After some preseason and training camp action, the Philadelphia Flyers should now have a better idea of what their opening night roster could look like. Some young players have started to break out and make their case to make the team. Which youngsters could do it, and what might that mean for the Orange and Black?
Emil Andrae
With the Flyers boasting a rather weak defensive core, Emil Andrae could find himself in the team’s opening lineup. Spots in the NHL are not just handed to players with veteran experience or with potential. It is earned, and he has done his absolute best to do so at this point.
Andrae, just 21 years old, is a fairly responsible defender for his age. Much of the excitement around him comes with his offensive game, where he can be a power play quarterback on a first or second unit. In a preseason game against the New Jersey Devils, this was actually to his detriment, as he pinched to take a shot, it was blocked, and it resulted in a goal. This is a part of the learning experience. The fact that he is willing to make those mistakes with a roster spot on the line is ironically comforting, in a way.
Related: Flyers’ Emil Andrae is Ready for the NHL
Defenders like Marc Staal, Sean Walker, and potentially even Nick Seeler will not stand in the way of the growth of young players. If Andrae earns a roster spot, he will get one at some point. He has shown that he is capable of earning a spot to this point. Offensively, he is without a doubt ready for the league. He was solid defensively in his game against the New Jersey Devils and has shown good competitiveness in games. Impressive so far, he has a chance to slot into the top-four defense in 2023-24, and not just for a few games.
Bobby Brink
Before the preseason, it seemed as though there was virtually no chance for Bobby Brink to slot into the Flyers’ forward corps, given how much depth they have at the position. Since then, he has made an intriguing case for himself. With three points in his first three preseason games, it is clear that he is too good of a player for the American Hockey League (AHL), or too good to gain anything valuable from time there, at the very least.
In the preseason thus far, Brink has been the Flyers’ most active player on the stat sheet. Beyond just registering points, he is a crafty player who would help give his team an identity offensively. Speed and general offensive poise is something that has been lacking on the Flyers’ roster. The 22-year-old gives them that, but it will still be a tough test for him to slot into the lineup as is.
By no real fault of his own, Brink seems to be on the outside looking in with ample time to prove otherwise. What head coach John Tortorella wants in his lineup has not been decided yet, but from a speculation standpoint, there might be some others ahead of him on his radar, such as gritty fourth-line forwards like Nicolas Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway.
The good thing for Brink is that he controls his own destiny, and it is all but a guarantee that he will get a chance. It might not be on opening day, but it will come at some point. Until then, he will continue to work hard in order to earn a spot on the team.
Egor Zamula
The emergence of Egor Zamula was a rather surprising development in the past few weeks. Arguably the Flyers’ best player in their preseason win against the Boston Bruins, he should be competing for a roster spot on the defensive end much like Andrae. Showing some solid chemistry with fellow defender Travis Sanheim, he could get some looks this season.
After bulking up during the offseason, Zamula looks like a completely different player than where he was just a year ago. His sample size thus far is small, but he was sharp in his preseason debut. Against an NHL-caliber Bruins lineup that night, his task wasn’t easy.
Not only was he on his game, but his partner in Sanheim was playing terrific as well. It seems likely that he will slot into the right side of the defense, so he and Zamula would be perfect together. They showed chemistry, which is something that the Flyers really haven’t had on their defense since the Ivan Provorov and Matt Niskanen pair from a few years back. On a team without stability, the 23-year-old might be a part of the solution.
The Flyers will continue to have their defensive woes. That is known and expected. When he was in the lineup, this weakness was mitigated if not unnoticeable at all. Zamula is a mature player already, and if he continues to impress, there should be no reason why he can’t take a spot on the roster.
Having as much competition as the Flyers have had in their lineup is a good sign. If the roster was where it was last season, there might be five or six players with a realistic shot at making the team that was otherwise unexpected to do so. Depth is important, and Philadelphia seems to have it.