The trade deadline shakes up rosters yearly, and for the Flyers this is no different. Today at the deadline Joel Farabee and Connor Bunnaman were sent down to the the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in order to make room for newly acquired forwards Derek Grant and Nate Tomphson. For Farabee, this may be his first “real” demotion, as General Manager Chuck Fletcher said both Farabee and Bunnaman will play at least one game in the AHL.
Farabee, 19, came into training camp with high expectations, as most fans expected him to make the opening night roster. This did not happen, and Farabee was instead called up shortly into the season. Since then, he has been moved up and down the lineup, and has seen many hot and cold streaks. All of these things are very normal for such a young player.
It was always obvious that Farabee would take time to develop, being only 6’0” and 164 pounds. Size isn’t everything, but for a player of his age making the jump essentially straight from NCAA hockey, an extra inch or two would’ve been nice to aid his transition. The season is long and strenuous, which is likely one of the reasons Farabee was sent down to begin with. The newly-acquired depth in Thompson and Grant give the Flyers the opportunity to allow Farabee to recharge his batteries, and regain his confidence in the AHL. At such a young age, it will be good for Farabee to have a couple of games in the minors after a rough game in Saturday’s 4-2 win over Winnipeg. Farabee seems overwhelmed with the speed and strength of opposing players at times, occasionally losing battles on the boards and at the blue line. An extra three games with the Phantoms will give Farabee the chance to learn and grow from those mistakes, as well as giving the Flyers time to see what they have in Thompson and Grant.
Farabee will likely not be with the Phantoms long-term, as he has been good enough to play at the NHL level. Even with the mistakes he’s made, he has played well and shown growth defensively, and is still one of the teams faster players.
One thing Fletcher made clear today, Farabee is still highly valued within the organization. His potential is still sky high, and he is still very much in the long-term future of the team.
