The Philadelphia Flyers’ preseason is a couple of weeks old, but already it’s clear that Rick Tocchet’s arrival has ushered in a different kind of training ground.
Systems, line combinations, teaching moments—everything is under review. Tonight, the Flyers head to Boston to face the Bruins, a perennial measuring stick, and while the results won’t matter in the standings, the game will serve as another checkpoint in the long process of shaping an identity for the 2024–25 season.
New Combinations, Fresh Tests
Preseason is often about trial and error, and Tocchet hasn’t been shy about moving his pieces around the board. Tonight, Alex Bump will get his most significant audition yet, skating on a line with Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny.
For Bump, it’s a test of more than skill. Couturier offers one of the NHL’s most cerebral two-way games, while Konecny plays with relentless pace and edge. The challenge will be whether Bump can read the rhythm between them, contribute in the small areas, and still bring the confidence that has marked his rise from an afterthought prospect to one of camp’s most talked-about forwards. This isn’t just a “reward” for Bump’s performance—it’s a trial by fire.
The Flyers will also keep Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov together, giving the fans more of what they’ve been craving. This duo has already flashed creativity and offensive instincts in their time together, and tonight they’ll add Christian Dvorak down the middle. Tocchet has made it clear that Zegras still needs more work in the faceoff circle if he’s to become a full-time center, but for now, Dvorak provides stability. The arrangement frees Zegras and Michkov to focus on pace and creativity, while Dvorak handles the little details that keep a line grounded.
Learning to Live on the Outside
If there’s one theme Tocchet keeps hammering into his players, it’s patience. Specifically, learning to be comfortable defending the outside.
“They’re working hard,” Tocchet said after Thursday night’s Capitals game. “During the Washington game, there’s three examples—not to bore you—but there’s three examples where we were just falling, you know, we’re leaving our feet.
"Just leave the guy to the outside. Even though you’re tired…keeping people on the outside is okay. It’s okay. Like, who cares? They have the puck and I know fans get antsy because the other team has it—who cares?”
For a Flyers team historically associated with aggressive forechecking and heavy-handed defending, it’s a cultural adjustment. Tocchet’s philosophy is less about chasing chaos and more about controlling it. Name-checking Sidney Crosby as an example, he’s pushing his players to stay composed, resist the urge to overcommit, and trust the system. That approach will be tested tonight against Boston, a team that thrives on patience and precision.
Blue Line Bottleneck
The forward experiments may grab the spotlight, but the defense is where the real tension lies. The Flyers’ blue line is clogged with candidates, and there simply won’t be enough spots for everyone.
Players like Emil Andrae, Helge Grans, Dennis Gilbert, and Noah Juulsenand remain very much in the fight. Each brings a different flavor—Andrae with his mobility and puck movement, Grans with his size and reach, Gilbert with his blend of physical tools and upside. Tocchet hasn’t hidden the fact that this evaluation period is still very much alive.
“If [Thursday’s loss against the Capitals] was a regular season game halfway through the year, you might say, you know, alright, let’s put the video away and forget about it—but not now,” Tocchet said. “This is good evaluation.”
That evaluation will continue tonight. Every pairing, every defensive-zone sequence, every recovery matters. Against a Bruins forward group that punishes mistakes, the spotlight will shine even brighter.
Playing Tired Without Playing Sloppy
The Flyers have already logged a demanding preseason schedule, and fatigue has crept into their play. Tocchet doesn’t see that as a problem—it’s part of the design.
“Good teams play tired,” he said. “I felt guys were tired and then, all of a sudden, we were making mistakes. One guy made a mistake, which is going to happen. And then, all of a sudden, the second, third man is making a mistake. …Every day or every week, you have one thing as a coach, a lesson you work on, and that was this week’s—being able not to do mistakes, and you gotta be able to play when you’re tired. If you want to be a consistent team, you can’t just push your chips on every shift.”
Against Boston, fatigue management and composure will be non-negotiable. The Bruins are merciless in transition and excel at turning small lapses into big opportunities. For the Flyers’ younger players especially, tonight is an opportunity to show they can keep their game clean even when the legs are heavy.
What Tonight Really Means
Preseason games rarely offer sweeping conclusions. But they do reveal patterns—and for the Flyers, tonight in Boston is another chance to measure progress. Can Bump handle top-line responsibility alongside Couturier and Konecny? Can Zegras continue to show he’s learning the nuances of playing center while building chemistry with Michkov? Can the defense corps separate contenders from pretenders in the roster battle that’s quickly reaching a boiling point?
And perhaps most importantly, can the Flyers show that they’re absorbing Tocchet’s lessons—about patience, structure, and consistency—even against a team as disciplined as the Bruins?
Those are the questions that matter tonight. The goals, the saves, the final score—all of that will fade quickly. The habits, though, are what will last.