- Flyers winger Tyson Foerster skated before practice yesterday as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, notes Gabriela Carroll of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The 23-year-old landed on IR earlier this week retroactive to November 1st, meaning he can be activated at any time since he has now served the minimum of one week. Foerster was off to a good start before the injury, collecting four goals and three assists in 11 games while logging over 18 minutes a night of playing time.
Flyers Rumors
Flyers Recall Carl Grundstrom
The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled forward Carl Grundstrom from the AHL. This is Grundstrom’s first call-up in Philadelphia, after joining the organization via trade earlier this month. He was moved alongside defense prospect Artem Guryev in a deal that sent Ryan Ellis’ $6.25MM cap hit, and a 2026 sixth-round pick, to the San Jose Sharks.
The Flyers waived Grundstrom on the same day that they acquired him. That set the 27-year-old up for his first prolonged stint in the minor-leagues since 2020. He’s done well with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, recording three goals, six points, and a plus-four in 11 games.
Grundstrom previously won a Calder Cup Championship with the 2018 Toronto Marlies. He joined the ring-winning squad as only two games of the regular season, then torched the postseason for 14 points in 20 games. Grundstrom maintained the hot scoring through the next two AHL seasons, ultimately earning his NHL debut with the Los Angeles Kings in March of 2019. Since then, Grundstrom has totaled 43 goals and 76 points in 292 NHL games. His single-season best sits at 12 goals and 19 points, scored in 57 games of the Kings’ 2022-23 season.
Recalling Grundstrom will help the Flyers fill their extra-forward role after assigning Jacob Gaucher to the minors. Gaucher recently played in three games with Philadelphia, but managed no scoring and a minus-one in the efforts. Grundstrom’s recent AHL scoring streak – five points in his last three games – could bring a major spark over the minimal scoring offered by Gaucher and Rodrigo Abols, who has no scoring in nine games.
Flyers Activate Samuel Ersson; Reassign Jacob Gaucher, Aleksei Kolosov
The Flyers activated goaltender Samuel Ersson from injured reserve yesterday and reassigned center Jacob Gaucher to AHL Lehigh Valley in the corresponding move. While they were briefly carrying three healthy goalies, that’s no longer the case. Aleksei Kolosov has been removed from the Flyers’ roster, per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia, indicating he’s also been sent back to Lehigh Valley to leave Philly with an open roster spot.
Ersson is a possibility to start tomorrow against the Senators based on how he fares in today’s practice, head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters (including Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports). He missed four games with an undisclosed injury, believed to be a groin issue, before being activated for yesterday’s win. Yesterday was the first game he was eligible to be activated for after his IR placement.
Before the injury, Ersson had already been clearly superseded as the Flyers’ starter by free agent pickup Daniel Vladař, who’s excelled with a .917 SV% and 2.18 GAA in his first nine starts. Ersson, who’d been Philly’s No. 1 option since 2023-24, had stumbled out of the gate with a .876 SV% and 3.08 GAA with a 2-1-1 record in four appearances. With Vladař shouldering a higher-than-normal workload in Ersson’s absence, though, it makes sense they’d want to get the latter a start, particularly against a Sens team that’s 1-1-2 in their last four and has only played twice so far this month.
Gaucher’s first recall of the season ends after three appearances. He was brought up on Halloween in the wake of an injury concern for Sean Couturier, who only missed one game before returning to the lineup. The 24-year-old still got a brief look as Philly’s fourth-line center, averaging 8:46 of ice time per game and going 9-for-19 (47.4%) on faceoffs. He did not record a point and logged a -1 rating. It was his second NHL stint after receiving a four-game trial with the Flyers last year. The pending restricted free agent remains waiver-exempt for 2025-26.
Kolosov was summoned to serve as Vladař’s backup while Ersson was out and did quite well. He made two appearances, entering a Nov. 1 loss to the Maple Leafs in relief of Vladař before starting the next night against the Flames. Philly lost that game 2-1, but Kolosov was strong, saving 26 of 28 shots faced across the pair of games for a .929 SV% and 1.62 GAA.
It adds to what’s been a promising season for the 23-year-old after a disastrous run in both Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley last season. Through five AHL games this year, Kolosov’s improved leaps and bounds on last year’s .884 SV% with a .918 mark and one shutout.
Flyers Place Tyson Foerster On IR, Recall Emil Andrae
According to a team announcement, the Philadelphia Flyers have placed forward Tyson Foerster on the injured reserve, retroactive to November 1st. Philadelphia has recalled defenseman Emil Andrae from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a corresponding roster move.
Despite eventually returning to the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Foerster’s lower-body injury is from blocking a shot from Auston Matthews. He missed yesterday’s game against the Calgary Flames and won’t be eligible to return on November 12th against the Edmonton Oilers.
The Flyers have already felt the impact of Foerster’s absence. Although the team is 6-4-0 in their last 10 games, they have lost two straight. Foerster, along with his linemates Noah Cates and Bobby Brink, has been the best forward unit for Philadelphia this year. The fourth-year winger has scored four goals and seven points in 11 games, averaging 18:18 of ice time per contest.
Replacing Foerster in the lineup, although indirectly, will be Andrae. The former second-round pick has already skated in two games for the Flyers this year, going scoreless. In fact, earlier in October, a report from Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff indicated that Philadelphia may actually look to trade Andrae at some point this season.
Unfortunately, the Flyers’ schedule won’t get any easier without Foerster. The team will match up against the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators in his absence, both of whom sit ahead of Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference standings. Still, despite being in last place, the Flyers are only one point removed from a Wild Card spot, highlighting how important the next month will be for playoff positioning.
Flyers’ Tyson Foerster Out, Sean Couturier Returns
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that winger Tyson Foerster will miss Sunday night’s game versus the Calgary Flames with a lower-body injury. Foerster played through Philadelphia’s Saturday loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but will now need to miss at least a few days. Head coach Rick Tocchet said Foerster will need to miss at least a few games, per Charlie O’Connor of All PHLY Sports.
Foerster will be replaced by the return of Flyers captain Sean Couturier, who sat out on Saturday after leaving Thursday’s game in the first period. Couturier sustained an upper-body injury after a shot from teammate Noah Juulsen caught him up high.
The Flyers will trade one top scorer for another with this news. Couturier has managed nine points in 10 games this season, more than any other Flyer except for Trevor Zegras, who has 13 points in 11 games. Foerster ranks third on the team in scoring, with seven points in 11 games. But while Philadelphia won’t lose much firepower with this swap, they will need to shuffle their lines around to fit their top-center back in. Couturier is expected to take over Zegras’ role centering Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov, while Zegras fills Foerster’s role on the second-line wing. This shuffling will notably benefit Noah Cates, who should solidify a top-six center role for the time being.
Despite three games of four-or-more goals, the Flyers offense has only averaged 2.67 goals-per-game across their last week, and three games, of action. Bringing back top playmaker Couturier and spreading their top scorers across multiple lines could be enough to turn those tides. They face a hot-and-cold matchups over their next five game, with matchups against the bottom-dwelling Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators offset by bouts with the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and Edmonton Oilers.
Flyers Prospect Artem Guryev Reassigned To ECHL
- Philadelphia Flyers prospect Artem Guryev, who was acquired in the October trade involving Carl Grundstrom and the contract of Ryan Ellis, appears to have lost his spot with the club’s AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 22-year-old was reassigned to the ECHL’s Reading Royals yesterday. Guryev began the season in Lehigh Valley but went scoreless through four games, prompting this reassignment. The 2021 fifth-round pick began his pro career in the AHL in 2023-24 but spent most of 2024-25 in the ECHL, so it’s possible he continues that trend in 2025-26. Guryev isn’t the only Flyers prospect in Reading: former University of Denver star scorer Massimo Rizzo, who scored 18 points in 46 games as an AHL rookie last season, has begun 2025-26 in North American pro hockey’s third-tier league.
Flyers Recall Jacob Gaucher, Reassign Emil Andrae
Sunday: Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed the reasoning behind Andrae’s reassignment is roster management more than anything else, relays PHLY Sports’ Charlie O’Connor.
Tocchet said that with the uncertainty surrounding Couturier’s readiness to play, the Flyers needed additional forward reinforcement, and in order to bring up Gaucher, Andrae needed to be reassigned. Tocchet did note that he believes Andrae will be back on the NHL roster in short order.
Couturier is managing an upper-body injury and missed the Flyers’ loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs yesterday. The 2019-20 Selke Trophy winner has gotten off to a strong start to his 2025-26 campaign, scoring nine points in 10 games while winning nearly 55% of his draws and playing a big role in what has thus far been the league’s second-best penalty kill.
Friday: The Flyers announced they’ve recalled forward Jacob Gaucher from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms and returned defenseman Emil Andrae to Lehigh Valley in a corresponding move.
Gaucher comes up amid an injury concern for captain Sean Couturier, who left Thursday’s win over the Predators in the first period with an undisclosed injury sustained while blocking a shot. There hasn’t been an update on his status yet. However, sending Andrae down as the corresponding move for Gaucher’s recall, rather than placing Couturier on injured reserve, suggests there’s optimism that his absence won’t be more than day-to-day.
The 24-year-old Gaucher is in his fourth professional season, all of which have come in the Flyers organization. Undrafted, he’s made the climb all the way up from ECHL regular to NHL call-up option. He signed with Lehigh Valley out of juniors in 2022 but spent his first season entirely on loan to the ECHL’s Reading Royals. He was a training camp standout in 2024 and, after getting off to a hot start with the Phantoms last year, received his first NHL contract in December and his first call-up in February. He made four appearances for the Flyers before being sent back down, going without a point and averaging just 7:21 of ice time per game. However, he impressed in the faceoff dot (10-for-15) and managed two blocks and four hits.
Gaucher checks in at 6’4″ and 225 lbs and can play both center and right wing. He’s off to a slow start this season with Lehigh Valley with just one goal and one assist through eight games, but he’s coming off a 20-goal season in 2024-25. The Flyers are only carrying 13 healthy forwards with Couturier’s injury, so there’s a decent chance Gaucher, who has utility down the middle, makes his season debut on Saturday against the Maple Leafs in a familiar fourth-line role. The organization hopes the confidence from an NHL call-up can help jumpstart his production when he’s inevitably returned to the minors.
Andrae’s demotion is a product of his waiver-exempt status more than anything else. The 2020 second-rounder has been ferried between Philly and Lehigh Valley twice this season now, but has averaged just 12:44 of ice time in two NHL appearances. The 23-year-old Swede is continuing to pressure the Flyers to give him more minutes with strong minor-league performances, which include five assists and a +4 rating in six showings for the Phantoms this year. In the interim, his demotion means more opportunities for Adam Ginning and Egor Zamula, who have rotated in as the club’s sixth defenseman.
Luchanko Hoping To Be Traded In OHL
- The Flyers recently sent center Jett Luchanko back to junior but if the youngster has his way, he’ll be on the move again. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic mentions (subscription link) that the 19-year-old is hoping to be moved from his current OHL team in Guelph, with an eye on joining Brantford, an early-season contender. Luchanko, the 13th pick in 2024, has made Philadelphia’s roster out of training camp in each of the last two seasons but this time, he only got into four games before being sent back to the Storm where he had an assist in his first outing back with them.
Evening Notes: Couturier, Boeser, Blue Jackets, Avalanche
Two notable players have left their respective games after taking hard shots: Sean Couturier and Brock Boeser. First, the Flyers announced mid-game their captain Couturier will not return vs Nashville. The 32-year-old’s injury was not disclosed, but he appeared bothered after blocking a shot in the first period. Couturier has been off to a great start so far this season, with nine points in nine games, looking like his old self after two straight seasons not passing the 45-point mark.
Meanwhile, the Vancouver Canucks confirmed Boeser will not return after being struck in the midsection point-blank from his teammate Elias Pettersson (defenseman) on a slap shot just 33 seconds into the game vs St. Louis. It’s an extra tough blow considering that the team is already missing Conor Garland, Quinn Hughes, and several other forwards.
Elsewhere across the league:
- The Columbus Blue Jackets recalled defenseman Dysin Mayo from AHL Cleveland, per the team. With veteran Erik Gudbranson day-to-day, having already missed time this season, Columbus has called upon the 29-year-old with 82 games of NHL experience in advance of Saturday’s game vs St. Louis. Although Mayo is likely just insurance, if he is to appear, it will be his first NHL game since 2022-23, all 82 of his so far as an Arizona Coyote. The right-hander leads the Cleveland Monsters in points, with four helpers in five games.
- In what has been a big day for the Avalanche, after locking up Martin Necas, the team announced that they have recalled defenseman Wyatt Aamodt from AHL Colorado. While Samuel Girard remains sidelined, Jack Ahcan has drawn into the lineup for the last two games, but Aamodt will be added depth if needed, as the Avs head to Vegas, then San Jose, on a road trip this coming weekend. The 27-year-old has spent the last four seasons with the Colorado Eagles, earning a two-game stint with the Avalanche last year.
Flyers Recall Aleksei Kolosov, Place Samuel Ersson On IR
12:30 p.m.: Kolosov’s recall is official, and they’ve moved Ersson to IR to facilitate it, per Bill Meltzer of NHL.com. With a tight schedule upcoming for the Flyers, that rules Ersson out for the next four games. He’ll be eligible to return on Nov. 6.
10:26 a.m.: The Flyers will recall goaltender Aleksei Kolosov from AHL Lehigh Valley prior to tonight’s game, according to Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports. They don’t have an open roster spot, but Kolosov’s recall will likely come under emergency conditions.
Kolosov will be dressing as the backup to Daniel Vladař tonight against the Predators. Samuel Ersson has been ruled unavailable after sustaining a minor tweak in practice yesterday, O’Connor added. He’s listed as day-to-day and could be an option this weekend. But since they wouldn’t have the required two healthy goaltenders without Kolosov, he can be brought up under emergency conditions and not count against the active roster.
Kolosov likely won’t be up long enough to get a start. Nonetheless, the 23-year-old has taken strides in his development early on in 2025-26. A third-round pick in 2021, Kolosov has started five games for Lehigh Valley with a strong 2.60 GAA and .918 SV%, contributing to a 3-2-0 record. He’s posted a shutout in there as well for good measure.
It’s a remarkably stable performance from a player whose past couple of years have been anything but. Philadelphia initially brought Kolosov over from his native Belarus at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, and he joined Lehigh Valley for its final few games. He was unhappy with the adjustment to North America, though, and threatened to return to the KHL last season if he didn’t make the Flyers’ roster. He didn’t have much leverage without a European Assignment Clause, though. He ended up splitting last year between Philly and Lehigh Valley as part of a three-goalie mix with Ersson and Ivan Fedotov.
Kolosov wasn’t particularly impressive in either league. His NHL numbers were especially underwhelming, logging a .867 SV% and 3.59 GAA in 13 starts and four relief appearances. He mustered a 5-9-1 record but was among the worst goalies in the league by any metric. He allowed 0.599 goals above expected per 60 minutes, second-worst in the NHL among goalies with at least 15 games, per MoneyPuck. He also sputtered with a .884 SV%, 3.11 GAA, and a 5-6-1 record in 12 AHL contests.
That makes his step back in the right direction this season a big one. He’s still just 23 years old and has room to grow. If his relationship with the Flyers organization after the 2024 offseason drama is salvageable, there’s still a path toward him being something of a long-term backup/tandem option. That’s important with Vladař headed for unrestricted free agency in 2027 and the Flyers set to lose team control over Ersson that same year, but the team also has other high-end prospects in the pipeline like Carson Bjarnason and Yegor Zavragin.
Ersson’s injury comes after a slow start for the Swede, who’s all but officially lost the crease to the red-hot Vladař. The 26-year-old has started four of Philadelphia’s nine games, but with him posting a .876 SV% and allowing 0.9 goals above expected, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Flyers move away from a true Vladař/Ersson rotation moving forward.