Just before the Flyers' season opens up, the team got some pretty upsetting news. Cam York has a "lower body issue" and could be out anywhere from "day to day" to "week to week". Obviously, the team's doctors and training staff will be evaluating him. To me, an "issue" seems to be more serious than an "injury" because it appears like they can't fully pin down what the problem is.
Before York got hurt, he was penciled into the top spot along with Travis Sanheim. With him sidelined for a while, the defense will have to be adjusted. But how? Not only that, who is going to take his spot on the roster?
Sanheim is the top-line defender. Most likely, Jamie Drysdale will be paired up with him. That leaves Nick Seeler to helm the second line. Who will he be paired with? Well, that's the issue.
With York out, the Flyers have four other defenders on the current roster: Egor Zamula, Adam Ginning, Noah Juulsen, and Dennis Gilbert. Gilbert had been placed on waivers and did clear, but he won't be sent down yet. Expect to see some rotation of these four in the bottom three spots.
Is There Anybody Else?
That's the other issue. Emil Andrae and Helge Grans didn't impress during training camp. There are rumors that the Flyers might be shopping Andrae as well. Newcomer Artem Guryev could get a look depending on how well he performs at the AHL level. I could see him being the first call-up.
Oliver Bonk could've made the team if he hadn't suffered an injury of his own. Depending on when he returns, he could make the jump. Hunter McDonald could also be given an opportunity to play. His size might impress Rick Tocchet, much like Guryev could.
After that, the well is pretty dry. There aren't a lot of defensive free agents available right now. Maybe you could lure Robert Hagg away from playing in Europe, but that's about it.
Let's not forget Rasmus Ristolainen. If York is out for a while and a young defender can come up for the time being, Ristolainen can simply slot back in once he returns. Of course, this is a worst-case scenario as we don't know how long York will be sidelined, nor when Ristolainen will return.
You might be able to swing a trade. Erik Karlsson has been shopped around a bit by the Pens. The more salary the Flyers would be willing to take, the less they'd have to give up. The Blackhawks are also interested in shipping out Connor Murphy, but may want to do that more at the trade deadline. Ditto for Seattle's Jamie Oleksiak.
That's pretty much it. There aren't a lot of options at present. Hopefully, York isn't hurt for long. Hopefully, Drysdale can stay healthy. Hopefully, Ristolainen can come back soon, too. Either way, we'll find out soon enough.