East Notes: Flyers, Luukkonen, Golcic

The Philadelphia Flyers issued a slate of injury updates today, clarifying what ten of their skaters were battling through or otherwise managing while the season drew to a close. In the NHL, it is customary for players and teams to disclose injuries but not with complete specificity. The media might learn a player is out with a lower-body injury, rather than, specifically a sprained ankle, for example. When a season ends, more specific detail is often provided on injuries, and that’s exactly what the Flyers have done today.

Some of the Flyers’ disclosures are already things that have been made public – namely the ones suffered by Owen Tippett, Christian Dvorak, and Cam York. But some are new developments. Defenseman Emil Andrae was previously considered a healthy scratch when he exited the team’s playoff lineup, but the Flyers revealed today that the blueliner suffered a fractured wrist that will require surgery. The injury that knocked Noah Cates out of the second-round series was a fractured foot, but that won’t require surgery according to the team. Additionally, other Flyers were revealed to be playing through injury, including Travis Konecny (fractured rib; nasal fracture,) Garnet Hathaway (fractured fibula,) Trevor Zegras (elbow ligament sprain,) and Alex Bump (MCL sprain.)

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

• The Buffalo Sabres appear to be sticking with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as their starting netminder for tonight’s crucial game five against the Montreal Canadiens, The Buffalo News’ Rachel Lenzi reported from morning skate today. The Sabres made the decision to swap Alex Lyon for Luukkonen after going down two games to one in Montreal, and Luukkonen rewarded them with a brilliant performance that allowed the team to return to Western New York with a tied series. Luukkonen actually began the postseason as Buffalo’s No. 1 but lost the role after two games in the first round against the Boston Bruins.
• Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Jan Goličič announced on social media that he has committed to play college hockey at Quinnipiac University. The Lightning selected Goličič, 19, in the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft. A big 6’5″, 209-pound left-shot defenseman, Goličič actually developed in the junior leagues of Austria before heading to the QMJHL for his draft year. He’s spent the last three campaigns in the QMJHL, and scored 44 points in 57 games this past season. Goličič is a top prospect for the Slovenian national team. He represented his country at the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championships, and was named to the roster for this year’s tournament as well. As indicated by this article from PuckPedia, it appears Goličič’s decision to make a college commitment before June 1 will extend Tampa Bay’s exclusive rights to sign him, which will now follow the more extended timeline associated with college prospects.