Flyers announce their 23-man roster for the start of the season

After submitting their 20-man roster to the league by Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline, the Flyers made additional transactions on Tuesday morning to assemble their roster heading into Thursday’s season opener against the New Jersey Devils. Still, a few questions remain about how the team will line up come Thursday night.

The Flyers listed 13 forwards (Wade Allison, Cam Atkinson, Noah Cates, Nic Deslauriers, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Kevin Hayes, Hayden Hodgson, Travis Konecny, Tanner Laczynski, Scott Laughton, Owen Tippett, and James van Riemsdyk), eight defensemen (Ronnie Attard, Justin Braun, Tony DeAngelo, Ivan Provorov, Rasmus Ristolainen, Travis Sanheim, Nick Seeler, and Egor Zamula), and two goalies (Samuel Ersson and Carter Hart) on Tuesday’s 23-man roster.

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Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher sent Allison, Laczynski, and Zamula to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Monday in a paper transaction for salary-cap purposes and recalled them Tuesday after placing defenseman Ryan Ellis (pelvic injury) on long-term injured reserve. But coach John Tortorella still must decide which combination of 18 skaters (presumably 12 forwards and six defensemen) will suit up against the Devils.

Atkinson has been listed as day-to-day since Sept. 25 with an upper-body injury and has not practiced in full with the team since then. However, Tortorella reiterated on Monday that he is “optimistic” Atkinson will be ready to play on Thursday. One of the 12 other forwards likely will have to come out of the lineup to make room for Atkinson if he does return.

Tortorella also must determine which Flyers defensemen will take the ice Thursday night. In Monday’s practice, Attard and Zamula formed the extra defensive pairing, while Braun and Seeler comprised the third pairing.

Fletcher also listed center Sean Couturier (back) on injured reserve and forwards Bobby Brink (hip) and Patrick Brown (back) and goaltender Felix Sandström (lower body) on the injured non-roster list.

Couturier, who missed the final 53 games last season after undergoing back surgery, has been skating since last Thursday and is gradually ramping up the intensity of his on-ice sessions. Fletcher disclosed Couturier’s reinjury on Sept. 22, then later said that he is “week-to-week” and that he would not require surgery.

Although Sandström is listed with an injury designation, he practiced with the Flyers on Sunday and Monday after getting hurt on Oct. 1 in a preseason game against the Boston Bruins. Sandström looked like the early favorite in training camp to back up Hart, but, for now, Ersson appears to be the next in line for Thursday. The Flyers will opt to send Sandström or Ersson to the Phantoms once Sandström is healthy enough to play.

Regardless of who makes the lineup for opening night, the Flyers will play plenty of kids throughout the season. On the initial 23-man roster, the Flyers list 12 players ages 25 and under — Zamula, 22, Farabee, 22, Ersson, 22, Tippett, 23, Frost, 23, Cates, 23, Attard, 23, Hart, 24, Allison, 24, Laczynski, 25, Konecny, 25, and Provorov, 25. This doesn’t include Sandström, 25, and players currently with the Phantoms, including defenseman Cam York, 21, and forwards Brink, 21, and Jackson Cates, 25, who likely will see time at the NHL level this season.

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Not only are the Flyers young, but they’re also mostly inexperienced at the NHL level. Of the 23 players listed, five of them spent the bulk of last year with the Phantoms, including Ersson, Zamula, Allison, Hodgson, and Laczynski. Meanwhile, Cates and Attard spent most of last season in college before joining the Flyers.

Both Allison and Laczynski have dealt with various long-term injuries since the start of their pro careers but now have made the Flyers’ opening-night roster for the first time.