Flyers’ Fourth Line Takes Flight Before the Holiday Break
Dec 22, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Nikita Grebenkin (29) celebrates his goal with teammates against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
With the Philadelphia Flyers now 36 games into the season, there has been a lot of good to talk about, such as the improvement in goaltending after the addition of Daniel Vladar or the off-season trade of Trevor Zegras, who has thrived in the East.
With all of this good, the Flyers are in second place in the Metropolitan Division and sixth place in the entire National Hockey League. With all of this success, the Flyers and the fans know that there could have been a lot more going into this point in the season, as the Flyers’ fourth line had not lived up to the expectations before now.
For a while, the fourth line consisted of Garnet Hathaway and Nicolas Deslauriers. Those two have combined for a grand total of zero points.
Hathaway, who had been a likable piece to the lineup for the past two seasons, has, after 33 games, a plus/minus of -8, which shows the lack of contributions he is giving back to the Flyers. Last season, Hathaway played 67 games and scored 21 points (10 g, 11 a), with a surprising +5 on the year, showing that he could be a veteran leader for this team. Though he is 34 and has the experience, no points in 33 games just won’t do it for the Flyers.
Deslauriers, in 16 games this year, has a -3. Even penalty minutes, an area where Deslauriers is counted on to rack up, are down this year, as he only has 24 PIM. When a player who cannot skate towards the puck is struggling to pick a fight and rack up PIMs, there is a serious conversation needed about Deslauriers’ future with the Flyers.
Sure, the two of them will more than likely play more games for the Flyers, but they will not be key pieces to a playoff hopeful team.
The two of them will not be essential pieces, not only because of their stats, but also because the Flyers have found just the guys to replace them for the time being, and on. Three players in particular have dominated on the fourth line as of late, showing major signs of hope for this struggling line.
Center Rodrigo Abols and wingers Carl Grundstrom and Nikita Grebenkin have exceeded expectations for their seasons, which, when put together makes a fun, exciting fourth line to watch.
On Monday, December 22nd, against Rick Tocchet‘s former team, the Vancouver Canucks, in a game where no one seemed to solve Canucks’ goaltender Thatcher Demko, it was the fourth line that would score the first two goals of the game. In the second period, A heavy blast from Abols would find Grebenkin’s stick for the deflection goal, putting the Flyers on the board first.
Grebenkin, who fights for pucks harder than anyone else, wasn’t done, as he would start the third period by delivering a beautiful feed to Grundstrom to keep him red hot, as he had scored his fourth goal at the time. Grundstrom, another piece to the line, fits in right with Abols and Grebenkin, as their size and fight have been there these last two games more than it has been there for Deslauriers and Hathaway the entire season.
With the size and heat from Abols, the speed and ability to hold onto the puck from Grebenkin, and the shooting ability from Grundstrom, the Flyers may have found a contending fourth line to carry throughout the season.
Luke Raidy
Luke has covering the the Flyers and Phillies for Philly Sports Reports since 2025. He is a junior at North Penn and being a huge Philly sports fan has brought so many experiences, such as going to the NLDS, NLCS, and even the World Series in 2022. He has also met former superstars in the city of Philadelphia, such as Wayne Simmonds from the Flyers. Though being a student-athlete, Luke enjoys his time where he is writing and reporting on Philadelphia sports.
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