The Philadelphia Flyers made some changes to their roster this offseason, and their lineup on opening night will look a little different from it did last season.

There are plenty of NHL contracts on the Flyers, so there aren’t many roster spots that are unknown at the current moment. I would say there are about 2-3 spots open for the Flyers this season, depending on the length of Tyson Foerster’s injury.

Among the players battling for a spot: Alex Bump, Porter Martone, Jett Luchanko, Karsen Dorwart, Devin Kaplan, Nikita Grebenkin, and Jacob Gaucher. Some players will be fighting to keep their spot on the NHL roster, like Rodrigo Abols and Nic Deslauriers.

The forward group, which, with the injury to Foerster, has 11 active players, meaning there are roughly 2-3 forward spots open.

As for the defenders, barring any unforeseen moves, it seems like the same core from last season will be running it back, with one of Dennis Gilbert or Noah Juulsen being the 7th defenseman once Rasmus Ristolainen returns. Oliver Bonk could make things interesting, but I don’t yet see him pushing for an NHL spot.

So, with that, let’s predict the Flyers’ opening night lineup.

Read More: Flyers Free Agency: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

The Flyers Forwards

Top Line: Tyson Foerster (Noah Cates)-Trevor Zegras-Matvei Michkov

The Flyers’ top line for next season SHOULD consist of Tyson Foerster, Trevor Zegras, and Matvei Michkov. Now, will Foerster and his upper-body injury be ready for opening night? That is still very much in the air. So, with that, I would put Noah Cates on that top line in the meantime. Here is why:

First of all, you should not start the season with Zegras and Michkov separated. Those two players are some of the most offensively skilled in the league and could legitimately feed off one another. Zegras is a center who can help drive play and create offense, and Michkov is a legitimate threat to score from anywhere in the zone. It’s a match made in heaven.

Now, Foerster is the perfect player to join them, as he is a big-bodied power forward with a powerful shot. Not only does he add size and strength to a smaller, skill-focused group, but he is also a very good defender. He would add some defensive responsibility to a line that would otherwise lack it.

For that same reason, I would slot Noah Cates in as the top-line LW until Foerster can return, solely because of the defensive responsibility he would bring. Someone has to take some of that responsibility. Cates would be the perfect stop-gap until Foerster returns.

Read More: Report: Tyson Foerster Suffered an Upper-Body Injury

Second Line: Owen Tippett-Sean Couturier-Travis Konecny

Separating Travis Konecny and Sean Couturier is less than ideal to me. If you’re not keeping the Captain with Matvei Michkov, he should remain with Konecny. Similarly to the Foerster/Cates effect I mentioned for the top line, Couturier could be more of the defensively responsible forward to allow the other two to be more offense-focused.

Konecny can continue to build off his career-best year, especially being the primary offense on his line. However, the biggest impact of this, to me, would be on Owen Tippett.

The Flyers seem to think there is a 30+ goal scoring potential with Tippett. I am unsure if he will reach that, but playing with Couturier and Konecny may be his best chance. I actually thought about a different player in this spot, but instead opted for Tippett, solely because I think this will be how he hits that ceiling.

As for Konecny, there should be no reason he is not on a top-six line. With Zegras and Michkov being a perfect match, it makes no sense not to have Konecny on the second line, unless you intend on playing one of Michkov or Konecny on their off-wing.

Third Line: Alex Bump-Jett Luchanko-Bobby Brink

The third line is the first of the roster battle lines. Winning the first battle… Alex Bump.

In my opinion, the 2/3 LW spot is the most significant roster battle this offseason. My reasoning for Bump winning the battle is simple. He has already gone through his development, looked very solid in the AHL, and seems a bit more ready than some of the others. Porter Martone may be more skilled, but he is still so young and could benefit from a year in the NCAA before turning pro.

Therefore, Bump gets that spot. He will be a young and exciting player to watch this season. He is also the guy I think you could swap with Tippett on the second line as well. After two great seasons at Western Michigan, Bump is ready for the Flyers.

The second roster battle winner: Jett Luchanko.

Here is the thing with Jett. I don’t think keeping him in Guelph would do him any favors. It would just hurt his development. The Flyers have to keep him in the NHL unless his OHL rights get traded in the offseason. I don’t see that happening, so I think the Flyers opt to keep him in the NHL. However, burying him on the fourth line would be just as bad for his development, so third line it is.

Lastly, you have the defensively responsible one. That would be Bobby Brink.

Brink took massive steps last season both as a defender and a scorer. While I hate the idea of breaking up each of the members of the Cates line from last season, their impact should be spread throughout the lineup.

Fourth Line: Noah Cates (Rodrigo Abols)-Christian Dvorak-Garnet Hathaway

And, the Flyers’ bottom line.

Here is a quick justification.

You need Noah Cates playing every day. He could probably play up in the lineup, but the fourth line is seemingly the best fit. I have him filling in for Foerster until he is healthy. Once he returns, you drop him down to the fourth. I have Rodrigo Abols filling in until then. You could also play Cates as the 4C, but since they gave Christian Dvorak $5.4 million to be a 4C, I feel like he has to play center.

For Dvorak, he can also play the wing, but as I just said, he’ll likely start at C based on his salary.

Finally, Garnet Hathaway. He is literally the perfect fourth-line player. He’s a heavy-hitter, high-energy, great leader, spark plug player who can really provide a boost. The team values him because he plays this role so well. Hathaway can also score at times.

In all honesty, this is a pretty solid fourth line.

Extra Forwards: Rodrigo Abols, Nic Deslauriers

The Flyers Defensemen

Top Pair: Cam York-Travis Sanheim

Time to run back the trusty top pair. I am actually intrigued to see this duo under Rick Tocchet. The way each of their games complements the other is ideal. I think both players have high two-way potential, with York leaning offensively (if he can return to form under Tocc) and Sanheim leaning defensively.

It will be exciting to see how and if York can take that next step with his biggest obstacle out of the way.

Sanheim, while he may not be a true No. 1 defenseman, can eat the minutes of a No. 1 like a true warrior. He is the best the Flyers have; he can’t play any lower.

Second Pair: Nick Seeler-Jamie Drysdale

I said earlier that the Flyers’ defense would likely run it back. That stands true.

The Flyers run back another steady pair from last season: Seeler-Drysdale.

It’s the perfect combination of a defensive defenseman and an offensive defenseman. Now, for this to work, Drysdale also needs to continue making strides in his development, which I think he can. Playing another season with Seeler, who can take the defensive responsibility, should allow Drysdale to really focus on being the best puck mover and offensive defenseman he can be.

This should be the Flyers’ second pair. I would also be intrigued by Rasmus Ristolainen playing his offside once he returns from injury, but we’re a little ways away from that.

Bottom Pair: Emil Andrae-Rasumus Ristolainen (Noah Juulsen)

This is basically a mirror reflection of the prior pair. You have your offense-focused defender and lock-down blueliner on the same pair.

Emil Andrae still has the ceiling of a top prospect, but he still needs to develop. He was underwhelming last season, but I have not yet lost faith. That said, once Rasmus Ristolainen returns, I really would look for Andrae to take his big steps.

Until then, I see Noah Juulsen filling in until Ristolainen returns. I could also see Helge Grans bidding for that spot as well.

Extra Defender: Egor Zamula

The Flyers Goaltenders: Sam Errson, Dan Vladar

This one is pretty self-explanatory, so I’ll do it in as few sentences as possible.

Sam Ersson is your starter. Dan Vladar is the backup. The Flyers, financially, cannot afford to have three goaltenders in the NHL. Therefore, Ivan Fedotov is the odd man out on the roster. There is a good chance he is waived and clears waivers, being reassigned to Lehigh Valley.

Flyers Projected Lines and Pairs for Opening Night

Noah Cates*-Trevor Zegras-Matvei Michkov
Owen Tippett-Sean Couturier-Travis Konecny
Alex Bump-Jett Luchanko-Bobby Brink
Rodrigo Abols^-Christian Dvorak-Garnet Hathaway

Travis Sanheim-Cam York
Nick Seeler-Jamie Drysdale
Emil Andrae-Noah Juulsen^*

Sam Ersson
Dan Vladar

*Tyson Foerster once healthy
^Noah Cates once Foerster Returns
*^Rasmus Ristolainen once he returns

Read More: Flyers Extend Key RFA Defenseman

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