Flyers News: Lukas Sedlak waived, returns to Czechia

A month or so ago, the Flyers were losing people to injuries left and right. If you were a forward, you were going to get hurt and spend time on the injured reserve. Lately, players are disappearing again, but due to different circumstances. Last week, Tony DeAngelo was scratched and then went home for personal reasons. Kevin Hayes was recently benched and then scratched for Saturday’s game against the rival New York Rangers. And now, the Flyers are losing center Lukas Sedlak to the waiver wire due to personal reasons.

Sedlak first came to the Flyers after hitting the waiver wire from the Colorado Avalanche. He had previously played with Flyers coach John Tortorella in Columbus, so they had had a relationship before this season. He quickly adapted to play here and was starting to become a fan favorite.

He was never much of a scoring threat, but in his 27 games as a Flyer, he had three goals and five assists. His eight points are the most he said since the 2017-18 season when he had eight in 53 games.

Lukas Sedlak was waived by the Flyers for personal reasons

What made him such a great Flyer was his versatility. When he first arrived in Philly, he started on the fourth line. But as players started dropping due to injuries, he found time advancing up the roster, including a few stints on the team’s second line. His willingness to be plugged and played into any role the team needed was great. And in essence, was exactly the sort of player that Coach Tortorella wants: someone who can go out and do what is needed and what is told to do.

Sedlak was signed by Colorado after playing for Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL for three seasons. A native Czech,  he wanted to return home to be closer to his family. Between the AHL, KHL, and NHL, he hasn’t been home for an extended period of time for over 12 years.  But in the KHL, he was a scoring force, scoring 57 goals in those three years. In America, he played on lower lines.

It all comes down to the fact that he wanted to go home. The Flyers have placed him on unconditional waivers with the purpose of terminating his contract. In his place, Kieffer Bellows has been recalled from Lehigh Valley. Bellows had previously been waived as he had gone scoreless in 12 games. After clearing waivers, he was assigned to the AHL team.

With a contract spot available for the Flyers, and some roster spots available, it is possible that the Flyers could call up Artem Anisimov as well. Sedlak will be missed. His style of play perfectly fits this team. However, there is something to be respected about a man who would trade his dream to be closer to the ones he loves.