The Philadelphia Flyers watched a perfect opportunity in Game 2 get squandered, as they lost 3-2 in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes after leading 2-0 early on. Now, the Flyers trail 0-2 in their second round series, which heads to Philadelphia later this week. As if things didn't look any bleaker, the Flyers were dealt brutal injury news.
On Wednesday, the Flyers announced that center Noah Cate was ruled out for the remainder of their second round series due to a lower body injury suffered in Game 2. This is not ideal, considering he has four points to his credit through eight games played, and is one of their best defensive forwards.
In a corresponding move, the Flyers called up 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko. Even though Luchanko has been called up by the team, head coach Rick Tocchet said that he will only play in case the team suffers any further injuries in these playoffs.
While Luchanko is unlikely to play, being around the team during this playoff run could be beneficial for him.
Jett Luchanko unlikely to play for Flyers in playoffs despite callup
Sure, it would be ideal for a top prospect to play in the playoffs, but it appears that Tocchet is set for now, even with Cates out for the remainder of the Carolina series. Still, having Luchanko around, with all of his fellow young players for practice and during meaningful hockey games, will be huge for his development.
While Luchanko is not going to play in games like Porter Martone, Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk, and Alex Bump, he should gain knowledge of what it takes to win playoff games in the future. Maybe, just maybe, he will get that opportunity down the road. But getting to view playoff hockey first hand will be beneficial for his growth.
Luchanko was available for the Flyers since his season with the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL officially ended recently. With Brantford, Luchanko recorded five goals and 21 assists in 27 regular season games. During their playoff run, Luchanko scored two goals and posted five assists in 15 games. Luchanko had a four game stint with the Flyers earlier this year, where he didn't record a point.
The Flyers showed that they could give the Hurricanes a true fight in Game 2, but a win just got away from them. It's entirely possible they could hand Carolina their first loss of the playoffs on Thursday night on home ice.
When it comes to Luchanko's chances of playing, they are pretty minimal, but could happen if things go from bad to worse injury wise.
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