Flyers weighing the value of NHL experience vs. a Phantoms playoff run for prospects

With Wade Allison healthy again, the Flyers have a dilemma — burn one of their four remaining call-ups and keep Tyson Foerster or send him back to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to help with their playoff push?

After the trade deadline, teams are limited to just four AHL call-ups for the remainder of the season. The Flyers are out of the playoff race, but they’re trying to figure out what they have in their youth. This makes navigating the call-up rules tricky.

» READ MORE: Flyers prospect Ronnie Attard playing his ‘best hockey’ as the Phantoms push for the playoffs

But is it better for those young players to test themselves against NHL competition or experience the pressure of an AHL playoff push?

On one hand, coach John Tortorella thinks NHL competition reveals a lot about a player.

“I think players sometimes may not perform as well there [in the AHL] as they would in the National Hockey League,” Tortorella said. “Especially for defensemen. I think [for] defensemen, positioning from your other teammates, just your concept as far as guys being in position ... is so important to make it an easier job for them.”

But the Phantoms can give youth an experience the Flyers can’t. Six teams from the Phantoms’ division make the playoffs, and, with 12 games remaining, they are in fifth place. They’re six points ahead of the sixth-place team (Bridgeport) and seven points ahead of the first team out (Hartford). But their spot isn’t solidified yet, Phantoms coach Ian Laperrière said.

“Every game means so much every night because teams are winning behind us,” Laperrière said. “Teams are winning in front of us. We’re chasing Charlotte; we’re chasing Springfield. You do have a battle at this time of the year.”

It’s the first time they’ve been involved in a playoff push since 2018, and it’s the first time second-year coach Laperrière has led them through it. Meanwhile, the Flyers aren’t close to playoff contention, and they weren’t last year, either. For many young players, this is the first chance at playoff experience in their professional careers. And that experience is something you can’t teach, Laperrière said.

In the long run, it’s something that will help the organization, Laperrière said. The Flyers want to be in the playoff race, too, and when they finally get there, they’ll have players who know what to expect when it comes to the pressure. It also gives them confidence in themselves, which is needed to build their games.

“In the three-in-three that we just played, to have six points, you think my kids don’t feel great right now?” Laperrière said. “They feel invincible. ... Right now, the ups and downs that they’re living. It’s cash. There’s nothing like it.”

As much as Tortorella wants to evaluate the youth for himself, he agrees with Laperrière about the long-term impact of playoff experience.

“I coached in the [American Hockey] League for a couple years,” Tortorella said. “I watched players go through a playoff run, and then it just catapults them to the National Hockey League.”

With numerous injuries, and thanks to the emergency call-up rule, the Flyers haven’t had to worry about burning call-ups in the last two weeks. The only thing they’ve had to balance is working around the Flyers and Phantoms’ schedules. The Flyers need 12 forwards, but if they can send back players like Elliot Desnoyers and Foerster to help the Phantoms on days the Flyers don’t play, they have.

The Flyers won’t burn a call-up for Foerster until they officially activate Allison. But once they do activate Allison, they will have to send Foerster back to the Phantoms or use their first of four call-ups. After that, they’ll have to be selective. There are multiple players they want to see with the Flyers and who they feel deserve the chance. Players like Foerster, Desnoyers, Bobby Brink, Olle Lycksell, Egor Zamula, and Ronnie Attard would all likely be in contention for call-ups before the end of the season. Tortorella said it’s a constant conversation with interim general manager Danny Brière.

After Sunday, the Phantoms have a five-day break between games while the Flyers have two games. Tortorella has a feeling they’ll be down to three call-ups soon.

“If Alli plays tomorrow, we’ll end up using a recall on Tyson,” Tortorella said. “So we’re trying to navigate both situations. I’ve said right along, it’s very important that Lehigh, they get a good run in the playoffs. Hopefully, they get in and we keep an eye on that. So we’re just trying to play against the schedules for both teams.”

Flyers prospect Emil Andrae has arrived stateside and will join the Phantoms for the remainder of their AHL season on a tryout basis, the Phantoms announced Thursday.

The Swedish defenseman, who was drafted in the second round of the 2020 draft (No. 54 overall) by the Flyers, just completed his first full season in the Swedish Hockey League with HV71. In 51 games, the 21-year-old Andrae scored six goals and tallied 26 points.

Andrae is a talented puck-moving defenseman, who sees the ice well, possesses a big shot on the power play, and has high hockey IQ. While undersized at 5-foot-9 and 176 pounds, Andrae makes up for it with an aggressive edge. He has represented Sweden in two World Junior Championships, captaining the Swedes to a bronze medal in 2022.

Last year, FloHockey’s Chris Peters, who specializes in evaluating prospects, raved about Andrae’s “ferocity” to The Inquirer and compared him to St. Louis Blues defenseman Torey Krug.

The Flyers will evaluate Andrae over the next few weeks as he adjusts to the North American game, but all signs point to him signing his entry-level contract before next season.

The Flyers host the Buffalo Sabres at 7 p.m. Friday. ... Allison was a full participant in practice, as was goalie Carter Hart, who sat out Tuesday’s game with an illness. Sean Couturier participated in a noncontact jersey, while Travis Konecny only participated in the rehab skate. ... Tortorella said he didn’t watch Couturier. The medical personnel watches him, and they’ll tell him once Couturier looks ready.