Flyers Trim Ten More Players From Camp As Roster Begins To Take Shape

The Philadelphia Flyers made ten more roster cuts today as the opening night lineup for next week is finally beginning to really take shape.

The waiving of Connor Bunnaman would suggest that Jackson Cates has beat him out for a spot on the roster as a bottom-six forward or extra skater option for the club. Cates also notably beat out Morgan Frost, who was looking to earn a spot at center in the wake of Kevin Hayes’ injury and surgery. Frost, who missed all but the opening two games last season with injuries, played well in the preseason and performed well in camp but he didn’t stand out enough to the coaching staff to stick around at the moment. Don’t be surprised to see him back with Philadelphia sooner than later, however.

Adam Clendening being waived gives the indication that Nick Seeler has the inside track on the extra defenseman’s spot on the team. Seeler has been pretty good in preseason action so far and the staff has seemed to like him a bit more than Clendening. Cam York is also still on the Flyers roster at the moment, which is nice and shows the work he’s put in, but the expectation is he’ll likely be sent to the Phantoms after Friday night’s preseason game at Washington.

Foerster and Sandin were impressive in their preseason auditions and could earn themselves larger opportunities with the Flyers should they continue their strong play with the Phantoms. Foerster was especially good in his games and seemed to create offense on almost every shift.

All four of the players Philadelphia waived today should clear and be assigned to Lehigh Valley tomorrow and will promptly join the Phantoms for their training camp.

Högberg and Ratcliffe will get a chance to put some extra seasoning on their games, while O’Reilly will return to the Phantoms after serving as team captain last year and will likely play the same role again as a minor-league veteran on a young club like the Phantoms.

One notable name that wasn’t cut today is Garrett Wilson. Wilson signed an AHL deal with the Phantoms this summer and is currently attending Flyers training camp on a Professional Try Out. Wilson has been decent and could be in the mix to stick around and serve as an extra forward for the Flyers if he earns an NHL contract.

The Flyers now have 32 players remaining in training camp, though eight of them are currently injured. Kevin Hayes, Sam Morin, Wade Allison, Cooper Zech, Zayde Wisdom, Egor Zamula, Tanner Laczynski, and Ryan Fitzgerald will all likely begin the season on injured reserve.

Opening Night sits just nine days now, and the Flyers will make their final cuts in the coming days before putting the finishing touches on their 2021-22 roster before the Vancouver Canucks roll into town next Friday night.