The NHL releases the 2023-24 schedule: Here are the Flyers’ highlights
The Flyers will open in Columbus on Oct. 12 against Ivan Provorov, host Vancouver on Oct. 17 in the home opener, and play the Devils outdoors and under the lights at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 17.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/NL7HTBDLKNEVVPCS6PG5NJ3L7Q.jpg)
Kevin Hayes wasn’t the only one to learn his future fate Tuesday, as just hours after Hayes was traded to the St. Louis Blues for a 2024 sixth-round pick, the NHL dropped its complete 2023-24 regular-season schedule.
The rebuilding Flyers will begin their “new era of orange” on Oct. 12, when they visit Columbus in a reunion with recently traded defenseman Ivan Provorov and Salem County’s Johnny Gaudreau. The matchup also will represent homecomings of sorts for Flyers coach John Tortorella and winger Cam Atkinson, who both spent extensive time with the Blue Jackets. Next up is a road date against former captain Claude Giroux and the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 14 before the Flyers return home to the Wells Fargo Center.
» READ MORE: The Flyers’ Kevin Hayes trade shows the reality of the mess Danny Brierè inherited. Buckle up for a long rebuild.
For the second time in three seasons, the Flyers’ home opener will be against the Vancouver Canucks, as franchise Hall of Famer Rick Tocchet’s club comes to town on Oct. 17. Some other notable games in October include a visit from MVP Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers (Oct. 19) and an away contest at the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 24.
The Flyers will hit the West Coast for three games — San Jose, Anaheim, Los Angeles — between Nov. 7-11, and finish the month with six straight Metropolitan Division games, including a home matinee on Black Friday against the New York Rangers (1 p.m.).
December begins with back-to-back games against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins (Dec. 2 and 4) and will wrap up with the annual Disney on Ice road trip. The Flyers visit Detroit on Dec. 22 before the NHL’s holiday break and then head west for a season-long-tying four-game trip to Vancouver (Dec. 28), Seattle (Dec. 29), Calgary (Dec. 31), and Edmonton (Jan. 2).
The Flyers will play Hayes for the first time since his trade on Jan. 15 in St. Louis, sandwiched between two four-game homestands. February is highlighted by the Stadium Series outdoor game against the New Jersey Devils, which will take place under the lights at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 17 (8 p.m.). The Stadium Series will be the Flyers’ sixth outdoor game in franchise history, and they will serve as the road team, meaning they will not lose a traditional home game. The month also includes the Flyers’ first look at Connor Bedard (at Chicago on Feb. 21) and premier home games against the New York Rangers on Feb. 24 and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 27.
» READ MORE: NHL mock draft: Who should the Flyers take at Nos. 7 and 22?
A 15-game March slate includes eight home games and features homecomings for popular ex-Flyers Giroux (March 2) and Hayes (March 4), as well as Bedard’s first visit to the Wells Fargo Center on March 30. The Flyers will not play a home game — or any game for that matter — on St. Patrick’s Day this season.
The Orange and Black will wrap up their 82-game schedule with seven games in April, including a two-game homestand to finish the season against the division-rival Devils and Washington Capitals.
In all, the Flyers will play 26 division games, four each against Carolina, Columbus, New Jersey, the Rangers, and Pittsburgh, and three against the New York Islanders and Caps.