The new regime in the Philadelphia Flyers front office hasn’t been afraid to use the word “rebuild” during their tour to rehab the image of the organization. But now that the 2023-24 season is finally here, it’s time for the new leaders to put their money where their mouth is.
The biggest problem is the roster is constructed to a point where there aren’t many open spots for the youth to start the season. The game of musical chairs means roster spots only open up once they demote other prospects first, thus meaning if they want to give everyone a chance, then none of them are full timers just yet. Basically, everyone will get some time, but nobody will get all the time. So how many games can we expect the Flyers’ young guys to play this season?
*All predictions are assuming everyone is fully healthy all season long.
Forwards
Tyson Foerster- 60 games
Tyson Foerster is seemingly the one young guy who’s going to get a fair shake to become an NHL regular. He has claimed the last open forward spot, which will be his to lose, though there is an interesting feeling that the organization isn’t going to be afraid to demote the guy if need be. So even if he starts the season with the Flyers, if he struggles and/or someone else is balling out, he may get the boot back to Lehigh for a little while, even if it’s nothing more than a teaching moment. The insanely crowded battle at right wing may mean that even if he sticks at the NHL level all season that he could see a few games here and there in the press box. He’ll undoubtedly get his feet wet at the NHL, and probably play more than half the season on the main roster, but it’s best to leave a bit of wiggle room for missed games for one reason or another.
Bobby Brink- 35 games
As of this writing a few days before the start of the 2023-24 season, Brink is serving as the 13th forward after standing out during training camp. It means he should get some ice time early in the season, but due to the vets and the overcrowding at RW, it won’t come as a surprise when he’s inevitably demoted. It’s good to see that his hard work has at least, in the short term, earned him a spot, and it could mean he’ll be high on the recall list if/when injuries strike, but a lot of movement could mean lesser actual games played. We’ll keep an eye on Brink throughout the season, but his games played totals clocking in around half of the campaign is probably a safe bet.
Elliot Desnoyers- 20 games
Desnoyers was among the earliest cuts from training camp after being one of the brightest stars last season. He set a new record for Lehigh Valley Phantoms rookie goalscoring with 23 and his two-way play makes him a prime candidate to get recalled assuming he gets back on track once the AHL season starts. When he’s on the top of his game, his two-way style is set to a tune that Torts will appreciate, but given that a few other prospects stepped up during the preseason, he may have to wait in line until he gets his chance. He is a center, which bodes will for him if a main roster injury strikes, but if everyone is primarily healthy, it may be awhile until Desnoyers gets his shot at NHL action.
Olle Lycksell- 15 games
24-year-old Olle Lycksell was the Flyers’ 168th overall pick in 2017 and made the jump to North America last year and immediately impressed. He was on a point-per-game pace with the Phantoms most of last season and finished with 45 in 53 games. He’s primarily a left winger, which should give him some kind of edge when it comes to battling for a main roster spot, though he didn’t seem to impress Tortorella in 2022-23 when he only played eight NHL games in a very limited role over the course of multiple recalls. If he can have a repeat in production from last year and be given a little rope if he gets recalled, maybe he can carve out a full-time NHL job in the near future… but it may be a battle for him this season.
Defense
Emil Andrae– 50 games
21-year-old Emil Andrae may be the most likely person to drive John Tortorella absolutely crazy this year. He may be the overall most talented defenseman the organization has at the moment, but given his general inexperience on North American ice, there may be some defensive hiccups as he gets comfortable at the NHL level. It was on display during the preseason, when he excelled in outlet passes and general hockey IQ, but was prone to a costly defensive mistake. It’s the kind of thing that should get ironed out as he gains experience, but Torts is going to have to retain his urge to bench him at the first sign of falter. It’s a concept that he struggled to deploy last season with Egor Zamula, who’d often find himself scratched after a mistake, and later demoted to the AHL entirely. The good needs to outweigh the bad for Andrae, which it probably will, so as long as they’re willing to deal with the learning process, he may be a regular at the NHL level most of the season.
Egor Zamula- 55 games
23-year-old Egor Zamula signed a one-year, one-way contract with the Flyers for the 2023-24 season and is no longer waiver exempt, so he should at least be on the main roster all season long and be the one guy to get a fair share of minutes on a stupidly constructed blueline. It may be a struggle to get out of the gate as long as Staal and Seeler are healthy, but once those injuries strike, he’ll be first in line to take their spot. It’s now or never for Zamula to take a spot on the Flyers’ blueline, so let’s just hope that he’s given every opportunity to prove his worth.
Ronnie Attard- 15 games
Despite the fact that he’s one of the few natural right-handed defenseman in the organization, Ronnie Attard starts the season on the outside looking in. And unless he kicks the door down at the AHL level, he seems to be far enough down the depth chart that he may not get a look until the trade deadline, baring injury elsewhere, of course. As a collegiate player, he’s already 24 with a birthday in March, so if he doesn’t get a shot, justified or not, his window of opportunity with the Flyers may have already passed.
Adam Ginning- 10 games
Adam Ginning surprised everyone last season when he had a stellar showing for the Phantoms. He led the team in +/- with a +24, just shy of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ record and chipped in 19 points in 68 games while being one of the better stay-at-home defensemen on the roster. Due to the sheer number of left-handed defenseman on the roster, it would take a cataclysmic amount of injuries for Ginning to see regular NHL action this season, but if the defense is a game of musical chairs and there’s frequent changes and call ups, he’s destined to at least get a few game sample size at some point during the season. His output with the Phantoms this season will give a better idea of his capabilities in the long term.
Goaltending
Sam Ersson- 20 games
Ersson is technically entering his third season in North America, but considering he appears to have won the backup job out of camp, it’ll be his first full years with the Flyers after his 12 game sample size last year. As long as Carter Hart is healthy and not in federal prison, he’s going to see the lion’s share of the minutes so even if Ersson holds on to the backup job most of the season, his total amount of games played could remain relatively low. Is it in his best interest to play a limited role in the NHL instead of a starting gig in the AHL? Who knows, but that seems to be the plan.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: Just Sports Photography
brotherlypuck.com 