It’s that time of year again, and with that we here at BSH have decided to take the 12 Days of Christmas and change it around a bit. Here then, is what we hope a dozen of the Flyers (or their coaching staff) receive this holiday season before they head out West and begin the gauntlet to and after the Winter Olympics.
Matvei Michkov – A card that says “Get Out Of Jail Free”
We know he hasn’t been benched. We know he hasn’t had it out in public with head coach Rick Tocchet. And we know that they are generally on rather good terms if their interactions at practice, during games and most likely in the locker room are any indications. But we would like to see Michkov see a bit more ice time once in a while.
As has been explained previously, Michkov is rarely used over six minutes a period. Another factor of late seems to be the play of Sean Couturier, who is now on a four-game pointless streak, might not be the ideal center for the Mad Russian. Regardless of what is going on, it would be nice to see Tocchet once in a while let the sophomore forward try to do his thing.
Emil Andrae – Two boxing gloves
The rather small-ish defenseman has been previously run over before. And had the concussion or upper body injury to show for it. Andrae is getting much better and knowing how to avoid receiving huge physical contact, whether through his quick with or simply dodging an opponent with a little deke and quick pass out of the defensive zone. Yet after some scrums he still gets pushed around a little bit.
Nobody wants him to turn into the second coming of Nic Delsauriers. But it probably couldn’t hurt Andrae if he was able to defend himself should some enforcer decide to taunt or tease him. We don’t promote violence here at BSH, but we don’t like taking crap from other teams either. Some boxing lessons might be an idea so if push came to shove, Andrae would be able to defend himself. He’ll never be an enforcer. It’s just that he shouldn’t have to worry about liberties being taken on him.
Garnet Hathaway – Three French hens
Like the song itself, Hathaway could probably use three French hens. They would have a few things in common, after all. Both Hathaway and the trio of poultry have an equal number of points 30-plus games into the 2025-26 season. And both look to be a little bit cooked as it were, which is rather unfortunate for a guy who found the back of the net from time to time last year. It seems the dirty hit he endured against Pittsburgh last season was a turning point in his career, and not in a good way. Hopefully things start going in the right direction for him. But as it stands now, his play has been quite foul. Thank you, good night!
Trevor Zegras – Four special words
With his goal total this season matching all of last year, and, if healthy, could see an 80-point to 85-point year, Trevor Zegras and the Flyers have the start of a beautiful relationship. Hindsight is always 20/20, and armchair quarterbacks are a dime a dozen. If Flyers general manager Danny Briere can somehow ink Zegras to a long-term contract that isn’t eight figures it could be a bit of a coup given his production thus far. And with the prospects on the horizon (Porter Martone, Jett Luchanko), Zegras might still be the “hybrid” center they have currently.
Zegras has probably been one of the biggest surprises of 2025-26. So it should be a bit of a lay up for him to know the next several seasons will be with Philadelphia. Hence, the four special words we want Briere to say to are the following: “Ziggy, sign right here!”
Tyson Foerster – Five weeks wearing a sling
Tyson Foerster was injured two weeks ago on Dec. 1 against the Penguins. Early indications were it would be somewhere between two to three months before he’d be back in action. Yet if Foerster can heal quickly, and the rehab goes according to plan, it’s possible that the eight weeks timeline might be a reality. Of course, the Flyers aren’t going to rush the winger back. At least they shouldn’t. But the fewer weeks that Foerster is prohibited from getting back on the ice or recovering from the injury, the faster he should be back.
Rick Tocchet – Six defensemen a-playing
The head coach has had some headaches this season, particularly when it comes to finding the right combination on the defense and the third pairing. Egor Zamula, Adam Ginning, Emil Andrae, Ty Murchison, and Noah Juulsen have all had a shot at the six spot, with Andrae’s play being rewarded with being in the top four. With York back in action, and Rasmus Ristolainen looking like he might be getting closer to getting his first game of the season, it’s crucial that Rick Tocchet and his coaching staff sees a bit more stability among the six defenseman. And nothing is more important in that stability or consistency than injuries.
With York being the only one a bit banged up this season, and Travis Sanheim having one or two maintenance days to nurse bumps and bruises, Philadelphia has been fortunate so far. That needs to continue if the playoffs or a deep playoff chase are in the cards in March and April.
Also Rick Tocchet – Seven Flyers a-scoring
Foerster is one of two forwards who has 10 or more goals this season (Zegras is the other). Aside from Zegras, the Flyers have six other healthy forwards who have scored seven or more goals this season. They include: Travis Konecny (eight), Christian Dvorak (seven), Owen Tippett (nine), Matvei Michkov (eight), Noah Cates (seven), and Bobby Brink (eight). If Philadelphia can keep those forwards healthy and producing at roughly the same rate (or higher) the rest of the way, the scoring balance should make the Flyers far less of a pretender in terms of playoff possibility.
Nobody is expecting miracles from the recently acquired Carl Grundstrom, but if he can some how get the fourth line contributing from time to time (and not every solar or lunar eclipse), then having three lines that can score and a fourth line that can chip in is a definite plus.
Travis Konecny – Eight seasons a-sniping
Konecny has close to a point-a-game production this year. Yet he is often getting the brunt of criticism for some questionable plays, a bit of cheating, and looking like a duck out of water in the overtime sessions. Although he’ll relive that faux pas against Carolina for a while, Konecny has been looking more like the Konecny of the first half of 2024-25, and not the dreaded, sporadic scorer the last half. This is a very good sign considering the Flyers and Konecny are tied at the hip for the next eight seasons including this one. The longer Konecny can continue to produce, the less of a burden the cap hit will be.
Sam Ersson – Nine shots glancing
Sam Ersson has had a strong season. The save percentage under .900 says otherwise, but the eye test proves he’s been making more timely saves this year than all of last year. And, for the most part, Ersson has been money in the overtime session and shootouts. He might not be as dominant as Dan Vladar has been since arriving from Calgary, but he’s been decent to slightly above average in most appearances.
The only thing one can hope for is that starting from his next game onward, through the hills and valleys of the season, Ersson is able to stop at least nine out of every 10 shots. Whether they glance off him, or he’s able to make 10-bell saves, or stopping very low danger shots from the point or beyond, here’s hoping Ersson is able to get that save percentage well over that currently ugly .870-ish range.
Yogi Svejkovsky – Ten power play skaters a-heating
Nobody is asking for a miracle. Some are probably pleased that it stands at 16.5 per cent. But for assistant coach Jaroslav “Yogi” Svejkovsky, who is running the power play, he needs to have 10 players on the two power play units starting to heat up. Or at least show some warmth. The power play has been in a funk the last little while after showing signs of life earlier in the year. Things still aren’t quite going according to plan. And you can see the frustration sometimes not just on the players’ faces but on the staff also.
If it wasn’t for Zegras, one has no clue just how bad the power play would be currently. Or if they would’ve scored a goal. Philadelphia needs to have more than Zegras carrying the load with the man advantage. The bumper is also used on one unit far more often than the other, which often results in better scoring chances. Svejkovsky is probably going to need most of this season to iron out some of the kinks. Or see where the bigger issues lie. As it stands now, the power play needs to start going in the right direction.
Dan Vladar – Eleven shooters griping
Dan Vladar has been stellar almost every game he’s been between the pipes. So it would be ideal if on most nights the rest of the season, he would have 11 of the 12 forwards on the opposition complaining about how well he’s performed. Or looking up to the heavens wondering how he managed to make the save. If you have almost all of the forwards flustered, chances are Philadelphia comes up with the two points and a victory. Of course if that forward is Nathan MacKinnon or Connor McDavid, Vladar could still end up on the losing end.
And finally, Twelve forwards humming
We can’t be sure all 12 forwards the Flyers go with each night are going to find synergy this year. Thus far one line has been very good, two lines are still working towards being very good, and one not good at all. If the forwards continue to find the back of the net and spread the goals around, the Flyers should be in most games most of the season. But if a key injury to one or two play-driving forwards happens, then Philadelphia might be waiting until next Christmas to see hopes of playoff games dancing in their heads.