Rasmus Ristolainen
Ersson allowed a goal on the first shot he faced in his NHL career and was eventually pulled after allowing five goals. In relief, Hart was back in goal, until he was forced to exit with an injury, sending Ersson back in during a whirlwind 6-5 loss for the Flyers to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.
One day prior to the four-year anniversary of Ron Hextall’s firing as Flyers GM, chants of “Fire Fletcher” could be heard at Wells Fargo Center. Chuck Fletcher’s time should be running out, but it’s not the only change that needs to be made.
Owen Tippett returns to the lineup after suffering an injury in the season-opener, and Rasmus Ristolainen makes his season debut on Thursday night when the Flyers host the Florida Panthers.
Tuesday morning, the Flyers officially announced the 23-man roster ahead of opening night on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils.
The game group the Flyers will send on the road for their fourth preseason game against the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon offers a healthy mix of veteran players and young players locked in roster battles. Puck drop is at 1 p.m.
The Flyers continue the preseason on home ice, facing the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night.
The NHL Draft has come and gone, blink and you missed free agency. The final piece of the Flyers offseason outlook is to focus on line combinations for the upcoming season.
On Wednesday, you saw that the current regime is incapable of handling a rebuild. They insisted upon an aggressive retool for a fast fix, not the necessary rebuild needed. Now it’s time to start that rebuild anyway, but focus on the front office that has so clearly set the Flyers back.
The Flyers have five picks on Day 2 of the NHL Draft on Friday, but could there also be some trades in the works?
The final 15 games for the Flyers will serve as a chance to evaluate. They will provide a look at some new faces entering the lineup in the last couple of weeks and maybe even a new face or two to come down the road. It is a way to take inventory going into the offseason – what does the team already have and what does it need even more of on the roster moving forward?
