Written by: Jonah Casel ’27
It’s hockey season again, and the Flyers are looking good. I know they will get my hopes up and then strip them away by march, but that doesn’t stop me from getting excited! On September 28 they played the Islanders and lost in overtime 3-2. That doesn’t matter because it was preseason and they were playing the New York Islanders, one of the best teams in the league, placing top 4 in the last two years. Players that I would like to highlight are Maxsim Sushko, and Egor Zamula, two rookies. The Flyers are one of the youngest teams in the league, and having strong rookies would really help them in the future. Last night was the debut for many new Flyers players that they acquired over the offseason, such as Keith Yandle, Ryan Ellis, Derick Brassard, Cam Atkinson, and Rasmus Ristolainen. It was really weird for me to see Cam Atkinson on the wing instead of Jake Voracek, but I think it will be good for the long term.
The Flyers offseason was MASSIVE, but will it change anything? I say it will. The Flyers defense had one of the worst in the entire league, and they solidified it by stealing Keith Yandle and Ryan Ellis. Unfortunately, they overpaid for Rasmus Ristolainen. I don’t know what Chuck Fletcher (Flyers’ General Manager) was thinking when he made that trade. They sent the Sabres a first, a second, and Robert Hagg. I think they overpaid but I am so glad that they got rid of Robert Hagg. He averages about 5 points a season, and his defensive playing wasn’t even good. I really like the addition of Cam Atkinson. He has great chemistry with players on the team, and the Flyers finally freed him from the prison that is Columbus. In Columbus, he led the franchise in all time scoring over 10 years