Philadelphia Flyers 2024-25 Player Preview: Egor Zamula

Last year at this time, Egor Zamula was seen as a "bubble guy" on the roster. On defense, roster spots were all locked up by Travis Sanheim, Rasmus Ristolainen, Cam York, Marc Staal, Nick Seeler, and Sean Walker. Who would be the seventh defender? Emil Andrae? Ronnie Attard? Zamula?

Andrae made the team out of training camp with Ristolainen hurt. Andrae played ok, but it was clear that the Swedish prospect needed some more seasoning in the AHL. And while other rookies were brought up, Zamula had been playing in rotation with some of the other young guys. Over time, he ended up getting a lot more playing time than most could have predicted.

Zamula looking to become a permanent part of the Flyers defense

Zamula ended up playing in 66 games. Only York, Sanheim, and Seeler played in more games. By the end of the season, he was pretty much a mainstay. He scored five goals with 16 assists while earning 16:03 minutes of ice time a game. Now while most of those ice minutes came when players, like Seeler, were hurt, he did impress. Two of his five goals also came on the power play. However, his issue is that he is still young and makes mistakes. On the powerplay, he takes wild shots. If he were able to get it under control, he could be a major factor.

I still think he's inconsistent. I don't expect this to change overnight, but our job is to keep sending the message. He's a dedicated athlete, I just want to see a more determined personality on the ice. We all know he's really good with the puck. I want him to work with the puck at a pace. The pace is not always determined by the feet. Pace is both mind and hands. The pace gives you determination. That's what we're working on with him. It doesn't get fixed overnight.

The other thing that Zamula has going for him is that he is Russian. In the AHL, the Flyers are having issues with Alexei Kolosov being homesick as the only Russian on the Phantoms. Zamula, along with goaltender Ivan Fedotov, can help Russian prospect Matvei Michkov make that transition to the NHL as well as America. In this, Zamula becomes very valuable.

Right now, after Seeler, Sanheim, Erik Johnson, and Jamie Drysdale, a lot of the Flyers defense is kind of up for grabs. Most likely, Zamula has a spot earned. The rest depends on if Ristolainen is healthy and what prospect steps up. For Zamula, he's in the driver's seat. If he can build off of last year, the Flyers will be all the better for it.