Chuck Fletcher excited about Flyers’ youth movement; Cam Atkinson to miss season opener

When the Flyers take the ice to begin the 2022-2023 season, their bench won’t be full of fan favorites but rather lined with question marks.

With the team coming off back-to-back disappointing seasons, that’s how it has to be, general manager Chuck Fletcher said Wednesday while addressing the media at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees.

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“There’s no question this season, we’ve got to see who’s part of the solution going forward,” Fletcher said.

When the roster was finalized Tuesday morning, there were 12 players on the 23-man roster who are 25 years or younger. Joel Farabee, Carter Hart, Travis Konecny, and Ivan Provorov are already established NHL regulars, but the other eight are still largely unproven.

Obviously, there’s a lot to work on, Fletcher said, but there’s also a lot of upside to going young, including speed, depth, and energy. And, in Fletcher’s eyes, the team is led by the right person in John Tortorella to get the most out of its youth. One of the new coach’s strengths is developing young players, Fletcher said.

As players have been sent down to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Tortorella has emphasized that it’s not permanent. He said he sees the NHL and AHL rosters being “fluid” with lots of movement back and forth, helped further by Allentown’s relative proximity to Philadelphia. Some of the players who made the roster weren’t significantly better than the ones who were cut. And if they aren’t getting much ice time, they will be shuttled to Lehigh Valley.

The one youngster who has stood out above the rest is Noah Cates, and Fletcher said the organization is very excited about what the 23-year-old brings to the team. His work ethic and hockey sense are “off the charts,” the GM said, and they’re hoping it will rub off on the other players. Cates also provides flexibility in the lineup with his positional versatility.

Cates is starting out the season centering the third line between Farabee and Owen Tippett. The average age of that line is 22.66 years old

“It’s kind of an exciting line for our franchise,” Fletcher said.

When you add the second line (Wade Allison, Morgan Frost, and James van Riemsdyk) to that, the average age of the middle six is about 25, with only van Riemsdyk, 33, over the age of 25. Frost, Tippett, and Allison all have NHL experience, but they’re still a little insecure, Fletcher said. Now is their chance to grab that opportunity.

After adamantly saying that Cam Atkinson (upper-body injury) would be back for Thursday’s opener vs. the New Jersey Devils, Tortorella backed off his previous statement on Wednesday.

Atkinson was, in fact, back on the ice Wednesday after returning to Philadelphia from Columbus. However, he will not be back in the lineup on Thursday.

“He’s just not ready to return,” Tortorella said. “Day-to-day.”

Goalie Felix Sandström was also on the ice but isn’t quite ready to return, either. Fletcher confirmed Wednesday that Sandström has a groin injury. Samuel Ersson will be the backup to Hart for the opener.

Rasmus Ristolainen left practice early and did not return. Tortorella did not have an update on the defenseman.

Tortorella knows his top four defensemen, but as the season opens, the fifth through eighth are not set.

The Flyers have veterans Justin Braun and Nick Seeler as well as young players Ronnie Attard and Egor Zamula left to choose from for their third pair.

Braun, 35, adds experience and leadership as well as stability. He was the Flyers’ most consistent defenseman last season before being traded in March to the New York Rangers. Seeler also has experience, although he has had to fight harder for his spot. His work ethic secured it, and it rubs off on other players, which is one of Tortorella’s favorite things about him.

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Both Attard (6-foot-4, 221 pounds) and Zamula (6-3, 191) are big bodies. In addition to his positive attitude, Attard showed Tortorella passion when he took on New York Islanders heavyweight Ross Johnston in a fight on Oct. 4. Zamula, meanwhile, sees the ice really well, and Fletcher said he has a good chance to start the season with the NHL team.

“It depends on their play,” Tortorella said. “I’m certainly ready to do that [rotation]. ... But I want it to play out.”