On Oct. 6, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that they had waived 25-year-old forward Wade Allison, meaning that he could be picked up by another team before he makes his way down to the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the team, being the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Regardless of if another team claims him or not, the Flyers absolutely made the correct decision. After the team did not play a few of their youngsters in their final preseason match, they will likely remain on the 23-man roster anyways. This is a pleasant surprise, and perhaps a suggestion that the team really is entering a new era like they have said.
Giving Young Flyers a Chance
With Allison being cut, the Flyers can now have a 23-man roster including many of their training camp and preseason standouts. Unless they choose to roster three goaltenders, which seems very unlikely, every one of Bobby Brink, Egor Zamula, and Emil Andrae will have a shot to play some minutes. This was the best-case scenario.
If there was anybody who fit the theme of playing hard to earn a roster spot, Brink was the definition of that. He was one of the biggest standouts for the Flyers among all players, and not just those fighting for a roster spot. There would have been absolutely no reason why he should have been sent down to the Phantoms, even if he is waivers exempt.
Having someone like Brink gives the team more upside than they otherwise would have. He has played with good pace, has been controlling well offensively, and was winning puck battles, as well. Unfortunately for Allison, there was virtually no chance he could have one-upped this kind of play. The 22-year-old was a man on a mission, and he has seemingly accomplished his goal.
Andrae has also been very impressive thus far. On a Flyers team that is weak defensively, he has been a breath of fresh air. He might not have started off well, but the 21-year-old was fantastic offensively and was actually solid in his own end during his final two preseason games. If there was anyone who deserved a roster spot as much as Brink, it would have to be him.
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Tyson Foerster was all but a guarantee to make the 23-man roster, so there were really no surprises here. He didn’t impress as much as some of his teammates, but his upside is so high that it would have been a massive mistake to have sent him down, even if he didn’t play well above what was expected of him. In the regular season, he can be a huge asset for Philadelphia.
Finally, Zamula could also get a good chunk of playing time for Philadelphia this season. If he wasn’t present in the Flyers’ 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins in preseason, Philadelphia likely loses that game. Against their top stars, he was tremendous and had good chemistry with Travis Sanheim, who now appears to be one of the veterans on the blue line.
The fact that the Flyers are at least giving their younger players a shot is definitely inspiring. The team’s coach, John Tortorella, hung up a sign that read “safe is death” during training camp, meaning that being afraid to make mistakes is a deadly philosophy. It seems as though he stayed true to his word here, giving the team the best chance to win with their roster cuts.
Flyers Rewarding Solid Play
In the very recent past, the Flyers have not rewarded young players for playing above the level that was expected from them. Essentially, there was no chance for some youngsters to make the lineup on opening night even if they deserved it. Having players like Brink, Andrae, and Zamula on the team even if they don’t slot into the lineup right away at least shows that the team is changing.
Allison was actually good in preseason, but there was not much he could have done to outdo some of his teammates. This should be the reality of the sport. While it is unfortunate that he might never play with the Flyers again if he is claimed, Flyers’ general manager (GM) Danny Briere brought in more competition for a reason. This preseason and training camp was one of the best showings of the Flyers’ depth in ages. Everyone stepped up, and there were bound to be some roster cuts that were not easy decisions.
It could be argued that previous Flyers teams would have sent down the youngsters in a heartbeat. This is very different from last season, when Cam York didn’t perform to his standards to make his case to make the team and was consequently sent down to the Phantoms. While he was tremendous when he eventually played for the Flyers last season, he didn’t earn a spot with the team to start out. Even if he was better than players on the roster, that wasn’t necessarily shown. This case applies to Allison, even though the circumstances are much different.
The reality of this situation is that it is a good problem to have to not know which players deserve a spot and which ones don’t. With so much competition, the Flyers can’t really go wrong anywhere. For a team that was constantly shuffling their depth just last season and could never truly find a good mix, it is hard to understate how important this level of competition is.
It would be a tough pill to swallow to see a player like Allison go, but the Flyers are banking on upside and the excellence shown by a lot of their youth. The Orange and Black might not be a playoff contender next season, but they should be competitive if they can have a stronger all-around lineup than they did last season. With the team starting their first regular-season game on Oct. 12, things should unfold rather hastily. For now, it seems like the team is doing a good job.