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As the calendar closes in on the Holiday Roster Freeze at midnight, the Philadelphia Flyers (17-10-6) have had a week on and off the ice that best be described as gaining and losing at the same time.
After an impressive 4-1 road victory in Montreal on Tuesday to help them rebound from back-to-back shootout losses to the Carolina Hurricanes, they lost control of a very winnable game against the Sabres on Thursday, falling 5-3.
Off ice, no two events displayed this reality more than news on forward Tyson Foerster and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.
The week began with the sobering news that they would be without one of their best forwards for the remainder of the regular season.
However, it juxtaposed with news that Risotlainen, a key cog of their defense, was returning from long term injury to bolster that unit.
Something Lost: Foerster Out For Remainder of Season
On Monday, the team announced that Foerster underwent successful surgery on his arm, following medical testing and diagnostic testing. This followed his non-contact injury on December 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, which happened on a shot follow-through. As a result, his original two-to-three-month return timeline is now scuppered for a longer-term five-month recovery period.
At the time of the injury, Foerster was the team’s leading goal-scorer with ten on the season. He had been emerging as a power wing with an all-around game, working particularly well with center Noah Cates.
“He’s such an important part of our team,” Cates said on December 1. “Part of our core, special teams, everything.”
“Tyson’s a hockey player,” Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said. “He’s a shooter, intelligent, one of the first PK guys out there. He’s good on the powerplay…It’s a big chunk taken out of the lineup. It’s a committee, and hopefully we get some guys to step up while he’s out.”
Consequently, Tocchet has mixed and experimented with different line combinations with cascading effects. Initially, the team tried rookie Nikita Grebenkin on a higher line. However, his offensive production was close to non-existent, and he now finds himself in rotation with Nicolas Deslauriers for playing time.
Recent recall Carl Grundstrom, while initially brought up as a checking line option, has moved up to play on Sean Couturier’s line with Owen Tippett. At the same time, Matvei Michkov has slotted onto Cates’ line with Bobby Brink.
It’s a situation that will remain fluid for a while, especially for a team that struggles to score consistently.
Something Gained: Ristolainen’s Return
There’s little question that Ristolainen provides elements that the Flyers blueline needs from a competitive standpoint. His return from his triceps surgery recovery took a little longer than expected, but forward Trevor Zegras sure noticed his impact when he played his first game of the season in the Flyers’ 4-1 victory in Montreal on Tuesday.
“He’s an absolute moose out there,” Zegras said to reporters in Montreal.
Ristolainen logged 19:18 of ice time in his season debut, with three hits, blocked two shots, and played a contained, focused game. After years of chasing play in all zones, his time under former head coach Brad Shaw has firmly established his NHL identity. His value now comes in net-front coverage, neutral zone seal-offs, and properly leveraged physical play.
As a result, Tocchet and assistant coach Todd Reirden can three dependable pairings with Cam York and Travis Sanheim headlining the top unit. Emil Andrae and Nick Seeler can play on the second or third units as needed with Jamie Drysdale, Ristolainen, and now seventh defenseman Noah Juulsen.
However, this has opened the exit door for another defenseman.
Something Lost: Zamula Waived and Assigned To Lehigh Valley
Defenseman Egor Zamula has struggled at the NHL level, going back to the previous coaching regime.
In his own end, his slow pace of play has led to bad turnovers, indecisive coverage, and when the puck is on his stick, baffling decision-making with it. It’s hard to believe he was seen as a point man option for the power-play last season.
At the same time, it’s easy to see his 6’3, 200lb frame and see a young defenseman with potential. However, his high panic point, once seen as an asset, has now become a detriment in a system that requires faster processing. In short, his NHL-level hockey sense is suspect.
Whether he will be able to rebuild himself in the AHL is to be determined. The Phantoms’ roster is already overloaded with defensemen, and the odds don’t seem to be in his favor.
Something Gained: Denver Barkey Gets His First NHL Recall
The Flyers made a bit of a surprising decision with how to use the open roster spot vacated by Zamula, as they announced the recall of forward Denver Barkey from the Phantoms. It is likely that he will make his NHL debut on Saturday versus the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden
Barkey, a third-round pick in the 2023 Draft, has scored seven goals and 16 points in 26 games with the AHL team this season. Despite his lack of size (5’10, 173lbs), his play in his rookie AHL season has impressed Lehigh Valley head coach John Snowden.
“He deserves it. He’s done everything that we’ve asked him to do this year,” Snowden said to Phantoms radio broadcaster Bob Rotruck. “I’ve said it from the start, he’s a hockey player. He’s going to find his way to be a very good player for a very long time, and this is the start for him.”
It’s understandable that there is some concern about how Barkey will handle playing at the top level. However, Snowden thinks he will adapt quickly.
“He’ll be fine. It’ll be different, and he will have his struggles at times. But he’s so intelligent & he understands leverage & how to put himself in good spots to win battles & get under guys’ hands, and his stick never stops.”
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