Never too early to sort out the Flyers’ lines: Here’s how they could stack up at season’s start

First of two parts on how the Flyers could line up at the start of the season.

The Stanley Cup has been handed out and the draft is in the books. The free-agency frenzy is less frantic, and the next generation of Flyers talent has wrapped up development camp in Voorhees.

Summer is here, and with that, the page has officially turned to the 2024-25 season. There are still a few months before the puck drops in Vancouver on Oct. 11. But it’s never too early to peek into the future and forecast how things will look for the Orange and Black.

General manager Danny Brière hasn’t done much reshuffling since the final horn sounded in April. He has added only one new face — who will assuredly make the opening night roster — in Matvei Michkov and cut ties with another player in Carter Hart. Marc Staal and Denis Gurianov will not be back, but Erik Johnson will.

And some guys could turn heads in training camp and force their way onto the main club. Winger Oscar Eklind and center Rodrigo Abols were signed from Europe and prospects who played recently in Lehigh Valley, like Olle Lycksell, Samu Tuomaala, and Emil Andrae, could fight for roster spots.

Here’s an early look at how the Flyers’ forwards could line up on Oct. 11 against the Canucks:

That new guy that Brière added is a pretty darn good hockey player. Drafted seventh overall in 2023, Michkov has the game-breaker talent the Flyers have been searching for in recent years. At just 19, he was lighting up the Kontinental Hockey League, potting 19 goals and 41 points in 47 games while on loan with Sochi. Coined “a key piece to our future” by the Flyers GM, Michkov is a left-handed right winger known for his skating and high-end vision, shot, and quickness.

» READ MORE: Jett Luchanko, Hunter McDonald, and Noah Powell stand out in Flyers development camp

Frost is the most creative center in the Flyers system and should be able to match Michkov’s high-end talent while consistently finding him on the ice. He can be a bit streaky at times — and in coach John Tortorella’s doghouse — but how he sees the ice and can create space will open things up for the young Russian winger.

Putting Foerster on the line adds another shooter, but he’s also a defensive-minded forward who can balance out two offense-leaning guys. According to Evolving Hockey’s even-strength defense model, which measures defensive goals above replacement, Foerster finished the season ranked No. 2 among all NHL forwards this past season at 6.7. At 6-foot-2, he used his body, hockey sense, and long reach to finish fourth on the Flyers in takeaways (36). The 22-year-old, who played most of his rookie season on his off-wing, wasn’t a slouch offensively either by scoring 20 goals, tied with Logan Cooley of the Arizona Coyotes (now the Utah Hockey Club) for third among newcomers.

According to Natural Stat Trick, this trio played slightly under 110 minutes together last season at five-on-five. It’s not a ton of time compared with other line combinations, but when they linked up, their shot attempts were 61.37% in their favor, with 60% being high-danger chances. The actual goal-scoring wasn’t as eye-popping — they scored seven and allowed six — but there could be something to this grouping if given the time to percolate.

When Tippett and Konecny played together, without Couturier, they outscored the opposition 18-7 at five-on-five. When Couturier and Konecny were paired up, they had an Expected Goals For of 56.54%, and when it was Couturier and Tippett, it was 55.56%.

Now with a full season under his belt after missing almost two because of a pair of back surgeries — and expected to be fully recovered from a sports hernia surgery in the offseason — Couturier will surely be raring to go to make his second-half slump a thing of the past.

If the Selke-winning forward can play as he did at the beginning of last season before he leveled off — by consistently putting pressure on the opposition, forcing turnovers all over the ice, and playing a defensive zone game that can lead to odd-man breakouts — it will only benefit the top two goal scorers on the Flyers last season. Couturier will also provide a defensive-minded style of play that will allow Tippett and Konecny free range to head up ice.

According to NHL Edge, Tippett finished the season as the No. 1 speedster in the NHL after getting clocked at 24.21 mph, and Konecny was well above the league average at 22.58. They complement each other in several facets. Aside from his speed, Tippett knows how to use his 6-1 frame to create space that can only work in the favor of the shifty Konecny as he drives to the net to wreak havoc.

Could Tuomaala, who was a Phantoms All-Star but struggled down the stretch, or Lycksell, who showed some production in his last few games, slide into this line? Potentially. This line could see some tweaking as things head toward the season, but for now, Brink is slated on the right side.

Brink had an up-and-down season, but when he returned from a stint in Allentown in February, he showed confidence in his game and some extra jump in his step. Not the biggest guy out there at a generously listed 5-8, Brink could benefit from having two bigger bodies on his line in the 6-foot Farabee and the 6-2 Poehling.

Both guys can forecheck and Farabee mentioned on locker clean-out day that he wants to continue to work on “holding on to more pucks down low.” Farabee and Poehling each drive to the net early and often and will play off each other below the hash marks as Brink tends to be a little more spread out with his shot selection from in front to the right side.

According to NHL Edge, 15 of Farabee’s career-high 22 goals last season came from right in front, and Poehling scored six of his 11 from the doorstep. They also put most of their shots on goal from that location. Not a bad combination if Brink can get pucks on the net and Farabee or Poehling can bang in the rebound.

This line should be the most fluid for the Flyers when things get rolling.

Moving Hathaway to the fourth line was tough as he played extremely well alongside Poehling at five-on-five, only elevating their work while shorthanded. Don’t be surprised if the rugged winger moves up the lineup like he did last season — and the same could be said for Laughton, who has paired well with Konecny in the past.

Cates was a bit streaky last season — a foot fracture in late November surely didn’t help — but he played some key minutes down the stretch and went on a five-game heater when the team needed a turnaround. He’s a versatile player who can play wing or center and open things up for Laughton to drive to the net while Hathaway causes chaos and levels big hits.

Coming Tuesday: Part 2 on how the Flyers’ defensemen will line up at the start of the season.