With one key Flyers figure already in his corner.
When Philadelphia Flyers training camp opens in just under two weeks from now, the main roster battle will come on defense, where up-and-coming prospects will jockey with older veterans for a place with the NHL squad.
Based solely on the numbers game and other factors, like waiver eligibility, the Flyers' most likely decision seems obvious, but it doesn't always play out that way.
For example, last training camp, Helge Grans was expected to beat out Noah Juulsen, who was coming off a season-ending hernia, but instead performed poorly, cleared waivers, and spent the entire season in the minors.
Juulsen was already an established NHLer at that point and had extensive familiarity with head coach Rick Tocchet, but the Flyers were willing to let the dust settle before making their choice.
This year, we will be in a similar spot when things officially kick off for the non-prospects on Sept. 17.
David Jiricek, who is no longer waivers-exempt despite still being just 22 years old, should get every opportunity to stick and make the NHL roster, especially with his offensive talents serving as a potential boon for a dire power play.
And, assuming Jiricek gets the call, if for no reason other than his waiver status, that leaves one roster spot, the No. 7 defenseman role, for Simon Benoit, Oliver Bonk, Hunter McDonald, and Ty Murchison to fight for.
Benoit, 27, is the elder statesman of that group and has emerged as a steady third-pair defenseman over the last few seasons, but his underlying metrics have been consistently unimpressive.
The physical 6-foot-4 defender excels when imposing his will on his opponents, be it standing up at the defensive blue line or laying a hit.
Other than that, well, Benoit doesn't offer a ton of value, and is a complete black hole offensively and in transition breaking pucks out.
Benoit is under contract for only one more year at a $1.35 million cap hit, and a poor showing early in training camp could make him expendable to the Flyers relatively quickly with other prospects knocking on the door.
That's where Murchison comes in.
Don't sleep on Ty Murchison
Murchison, 23, made his NHL debut for the Flyers last year in what was also his first pro season, appearing in three difficult games against San Jose, Carolina, and Vegas in December.
Murchison's strong first pro season came to a screeching halt on Jan. 10, when he suffered a season-ending injury that required surgery, but despite only playing 32 games last year, the under-the-radar Flyers prospect has as good a chance of making the NHL roster as anybody.
Ty Murchison took on difficult matchups early in his NHL career. (Photo: Kyle Ross, Imagn Images)As a 6-foot-2, 210-pound defender, Murchison profiles as a natural long-term replacement for Nick Seeler, who is now 33 years old, and Benoit, who has no ties to the Flyers beyond this season.
Tocchet, in a recent interview with The Athletic, went out of his way to praise Murchison when discussing the imminent roster battle, despite having very little experience coaching the youngster.
"I’m a big Ty Murchison fan. When he came into camp last year, I didn’t know much about him. His growth, and playing those three games for us — he’s that defensive defenseman, (can) blow up cycles in the corner, can box out and move the puck and skate. I think there’s a lot there," Tocchet told The Athletic's Kevin Kurz.
That Murchison was able to make such an impression on Tocchet in such a short span of time speaks volumes of his character, work ethic, and talent, and undoubtedly means he will be in line for more work at the NHL level sooner than later.
The Arizona State product played a career-high 16:24 in a 4-3 shootout loss against an aggressive, forecheck-first team in Carolina, which is an unenviable position for any young defenseman to be in.
But, the moment wasn't too big for Murchison, who handled it expertly, just as he did against a similar Vegas team two nights earlier, and a talented, dynamic San Jose team two nights before that.
Murchison's skating will be one of the defining factors that separates him from his peers, as Bonk, McDonald, and Jiricek are all average-to-poor skaters.
Drafted 158th overall by the Flyers in the fifth round of the 2021 draft, Murchison is now beginning to flex his stuff, and he's well-positioned to make a splash in training camp.
