The 2022 NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. The Philadelphia Flyers will look a little different in the final stretches of the season.
Claude Giroux, Justin Braun, Derick Brassard, and Gerry Mayhew have all found new teams. It was expected that Chuck Fletcher was going to make changes and that’s what he did.
Missing the playoffs again, it’s the perfect time to bring up some prospects and give them NHL minutes. The Flyers have a plethora of young talent in their system. Players like Morgan Frost, Cam York, Isaac Ratcliffe, and the newly acquired Owen Tippett have all reached double-digits in games played this season.
Let’s take a look at some other players who could potentially be given a shot during the rest of this season, and who could also fight for roster spots at training camp going into next season:
Egor Zamula (D)
The 21-year-old defenseman is one of the best in the system. Zamula has scored 24 points this year (4G, 20A) in 49 games played in his second season with the Phantoms. He’s 6’3 and 180lbs, so he’s not the most physical defenseman but he has the ability to read the ice in front of him and find open teammates to set up plays.
He also has a long reach with being 6’3, which makes up for his lack of strength.
Behind Cam York, Zamula is the most exciting young defenseman that the Flyers have. Zamula will no doubt break into the Flyers defense in the near future and will play a vital role with the team.
Felix Sandstrom (G)
Carter Hart is the franchise goaltender, but that doesn’t mean Sandstrom can’t be a solid backup. The 25-year-old was drafted 70th overall in the 2015 draft by the Flyers.
Sandstrom has played in 34 games for the Phantoms this year recording 12 wins and 14 losses. The Phantoms haven’t had a great season as they sit last in the Atlantic Division. The Flyers have also struggled this season and so has backup goaltender Martin Jones.
Sandstrom made his Flyers debut this season and he looked sharp. He made 43 saves in a 3-2 loss to the Sharks on December 31. Sandstrom received a lot of praise for that game which he deserved.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Sandstrom gets called up before the end of the season to get some more NHL games under his belt and potentially be the backup to Hart next season.
Tanner Laczynski (C)
With Derick Brassard being traded to the Oilers, Laczynski should keep checking his phone for the chance he’s brought back up.
Laczynski has 8 points (4G, 4A) in 12 games played with the Phantoms this year. The former Ohio State Buckeye was drafted 169th overall by the Flyers in 2016. He played in 5 games with the Flyers last year before seeing his audition cut short due to surgery for a torn labrum.
He’s had multiple surgeries over the past year and a half, but when he’s 100%, he looks great on the ice.
Laczynski is versatile by being able to play both as a center and winger. He has a good eye of finding his teammates and also the back of the net. With having his season cut short last year and his play with the Phantoms this year, a call up to the Flyers would be well deserved.
It also wouldn’t be surprising if we see Laczysnki in the bottom-6 of the Flyers next season, a spot that looked like he would’ve had this season.
Bobby Brink (RW)
Flyers fans should get ready to hear this name a lot: Bobby Brink. The current leading scorer in the NCAA with the University of Denver, Brink was drafted 34th overall by the Flyers in 2019.
Brink is currently unsigned, but all signs point to him joining the Phantoms after the NCAA season, so he will be under contract soon.
Brink is an exciting player. He’s a gifted playmaker with the ability to score goals and also get in on the forecheck. His skating isn’t the greatest but it has been getting much better. He also has an incredible offensive IQ.
He also won the World Junior Championship along with Cam York for USA in 2021.
If Brink hits his potential, he can be a great middle-6 to top-6 forward for the Flyers. Brink will probably need a year or two of time in the AHL, but the Flyers should definitely keep their eye on him when the NCAA season is finished.
Ronnie Attard (D)
Attard currently plays at Western Michigan University. He was drafted 72nd overall in 2019 and has been having a great junior year at WMU. He’s registered 36 points (13G, 23A) in 37 games played. Currently unsigned, Attard looks like he’ll be joining the Phantoms along with Brink after the NCAA season.
Attard is another exciting defenseman in the system. He’s a puck moving defenseman that can create great breakout passes to set up a rush for his teammates. He’s also an end-to-end defenseman that can move with the offense and transition quickly back to defense.
He scores goals too, something that the Flyers defense has lacked this year.
Attard is also 6’4 and 209lbs, so he’s not afraid to be physical at all. He’s improved his defensive awareness and offense vision massively this season and it has showed in his play.
Attard looks like he can be a special player on the blue line. It won’t be long until he joins Zamula in becoming full time NHL players.
Ivan Fedotov (G)
Fedotov is the second goalie on this list, but it’s deserved. Drafted 188th overall in 2015, Fedotov is a whopping 6’7 in height. He currently plays for CSKA Moscow in the KHL and his contract ends there this season.
Fedotov is 14-10-2 in 26 games played this year. He’s been averaging a 2.00 GAA and a .919 SV% during that time.
Fedotov has been a bit of a late bloomer and he won’t end up being the #1 goalie in Philadelphia. However, he could be another choice as a backup for Hart. His play has improved in the KHL over the last two years and it’s worth getting him over to North America when his contract expires.
It would be great to see some competition between Sandstrom and Fedotov in training camp.
Plus, he’s 6’7 which looks terrifying between the pipes.
Noah Cates (LW)
Another Flyers draft pick playing in the NCAA is Noah Cates. Drafted 137th overall in 2017, Cates is currently in his senior year at Minnesota-Duluth. He’s put up 24 points (11G, 13A) in 35 games played this year.
Cates is another player that looks to be joining the Phantoms later on this season. The Flyers seem to be high on Cates and are eager to get him signed.
Cates can put up solid points but he has struggled the past two years. Physically, Cates is ready for the NHL being 6’2 and 190lbs. He’s been finding his scoring touch again this season which has been great to see.
He also has some silky moves.
Cates was also on Team USA at the Winter Olympics this year, where he saw the “A” on his sweater.
While looking at the potential Cates has, he could definitely be a solid bottom-6 guy. He has the ability to shoot & pass the puck while also being physical.
Cates is an impressive player because of his physicality and also his skill set. He can pull off some sick moves and isn’t afraid to get aggressive. It wouldn’t be a surprise if we see Cates get the call for a few games before this season ends.
(Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)
