Flyers announce 2022-2023 opening night roster

It’s official. The Philadelphia Flyers have announced their roster ahead of opening night.

When the Flyers host the New Jersey Devils in two days, they’ll dress the hardest-working version of their lineup. John Tortorella and his coaching staff evaluated the players throughout training camp and the preseason. Tortorella noted how players carry themselves as professionals and their tenacity on the ice. He wants to ice a lineup that brings hockey back to Broad Street.

Today, the roster is official. A few players were sent to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ahead of the activation of long-term injured for Philadelphia to remain cap compliant. Tortorella said the usage of prospects from the AHL to the NHL remains fluid.

“The conversations we had with them is we sent some guys down; it’s a total fluid situation as far as coming and going,” he said. “No one’s locked in. There are probably seven or eight positions that could change very quickly.”

Here’s the final roster ahead of the opening night of the 2022-2023 Flyers season:

Forwards: Atkinson, N. Cates, Deslauriers, Farabee, Frost, Hayes, Hodgson, Konecny, Laughton, Tippett, van Riemsdyk

Defensemen: Attard, Braun, DeAngelo, Provorov, Ristolainen, Sanheim, Seeler

Goaltenders: Hart, Ersson

The roster includes 11 forwards, 7 defensemen, and 2 goaltenders. On the fourth forward line, there still is a vacancy at 4C. Tanner Laczynski is the likely option to fill out that role. Hayden Hodgson made the final roster, taking a roster position over Zack MacEwen. Wade Allison could venture into the lineup at 4RW.

Samuel Ersson does snag the 2G role as Felix Sandstrom completes his recovery. Despite the injury, both goaltenders impressed during the preseason. Ersson had the hot glove, overwhelming Troy Grosenick in the position battle. He remained consistent enough between the pipes, rewarded with an NHL position battle instead of an AHL role to begin 2022-2023.

Noah will get a long look down the middle. Tortorella stated that building from within is the way to win and stay competitive in the NHL. Without Sean Couturier, there isn’t a better time than the present to start Noah down a road of versatility.

Laczynski, following a superb camp, flashed two-way capability and a scoring presence. More importantly, he remained healthy after a long two seasons.

“I feel like I’ve been through a lot these past two seasons, and it’s been a hard start to my pro career,” said Laczynski. “All my hard work, dedication, and doing the little things, staying in the summer, and all that, is finally paying off, so to speak. It’s good to see, and I hope to continue.”

Another standout is Ronnie Attard. He received rave reviews since the 2022 Flyers Development Camp from coaches like Kjell Samuelsson and Mike O’Connell. Tortorella remained impressed by his level of care, especially taking on Ross Johnston in the second period of the preseason finale versus the New York Islanders. He made the opening night roster and won’t be a seventh defenseman. The odd-man out in this scenario comes down to Nick Seeler or Justin Braun.

On Oct. 13, at 7 p.m., the puck drops at Wells Fargo Center.