Dark horse candidates to make Flyers roster

Which players have an outside chance of making the Flyers roster next season?

There is still a lot of things that need to be figured out before next season to begin. The NHL and NHLPA have their work cut out for them. But that doesn’t mean we can’t take a look at what we could expect to see when it comes to the Flyers roster.

There isn’t expected to be a lot of surprises when it comes to the final roster. Most of the team from last season will be returning. The Flyers have a healthy mix of veterans and young talent that they will have on the ice.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t believe that there won’t be any surprises at all. Any one of the Flyers young prospects could surprise in training camp and earn a spot. We saw what happened with Connor Bunnaman and Carsen Twarynski last season.

This could be the year that Morgan Frost finally takes the official step to being a part of the NHL roster. That wouldn’t be too much of a surprise, though. A top prospect in the Flyers organization, Frost is on the cusp of becoming an NHL contributor. So his addition to the roster would not come off as surprising.

Seeing players like Twarynski and Bunnaman earn some NHL time also wouldn’t not be unusual. The team saw what they could do last season and know what they bring to the table. They are other options to place into the lineup if need be.

It’s players like Wade Allison, Tanner Laczynski and Linus Sandin that we don’t have much of a book on. The former two are coming from collegiate hockey while the later is moving from the European game.

It took until after their senior years to sign Allison and Laczynski to their entry level contracts. At least for Allison, it was his injuries that seemingly had him waiting to turn pro. But with the two now signed, there is the expectation that they will both play in the NHL at some point.

Could they make that debut on opening night? Anything is possible, but they aren’t likely to hit the NHL ice right away. There are a few player they would have to beat out in order to make that happen. Nicolas Aube-Kubel is certainly one of them.

Aube-Kubel was finally able to secure a roster spot and earned himself a multi-year deal after this past season. He proved to the coaching staff that all of his time in the minor league had paid off. So he won’t give up his spot without a fight.

A player like Michael Raffl has made himself adaptable to the Flyers. His versatility allows the team to plug him up and down the lineup. That kind of player is certainly useful to have. So it is also tough to knock him out of the lineup.

The recent departure of Nate Thompson, Derek Grant, and Tyler Pitlick could open up some space. Though based on the current players, there might only be one roster spot to fight for. And that doesn’t even account for someone like Nolan Patrick. His status for next season is still up in the air, but his participation in hometown scrimmages is a positive sign.

So Allison and Laczynski would certainly have to blow down the doors to earn their spot at the end of camp. They’re in a similar situation that Frost has found himself in before.

Time in the AHL wouldn’t hurt either player to adapt to the professional level. A top junior player, Frost had to learn a few things that he could’ve easily gotten away with before. The college game is slightly different than juniors as you don’t often see players with those kind of numbers. But there is still an adjustment period to be expected.

Sandin may have a leg up on these two coming from the European league. He will be used to playing against men. And his signing with the Flyers could come with the expectation, at least from him, that there will be NHL playing time.

He also has a leg up because he is currently playing for HV71 in the SHL. He has two goals and seven points in fifteen games. Playing big minutes over there will help him whenever the time comes to return to North America.

Sandin was identified as someone who could compete in camp and potentially win a coveted roster spot when it’s all said and down. That doesn’t mean the other two have no shot, though. There will be a lot of competition going on for the Flyers whenever they resume play for next season.

Allison, Laczynski, and Sandin are just a few of the many names that will be fighting for a spot. And don’t forget about some of the defensive names either. Mark Friedman and Egor Zamula will be fighting just as much on the backend as well.

The Flyers have a lot of youth that has already made their mark in the NHL. And they have quite a bit that could surprise next season as well.