Snapshots: Zegras, Penguins Trade Plans, Team Canada
Going into the 2025-26 campaign, one of the central questions surrounding the Philadelphia Flyers was the matter of whether 24-year-old Trevor Zegras, once seen as one of the game’s bright young star forwards, would be able to rediscover the level of play he’d once achieved – and then lost – as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. The early returns for Zegras and Flyers have been exceptional. Zegras leads Philadelphia in scoring with 16 points in 15 games, and has looked exactly like the creative, dynamic playmaker he was at times as a Duck.
As a result of Zegras’ strong start to his time in Philadelphia, increased attention has been paid to the fact that the player is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. Although he’s looked great as a Flyer, Zegras is still a player with a track record of inconsistency, and he has struggled with injuries over the last two years. But even considering those factors, it appears the Flyers are looking to get Zegras locked into an extension that will keep him in Philadelphia moving forward. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts Podcast said “I think” Zegras and the Flyers “are talking about an extension.” While he didn’t offer concrete details on what a Zegras extension could look like, it’s fair to say his early form has greatly increased the chances he earns a raise from the $5.75MM AAV he’s currently making.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- The Pittsburgh Penguins were expected by most to be one of the NHL’s weaker teams in 2025-26, but so far they’ve flipped the script on those observers to start this season. First-year head coach Dan Muse has his Penguins sitting seventh place in the NHL standings with a 9-5-1 record. Their strong play threatens to alter the team’s calculus when it comes to deciding whether to trade their key veteran contributors. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe wrote today that “As long as the Penguins keep playing like they have been, I don’t see [Bryan Rust, Erik Karlsson, or Rickard Rakell] being traded.” That’s a big deal for the Penguins, who regardless of their struggles in past years, are likely to want to give the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang the chance to make one last run for a Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh.
- As Hockey Canada continues to plan for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, they’re reportedly relying on past leaders to guide their current management group. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported today that Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong has cut their long list of considered players to a set of 35–40 names. In addition, LeBrun noted that Canada’s management invited Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman, who built Canada’s gold-winning teams for 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi, to speak to the current management team to offer his guidance. If Canada can manage to build a team anything like the ones they brought to Sochi and Vancouver, they’ll be an incredibly difficult team to beat.
Former Flyers Center Mel Bridgman Passes Away At 70
Former Philadelphia Flyers centerman and general manager of the 1992 Ottawa Senators, Mel Bridgman, has passed away at the age of 70. Bridgman was the first-overall selection in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft. He played through 14 seasons in the NHL, then returned to school to support a front office career with the Senators.
Philadelphia drafted Bridgman on the heels of the Broad Street Bullies era. Coming off of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, the Flyers managed to acquire the first-overall pick from the Washington Capitals in exchange for Bill Clement, Don McLean, and a later first round pick. Naturally, the Flyers took a player that fit right in with their gritty style. Bridgman was coming off a 157-point season in the WCHL, the predecessor to the modern WHL. He didn’t keep quite that spark in the NHL, but still put together a solid rookie year, with 50 points and 86 penalty minutes in 80 games. That presence helped Bridgman climb into a major role with the Flyers at only 20-years-old, and earned him a fifth-place finish in 1976 Calder Trophy voting.
Bridgman found his groove as a hard-nosed grinder over the next five seasons. He became the seventh Flyer to cross the mark of 200 penalty minutes when he reached 203 PIMs in the 1997-78 season. He continued to rival that mark through 1981, all while routinely rivaling 50-to-60 points. Bridgman reached his scoring peak in the 1981-82 season, though the bulk of his points would come with the Calgary Flames, after a contentious November trade swapped him for Brad Marsh. Bridgman put up 75 points and 94 penalty minutes in 63 games with Calgary, bringing him up to a year-long total of 87 points and 141 penalty minutes after nine games with Philadelphia to start the season.
His scoring fell back to normal in the following year, prompting a move to the New Jersey Devils in 1983. Bridgman, once Philadelphia’s captain for three years, took on the Devils’ captaincy and led the team in scoring (61 points) in the 1984-85 season. He continued to wear the ‘C’ until being traded to the Detroit Red Wings at the 1987 Trade Deadline. Bridgman continued his career for two more years, and retired with the Vancouver Canucks in 1989.
Soon after ending his playing days, the well-known Bridgman was named GM of a 1992 expansion team, the revitalized Ottawa Senators. He brought in eight-year pro John Ferguson as his Director of Player Personnel, and built a Senators squad headlined by Peter Sidorkiewicz, Norm Maciver, and Brad Shaw. The team ranked dead-last in scoring in their inagural season, leading to an attempt to spur the offense with Alexei Yashin and Alexandre Daigle, the second-overall pick in 1992 and first-overall pick in 1993 respectively. The duo led the Senators in scoring as rookies, but failed to pull Ottawa from the league’s depths, prompting Bridgman to launch a flurry of roster transactions that would end with his firing at the end of the 1992-93 season.
Bridgman stepped away from the NHL following his ousting in Ottawa. To some, he’s remembered as a great Flyer who led the team through the first years after their dynasty era. To others, he’s among the most imposing players of the NHL’s most physical era, as described by Mike Bossy in his biography and NHL Player’s Tribune letter. Bridgman’s tenure in the NHL often sparked controversy, but was never short of action. He was tapped to lead clubs through dark times, as a player and manager, and did both with breakneck pace. Pro Hockey Rumors sends condolences to Bridgman’s family, friends, and fans.
Foerster (LBI) Resumes Skating
- 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 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.