Flyers Finalize 23-Man Roster Ahead of Opener on Wednesday
May 9, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; The Philadelphia Flyers react to the fans after losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in game four of the second round of the 2026 Stanely Cup Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images
The Flyers have their squad set. They submitted their 23-man opening night roster, and the message is clear: continuity.
15 players return from last year’s opening night roster, and the core that pushed into the second round of the playoffs is ready to run it back.
Looking forward, the Flyers’ positions look solid as set.
Forwards
Owen Tippett, Trevor Zegras, and Porter Martone make up the top line. Tippett scored 28 goals last season, and Zegras posted career highs with 26 goals and 67 points before signing a four-year, $36.5 million extension in July. Martone, 19, is the only rookie on the active roster.
Tyson Foerster, Noah Cates, and Matvei Michkov are the second forward line. Foerster scored 13 goals in 29 games after returning from a major injury, and Cates earned Selke Trophy votes again. Michkov slid from 26 goals as a rookie to 20, but he showed up to camp leaner and faster, and was the talk of camp.
Alex Bump, Christian Dvorak, and Travis Konecny anchor the third line. Dvorak set career highs with 33 assists and 51 points in his first season with the Flyers. Konecny has led the team in scoring six of the past seven seasons. Bump had seven goals and four assists in 23 games, playoffs included, after his late-season call-up.
The fourth line is a veteran, blue-collar group. Carl Grundstrom skates with Sean Couturier and free-agent addition Noel Acciari, who won 61 percent of his faceoffs against the Flyers in the first round while playing for Pittsburgh. Couturier and Acciari will swap between center and wing.
Garrett Wilson, who signed a one-year, two-way deal at the end of camp, rotated in for Grundstrom and made the roster with Denver Barkey on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
Defense
Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen looked like a legitimate top pair after logging 488 minutes together at five-on-five. The strongest pairing on the team.
Cam York and Jamie Drysdale logged 482 minutes together, and as one of the more promising young defensive pairings in the league, they will only continue to grow.
Nick Seeler and Simon Benoit, acquired in the June 16 trade for Joseph Woll, round out the projected pairs.
David Jiricek, no longer waiver-exempt, made the roster as the seventh defenseman.
Goaltending
The goalie room is the most certain and the most solid pairing in a while.
Daniel Vladar is the starter after a 2.42 goals-against average and 29 wins. Joseph Woll arrives as the best backup the Flyers have had in years.
Those Left Off
The toughest cuts came in the first round of cuts, particularly Cole Knuble, 22, who scored twice in the preseason. Jett Luchanko, 20, had three assists. Jacob Gaucher, 25, has back-to-back 20-goal AHL seasons. Oliver Bonk, 21, is a 2023 first-round pick with one NHL game to his name. All four were sent to Lehigh Valley.
The Flyers will open their season on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at home against Pittsburgh.
Steve Hamilton
Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible; we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.
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