Nicolas Aube-Kubel Could Force Difficult Decision For The Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers forward has played well for the team this season and could force a tough decision for the front office soon.

After going without a point in his brief, nine-game stint in the NHL last season, Nicolas Aube-Kubel continued to refine his game in the AHL, netting 30 points in 54 games in 2018-19 and eight in 30 contests this year with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. I thought the now 23-year-old winger didn’t get a fair shot on the squad his first time around, averaging just over five minutes of Time on Ice under former Head Coach Dave Hakstol, which isn’t nearly enough time for a young player to prove his worth in any league.

Fast forward to 2019-20 and it may have taken several injuries for him to get his shot at the NHL level this season finally. However, I think it’s fair to say that Aube-Kubel has impressed in more ways than one during his time with the Philadelphia Flyers thus far.

The man they call “NAK” has posted two points in four games since receiving the recall from General Manager Chuck Fletcher, looking more confident in his abilities to make plays and score in the league. This was especially evident on James van Riemsdyk‘s second goal of the evening in the 5-4 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, as Aube-Kubel showed faith in his talents as a playmaker and sprung the veteran winger for a breakaway with a beautiful, ariel pass into the opposing zone. The 2014 second rounder’s two-way skillset has also been on display, showcasing a tenacious forechecking demeanor with a solid amount of I.Q. in the defensive zone to go along with it.

NAK playing well out of the gates certainly isn’t a bad thing for the Flyers, as it gives the organization a tremendous amount of depth in their forward core throughout the NHL and AHL. An issue is about to arise with players coming back from suspension and returning from various injuries, though. Those guys just so happen to be Joel Farabee, Scott Laughton, and Michael Raffl, who all possessed Top-9 or Bottom-6 roles before getting sidelined.

Now, I’m not at all worried about NAK’s position in Philadelphia when Farabee returns on Monday, as he’ll more than likely slot in for Andy Andreoff, who should head back to the Valley in a corresponding move. That could be a different story when both Laughts and Raffl come back considering they play similar roles to Aube-Kubel while in the lineup. Sure, Mikhail Vorobyev would be the next to go when one of the two returns, but after that is when things might get dicey. If NAK continues to play well, this will give Fletcher and company a hard decision to make in the coming days or weeks.

Philly’s front office has several routes to choose from if they opt to keep Aube-Kubel up, but neither of them are foregone conclusions. Alain Vigneault could decide to scratch one of Raffl or Tyler Pitlick and have Fletcher send Chris Stewart to the Phantoms. The team loves themselves some Stewie, though, and that goes for the players and everyone on the coaching staff. I get that at some point on-ice talent has to outweigh a great locker-room presence, but I’m not sure Fletch would want to take somebody as beloved as Stewart away from the roster.

Another option would be to loan Morgan Frost back to Lehigh and move Laughton back to center. He’s the only player outside of Farabee who’d be waiver exempt, and his play has declined slightly since starting out hot with three points in his first two NHL games. I’m not saying I’d want this to happen because I think Frost has looked good enough despite the dip in point-production, just that it’s possible Fletcher and Co. could want him to refine his overall game a bit more before cementing his spot on the roster.

Whatever happens, there’s no denying the Flyers will have a tough call to make when the squad gets most of their guys back.