Photo Credit: Our very own Michael Reaves
A young 22-year-old Flyers prospect Emil Andrae was the Captain of Team Sweden for a reason at the WJC in 2022. Andrae is a 200 foot player, that is as fast as they come, plus he has a blistering shot. He can play in any situation the coaching staff asks of him, and that became evident when he made the Flyers roster on opening night. Andrae has shown flashes of being a very good defenseman in the future, and he proved that time and time again.
Andrae needs a bit more seasoning and growth, true, but he is proving that he is a viable option as a top four pairing defenseman. He’s only 22-years-old, look at all he has accomplished thus far in his short professional career. Andrae has been a “Healthy Scratch” for Egor Zamula the past few games, and it looks like he will miss his third straight game. Here were the lines and pairings for a second straight day, per Jordan Hall from NBC sports Philly:
So this bears a question. Could Andrae be nursing an injury?
He has to be, there is no way that Flyers’ Head Coach John Tortorella would scratch Andrae for three straight games, with Andrae not being a bit banged up. If some can recall, Andrea took a nasty hit from Mathieu Olivier last week when the Flyers played the Columbus Blue Jackets. That would be the last game Andrae played in. Tortorella continues to say he’s a “Healthy Scratch”, but Tortorella has spoken so highly of Andrae, it leaves me little doubt that he’s out due to being banged up a bit.
A one or two game benching, sure, but not three, especially with how well Andrae has played for the most part. Tortorella was raving about him a few weeks ago.
Andrae plays a bit physical, believe it or not even with his size. He logs minutes, and can be trusted in all facets of the game. After making the roster on opening night, he appear to be timid at times, or rushed to make a play at times. This is all evident that he is a young defenseman that will have some growing pains. However, this is to be expected from a young defenseman, and it shows growth in his game to make mistakes and bounce back from them. John Tortorella has said on multiple occasions that he makes mistakes, but he doesn’t get scared to make the right play shortly thereafter. There’s a lot of potential with Andrae.
He only stands at 5’9 and only weighs 176 pounds, but he is still a talented left-handed shot defenseman that is not afraid to get physical. Andrae suckered punched a Bruin on Tuesday night, showing that he is not afraid to get feisty. “Such a smart player, I’m really excited to see him with some NHL players,” Brent Flahr said of Andrae following the completion of Developmental Camp. “To me he’s pretty close. If it was my choice he would be here.”
“I just don’t think Emil has played well for a little while. He has struggled with the puck. Have to be careful we don’t hurt his development,” Flyers’ Head Coach John Tortorella said before the game last Thursday night. Defensively, the Flyers could have used Andrae against the Minnesota Wild, especially the third period, when plays started to break down.
This is a weird benching, which leads me to believe he’s nursing some sort of an injury.
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