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Samuel Ersson Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury

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New York Rangers defenseman Zac Jones voiced his frustration when discussing his recent stretch of healthy scratches amid the Rangers losing skid (as per Sean O’Leary of The Score). Jones, who will sit for the fifth time in six games tomorrow, said that he feels as though he is rotting away. The 24-year-old was a regular for the Rangers prior to the team bringing in Will Borgen and Urho Vaakanainen.

Jones added that it is tough for him to improve when he isn’t playing, and he feels as though he has done some good things, but his playing time isn’t reflecting that. In 26 games this season, Jones has posted a goal and seven assists while averaging 16:42 of ice time per game. Jones has been with New York since the team took him in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He has played in 95 games over the past five seasons, posting four goals and 21 assists.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary did not skate today during the team’s optional skate and is officially listed as day-to-day after taking a stick to the face from teammate Tom Wilson in yesterday’s win over Boston (as per Tarik El-Bashir of the Monumental Sports Network). He will be reevaluated tomorrow morning before the team takes on the Minnesota Wild in the evening. Fehervary has played every game this season after having injuries limit him to just 66 games last year. The 25-year-old is averaging the third most minutes of any Capitals skaters and has become a big piece of their defense core.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that goaltender Samuel Ersson is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The netminder left last night’s game after two periods with an undisclosed injury and did not return. The Flyers have said it is likely a short-term injury and he will be evaluated daily. The 25-year-old missed time earlier this season with a groin issue, meaning that he could have reaggravated that injury yesterday. Ersson is 9-6-2 on the season with an .884 save percentage and a 3.02 goals-against average.
  • Matt Vensel of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi hinted that he may have asked the Penguins for a trade prior to him being put on waivers earlier in the week. The former fourth-overall pick cleared waivers and remains with the Penguins, but he has been a healthy scratch in ten straight games. Puljujarvi had a long road back to good health, and it’s hard to fault him for wanting to play. He was at Penguins practice again today, and once again he was the odd man out during their line rushes. The 26-year-old has three goals and five assists in 21 games this season but hasn’t been able to get into the lineup after Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said that he needed to play better defense and have more attention to detail.

Flyers Recall Olle Lycksell

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Dec. 27: Lycksell has been recalled from Lehigh Valley again with the holiday break soon to be in the rearview mirror, the team announced. He’ll be on hand for the Flyers’ West Coast road swing over the next week. Philadelphia’s active roster is full again with $2.31MM in current cap space, per PuckPedia.

Dec. 22: Philadelphia announced they’ve reassigned Lycksell to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He skated in 10:58 of last night’s win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, registering three shots on net.

Dec. 21: The Flyers have added a bit of forward depth to their roster heading into tonight’s game against Columbus.  Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia relays (Twitter link) that Philadelphia has recalled winger Olle Lycksell from AHL Lehigh Valley.  They are now carrying the maximum of 23 players on the roster.

This move comes on the heels of center Sean Couturier not being at the morning skate today.  It’s unknown if Lycksell’s recall is related to that or if someone else’s availability for tonight is in some question.

The 25-year-old has had plenty of offensive success in the minors but it hasn’t translated to much production with the Flyers.  Last season, Lycksell had 19 goals and 20 assists in 38 games with the Phantoms which earned him 18 appearances in Philadelphia.  However, he wasn’t able to muster up much with them, collecting just one goal and four helpers in those outings while logging just 9:57 per game.  That lack of production contributed to Lycksell clearing waivers back in October.

This season, it has been more of the same for Lycksell in Lehigh Valley as he has nine goals and 15 assists in 25 appearances which has helped him earn his first promotion of the season, even if it’s likely to be a brief one with the holiday break fast approaching.

Philadelphia Flyers Assign Emil Andrae To The AHL

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The Philadelphia Flyers have assigned defenseman Emil Andrae to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League. The move comes as somewhat of a surprise as the 22-year-old Andrae has been solid in 20 NHL games.

The 2020 second-round pick has a goal and four assists in the NHL this year, as well as a +3 plus/minus rating, 22 hits and 28 blocks. His underlying numbers are even better, particularly on the possession front where Andrae has posted a CF% of 54.2 at even strength. The Flyers have leaned on Andrae quite a bit during his time in the NHL, as he has played 19:18 per game which makes his demotion all that more surprising.

Despite being undersized at just 5’9” Andrae did a good job winning puck battles and using his small frame to gain body positioning on opponents. His edge work remains solid, particularly in the offensive zone where he has been able to walk the blue line and get pucks to the net at a good rate.

Andrae had sat for several games as a healthy scratch, with the Flyers preferring to use Yegor Zamula over him. Now that he is back in the AHL, Andrae will have an opportunity to continue his development, and he should receive a recall at some point in the new year

Flyers Sign Jacob Gaucher To Entry-Level Deal

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The Flyers announced that they’ve signed center Jacob Gaucher to a two-year, entry-level contract. PuckPedia later reported that Gaucher’s deal carries an $872.5K cap hit and breaks down as follows:

2024-25: $775K NHL salary, $80K signing bonus, $85K minors salary
2025-26: $800K NHL salary, $90K signing bonus, $15K games played bonus, $85K minors salary

Gaucher, 23, lands his first NHL contract amid his third professional season, all of which have been spent in the Philadelphia organization on an AHL contract. The older brother of Ducks first-rounder Nathan Gaucher is now eligible for a call-up and counts against their 50-contract limit, which now stands at 45 with five open slots.

The 6’3″ pivot has stuck in the AHL with Lehigh Valley full-time this season after seeing action with ECHL Reading in each of the last two years. He’s broken out for 10 goals and five assists for 15 points in 23 games, leading the team in goals and ranking fourth in points.

The former captain of the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar is just one point shy of tying the 16 he had in 59 games with Lehigh Valley last season, his first in the AHL. Gaucher spent the entirety of 2022-23, his first professional season, on assignment to Reading, where he racked up 22 goals and 39 assists for 61 points in 71 games.

Gaucher certainly still qualifies as a prospect, albeit one on the older end – he was initially eligible for the 2019 draft. He’ll be a restricted free agent upon expiry of his ELC in 2026.

Tortorella: Aleksei Kolosov Has Passed Ivan Fedotov On Goalie Depth Chart

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  • Flyers netminder Aleksei Kolosov has temporarily cemented his spot as No. 2 on their goaltending depth chart behind Samuel Ersson, head coach John Tortorella told reporters today (including Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports). The 22-year-old Belarusian has battled it out with fellow rookie Ivan Fedotov this season, and both have gotten extended looks with Ersson missing significant time last month with a lower-body injury. Philadelphia has carried three goalies since Ersson returned to health, though, a plan that doesn’t appear to be imminently changing. Kolosov has a 3-5-1 record in nine showings this year with a .881 SV% and 3.29 GAA but leads Flyers netminders with 0.1 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. That’s a testament to the quality of chances he’s faced – the Flyers are allowing 3.13 xGA per game with Kolosov in net compared to 2.23 with Ersson. His numbers also clearly exceed those of the 28-year-old Fedotov, who has a .877 SV% and -3.5 GSAx through 10 games.

Flyers Expected To Activate Jamie Drysdale, Samuel Ersson

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The Philadelphia Flyers will have both defenseman Jamie Drysdale and goaltender Samuel Ersson available on Sunday night, per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Drysdale has missed Philadelphia’s last 12 games after suffering an upper-body injury on November 9th, while Ersson has missed 11 games with a lower-body injury susatined on November 11th and reaggravated on November 13th. Hall adds that neither player is guaranteed to step right back into the lineup, though their activation from IR is certainly an encouraging sign.

Drysdale was a go-to defender for the Flyers before his injury. He averaged over 20 minutes of ice time and a consistent power-play role through Philadelphia’s first 15 games – but has so far only recorded three points, 12 shots, and a -10 to show for it. He ranks second-to-last in scoring among the Flyers’ blue-line, just ahead of Erik Johnson’s two points in 15 games. Drysdale was drafted sixth-overall in the 2020 NHL Draft and recorded 32 points in 81 games as a rookie with the Anaheim Ducks in 2021-22. But the injury bug caught him soon after. He’s missed a combined 122 games over the last two seasons and hasn’t looked the same when healthy, netting just 10 points in 42 healthy games between 2022 and 2024. Philadelphia attempted to buy-low on the recovering defender last season, sending Cutter Gauthier to Anaheim for Drysdale and a second-round pick. That trade has yet to come to fruition for the Flyers, though Drysdale’s potential return on Sunday could start the streak that turns things around.

Meanwhile, Ersson will return to a goaltending room eager to have him back. He’s the only Flyers netminder with a save percentage above .900 – recording five wins and a .902 in 11 games before going down with injury. Philadelphia has turned towards Aleksei Kolosov and Ivan Fedotov in Ersson’s absence – though neither netminder has managed a winning record or save percentage above Kolosov’s .881 in nine games. The Flyers have found a way to stay productive despite that, actually dropping their goals-against average from 3.50 to 3.10 in Ersson’s absence. That could be an encouraging sign now that their true starter is back to full health.

Flyers Place Nicolas Deslauriers On IR; Jamie Drysdale, Sam Ersson Day-To-Day

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The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that forward Nicolas Deslauriers has been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The move is retroactive to Deslauriers’ last game on November 9th, allowing Philadelphia to activate him as soon as he returns to full health. Deslauriers left the team’s practice on Wednesday, after re-aggravating his injury on a blocked shot. General manager Daniel Briere dubbed him as day-to-day, the same designation provided to defender Jamie Drysdale (upper-body) and goaltender Samuel Ersson (lower-body), who are both working their way back from an IR placement of their own. Both Drysdsale and Ersson have returned to Philadelphia’s practices in full. Deslauriers’ move to IR would open the necessary roster space for the Flyers to activate both Drysdale and Ersson, should they be back to game shape soon.

Deslauriers has been a routine healthy scratch this season, making it hard to distinguish between when he’s missed games due to injury versus coaching decisions. He hasn’t had any notable stat changes through his last five games – spanning from late October to November 9th – recording just one point and two shots on goal while averaging under 6 minutes of ice time a game. Even his bruiser tendencies are tapering out, with one fighting major standing as Deslauriers’ only penalty through seven games – a far cry from the 136 penalty minutes he managed in a full 2022-23 season. His return won’t shake up the Flyers’ lineup too much, but the same can’t be said about Drysdale and Ersson – who will each return to position groups much more contested than when they left.

Ersson will have the toughest battle, looking to regain ground on Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov – who have split starts in the former’s absence. Philadelphia has improved their average goals-against per-game from 3.56 to 3.10 since Ersson suffered his injury on November 11th. They still rank in the bottom-half of the league in goals-allowed, but the improvement under their Russian and Belarussian tandem has been a welcome surprise, especially considering Ersson is the only Flyers netminder with a save percentage above .900. He sits at a .902 through 11 games this season, while Kolosov boasts a .882 in eight games, and Fedotov a .877 in 10 games. Those numbers, and Ersson’s 5-2-2 record on the season, should be enough to slot the Swede back into Philadelphia’s starting role – though the position will likely be much more of a committee after his absence.

Meanwhile, Drysdale’s absence has provided Yegor Zamula his own chance to earn a role. Zamula recorded his first goal and multi-point game of the season five games ago – with a two-point effort against Buffalo – but hasn’t managed any scoring since. Still, he’s rotated through the defense – playing as little as 13 minutes or as much as 20 minutes depending on the game. The 24-year-old sits with six points, a -10, and no penalties through 18 games this season – while averaging roughly 16 minutes of ice time per game. Those numbers are, again, not much to write home about – but they’re comparable improvements to the three points, -10, and one penalty that Drysdale recorded in 15 games before injury. He’s averaging over 20 minutes of ice time each game, and could quickly return to that role once fully healed – but Zamula’s persistence and lineup flexibility will create some tough decisions for head coach John Tortorella. Philadelphia acquired Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick from Anaheim for top forward prospect Cutter Gauthier last season. Gauthier has followed the theatrical trade with three goals and 11 points in 24 games this season.

Nicolas Deslauriers Leaves Practice With Undisclosed Injury

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  • Flyers enforcer Nicolas Deslauriers left today’s practice session early due to an undisclosed injury, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports. Head coach John Tortorella told reporters that something “tightened up” and didn’t necessarily call his departure precautionary, so it’s fair to call him questionable for for tomorrow’s home game against the Panthers. It won’t make much of a difference – the 33-year-old has been a healthy scratch for 10 games in a row and hasn’t played since Nov. 9. He has one assist in seven appearances this season with one fight while averaging a career-low 6:05 per game.

Flyers Notes: Konecny, Sanheim, Grans, Ersson

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There are only two days until rosters are announced for the 4 Nations Face-Off but we may already have a sneak peek at a couple of players that will play for Team Canada. According to Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff, Philadelphia Flyers’ players Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim will be named to Canada’s roster.

Konecny would be an unsurprising addition to Team Canada. He’s been a point-per-game player for the Flyers over the last three years with 77 goals and 159 points in 161 games and has represented Canada well in the past. Konecny tallied eight assists in 10 games during the 2017 IIHF World Championships and two points in five games for Team Canada’s U20 team during the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships.

Sanheim’s inclusion on the roster would be an interesting development. Along with increased ice time, his scoring has increased over the last two years but Sanheim’s name typically isn’t mentioned with the top Canadian defenseman. He hasn’t suited up for Team Canada since the 2022 IIHF World Championships when he scored one goal and four points in 10 tournament games.

Other Flyers notes:

  • The Flyers organization announced a small roster move earlier today by loaning defenseman Helge Grans back to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Grans’ demotion could correlate with the return of defenseman Jamie Drysdale or the team may not feel the need to carry eight defensemen on the active roster. The Ljungby, Sweden native tallied one assist over six games with Philadelphia averaging 14:28 of ice time per game.
  • Philadelphia is nearing the reality of a full goaltending trio as Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that goaltender Samuel Ersson was a full participant at today’s practice. Ersson hasn’t played since November 11th due to a lower-body injury. Still, over 11 games with the Flyers this year, he’s managed a 5-2-2 record with a .902 save percentage and 2.70 goals against average.

Metropolitan Notes: Ersson, Duclair, Chytil, Kreider

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Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson will be out for the eighth straight time with his reaggravated lower-body injury when they take on the Rangers today, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

The injury has limited Ersson, 25, to starting only three of the Flyers’ 12 games in November. When healthy, he’s far and away been Philadelphia’s best netminder. He still leads the team with 10 starts and five wins despite the extended absence, as does his .902 SV%, 2.70 GAA, one shutout, and 0.2 GSAA.

Ersson’s lack of availability means the Philly crease has been guarded by a tandem of rookies Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov for most of the past few weeks. The former is starting today against the Blueshirts but has struggled in eight appearances this season, logging a .874 SV% and 3.69 GAA. The younger Kolosov’s numbers are slightly better but still unimpressive, with an .885 SV% and 3.11 GAA in six appearances.

Ersson remains on injured reserve but can be activated at any time since he’s missed well over a week.

More out of the Metropolitan Division:

  • Islanders winger Anthony Duclair has begun skating on his own as he begins the first tangible step in his recovery from the leg injury he sustained last month, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com relayed Friday. The 29-year-old had two goals and an assist in his first five games with the Isles in a top-line role alongside Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat before leaving an Oct. 19 tilt against the Canadiens. He’s missed 18 games and is near the end of his initial four-to-six-week timeline, so since he’s yet to practice with the team and take contact, his return will likely push past that mark.
  • The Rangers will still be without forwards Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil in the lineup against the Flyers as they remain day-to-day with upper-body injuries, head coach Peter Laviolette told Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today Sports. It’s Kreider’s third straight absence – they’re 0-2-0 without him as part of a four-game skid – while Chytil has been day-to-day for over two weeks and hasn’t played since Nov. 14 despite skating with the team.

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