The Philadelphia Flyers have a burgeoning issue on defense, but this new problem isn't one that's totally unsolvable.
Through four preseason games, the Flyers have yet to see a young defenseman take the reins and wrest control of an NHL roster spot, and the veterans they're competing with have done little to assure the coaching staff they're reliable alternatives.
Noah Juulsen, a free agent addition who played for Flyers head coach on Rick Tocchet on the Vancouver Canucks in past seasons, has made some big hits – one was penalized – but has done little else so far.
His pace of play, in particular, has not been impressive, and he looks very much like a player who is coming off a season-ending hernia.
Juulsen's biggest competition for a roster spot is prospect Helge Grans, but Grans, whose best attribute is his mobility, has been gashed with speed repeatedly in exhibition games.
I expect the 23-year-old to get every opportunity to redeem himself as he must clear waivers to reach the AHL, but there is little to be inspired by in his handful of preseason games thus far.
Flyers Roster Battles Leaving Much to Be Desired Early in NHL PreseasonThrough three NHL preseason games, several Philadelphia Flyers roster battles look far from being decided any time soon.
Other players fighting for spots include Dennis Gilbert, Egor Zamula, Hunter McDonald, and Adam Ginning.
Gilbert, McDonald, and Ginning are all of the physical, shot-blocking ilk, can be mistake-prone, and offer little offensively. I've actually liked Ginning's defensive work, especially compared to his disastrous training camp outings last year, but he still lacks consistency, and reliability and upside are key factors when determining this roster.
So, where does that lead us? To one guy who's already being counted out despite clearly having the highest upside of the bunch.
The Flyers and Flyers fans aren't particularly enthused about the idea of having 5-foot-9 Emil Andrae on defense with Cam York and Jamie Drysdale already on the roster, but, like it or not, Andrae would be one of the six best defensemen on the Flyers' roster as things currently stand.
The 23-year-old played 42 games for the Flyers last season – with most coming under John Tortorella, of all people – scoring a goal, six assists, and seven points while averaging 17:21 of ice time.
Yes, Andrae suffered with inconsistencies, but he also played like a defenseman who at times looked to be a legitimate middle-pairing player with offensive potential.
According to Moneypuck, Andrae and Travis Sanheim played 108 minutes together, and their 62.5% expected goals percentage led all Flyers defense pairings with 100 or more minutes played.
Ironically, the third-best defense pairing under those parameters was Andrae and Rasmus Ristolainen (triceps), who held an expected goals percentage of 56.8%.
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Can Andrae hold his own next to Sanheim or someone else until Ristolainen comes back sometime in October or November? I'd be willing to bet on that.
In comparison to Zamula and Grans, what's the point of having big defenders with size when they rarely use it to their advantage?
And for destroyers like McDonald, Ginning, Gilbert, and Juulsen, players like Juulsen, Vincent Desharnais, and Carson Soucy didn't exactly excel under Tocchet, and all three are playing for new teams this year.
Andrae's NHL experience already surpasses that of Ginning and McDonald and is more or less one full season off from Gilbert and Juulsen, who are both five years older.
The good thing, too, is that Andrae, unlike Grans, is waivers-exempt. If Tocchet gives him a try and decides it isn't working, the Flyers can simply turn to Ristolainen once he's healthy and send Andrae back to the AHL.
The Flyers have some decisions to make to remedy an untenable situation on defense, and opting for some familiarity and upside in Andrae would be a worthy short-term pivot until something more favorable shakes out.
