Photo Credit: Rob Windfelder
The Philadelphia Flyers reduced their training camp roster by 14 this past Friday.
As a result, their opening night lineup appears to be set ahead of today’s 5 PM deadline for NHL organizations to officially submit their 23 player rosters.
In terms of surprises to make the team the biggest for Philadelphia is 2024 first round selection Jett Luchanko.
Considering Luchanko just recently turned 18-years-old, it was not expected that the center would crack the Flyers opening night roster.
However, a strong training camp for the defensively responsible speedster has afforded him the opportunity to at the very least participate in nine NHL regular season games before he is sent back to Guelph and the OHL.
It will be fascinating to see what Danny Briere and the Flyers management staff decide to do with Luchanko moving ahead. At this point, we can only assume the young forward is here to stay, especially based on head coach John Tortorella’s comments and praises surrounding him.
In a press conference last week Tortorella had the following to say about Luchanko,
“I think one guy that had stood out with pace and one that hasn’t been affected too much is Luchanko. Maybe that’s the youth, but he’s hung in there pretty well. He continues to skate.”
If Philadelphia keeps Luchanko on the roster for the full NHL season and burns one year off the centerman’s entry level contract, the question on everyone’s mind will be, did the franchise make the correct decision?
On the surface level it’s difficult to analyze because the developmental path for every player at the NHL level is usually distinct. In most situations different approaches may work for specific prospects while others may not.
In regards to Luchanko, the first round selection had good showings in the preseason (taking on Washington and Boston) but there were several games where he did not contribute much aside from a few small plays.
In a lot of cases an 18-year-old would need to produce consistently in the preseason and stand out definitively to secure an NHL opening day roster spot.
My concern with Luchanko is that once the regular season officially begins and the pace of play and intensity rises can the young center hold his own.
For an 18-year-old rookie to make the NHL just after being drafted they would need to clearly impress on a game to game basis.
Personally, I believe other players that were on the bubble of making the Flyers roster such as Olle Lycksell and Anthony Richard had better and more consistent showings throughout the preseason than Luchanko.
Which begs the question if the young center really deserves to make the opening day roster when other players in the organization outplayed him.
The key component to whether or not Luchanko sticks with the Flyers for an 82 game season is the center’s long term development. Is it best for his progression as a young player to only potentially play 12-14 minutes a night on the third line in a sheltered role?
Or is Luchanko better served returning to the OHL where he would be Guelph’s top line center and likely receive 20 plus minutes of ice time a game in all situations? Whether that be power-play, penalty-kill, defending a lead, and several other important scenarios that arise in a hockey game.
In many cases prospects learn based on experience. Putting Luchanko on a Flyers team where he may not see certain situational play could hurt his development. While a return to the OHL will afford him the opportunity to gain more familiarity in these crucial on ice situations.
Another thing to factor in that relates to long term progression are Luchanko’s offensive instincts. Despite being a very well rounded defensive player there’s certain elements of the center’s game that are not as refined. Such as his playmaking, shooting and deceptiveness.
Even though being exposed to the NHL at 18 will allow Luchanko to understand what it takes to make plays at the highest level. It should be noted that the pace of play in the NHL is quite faster than the OHL.
Under those circumstances, it will be difficult for Luchanko to improve his shooting, passing and creativity with less time and space to make decisions on the ice. With that in mind, will the NHL be the right place for Luchanko to continue developing his offensive skills?
It’s possible the NHL’s pace of play forces the center to become even more hesitant to take offensive chances in the event he makes a mistake that ends up in the back of the net. In turn, that could be detrimental to the rookies confidence.
If Luchanko returns to the Guelph Storm the OHL environment is likely a much more conducive setting for a young player to continue to work on the offensive aspects of their game. Especially when the pace of play is slower, and defenders aren’t pressuring forwards quite as aggressively.
All of these factors need to be evaluated when deciding if Luchanko should stay with the Philadelphia Flyers for a full season or be sent back to Guelph after a nine game trial.
Subsequently, my thought process is that Jett Luchanko should play nine games with the Flyers and then be sent back to the Guelph Storm for the remainder of the season.
This is the best path for the young center’s development due to the fact that the nine game trial will provide a taste of the NHL level to the forward. He can take that experience and really understand what he needs to work on back in the OHL to ensure he is ready for the 2025-26 National Hockey League season.
Not to mention that, with a return to Guelph he’ll also be a major part of Canada’s World Junior team. Having the opportunity to play for Canada on such a large stage in a prominent offensive and defensive role can only benefit Luchanko moving forward.
Ultimately, the Philadelphia Flyers need to be careful with how they manage Luchanko. There’s been a variety of instances where young players were pushed into NHL roles far too quickly.
Typically this can stunt their development and ability to become impact players later on in their careers.
Although Luchanko’s speed, conditioning and maturity level appear to be NHL ready there’s other facets of his game that might not be. Playing in the NHL this season may hinder the center from improving those offensive aspects and could pigeonhole him into a more defensive, bottom of the lineup type role.
For a Flyers team that is not looking to contend this year, is it worth the risk of negatively impacting Jett Luchanko’s long term upside to have him play in the NHL during the 2024-25 season? Time will certainly tell.
