Photo Credit: Zack Hill
The big man, 6’2, 205 pound, from Myrtle, MB, CAN, Wade Allison in just a short time unleashed some fury on his opponents, but just cannot stay healthy. He has endured an injury riddled career thus far at times, but when healthy he shows promise. He has faced adversity after adversity with injuries during the last three years of his collegiate hockey career, and that filtered in to his professional career at the AHL/NHl levels. Allison is physical, good along the boards, has an absolute blast, and creates a net front presence that the Flyers could use in the future. Could waiving him mean that Emil Andrae likely makes the team now?
Allison was being groomed as the 13th Forward if he indeed made the Flyers roster on opening night. He just seem to fell out of favor with Flyers Head Coach John Tortorella, but he was a very popular teammate with the lights of Joel Farabee and Tyson Foerster to name a few. Honestly, he has a high likelihood of being claimed, but if he is not he can see time with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to start the season.
With Allison on the Flyers roster, the orange and black more than likely were going to use at 13-7-3 system for opening night, 13 Forwards, 7 Defensemen, 3 Goalies. Now with Allison being waived, and possibly being sent to the Phantoms if he remains within the organization. This could mean that Emil Andrae now makes the team, using a 12 Forwards, 8 Defensemen, 3 Goalie system. It’s highly unlikely that this move is for Bobby Brink to make the team, as you wouldn’t want a young prospect being utilized as a 13th Forward to start the season. Could I be wrong, sure, but Tortorella really praised Andrae following the game yesterday. Tortorella said, “I thought he made a bunch of mistakes, but right after mistake he makes a good play,” Tortorella said of Andrae. “I don’t think he’s afraid of anything, I don’t think he’s afraid to make a mistake. I like a lot of things about him.”
The young 26-year-old in Allison just wanted to show people that the Flyers did not make a mistake by drafting him, and that he is healthy. If a person has seen Allison play in prior years, then he or she would notice his gifted hands. He can shoot and pass on top of being a physical guy. Allison enjoyed success for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and he really enjoyed the pressure of his first year as a professional, after recovering from ankle surgery that kept him out through Flyers camp, and the first part of the AHL season.
Then things began to unravel after he had injury after injury last season. He’s a power forward, and that is quite evident, but John Tortorella has tried changing his game to be more North, as opposed to East/West. Tortorella said last week that if Allison continued to go East/West, then he would “East/West out of the lineup.”
Allison was once seen as a fan favorite in his short stint with the orange and black. He is known for playing rock, scissors, paper with the young fans before the game, then he flips a puck to them. Kids alike, look up to him and maybe some have dealt with an injury or injuries and have become down on themselves. Well, Wade has a message to those that may be struggling with overcoming some type of adversity with an injury. I asked him a few years before a game if he had a message for those that look up to him, “Yea keep pushing, do today and do yourself tomorrow,” Wade said.
