PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 2: Travis Sanheim #6 of the Philadelphia Flyers battles with Patrick Brown #38 of the Boston Bruins in the first period of the preseason game at the Wells Fargo Center on October 2, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The Flyers opened camp with many players hoping to make an great impression and secure their spot on the NHL roster. Camp can break as many dreams as it makes, as players showed up or were shown out this preseason. With the regular season underway, here’s how some of them responded during the preseason.
Travis Sanheim: Stock Down
Despite the failed attempt to trade him, it appeared that veteran defenseman Travis Sanheim would have a chance to cement himself as the team’s top defender in the preseason. With Cam York yet to assert himself, Sanheim was an obvious alternative. He added 15 pounds of muscle in theoff season in an effort to stay stronger on the puck. This news was reason for optimism. Sanheim’s play in the preseason quickly undermined that narrative.
Sanheim had been plagued with mental errors and sloppy play throughout the preseason. That is not atypical for the preseason, but at the same time not a heartening sign for a veteran player hoping to elevate their game. Further, despite the extra weight, Sanheim was still consistently bullied by smaller players in his own end. Offensively, he contributed only a secondary assist in three games. He did show more of a willingness to join the rush in the preseason. Joining the rush was a hallmark of his high scoring days in juniors, and seeing it resurface is a promising development.
The good news is there will be opportunity for Sanheim to assert himself and raise his game, as no one has distanced themselves as the clear top defensemen. The Flyers will need a confident and offensively aggressive Sanheim if they hope to contend for a playoff spot. He still has work to do to achieve that form.
Cam York: Stock Down
York played well last year, with the tougher assignments being handled by Ivan Provorov. The knock on York last season was defensive coverage, puck security against the forecheck, and his compete level. After the first period of preseason hockey, York let the world know that each of those concerns were still valid.
He did bounce back over the course of camp, and looked much better than in the opener, but there are still reasons to be concerned. First, York is not the elite offensive defensemen that he was touted to be on draft night. He is not Shayne Gostisbehere, but does make nice plays in transition to get the Flyers attacking. Defensively, he is still not great, but not only because of being outmatched physically. York still seems to get lost on defense, leaving men uncovered in high danger areas. While the Flyers may be willing to over look some of the deficiencies York’s size present, they may not be able to tolerate so many mental mistakes from an “intelligent” player.
York did show some fluid and smart passing in the preseason, and given the state of the Flyers roster, he will be given continual chances to claim ice time even if he struggles. However, the indicators now point to a slow start to the season for York rather than taking his game to the next level.
Sean Walker, Philadelphia Flyers (Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports) /
Sean Walker: Stock Down
The veteran Walker came from the Kings to the Flyers as part of the Provorov deal, a salary cap casualty. After a devastating knee injury in the 21-22 season, the right-handed defensemen faced mobility criticism in his final season with the Kings. Concerns of Walker’s mobility lingered in this season’s camp. Even with such concerns, Walker’s reputation for tenacity on defense and as a solid presence on the puck created the expectation that he would buttress the team’s depleted defensive right side, but the preseason played out a little differently.
Walker’s skating is extremely solid, and if he has lost some of his mobility, it is hard to see. His ability to turn and accelerate look really good compared to his defensive team mates. Unfortunately, Walker’s work defensively has been inconsistent. Perhaps still missing complete confidence in his repaired knee, Walker has been slow to close down on shooters. He seems to be on the short end of many puck battles as well. Even though Walker played 70 games last season, he looks rusty, like the game is moving faster than he can think it. With the Flyers making defense a priority, it is fair to say they were hoping for Walker to show more.
The Flyers are banking on Walker to be at his best version if they hope to compete. It is fair to say that he has been underwhelming thus far. It is possible, or even likely, that he is still getting into his groove with a new team and will show more as the regular season progresses, but he has opened the door to the possibility that he may not be the answer on the defense’s right side.
Emil Andrae: Stock Up
Andrae’s preseason debut was ugly. But it is the preseason for a reason. His first outing against New Jersey saw three goals slip in when he was on the ice. He was victimized by his 49 seconds of ice time with Cam York, as an ugly York turnover found its way to the back of the net. He was late closing down a Devils’ player on a juicy rebound left by Cal Petersen, and was simply outplayed on a third goal. But after that game, Andrae has looked very solid.
There has been a lot of buzz about Andrae’s camp from the Flyers brass. He has made the team out of camp, but will likely sent down once Ristolainen returns from IR. This is more about him still being waiver exempt than his play. While a lot of the talk surrounding Andrae has been about his defensive tenacity, something I am yet to see in games, he has shown great composure and decision making with the puck, especially in his own end. This has been a missing from the team since the Flyers traded away Kimmo Timonen.
In the worst case, Andrae looks to be the first option in terms of call ups. A more likely scenario is the young defensemen will get an opportunity to tie up a full time NHL roster spot. There is a strong possibility that Andrae’s play may force a defensemen to waivers (Zamula) or a trade. He will get significant NHL ice time this season.
Wade Allison, Philadelphia Flyers (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
Wade Allison: Stock Down
Wade Allison did not have a bad camp, in fact he was pretty solid but it was not enough to make the team. The Flyers demoted Allison, exposing him to waivers, where he went unclaimed, and he is now assigned to the Phantoms.
Allison was a second-round pick in 2016, and is now 25 years old. He has graduated past the typical age of a “prospect” and has entered the territory of “journeyman”. With Allison’s demotion, the chances of him becoming an NHL regular have diminished. The challenge will be for him to dominate at the AHL level, and above all stay healthy.
I do believe that he was a victim of circumstance this season, and is now suffering for his past failures and squandered opportunities. Bobby Brink had a camp that made him nearly undeniable, taking a potential roster spot from Allison. The emergence of Garnet Hathaway, Nic Deslauriers and Ryan Poehling as a unit effectively took away three potential roster spots from Allison. Is he finished as a Flyer? Not yet, if Briere trades some of the forwards, which is more likely than not, Allison could return to the big club. But this is not a good development for the winger. His demotion speaks volumes of how much confidence the club has in his ability to help them. If Allison is going to make a run at an NHL career, he better do it soon and in unquestionable fashion.
The Fourth Line: Stock Up
Perhaps the biggest surprise of this training camp was just how effective the coupling of Poehling, Deslauriers and Hathaway has been. This fourth line, between all three players, count less than $6 million against the cap. Their forecheck has caused real trouble for the opposition. This line looks like a physical and punishing trio that can hem teams deep in their own end.
It is nit picky to look for the downside on such a surprising and welcomed development, but this lines success has effectively crowded out players like Zayde Wisdom, Tanner Laczynski and Wade Allison, and even successfully undermined players with stellar camps, like Bobby Brink, to a point of uncertainty. That said it is a good problem.
Even though the fourth line looked good, it was still only preseason hockey. This line may not generate scoring chances at the same rate (10 high danger chances for and 1 against) over the season, but their physical play will pay dividends over of the course of a game, or dare I say a playoff series. If this line can stay healthy it will be very interesting to see if they remain consistently effective throughout the season.
Sean Couturier: Stock Down
Couturier spent over a season away from hockey as he tried to mend his beleaguered back. He is such a gladiator and had set such a standard of excellence with the Flyers that former GM Chuck Fletcher thought it wise to extend the center until the year 2030 at $7,750,000 per season. It is fair to say that much like his back, this contract is not aging well.
Couturier does not look all together ineffective. He is a step slower, but speed was not really a key to his game. He still looks sharp on faceoffs, and is able to battle for them effectively. Defensively he is still positionally sound and game to battle for the puck. There is a good foundation in Couturier’s play, but there is also a lot missing from where he was at his peak.
Offensively he looks out of sync, and that could just be rust. In all likelihood it will remedy as the season progresses. What is more concerning is that Couturier seems to have lost some flexibility from his pre-surgery self. Watching him play this preseason, there seemed to be a resistance to him twisting his torso. This could be something as transient as a piece of restrictive equipment, think a baseball glove not yet broken in, or temporary inflexibility from his recovery. However, if this is permanent, this is going to be a problem for the former Selke winner. If he can’t twist, how will he block passing lanes? Will he now be susceptible to fakes since he will have to turn his skates to follow the puck? At this time, Couturier does not look right, and with plenty of preseason hockey played, this appears to be more than just rust.
Couturier will have to be monitored this season, for his health and his play. The season will tell the story on how much he has recovered. Couturier did prove he can still play this preseason, but he looks to be a good distance away from his dominant self.
Bobby Brink: Stock Up
During this preseason, it was difficult not to notice the Flyers’ 2019 second round pick Bobby Brink. It seemed that Brink was having his name called, in a good way, every time he took the ice. Brink played so well that he may have derailed Allison’s NHL career by forcing the team’s hand into sending him back to the AHL.
Brink still has the same warts that have dogged him throughout his career. His skating style is still funky, and he is still small and plays that way, but he is a puck blood hound. He has shown the ability to consistently disrupt opponent’s breakouts and steal pucks in the offensive zone. His concise passing and great vision through camp has been impressive and has generated many offensive chances.
Brink has pleased John Tortorella in the preseason, but Torts is a fickle fellow. If Brink can stay healthy and keep his motor running high, he will be a lineup regular.
Cam Atkinson: Stock up
Cam Atkinson’s return to the ice has been a welcomed sight as the winger played at a really high level over the course of camp. Atkinson arrived in Philly in July of 2021 from Columbus in exchange for Jake Voracek. He missed all of the 2022-23 season with a herniated disk in his neck. The injury was so severe that it limited his ability to use his left arm. The winger sought medical advice outside of the Flyers and opted for surgery. He says he has been pain free since.
Atkinson and his surgically repaired neck have looked very much like the player that scored 23 goals for the Flyers in 2021-22. He had looked tenacious chasing down pucks in the offensive zone, he has been extremely active on the penalty kill and scored two goals on seven shots in three preseason games. Atkinson and the Flyers main challenge may be staying healthy this season, so look for him to get some extra days off this year.
Atkinson’s return, and his high-level play, is a huge development for the team. The feisty winger gives the team a reliable scorer and a huge boost on special teams. While the Flyers may not be able to ride Atkinson for massive minutes, he will get more than his fair share of important minutes at pivotal points in the game. His play in key situations may be just the thing to allow the Flyers to challenge for a playoff spot.
