Flyers training camp is now over. The preseason games have been played. All that is left right now is for Coach John Tortorella and GM Chuck Fletcher is to piece together the final roster. The Flyers currently stand at 32; 30 if you removed the injured Ryan Ellis and Sean Couturier.
The team needs to cut seven players from that roster to meet salary cap standards as well as NHL roster rules. On Friday, the team cut two players: defender Kevin Connauton and goalie Troy Grosenick. They have been placed on waivers and, if they clear, will be assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Connauton was added last season as a waiver wire pick up. He was acquired from the Florida Panthers and was used as the team’s seventh defender. He played in 26 games for the team and averaged 13:36 minutes of ice time, chipping in with a goal and two assists. The 32 year old signed a two-year, two-way deal earlier this offseason. While he is a scrappy guy, he has never been a full time NHL player. He does give the Flyers physicality and a veteran presence the team could use if injuries start to mount up. If anything, he projects as a bottom line pairing.
Connauton’s demotion to the AHL also makes it appear that Nick Seeler is going to earn that last defender spot. Seeler is a younger player (28) and comes at about the same price as Connauton ($775,000 as compared to $762,000). As of now, the Flyers have eight defenders on the active roster: Seeler, Ivan Provorov, Travis Sanheim, Tony DeAngelo, Rasmus Ristolainen, Justin Braun, Egor Zamula, and Ronnie Attard.
As for Grosenick, the 32 year old goalie never really found his footing with the team. The career AHL backstop has played in just four total NHL games. In those four games, he gave up 10 goals. His stats for the team include a 4.14 GAA and an .857 save percentage. Yikes!
With Grosenick heading to Allentown, it would appear that Samuel Ersson has locked up the backup spot. It will be Errson’s to keep if and when Felix Sandstrom returns from his injury. As long as Errson and Sandstrom stay healthy, and as long as Carter Hart is healthy, the Flyers fans will probably not have to see Grosenick in net.
The regular season starts on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils. The Flyers will have to cut at least seven more players between now and then. It could be more players if they do not LTIR Ellis and Couturier. Will Artem Anisimov make the team? Which young players have earned their spot on the bench and who will be sent back to Lehigh Valley? Will there be a trade or a waiver wire pickup? Stay tuned and find out.