Monday was decision day as the NHL’s final rosters were due. The Flyers final roster was mostly what was expected, with one noticeable difference. Cam York is starting the season on injured reserve and Dennis Gilbert, once expected to be the final cut, will remain on the roster after clearing waivers on Sunday.

With that, let’s take a closer look at the team that is going to be starting things off for the Orange and Black in the 2025-26 season.

Forwards (14): Rodrigo Abols, Bobby Brink, Noah Cates, Sean Couturier, Nick Deslauriers, Christian Dvorak, Tyson Foerster, Nikita Grebenkin, Garnet Hathaway, Travis Konecny, Jett Luchanko, Matvei Michkov, Owen Tippett, Trevor Zegras

Most of the names on this list shouldn’t be a surprise. The additions of Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak in the offseason add some talent and depth to the roster. You have the returning cast of Brink, Cates, Couturier, Deslauriers, Foerster, Hathaway, Konecny, Michkov, and Tippett. Foerster was at one point this offseason reportedly going to miss some time, but has recovered well and looked strong in his preseason appearances, so his availability to start the season changed the outlook of some roster battles.

The three names within the forward group that this really came down to were Rodrigo Abols, Nikita Grebenkin, and Jett Luchanko. Luchanko may be here for the long haul or just another tryout that can last up to nine games before it’s decision time. That remains to be seen. Luchanko didn’t have many standout appearances in the preseason, but showed enough to management to at least get an extended look.

Abols played in six of the seven preseason games and certainly did his part to make the team. He’s deserving, both for some offensive contributions and overall consistent play in a heavy preseason schedule that included appearances in all four road games of exhibition.

Grebenkin carried his performance from an excellent rookie camp into the preseason. He too became a deserving member of the final roster, making his own contributions on the scoresheet and with his overall play.

Defensemen (7): Jamie Drysdale, Dennis Gilbert, Adam Ginning, Noah Juulsen, Travis Sanheim, Nick Seeler, Egor Zamula

The defense arguably had the greatest amount of room for competition, but didn’t really meet the hype. Much of this competition was less about who stood out and more about who didn’t in a negative way.

The first four slots of the defense were always pretty much set in stone from the beginning: Sanheim, York, Drysdale, and Seeler. Rasmus Ristolainen’s injury – he’s expected to be out until at least November – also opened up an additional spot. It was always going to come down to the third pairing and whether the team wanted to carry seven or eight defensemen.

Zamula has more experience in Philadelphia than everyone else in the competition, so he had more of an upper hand going in. His preseason left a lot to be desired.

Adam Ginning was a pleasant surprise, proving to be among the more steady defensemen in the competition. He’s far from a finished and polished product, but he earned the chance to remain in the NHL.

Juulsen and Gilbert were both signed as veterans who could fill into the sixth defenseman role. Juulsen’s prior experience playing for head coach Rick Tocchet may have been a determining factor in making the team. Gilbert was anticipated to be among the cuts, but returns after clearing waivers as York starts the season on IR with Ristolainen.

When camp began, there were plenty of other names in the running for these roster spots. Helge Grans figured to potentially be a natural replacement for Ristolainen on the right side. Emil Andrae had NHL experience coming into camp.

Grans struggled mightily in camp, making it an easy decision to pass him through waivers and go to the minors. Andrae had a consistent preseason, but it appears his size and the ability to send him to the minor directly as a waiver-exempt player aided this decision. It also has left fans wondering what Andrae’s future could be in the organization.

There will almost definitely be some rotation with these spots between the NHL and AHL during the course of the season. Simply put, no one really ran with the opportunity to be on the NHL roster behind the clear-cut top four. So, for now, this is the group. But that could change quickly if someone starts to stand out in the minors or another injury arises.

Goalies (2): Sam Ersson, Dan Vladar

No surprises here. The two goalies that were always perceived to be meant for the NHL roster are here to start the season. The goaltending picture did become clearer with the pre-camp trade of Ivan Fedotov, leaving Aleksei Kolosov and Carson Bjarnason in the minors.