s eye with his combination of physical strength and smooth skating during an impressive three-game stint with the Flyers in December. The Californian, who missed the second half of last season with a shoulder injury, was also notably picked to captain the Flyers in one of the games at the Rookie Series.