- Despite a slow start to the season that saw the Flyers collect just one win in their first seven games, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that head coach John Tortorella has the complete and total support of the team. The veteran bench boss is in his third season with Philadelphia with the expectations potentially being a bit higher last season after the rebuilding Flyers nearly made the playoffs last year. Tortorella is signed through 2025-26 but was inherited by GM Daniel Briere who was a special assistant to the GM at the time the 66-year-old was hired.
Flyers Rumors
Cam York To Miss At Least Two Weeks
The Flyers will find themselves without a key defender for the next little while. The team announced (Twitter link) that Cam York will miss at least the next two weeks due to an upper-body injury.
York sustained the injury late in Wednesday’s game against Washington on a hit from Nic Dowd. The 23-year-old had a breakout showing last season with 30 points in 82 games while recording 174 blocked shots, all career highs. His 22:37 ATOI was also his best by a considerable margin as he established himself as a top-pairing player alongside Travis Sanheim.
It has been more of the same for York in the early going this season. He has two goals and an assist along with ten blocks in seven appearances so far. Meanwhile, his playing time is up to 22:56 per night, good for the team lead in that regard (just ahead of Sanheim). Accordingly, his absence is a big one for a team that has already struggled out of the gate, winning just once through their first seven games.
For the moment, York has not been placed on injured reserve and veteran Erik Johnson will take his place in the lineup today against Minnesota. However, with the team now down to just six healthy rearguards, they’ll likely want to add a seventh in which case they may opt to put York on IR to create the roster spot to do so.
While York will be out of the lineup, the same can’t be said for winger Travis Konecny. Listed as day-to-day yesterday with what head coach John Tortorella termed a ‘body injury’, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia relays (Twitter link) that Konecny will be in the lineup today. He’s tied with Matvei Michkov for the team lead in goals with three and sits tied for second in points with four.
Flyers Return Jett Luchanko To OHL
Few expected prospect center Jett Luchanko to make Philadelphia’s roster in training camp but his training camp performance allowed him to do exactly that. However, the team has decided that returning to junior is the best move for development; the team announced that they’ve assigned him to OHL Guelph. GM Daniel Briere released the following statement on the move:
The decision to send Jett back is something we strongly believe is the right path for him and his development. His work-ethic, preparedness and play during training camp and preseason was something we were extremely impressed with and felt he earned the right to make our roster and start the season with us. Ultimately, we feel it is more valuable for Jett to be put in the best possible position to prepare himself for an NHL career, and right now that is with his team in Guelph.
The 18-year-old had a strong showing with the Storm last season, notching 20 goals and 54 assists in 68 regular season games along with three assists in four playoff appearances. That had him rated by many outlets as a first-round pick outside of the lottery. But the Flyers felt differently about his upside, ultimately selecting him 13th overall, signing him to an entry-level contract less than two weeks later.
Luchanko got into four preseason games with Philadelphia, picking up two assists and playing his way onto the opening roster. He suited up in four regular season contests as well – making him the youngest player in the league – but was held off the scoresheet while playing just over 14 minutes per game on average. However, after being scratched for three of their seven games, it seemed likely that he’d eventually return to junior where he can play significant minutes in all situations and push for a spot at the World Juniors in December.
Since Luchanko won’t get into ten or more NHL contests this season, his contract won’t officially begin this season after all and he will still have three years remaining on it with a slightly lower cap hit heading into 2025-26. The Flyers now have one vacancy on their active roster and can either promote someone from AHL Lehigh Valley to fill it or operate with 22 players for the time being.
Flyers Reassign Emil Andrae, Activate Nick Seeler
Oct. 22: Seeler is officially off IR and will play tonight, the team announced.
Oct. 21: The Flyers have returned defense prospect Emil Andrae to AHL Lehigh Valley, a move made official this morning but reflected in the AHL’s transactions log over the weekend. It’s a strong indication that Nick Seeler, who’s yet to play this season after taking a puck to the knee late in their exhibition schedule, will come off injured reserve ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Capitals and will enter the lineup, per Adam Kimelman of NHL.com.
Andrae, 22, had a strong training camp by all accounts but fell just short of making the opening night roster. The 2020 second-round pick has four NHL games under his belt, all coming with Philly last season. He was recalled to give the Flyers injury insurance on the back end earlier this month, shortly after Seeler landed on IR, but he hasn’t played. He sat in the press box for all five of Philadelphia’s games this season.
The Swede will get the chance to hit the ice soon in Lehigh Valley, where he had 32 points (5 G, 27 A), 66 PIMs, and a -10 rating in 61 games last year. It was his first full campaign in North America after spending parts of four seasons in the Swedish Hockey League and HockeyAllsvenskan with HV71 and Västerviks IK. He won the latter league with HV71 in 2022, posting 33 points in 41 regular-season games and 11 points in 10 qualification games to lead their blue line and help them gain promotion back to the top-level SHL.
Andrae will likely get a legitimate NHL look later on in the season. In his four appearances with the Flyers last year, he posted a -1 rating, six blocks, and five hits while averaging 13 minutes per game. He still has one season left after this one on his entry-level contract and won’t be an RFA until 2026.
Meanwhile, Seeler’s return gives the 1-3-1 Flyers a much-needed boost. He’s expected to anchor the team’s second pairing alongside Jamie Drysdale, according to Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The 31-year-old was deployed in top-four minutes at even strength for the first time last season, posting a career-high 12 assists with a +9 rating and 78 PIMs in 71 appearances. He averaged nearly 17 minutes per night and had some of the best possession quality metrics on the team, logging a 56.0 xGF%. That performance earned him a four-year, $10.8MM extension back in March, easily the richest deal of his career.
That stable presence will aid a Philly squad that’s really struggled to keep the puck out of their own net, allowing 4.20 GA/GP. Their possession play hasn’t been great, only controlling 47.5% of scoring chances and an abysmal 40.4% of high-danger chances at even strength. Seeler’s return will help get those numbers closer to 50 if his performance over the last two seasons is any indication.
East Notes: Tavares, Nylander, Farabee, Aston-Reese
The Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed centerman John Tavares back to practice this morning after he missed the team’s last game due to illness, shares David Alter of The Hockey News. However, the flu-bug isn’t out of Toronto just yet, with Tavares’ linemate William Nylander missing the practice because of illness. Tavares stepped into a role on the second-line and top power-play unit with Nylander out.
Toronto loses a star and gains a star with these updates. Nylander leads the team in scoring with two goals through three games – the only Leaf to score multiple goals so far – though Tavares also scored in the team’s season opener. The duo were the focus of plenty of debate this summer, with many wondering if Nylander could fill the second-line center role that Tavares has served in since 2018-19. The former certainly showed signs of that capacity in Tavares’ absence, winning four of his six faceoffs on Sunday, though new head coach Craig Berube hasn’t fully entrusted him with that role. With the two now tagging out, Tavares will get a chance to prove that he can still be a productive member of the top-six, for a Maple Leafs team in need of the boost.
Other notes from out East:
- Top Philadelphia Flyers winger Joel Farabee shared that he’ll be good to go for the team’s Tuesday night game against Edmonton, per Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports. Farabee missed the team’s Monday practice as the result of a “maintenance day”, as described by head coach John Tortorella. He’s recorded one goal and one assist through two games this season, one of just three Flyers with multiple points. Farabee will look to continue offering depth scoring on Tuesday.
- Centerman Zach Aston-Reese has been cleared to return to the lineup after leaving the team’s Saturday game early, shares NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. Aston-Reese suffered an upper-body injury on his first shift of the game, though he was able to skate at practice on both Monday and Tuesday. Now back to full health, he’ll return to a gritty role on the team’s fourth-line, searching for his first NHL point since the 2022-23 campaign.
Flyers Have Until End Of October To Convince Kolosov On Their Plans For Him This Season
- Late last month, Flyers prospect Alexei Kolosov ended his stalemate with the team, reporting to training camp after an agreement was reached that could allow for a potential return later on. That potential return might come sooner than later, however, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported earlier this week in his 32 Thoughts column that Philadelphia only has until the end of the month to convince him about their plans for him. Kolosov made it known over the summer that he wants to play in the KHL this season if he was going to be in the minors. While he’s with the Phantoms for now, he might not be there for too much longer based on Friedman’s report.
Flyers Recall Emil Andrae, Place Nick Seeler On Injured Reserve
5:00 PM: The Flyers have officially recalled Andrae from Lehigh Valley and placed Seeler on injured reserve retroactive to October 1st. Seeler will be eligible to return as soon as he’s healthy.
4:00 PM: Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella has shared that defenseman Nick Seeler won’t play in the team’s season opener on Friday, due to a minor lower-body injury. The team is expected to respond by calling up Emil Andrae, per reports from the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jackie Spiegel and Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco.
Seeler, 31, was a core piece of Philadelphia’s third pairing last season, averaging roughly 17 minutes of ice time through 71 games. It was nearly two minutes more than he averaged in 2022-23, though that didn’t mean more scoring, with Seeler posting 12 points last year compared to 14 two seasons ago. The pair of seasons stand as the only times that Seeler has surpassed 10 points in his six-year, 296-game career in the NHL.
Andrae, 22, is on the other side of his career, playing in the first four games of his NHL career last season. He failed to score in those appearances, though he did lead all Lehigh Valley Phantoms defenders in scoring with 32 points in 61 games last year. Andrae now lands an early chance to score Philadelphia they were wrong for cutting him from training camp, though he’ll need to bring his strong scoring to the top flight if he wants to stand a chance at winning Seeler’s role.
Nick Seeler Out With Lower-Body Injury
- It doesn’t appear defenseman Nick Seeler will be ready for the Philadelphia Flyers’ season opener tomorrow with Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports reporting he was the only member of the active roster not to practice today. Multiple outlets indicated that Seeler is dealing with a minor lower-body ailment and veteran defenseman Erik Johnson will play in his stead. Although the Flyers still have six healthy defensemen on the roster, expect a call-up tomorrow as the team starts their year on a Western Conference road trip.
[SOURCE LINK]
Nick Seeler Could Miss Flyers Season Opener
New York Islanders forward Pierre Engvall will be reporting to the Bridgeport Islanders of the AHL after he went through waivers unclaimed (as per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News). The news is hardly surprising given that failure to report could lead to contract termination and Engvall has six years and $18MM remaining on his contract.
Although he will make his full $3MM salary in the AHL, Engvall will count just $1.85MM against the Islanders salary cap while in the AHL. The 28-year-old’s play fell off a bit last season but wasn’t far off from his production in the two seasons prior. He posted 10 goals and 18 assists in 74 games last season, which was the first year of the seven-year deal he signed with the Islanders in July 2023.
In other Metropolitan Division notes:
- The Philadelphia Flyers are taking defenseman Nick Seeler’s injury day by day as the ailment is taking longer to heal than the team originally expected (as per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philly). Seeler could miss the Flyers season opener on Friday against the Canucks as he deals with numbness in his leg. The 31-year-old took a shot to the knee last Wednesday in a preseason game against the Bruins and he still doesn’t have the feeling back a week later. If Seeler is unable to play on Friday it seems likely that veteran Erik Johnson will take his place in the lineup.
- New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce skated today with the team in a regular jersey but remains unlikely to play on Thursday night (as per Devils reporter Gabriel Trevino). The 28-year-old missed the Devils first two games of the season in Prague but the team had hoped he’d be ready for October 10th. However, given the words of head coach Sheldon Keefe, it does seem like Pesce won’t be available. Keefe told the media that neither player is ready to play at this point, leaving New Jersey without one of their big summer additions for a third straight game.
Jett Luchanko To Begin Season In Flyers’ Top Nine
Center Jett Luchanko is projected to start the 2024-25 season in the Flyers’ top nine after officially cracking the opening night roster Monday. The rookie pivot has most recently taken rushes as Philadelphia’s third-line center between Bobby Brink and Joel Farabee, per PHLY Sports’ Charlie O’Connor.
Barring injury, when Luchanko makes his NHL debut in the Flyers’ season opener against the Canucks on Friday, he’ll be the youngest player ever to appear in a regular-season game for the franchise, relays Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The 13th overall pick in this summer’s draft didn’t have his 18th birthday until late August.
It’s not like he was given a spot on a silver platter, either. Luchanko will start the season in a higher role than more established third-line center options like Noah Cates and Scott Laughton. All signs point to Laughton starting in a fourth-line role with Cates in the press box, while his emergence in camp also forced Philly to expose roster hopeful Olle Lycksell to the waiver wire.
Luchanko checks in at 5’11” and 187 lbs and plays a well-rounded game offensively. He’s regarded as defensively sound, although not in an overtly physical way. His point production in juniors last season was strong at 20 goals and 74 points in 68 games with the OHL’s Guelph Storm, but few, if any, expected him to contend for an NHL roster spot this early in his development. He signed his entry-level contract with the Flyers back in early July.
The Flyers can still return Luchanko to Guelph after nine NHL appearances without burning the first year of his ELC. He can’t head to AHL Lehigh Valley this season on a full-time basis, only for a few games on a conditioning stint if he meets those requirements. Even if Luchanko plays more than nine NHL games this year, Philadelphia can still return him to the Storm later on – they’ll just still burn the first year of his contract.
Luchanko will be a lock for Canada’s World Junior roster in December if the Flyers make him available. For Guelph, it’s the second year in a row they’ve unexpectedly lost their top center to an NHL club – the Bruins’ Matthew Poitras unexpectedly cracked their opening night roster last year and remained in the NHL for the entire season.