Welcome to the 2/9 edition of the PhHN Daily, where we’ll talk about the Flyers Olympians and their roles at the 2026 games. We also look at the trade cost for a player that could be, and should be, high on the Flyers’ list no matter what.

Also on the 2/9 daily, we look at a storyline that Flyers fans should be paying close attention to as the season plays out, and what looks like a demotion for Jack Hughes.

Before diving into the news, I jumped on “No Pucks Given” with Dan Kingerski over at Pittsburgh Hockey Now yesterday. We discussed the eventful season in Philadelphia, as well as the drama surrounding Matvei Michkov and Rick Tocchet. To cap things off, we touched on the “blockbuster” rumors and why the Flyers make sense as a team that could look to shake things up.

Make sure to check out the episode!

Now, let’s get into the 2/9 edition of the PhHN Daily.

Read More: Flyers Trade Talk: Could the Trade Deadline Plan Change?

Olympic Lines & Flyers Roles

We are three days away from the men’s hockey opening game at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Practices have begun, and lineups are starting to take shape. Again, as a reminder, the Flyers will have three representatives on the ice: Travis Sanheim (CAN), Dan Vladar (CZE), and Rasmus Ristolainen (FIN). Radrigo Abols (LAT) was named to the Olympics, but will miss it due to injury. Rick Tocchet (CAN) will be behind the bench.

As practices begin, we can start to see how the lineups will be taking shape and what the Flyers’ roles will be.

First, the team that has no Flyers implications, but most Flyers fans will likely be rooting for:

First practice for Team USA 🇺🇸 saw some familiar Lines & Pairs from 4Nations.

Top-6 and D-pairs skated together today, bottom-6 is still “projected.”

Jack Hughes is a go, Charlie McAvoy is too, although in a full shield. pic.twitter.com/3MiU12t7nt

— Daily Faceoff – Fantasy (@DFOFantasy) February 8, 2026

Now, for Travis Sanheim and Canada:

Not at home, so no fancy graphic for this one, but lines and pairs at the first Team Canada 🇨🇦 practice are:

Celebrini – McDavid – Wilson
Suzuki – MacKinnon – Marchand
Stone – Crosby – Marner
Hagel – Horvat – Reinhart

Toews – Makar
Morrissey – Parayko
Doughty – Harley

— Daily Faceoff – Fantasy (@DFOFantasy) February 8, 2026

Sanheim’s name is missing on the list because he and Shea Theodore were the team’s widely reported 4th pair at practice. It does not mean that he is an official scratch for game one. However, it is an early indication that Sanheim will be on the bubble throughout the tournament.

Now, the other Flyers Olympian on the blueline looks to have a much larger role.

Lines and Pairings at the first practice for Team Finland 🇫🇮

Granlund – Hintz – Rantanen
Lehkonen – Aho – Teravainen
Luostarinen – Lundell – Kakko
Tolvanen – Haula – Armia

Heiskanen – Lindell
Mikkola – Ristolainen
Maatta – Jokiharju

— Daily Faceoff – Fantasy (@DFOFantasy) February 8, 2026

It looks like Rasmus Ristoalinen will have a 2nd pair role cut out for him during the Olympics. This Finnish team will be sneaky good. If goaltending steps up, they are my “dark horse” to win gold. Of course, if you were a 4 Nations team, are you really a dark horse?

Goalies have not been announced yet. In all honesty, it is still probably a toss-up between Dan Vladar and Lukas Dostal for the Czechia starter, and Karel Vejmelka is not far behind. But we are starting to see the team that will be playing in front of the goaltenders.

In my opinion, the Czech team’s two strengths are their top line and goaltending. Is that enough to get them a medal?

NHL rumors & news

NHLTradeRumors.me: Robert Thomas’ name is very much out there, but Nick Kypreos is wondering about the reality that he is in a new city after the deadline. The insider has reported that the trade cost is high, and St. Louis is looking for more than the return Colorado got for Mikko Rantanen last season. That package included Martin Necas, Jack Drury, a 2nd rounder, and a 4th rounder. That is a steep cost.

TSN: Another storyline Flyers fans should be paying close attention to: a handful of playoff droughts could be coming to an end this season. The Sabres, Red Wings, and Ducks are all looking like teams that will snap postseason droughts. Each of those teams is in the top five for current active droughts. The Flyers are sixth and could have the third-longest drought. The other two teams on the list? The Sharks and Senators are two teams still very much in play. This is something to keep an eye on.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Jack Hughes has been demoted by Team USA. The Devils’ star was already playing the wing during the 4 Nations last year, but was playing in a top-six role. This year, Hughes is no longer in that role, and his linemates remain unknown.

Read More: Flyers Notebook: Aleksei Kolosov Loaned; Olympic Break Reflection