If you saw the Flyers' recent game against Seattle, you would have seen a vastly different lineup than what you are accustomed to. With the trade deadline behind us, Daniel Briere and John Tortorella will field a different squad than we typically see.
This makes sense. After all, the team has lost four regular starters in Scott Laughton, Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, and the recently acquired Andrei Kuzemenko. Add seventh defender Erik Johnson, and that's five roster spots that need to be filled. With all the changes, it's not much of a surprise that the Flyers lost in their first time out in a listless effort.
At this point, there is no way the Flyers are making the playoffs. As the tankathon rolls on for this year, this is the time for the Flyers' younger players to make their move. For some guys, this could and should be their last shot to prove they belong on an NHL roster.
For others, this is a chance to show off their talents for the first time and hope they do enough to get enough of a look to stick around next year. Friendly reminder before we begin, teams only get four regular recalls after the trade deadline. They can use emergency ones as much as they want if they don't have enough players to fill a roster, but the player must be sent back immediately once they are no longer needed.
So it's possible that most of the players mentioned below will not be able to be called up. Before we move on to the forwards individually, let's lump the defenders together in one shot.
The Defensive Prospects
Currently, the Flyers roster has Cam York, Travis Sanheim, Jamie Drysdale, Egor Zamula, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nick Seeler as their starting six. Emil Andrae is currently the seventh man/rotational guy. With Johnson traded away, this is the time for Sanheim, Seeler, and Ristolainen to become mentors and start working with the younger players to improve their games.
Besides Andrae, the Flyers also have Helge Grans, Adam Ginning, and Hunter McDonald ready at the AHL level. We are only a few seasons away (hopefully) from Oliver Bonk and Spencer Gill joining the Flyers. Briere could call up Grans, Ginning, or McDonald to give them an audition as the season starts to wind down over the next few weeks. Likewise, Andrae should be worked more into the starting lineup more and more.
It's time to see if Andrae and the AHL prospects belong here and as part of our team's future. Likewise, if it is true that Zamula was receiving trade interest, the Flyers should judge if he is better than the prospects that they have waiting below or if they can flip him for something more promising for the future (a young forward or draft pick). Speaking of forwards...
Rodrigo Abols
Abols is an older prospect at 29 years old. He's spent the majority of his career in the Swedish Leagues. He's performed well enough for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms with 12 goals and 19 assists. He has one goal and one assist in 10 games for the Flyers. Stats wise, he hasn't done much, but Tortorella likes his hustle. Maybe there is something there. This is his opportunity to show he belongs here in North America. He may be older, but you can't beat experience.
Olle Lycksell
He's scored 50 goals over the last three seasons with the Phantoms. In 33 games over the last three seasons, he's tallied just one goal for the Flyers. For whatever reason, his talent and scoring ability haven't translated over to the NHL level. We know he can do it. He has the ability. He's played some time on all four lines with vets and youngsters alike. It's getting to the point where he's going to be running out of chances soon. This could be a make it or break it point for him. Once again, he's leading the Phantoms in points. It'd be nice if he could start lighting the lamps here in Philly.
Jakob Pelletier
Considered to be the prize of the Frost-Farabee trade, he has long been championed as a future offensive threat. Playing in the QMJHL, he was a 30+ goal scorer twice. In his first season in the AHL for the Stockton Heat in 2021-22, he scored 27 goals with 35 assists in 66 games. Then, much like Lycksell, the shuttling back and forth began between the Calgary Flames and Calgary Wranglers (where the Flames moved their AHL team after Stockton). His offensive production crashed. He has scored a total of 27 goals since the 2021-22 season. So far, in 10 games, he has just one assist for the Flyers.
Much like Drysdale, the Flyers paid a lot to acquire him. When he gets his confidence back, as well as some consistency, it could unlock that scoring potential. After all, we've seen that with Owen Tippett, who had similar issues with Florida. So, while he is in no danger of losing his roster spot, this is a great opportunity for the Flyers to see what they have in him.
Jacob Gaucher
He had a four-game audition earlier this year. The second highest scorer in Allentown has 19 goals with 16 assists. The 24-year-old should be able to use this time to show something off and maybe earn a roster spot for next year as no spot is safe currently. If he's called up, a few goals could earn him a way in as it did for Bobby Brink a few years ago.
Samu Tuomaala
We've been waiting for him since he was the top pick in 2021. He's kind of been a quiet pick so far. He's been playing well for the Phantoms, with 11 goals this year after a 15 goal campaign the season before. He's still just 22, but you'd hope he'd be further along at this point. He's suffered some injuries and is currently out of the Phantoms lineup at the moment. Hopefully he's not another in a long line of busted first and second round picks from the Ron Hextall-Chuck Fletcher Eras.
Massimo Rizzo
When the Hurricanes gave up on Rizzo as a prospect, the Flyers took their chance. After all, he's a center, which are always in demand. He is not a prolific scorer, but seems to set up a play rather than make it himself. His production is down right now. Perhaps he needs to learn how to function in the AHL first after years of playing at the University of Denver. However, since the Flyers need a center, he may get called up to see what he can do.
Zayde Wisdom
He's been in the organization for several years now. While he hasn't put up a lot of numbers at the Phantoms that are striking, it might be good to see if he could be a part of this team's future or if he is not worth holding onto.
Nikita Grebenkin
Much like Pelletier, he was a touted prospect on the rise. The difference here, is that he was a fifth round pick who seemed to click in the KHL and exceeded expectations. He has done well in Russia and is showing growth in his game at the AHL level in other areas. Since he is the prize in the Laughton trade, it would not shock me to see him paired up with Matvei Michkov towards the end of March with him on the left and Michkov on the right. If these two can put together some kind of chemistry together, they could become a very lethal combo here, not seen since Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek.
Jett Luchanko
Before you get too excited, remember he can only play 10 games before he activates year one of his contract. The Flyers know this. If he does return, it will only be for that final week of the season. While he failed to notch a point in four games, he did get to see some playing time. In the OHL, he's been lighting it up, scoring 19 goals in 37 games. He scored 20 last season in 68. He is doing quite well and has been named captain of the Guelph Storm. He's going to be a great asset in future years. We just will have to wait a bit longer.