In 2019, the Arizona Coyotes (remember them!) selected Victor Soderstrom, a 6-foot-tall Swedish defender, as their 11th overall pick. He was rated to be the third-best European skater in the draft. In fact, he was selected three spots ahead of Flyers' defender Cam York. Scouting reports all say he is a great, mobile skater who can deliver a hit, pass effectively and efficiently, and has a hard slap shot that can find the back of the net.
In 2024, the Coyotes...errr...Utah Hockey Club traded his rights to the Blackhawks after he went back to play in Sweden. He scored nine goals this year with 28 assists for Brynas IF Gavle of the Swedish league in 49 games after appearing in 62 games for the AHL Tucson Roadrunners and scoring nine goals with 23 assists. He had a busy year.
The reason this is important to Flyers' fans is that he was traded by Chicago to the Boston Bruins this past offseason. On Friday, he was placed on waivers by the Bruins. This means he is available right now, as he has been up and down between the NHL and AHL levels as a member of the Coyotes.
Should the Flyers take a gamble?
Right now, on defense, Cam York, Nick Seeler, Travis Sanheim, and Jamie Drysdale are locks. Rasmus Ristolainen is still out with an injury, but would most likely be seeing ice time when he returns. That leaves one spot and a few bench spots available.
Adam Ginning seems to have one of the spots. Despite not playing all that well, Noah Juulsen and Dennis Gilbert may have a better chance of making the team because they are veterans. Juulsen also has a past connection with Rick Tocchet. Egor Zamula seems to be on the outs, as do Emil Andrae and Helge Grans.
Putting in a claim for Soderstrom makes sense for a number of reasons. First, he's bigger than Andrae and Grans. If you haven't noticed, the Flyers seem as if they want to bulk up a bit. Soderstrom fits that mold.
Secondly, if these prospects aren't panning out, give someone else a chance. Soderstrom might just need a change of scenery. He may not fit Boston's system, and let's be honest, nobody was thriving in Arizona. He could be someone that Tocchet can turn into a game-changer. After all, a similar thing happened with Nick Seeler and Sean Walker, too.
Finally, it would be an easy acquistion. If he does end up back in Boston, he could be acquired for someone like Grans or Andrae.
With the season almost underway, it wouldn't be a bad idea to kick the tires on the kid. Who knows, he could end up being a bargain acquisition. If not, he could be an easy guy to kick back to the curb.