The Hockey News’ NHL summer splash rankings inch closer to the top with the Philadelphia Flyers in sixth place.

In these rankings, we’re looking at each team’s additions, departures, hirings and firings this summer. We’ve already looked at teams that got worse or stayed about the same, and we’re well in the group of squads that improved.

Remember, these summer splash rankings are strictly focused on the off-season development (or lack thereof) of teams. The Flyers are still in the early days of a full rebuild, but GM Daniel Briere is going about things the right way, and he’s made some changes that should make the Flyers a tougher team to play against, even if it’s unlikely they’ll make the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Additions

Trevor Zegras (C), Christian Dvorak (C), Dan Vladar (G), Noah Juulsen (D), Dennis Gilbert (D), Rick Tocchet (coach)

The Breakdown: The Flyers are still committed to their young stars, but Briere went out and spent to just about the salary cap ceiling to make his team better down the middle. 

First, Briere traded to acquire center Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks for center Ryan Poehling and two draft picks. 

Then, he came out of nowhere on the free-agent market to give former Montreal Canadiens center Christian Dvorak a one-year, $5.4-million contract. Dvorak put up only 33 points last season and has a career high of 38, but at 29 years old and a strong 55.8 faceoff win percentage, he’s a nice stopgap. That cap hit on a Cup contender would potentially be an eyesore, but bringing him onto a rebuilding squad could be worth paying a little more.

The Flyers also tried to address their suspect goaltending with the signing of veteran Dan Vladar. But Vladar has bounced to his third NHL team because he hasn’t had a save percentage as high or higher than .899 in the past three seasons. He may work out well in Philadelphia, but that’s not guaranteed. 

But suddenly, a Philadelphia team that had many glaring holes can now consistently be challenging to play. They’re like the San Jose Sharks, whose moves don’t turn them into a playoff team but do add up to be roster improvements that support the developing core.

Otherwise, Philly’s biggest acquisition is longtime coach Rick Tocchet as their new bench boss. Tocchet’s departure from the Vancouver Canucks was beneficial to him, as he had his pick of the many coaching job openings this summer. 

Tocchet ultimately went to where he starred as a player decades ago, and his motivational skills will help just about every Flyers player. Briere got his man behind the bench, and we don’t expect losing will ever sit well with Tocchet, whose job now is to shepherd Philadelphia’s youngsters past the finish line and make them into true difference-makers.

Departures

Ryan Poehling (C), Jakob Pelletier (LW), Givani Smith (RW), Olle Lycksell (RW), Calvin Petersen (G), Brad Shaw (interim coach) 

The Breakdown: The Flyers’ departures didn’t move the needle much, with center Poehling and winger Pelletier being the most notable players to head elsewhere. 

There’s a home for Poehling now in Anaheim, and Pelletier left via free agency to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning. But let’s be honest – Poehling and Pelletier are fringe players right now. Poehling’s 31 points last season were OK, but Zegras and Dvorak should easily exceed that production. Pelletier recorded 19 points in 49 games between the Calgary Flames and Flyers last season, and he has a chance to get his development back on track in Tampa Bay, but he’s just a depth piece for now. Philadelphia shouldn’t rue the day it let these two players go.

Meanwhile, interim coach Brad Shaw was thanked for his service and sent on his way once it was clear Tocchet was the Flyers’ target. Shaw coached nine games for Philadelphia at the end of last season after John Tortorella imploded near the end of the year. Shaw is the type of hockey lifer who latched on as the New Jersey Devils’ assistant coach. He may eventually get a longer run as a head coach, but Tocchet’s availability made it a fait accompli that Shaw would be let go.

How John Tortorella Protected Matvei Michkov in Flyers Debut, Rookie SeasonJohn Tortorella may not be the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers anymore, but in his short time coaching rookies Matvei Michkov and Jett Luchanko, the polarizing bench boss left his mark.

The Bottom Line

Briere spoke earlier this summer about how hard it was to acquire a center of value. But then he went out and plugged that hole with Zegras – a young player with something to prove – and Dvorak, who can try to prove his value before he becomes a UFA again. That’s a lot of motivation for both centers to improve next year. If they do, Briere and the rest of Flyers management will be ecstatic. 

But even in a Metropolitan Division that is relatively open in terms of a battle for fourth and fifth place, the Flyers are in for a difficult battle to rise through the standings. The Metro has more parity than other divisions, but the wild-card battle with the Atlantic Division clubs will be very challenging. 

If they don’t take that next competitive step and advance into the playoffs, patience will still be a virtue in Philadelphia. 

This Flyers team isn’t built to win now. Management assembled the squad with an eye on a year or two from now. 

While we’re giving Philly its flowers by ranking the Flyers this high in our NHL summer splash rankings, we don’t want to encourage Flyers fans to expect big things this year. There’s still a road ahead – and potentially, a rocky road – to being a consistent playoff team, let alone a true Cup front-runner. 

But the Flyers’ summertime moves have put them on the rise more than expected by adding Tocchet and Zegras. That’s why they’re this high.

Summer Splash Rankings

6. Philadelphia Flyers

7. Vancouver Canucks

8. San Jose Sharks

9. Utah Mammoth

10. New York Rangers

11. Detroit Red Wings

12. New Jersey Devils

13. St. Louis Blues

14. Pittsburgh Penguins

15. Colorado Avalanche

16. Ottawa Senators

17. Boston Bruins

18. Edmonton Oilers

19. Minnesota Wild

20. Seattle Kraken

21. Columbus Blue Jackets

22. Washington Capitals

23. Nashville Predators

24. New York Islanders

25. Tampa Bay Lightning

26. Toronto Maple Leafs

27. Dallas Stars

28. Calgary Flames

29. Los Angeles Kings

30. Winnipeg Jets

31. Chicago Blackhawks

32. Buffalo Sabres

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The Vegas Golden Knights are today’s focus in the NHL prospect pool overview series.

Tony Ferrari digs into Golden Knights’ strengths and weaknesses, the latest draft class, positional depth chart, next player in line for an NHL opportunity and more. A player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer a prospect for these exercises, with few exceptions.

Initial Thoughts

Throughout their nearly decade-long existence, the Golden Knights have shown they are comfortable leveraging their prospect pool and draft capital to improve their current roster. No team in the NHL has done that with more commitment and consistency. They’ve traded every first-round pick they’ve had or made aside from their 2024 first-rounder, Trevor Connelly. 

Connelly is a highly skilled player who can dazzle with his puckhandling and offensive creation. He’s quick, agile and shifty on his feet, which allows him to carve through the opposing team in the neutral zone. Even in his six-game AHL stint at the end of last season, Connelly’s speed and puck skill held up.

Connelly is the Golden Knights' only top-tier prospect, and he could be an effective top-six forward this season with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights as a 19-year-old before jumping to the NHL next year. If he can’t stick in the AHL, he could head to the WHL, where the Penticton Vees own his rights.

Another player who will play his first full AHL season is Jordan Gustafson, who has had injury issues over the last few years. The two-way center plays an anticipatory game. While he lacks the elite skill set you’d like to see from a player looking to make an offensive impact, he plays an efficient game with the puck, and his defensive value helps supplement that. He must get back on track and stay healthy this season in Henderson, but there is some nice upside as a potential third-line center. 

Jakub Brabenec is entering his third AHL season, and although there’s been some progress, he’s still struggling to adjust to a scoring role and finding himself playing more of a depth role. Brabenec is a tactical player at heart, but he needs to develop a bit more skill and speed to keep up at the pro level in North America.

The injection of youth in Henderson continues as Mathieu Cataford is jumping into the AHL after a solid QMJHL career. He takes excellent routes on the forecheck, understands where to position himself as the second man into a battle and has so many of those little nuanced traits. Cataford’s final QMJHL season wasn’t what he wanted, taking a big step back in his production, but he showed many of the same traits. A fresh start in the AHL might be perfect for him. 

On the back end, the prospects are somewhat limited, but 20-year-old Arttu Karki is an interesting offensive blueliner who is playing well in his native Finland. Karki is a very skilled passer and puckhandler. He moves well in transition and joins the rush when there is an opportunity. He could be a candidate to jump to the AHL after this season with HIFK in the Liiga. 

U-23 Players Likely To Be On NHL Roster This Season

N/A

2025 NHL Draft Class

Round 2, 55th overall - Jakob Ihs-Wozniak, RW, Lulea Jr. (Swe.)

Round 3, 85th overall - Mateo Nobert, C, Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)

Round 6, 186th overall - Alexander Weiermair, C, Portland (WHL)

Round 6, 187th overall - Gustav Sjoqvist, D, AIK (Swe.)

The Golden Knights didn’t have much in the way of draft capital, but they still managed to grab a few decent prospects at the 2025 NHL draft.

Jakob Ihs-Wozniak is a big-time shooter who can score from all over the ice. Whether he’s in tight or around dots, Ihs-Wozniak is a threat. His pace is an issue at times, which is his biggest drawback, but he has the size NHL teams love. Ihs-Wozniak was one of the best players in the Swedish junior league this year, so nabbing him in Round 2 was a big win for Vegas. 

In the third round, the Knights took a high-end passer in Mateo Nobert. His game needs to round out with his skating being a particular area of growth, but the facilitation ability is impressive. Nobert is constantly scanning the ice and looking to make short, quick passes to teammates and then jumping up into pockets of space for a return. He has some work to do, but he could be an interesting pro.

Alex Weiermair was a bit of an off-the-board pick as the 20-year-old had been struggling to find his footing at the NCAA level, which resulted in him jumping to the CHL in the middle of his sophomore season. He’s an overager who scored at roughly a point-per-game pace at the junior level. Weiermair has some nice transition passing ability, and he seems to complement his linemates well, but there just wasn’t much that teams were in love with from an NHL projection, so this is an interesting one.

Vegas capped off its draft with a big, heavy defender in Gustav Sjoqvist, a 19-year-old who spent most of the season in the Allsvenskan. He seemed to hold his own against men physically, which was nice to see as he relies so much on his ability to lean on attackers and close out along the boards to defend. He’s a bet on a safe, steady defensive player with limited upside.

Strengths

Calling any singular area in the Vegas prospect pool a strength is generous at best. The right wing is the closest thing to a strength they have with the addition of Ihs-Wozniak, along with the continued development of Cataford and Tuomas Uronen. Braeden Bowman was the Henderson Silver Knights’ second-leading scorer last year as well. They don’t have a surefire NHLer, but they have a few guys who could be solid depth scorers.

Weaknesses

The weakness could be the entire prospect pool, but the right side of the blueline is particularly weak. They have a few lower-end prospects, so it’s not completely bar,e but the likelihood of any of them actually reaching the NHL is quite low. Vegas hasn’t put much of an emphasis on the drafting and development of talent, which is the reason for their lack of talent in the pipeline. 

Hidden Gem: Matyas Sapovaliv, C

The Knights don’t have much going for them in the prospect pool, but one player that has consistently developed well and shown to be better than expected is Matyas Sapovaliv. He’s a big, defensive-minded center who can make noise around the net with his nifty hands and soft touch. He’s not really a creative player or a guy who is going to dazzle as a playmaker, but he plays sound defense, facilitates up ice and crashes the crease. He had a decent rookie season in the AHL, but the Knights will want to see more before he jumps up into the NHL lineup.

Next Man Up: Lukas Cormier, D

After missing so much of last season and not getting into action until March, Cormier will look to make noise in training camp and earn a role with the Golden Knights. The Knights have a solid lineup, and they’ll likely be tough to crack, but if there is anywhere on the team that they could use an infusion of puck-moving and mobility, it might just be the blueline.

Prospect Depth Chart Notables

LW: Trevor Connelly, Trent Swick 

C: Matyas Sapovaliv, Jordan Gustafson, Jakub Brabenec, Mateo Nobert

RW: Jakob Ihs-Wozniak, Mathieu Cataford, Tuomas Uronen, Braeden Bowman

LD: Lukas Cormier, Arttu Karki, Christoffer Sedoff, Abram Wiebe, Gustav Sjoqvist

RD: Viliam Kmec, Noah Ellis, Joe Fleming

G: Carl Lindbom, Pavel Moysevich, Cameron Whitehead, Jesper Vikman

For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook and Future Watch editions of The Hockey News in print.