Jett Luchanko survives the last major round of cuts as Flyers trim roster to 23

And then there were 23.

Ahead of Monday’s leaguewide deadline, the Flyers trimmed their roster by 14 players on Friday. The biggest news is that 2024 first-rounder Jett Luchanko remains with the big club, at least for now.

The 18-year-old speedster turned heads over the past month during rookie camp and main training camp, and, barring further roster moves, he looks to have made the team for next Friday’s opener in Vancouver. The Flyers have some flexibility with Luchanko, as he is permitted to play nine NHL games before his contract triggers for this season. While Luchanko could stick in the NHL all season, the likeliest scenario would see the Flyers send the young centerman back to junior after his nine games to play the rest of the season for Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League.

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“I think he has a maturity about him. We know he’s 18, just turned it, but he carries himself in a different way,” coach John Tortorella said of Luchanko just hours before the cuts were announced. “A bright player, and a good 200-foot player, understands that already, you can see. … I think deserves where he’s at, especially at the position at center. The speed he brings you through the middle of the ice is pretty intriguing. Has a lot to work on, as an 18-year-old kid will have. Where it all falls, I don’t know, but I think he deserves to be with us right now.”

Captain Sean Couturier, who went directly to the NHL after being drafted in 2011, also has been impressed by Luchanko.

“I think he’s got a great attitude, great mindset. Seems like a mature kid,” Couturier told The Inquirer. “[He] goes along really well about his business. So, really, there’s not much to tell him, to be honest. The only advice I’ll probably tell him is to take it day by day and try to keep improving, try to try to get better every day, and go from there. I mean, you can’t think too far ahead or behind. It’s always a new day ahead of you. And that’s kind of the mindset I had anywhere when I was 18.”

Outside of Luchanko, who had been trending toward making the team, there weren’t too many other roster surprises. The Flyers elected to keep only seven defensemen for now, which means Emil Andrae, who had a strong camp punctuated by a goal and two assists against New Jersey on Thursday, was optioned to Lehigh Valley. Fellow roster hopefuls Olle Lycksell and Anthony Richard also were among the cuts. Both forwards will need to clear waivers Saturday before they can join the Phantoms. Lycksell, 25, has played 26 games for the Flyers over the past few seasons.

“He’s had a good camp. He’s had a really good camp,” Tortorella said of Lycksell before the cuts. “Each time he was called up last year, seemed to be more and more comfortable. Scores down there [in the AHL]. Can he score at this level? Does things down there. Can he do them at this level? I don’t know, but he just keeps banging away and another one in conversation.”

The 27-year-old Richard, who was signed to a two-way contract in the offseason, has appeared in 24 NHL games since making his debut in 2018-19. A roster longshot entering training camp, Richard’s impressive speed and scoring touch during preseason put him firmly in the mix until Friday’s cuts.

Forwards Rodrigo Ābols, Oskar Eklind, and Samu Tuomaala; defensemen Adam Ginning, Helge Grans, and Hunter McDonald; and goaltenders Alexei Kolosov and Cal Petersen were assigned to Lehigh Valley. Ginning and Grans failed to impress compared to Andrae in the competition for the eighth defenseman role, and Tuomaala never got a chance to push for the last forward spot after suffering an injury in the final rookie camp game. All eyes will be on Kolosov in Lehigh Valley after he made two preseason appearances following his initial refusal to report to training camp. Will he keep his head down and play for the Phantoms or push to return to the KHL?

Rounding out the cuts were prospects Oliver Bonk and Denver Barkey, who will report to the London Knights of the OHL. Barkey was recovering from mononucleosis for most of camp, while Bonk did some good things, including dishing out two assists Friday in the preseason finale. If things break right, Bonk could challenge to make the opening night roster next fall.

Injuries are bound to happen, and the bug has hit already for the Flyers.

Nick Seeler came out for a twirl Friday ahead of the Flyers practice and left so quickly that some of his teammates were still filtering onto the ice. He appeared to be limping as he made his way back to the locker room.

“It’s nothing real serious; it’s just day-to-day,” Tortorella said

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The rugged defenseman blocked a hard pass in Tuesday night’s preseason game against the Boston Bruins. He was hunched over as he made his way to the bench and not putting much weight on his right leg. Seeler made the block late in the second period and returned for one shift in the third.

Seeler practiced Wednesday but did not participate the last two days. He told reporters he was dealing with numbness in his leg from blocking the shot. Known as a puck-eating machine, Seeler had the fifth-most blocked shots in the NHL last season with 205.