As part of the Samuel Ersson-Joseph Woll trade, the Philadelphia Flyers sent Emil Andrae, a potential RFA, to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Andrae, a former second-rounder, couldn't stay healthy over the last few years and when he was healthy, couldn't find the consistency needed to stay in the lineup. Maybe it was because he was 5'9" and was starting to be lost in the shuffle of a team trying to get bigger.
However, if you had watched this past season, you could see that he had lost the confidence of head coach Rick Tocchet as his minutes on the ice dropped as the seaosn went on.
Now, there is a slight possibility that Andrae could return. If for some reason that Toronto doesn't offer him a contract, he would become a UFA. In that case, the Flyers could potentially re-sign him, However, Andrae has enough upside that the Maple Leafs will most likely hang onto him. Besides, he's cheap and the Leafs need to save all the money they can right now.
So with Andrae gone, who are the most likely candidates to take his spot? Let's take a look at Philly's defense now with the trade completed.
Who's In?
This is the easy part. Travis Sanheim and Cam York are locked into long term deals. Nick Seeler also has a contract that lasts beyond this season. Jamie Drysdale is a free agent and should be locked up soon. That there is your top four defenders.
Next is Rasmus Ristolainen. This seems like a broken record at this point. Is he staying? Will he be traded? Will he be extended (his contract is up at the end of this season)? We'll see. After all, we've pretty much been saying that since he arrived here. Tocchet seems to like him, so there's that. But as long as he is here, he will occupy a fifth roster spot on defense.
Who's Taking the Sixth and Seventh Spots?
Ok, that's the easy stuff. Now it gets murky. Obviously, you would say Simon Benoit, the defender who came in from the Leafs in the goalie swap, should make the roster. You'd think so right? Here's the thing. Benoit is big, a brusier who will lay down hits, and a seasoned veteran. He's also not very fast and prone to turnovers. He's the best parts of Sean Walker with the worst parts of Noah Juulsen all wrapped up in one. He's cheap and could end up being the seventh defender or someone who bounces back and forth from Lehigh Valley to Philly. Unless Tocchet can unlock something in him and improve his game, he's just a throw in by the Leafs to help give them more cap space.
Speaking of Juulsen, he's a free agent now. Benoit's arrival probably sends the signal that Juulsen is gone. He was a favorite of Tocchet and did a lot to work with the younger blueliners. A reunion is possible, but only if Tocchet really pushes it. This might be a hard sell and Juulsen's time in Philly is probably done.
So, who's next? Outside of a trade or free agency pickup, Daniel Briere and Tocchet would most likely call up one of their many prospects from the Phantoms. After all, over the last year, they've been stocking up on defensive prospects for a while.
Most likely, David Jiricek gets first dibs on the roster spot. He was traded for Bobby Brink earlier this season and shone in the AHL ranks. In 15 games, he scored two goals with eleven assists. That's the offensive promise that he was alleged to have when he was the sixth overall pick in 2022. He's earned it and deserves the shot.
Next up is Oliver Bonk. Bonk could've gotten a roster spot last year had he not gotten injured. He had a decent year in his first season at the AHL. In his one game call up this season, he scored a goal with an assist. The 22 year old should give Jiricek some good competition for the last roster spot on defense. He could also make a case for moving Ristolainen too. If both Jiricek and Bonk play well enough, they could both end up being the last two defenders with Benoit being demoted. Of course, there is also the chance that someone could get hurt in training camp.
After that, there is a whole host of defenders who could sparkle and shine during the summer development camp as well as the preseason training camp. The most likely candidates would be: Helge Grans, Spencer Gill, Ty Murchison, Artem Guryev, and Christian Kyrou. It would probably be whomever has the best camp. Of course, if the Flyers have to swing a trade, it is probable that any one of these top defensive prospects could be tossed in to make such a trade happen.
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