Nov 11, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson (33) against the San Jose Sharks at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
I'm back from an "undisclosed location," as our Tim Kelly put it. (It was Turks and Caicos). But, while I was away for a little more than a week, I stayed on top of the Flyers news for you. And they won a few games while I was out of the country, which prompted one Flyers employee to say to me today, "Maybe you should stay away so we keep winning."
Bet they'd like that.
Anyway, on Monday, the Flyers placed goalie Sam Ersson on injured reserve and recalled defenseman Helge Grans from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Grans will make his NHL debut Monday night against Colorado.
Sounds like the Flyers have moved Sam Ersson to I.R. Because of his groin injury. They are going to recall defenseman Helge Grans as the blue line is a bit banged up as well at the moment. #LetsGoFlyers
There are a lot of updates that are needed here, so, now that I'm back, let's get after them individually:
The Flyers No. 1 goalie was placed on I.R. after re-injuring his groin at practice last Wednesday. Yeah, I know, the Flyers said he was day-to-day last week. But... I tried to warn you from afar...
A little bit of Flyers news from poolside in Turks and Caicos. Some stuff for my friends at @SnowTheGoalie and @OnPattison to discuss while I’m away. I’m sure @JoyOnBroad @ctherien6 and @internandrew will have more on this on Saturday. #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/9igMD6kPIu
— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) November 14, 2024
It's the same injury that he suffered during the first period of a game against Boston on Nov. 2. He missed a week's worth of time strengthening that groin, only to have it go on him again a few days after his return.
The Flyers are going to be a bit more cautious with Ersson this time around and be sure that his groin has fully had time to heal before they put him back between the pipes.
It's important to manage this injury with more caution this time as it's the same injury that knocked him out for almost an entire season when he was with the Phantoms in 2021-22. Although I.R. stints can be over after seven days, Ersson won't be back that quickly. The Flyers are going to shut him down for a spell to heal up and then they'll have to ramp him back up to game-level activities.
Expect Ersson to miss a minimum of two weeks, although it may well be longer.
It means the duo of Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov are going to play a bunch of games in the congested, upcoming Flyers schedule.
Kolosov gets the nod Monday against the Avalanche, so you should bet on Fedotov getting back in net Wednesday against the Hurricanes. From there, we'll see.
The rookie defenseman has been a revelation for the Flyers. Even coach John Tortorella admitted on Monday that Andrae has "defended better than we expected."
Add that to the juice he adds in the offensive zone, and the Flyers feel they have something.
An NHL scout once told me that if developed properly, Andrae could become another Kimmo Timonen. Those are big skates to fill, but the Flyers would be thrilled if ultimately that's what Andrae becomes.
Problem is, Andrae is going to be out for a bit. One team source said they're hoping for two weeks, but it's a "middle body injury" that could take longer.
Now, what exactly is a middle body injury? Is that Briere just trolling us because he doesn't really want you to guess? For example, would a rib injury be considered upper body or middle body? How about an abdominal tear? If there's a sports hernia, is that considered lower body or middle body?
It's like a Choose Your Own Adventure book where you jump ahead to a page and it keeps telling you to go back and choose again.
Regardless, it was enough for Andrae to lift himself from the game on Saturday midway through the third period, which tells you it was uncomfortable, whatever it is.
Grans makes his NHL debut, but don't expect to see a lot of him. He'll take some shifts, sure, but the Flyers are going to double shift Travis Sanheim a ton and Rasmus Ristolainen a bunch as well.
I spoke to a couple Flyers people who said they like Grans and want to see what the big righty looks like, especially in a challenging game against one of the best offenses in the sport in Colorado, but that this is likely a one-game tryout and the team is considering other options for Wednesday. Might those options be any of the other injured defensemen coming back? Not so fast.
Both York and Drysdale have been out of action for a bit now. Both are on I.R. and eligible to come off, but I'm told neither is ready with their upper body injuries.
Both players have been back at practice with York taking part in the rotation and Drysdale still wearing a no-contact jersey. That would indicate that York might seem closer to a return, although that's not a definite. See, York's dealing with a shoulder issue, and they're tricky in hockey. They always seem to last a little longer than you think. I wouldn't expect York to play Wednesday against Carolina either. Maybe Saturday.
As for Drysdale, I was told his injury wasn't one that would have kept him out if the Flyers were playing meaningful games at the end of the season or if it were the playoffs, so it's a little surprising to see him not back tonight, when he's eligible to come off of I.R.
Not that Drysdale was playing particularly well before hitting injured reserve. In fact, he was scuffling mightily. In fact, had he not been injured, he was likely to lose his power play time as the top unit quarterback because he wasn't shooting the puck enough. Andrae was poised to replace him - and has since Drysdale's injury. But, with both Drysdale and Andrae out, it likely falls to Sanheim and Egor Zamula to quarterback the top unit.
With half the blueline down and out, the Flyers are relying on a lot of minutes from Sanheim and Ristolainen, who have been very good for an extended period of time for Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Zamula and veteran Erik Johnson, both of whom have been healthy scratches, will have to remain in the lineup, joining Grans and Nick Seeler.
But, if Grans is only here for a hot minute, what other options are there?
Fans would be overjoyed to see Hunter McDonald, who has been on the horizon as a prospect for a bit, and while he's played well, it might make sense to keep him developing with the Phantoms and not disrupt that flow for a quick cup of coffee in the NHL.
Instead, the Flyers may turn to someone with more experience, like Adam Ginning, who played well for a spell with the Flyers last season. Reports have also been positive about 2021 6th round pick Ethan Samson.
The Flyers have options, but if it's only going to be a game or two, Ginning or Samson make more sense than McDonald, who they think will be a bigger part of their future as long as he's developed properly.
I'll discuss this in great detail with Russ Joy and former Flyer Chris Therien on The Press Row Show tonight at 6:30PM at the link below. Join us.
