With the Recent Events Happening in Philly Sports, I think it’s time this City Shift it’s Focus to the Flyers.

With the Mets bringing an early end to Red October and the Eagles already suffering multiple injuries to key players, I think it might be time for fans of this great sports city to shift their focus to the Flyers because, for the first time in a long time the Orange and Black are going to be putting out an opening night roster worthy of us getting excited about!

You heard me right. For years, the Flyers had put out the same old lineup, full of over-the-hill veterans who had sadly grown accustomed to mediocrity and, therefore, were ok with missing out on the playoffs if that meant that they could get an early jump on their golf game.

But ever since the organization finally wised up and replaced some of the stagnant problems up front with the likes of the now Head Coach John Tortorella, General Manager Danny Briere, and President of Hockey OPS Keith Jones, things have started to change for the better. And that’s because since being hired, these three men have been working tirelessly to rid this team of the locker room cancers that were dragging them down and replacing them with a youthful core of players who are hungry to compete.

Successfully, I meant add because this season, the Flyers boast the fifth youngest roster in the league. This is mainly due to both their 2023 first-round pick Matvei Michkov (who is 19) and 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko (who is 18) making the team.

But trust me, this was not out of luck or for some silly sales gimmick to sell jerseys. These two teenagers earned their spots.

Matvei Michkov

Michkov, who is only nineteen, as I previously stated, had already played in parts of three seasons in the KHL before joining the Flyers this season. Last year, of course, was his best season in Russia’s top professional league, where he posted 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points in 47 games played. So, of course, there was anticipation for his arrival, but I don’t think anyone could have thought he would have done as well as he did this preseason. I mean, he led the league in points, scoring an impressive 1.75 points per game, netting three goals and four assists for a total of seven points in only four games played!

Now, I know it’s only preseason, but Connor McDavid played in the same number of games this preseason and only managed to tally six points. I’M JUST SAYING.

But, as nice as his point production or play behind the net may be, for me, it’s what Michkov is able to do for others on the ice with him. For instance, if you have read any of my work before, you know I have not been the biggest Morgan Frost fan. And that’s because, to me, Morgan has never been able to live up to the hype this franchise placed on him after selecting him with one of their first-round picks in 2017. Magically, though, once placed on a line with Matvei, Frost suddenly came alive by finishing off the type of goals I haven’t seen him make since he was playing for the Soo Greyhounds back in juniors. This, I believe, should become known as the “Michkov Effect”. This means Matvei is so good that anyone you place him on a line with, he will make them instantly better. Take, for instance, Morgan. In Frost’s case, Michkov did that by setting him up with some amazing passes that he was able to put away and, with that, came a regained sense of confidence. And it’s that skill that few players truly possess that will make this team better as a whole.

Jett Luchanko

Then there’s Jett Luchanko. The player most of the so-called experts (this writer included) were screaming was the wrong pick for the team to make at thirteenth overall, especially with elite goal scorers like Cole Eiserman still on the board. But little did we know that the Flyers brass saw something in this young man. And I’m glad they did because since being drafted, I’ve noticed that there is so much more to Jett’s game than just his unmatched speed and incredible play-making ability like his pied piper-like luring talent. Let me explain. Watching him in games, I couldn’t believe how even some of the league’s most established veteran defensemen seemed so entranced by Jett. To the point that all four players on the opposition’s penalty-killing unit gravitated towards him despite Luchanko harmlessly coming down the boards, which in turn proved to be not so harmless, I guess since it left every other teammate of his wide open for a perfect scoring chance.

Hearing all this, it makes sense why Jett is set to become the youngest Flyer ever on record to play a game for this now 56-year-old franchise. The only question now is whether he can manage to stay. We all know the Flyers are loaded down with a bunch of underachieving centers right now. Therefore, Luchanko will most likely have to force the Flyers’ hand with his play for them to attempt to make room for him via a trade if he wishes to stay past the CHL’s nine-game grace period before his entry-level contract would count on the books. But I guess time will tell.

All I know is that it is refreshing to see homegrown draft picks that possess so much potential. For in just a few short games, these two players made me a believer. For, I have not seen the Flyers offense run so well since the “Legion of Doom” was patrolling this ice surface. Not to mention the spark they were able to bring to the two-time defending league’s worst power-play unit.

And, while I may not “Trust the Process” when it comes to what the Sixers or any other Philly team is doing right now, I wholeheartedly believe in this “New Era of Orange” and can’t wait to see where it takes us.