Flyers claim center Lukáš Sedlák, a player familiar to John Tortorella, from the Avalanche

Sedlák, 29, was waived on Tuesday but previously played under Tortorella from 2016-19 with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Lukáš Sedlák, who began the season with the Avalanche, is well-versed in John Tortorella's demands as a coach from their time together in Columbus.Read moreDavid Becker / AP

Published Oct. 19, 2022, 7:05 p.m. ET

John Tortorella still isn’t sold on his fourth line, and on Wednesday, he and the organization looked for an external solution when they claimed center Lukáš Sedlák on waivers from the Colorado Avalanche.

The 29-year-old center may be a brand-new Flyer, but he comes to Philadelphia with a level of familiarity with the coaching staff. Sedlák previously spent three seasons under Tortorella with the Columbus Blue Jackets (2016-19).

“I know him really well,” Tortorella said. “He knows me. ... So, for me, knowing the guy and him, more importantly, him knowing me, and a little bit of [the] lay of the land, I think it’s good for us.”

The other two Flyers with previous Tortorella experience, Cam Atkinson and Artem Anisimov, are injured.

Sedlák is three games into his fourth NHL season. During his three seasons under Tortorella, he played 162 games, scoring 15 goals, recording 12 assists, and averaging just over nine minutes of ice time per night. He is not in the lineup for Wednesday’s game vs. the Florida Panthers.

Tortorella has been saying he wants his fourth line to have a strong identity, and Sedlák is well acquainted with Tortorella’s fourth-line philosophies. Sedlák played with former Flyer Scott Hartnell on the Blue Jackets’ fourth line in the 2016-17 season. The two of them, along with Sam Gagner, created a “fun” identity. Hartnell was the goal scorer, Gagner was the playmaker, and Sedlák backed them up with his sound defensive play.

“It was just fun because we knew we were only going to get 8 to 10 minutes,” Hartnell told The Inquirer. “For us, it was do or die for a couple of shifts.”

Sedlák also was a utility guy, something Tortorella said is imperative to this team. He has played center and wing and has contributed on the penalty kill as well. Tortorella said he will get the chance to kill penalties with this team.

Following the 2018-19 season, Sedlák’s final year with the Blue Jackets, he played in the KHL for three seasons. The Czech forward played 164 games and tallied 57 goals and 64 assists. He returned to the NHL this offseason when he signed with the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent. He played in all three of their games before being placed on waivers.

Tortorella hasn’t really seen Sedlák’s game since they parted ways and said he’s eager to watch him play and see if he still has “good legs” like he thinks he does.

The team is always checking out the waiver wire, and Tortorella said he knew general manager Chuck Fletcher had been interested in Sedlák even before Tortorella was hired. However, the uncertainty surrounding injured centers Sean Couturier and Patrick Brown as well as the young players fighting for a spot on the NHL roster worked in favor of the Flyers deciding to claim Sedlák.

With Sedlák joining the team, the Flyers loaned forward Olle Lycksell back to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Lycksell might not be the only one heading to Allentown in the coming days. Tanner Laczynski, who started as the fourth-line center and has since been moved to third-line wing and then fourth-line wing, hasn’t shown Tortorella he’s ready. With the addition of Sedlák, the Flyers can afford to send Laczynski and other young players to the AHL for further seasoning.

“Does it help us maybe having a young guy go play 20 minutes a game down in the American League and develop them that way?” Tortorella said. “That’s the biggest concern for me was some of these guys, like with Laz and a few other guys that I know we’re going to go through here, I’m not sure what’s best for them, here or getting a ton of minutes down in a great training ground in the American League.”

Sandström’s season debut

For the first time since he suffered an injury in the Flyers’ Oct. 1 preseason game against the Boston Bruins, Felix Sandström will be in goal for a game, as he will start Wednesday against the Panthers.

Sandström, 25, suited up for the Flyers for the first time Tuesday night, serving as Carter Hart’s backup. Sandström sat out the first two games because of his injury while fellow Swede Samuel Ersson backed Hart up. Ersson has since reported to the Phantoms.

Hart, the team’s starting goalie, played the first three games, but Tortorella has decided giving him a break is “the right thing to do.” Hart faced 38 shots (36 saves) Tuesday night, and there still are many more games ahead of him.

Although his camp was cut short, Sandström impressed Tortorella, so he will “get his chance” to show his new coach what he’s got in his first NHL game of the season. Sandström played five games for the Flyers last season and posted a .910 save percentage and 3.23 goals-against average.