Former teammates Emil Andrae and Helge Grans are reunited on first day of Flyers development camp

Hidden behind the frosted glass of the Flyers Training Center, the participants of the team’s development camp skated and skated and skated. Welcome to year two of development camps in the coach John Tortorella era.

Two former teammates reunited at the camp two years after they played together in Sweden. Emil Andrae, the Flyers’ 2020 second-round draft pick, skated in the second group following Helge Grans, the Los Angeles Kings’ 2020 second-round draft pick.

The Kings picked Grans 19 spots ahead of Andrae, but Grans’ path veered from the Kings’. He found out while “watching tennis on a Tuesday” that he was heading to the Flyers after being a part of the three-way Ivan Provorov trade. The news was met with mixed emotions. He was sad to leave behind the organization that drafted and developed him while also happy for a fresh start — and to be joining his old friend.

The two Swedish defensemen have been pitted against each other many times growing up. But they also represented their country together, at times playing on the same pair, on Sweden’s U17, U18, and U20 teams in the World Junior Championships.

“I was pretty happy and I reached out to him,” Andrae said. “Of course being traded, it’s always complicated, but I think I’m just trying to help him as much as I can and hopefully, he can help me too.”

» READ MORE: Flyers announce full development camp schedule and roster

Andrae described Grans as a two-way defenseman who is especially good when he moves into the offensive zone. He also said Grans is a calm, happy guy around the locker room.

The defensive side of Grans’ game was more on display the first day of training camp, which consisted mostly of skating drills and one-on-one and two-on-one battle drills. His reach and his stick helped him kill a number of plays, but his positioning was also good enough that he was able to shut someone down after losing his stick.

Grans is looking for a comeback season after a down year in the AHL. He had burst onto the scene in his first year after being drafted but faltered in his second year. Meanwhile, Andrae just had his first taste of the AHL when he played the final 10 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. It took him five or so games to find his stride, but he said it was nice to get a feel for the North American game.

Both are hoping to contest for spots on the Flyers, who have a weak defensive corps. If not, Grans could benefit from some more time developing in the AHL. But Andrae’s fate if he doesn’t make the opening night roster is much less clear. There’s a complication that means it’s uncertain whether he returns to the Swedish Hockey League or can play for the Phantoms.

“It’s a little bit complicated because there’s like a return policy and stuff like that,” Andrae said. “But me and my agents and the Flyers staff are working on that, and we’re having a discussion, so we’ll see what happens.”

Talk of trading Tony DeAngelo came to a halt when word came out that a team cannot reacquire a player whom they have retained salary from for a minimum of one year after the date of the transaction.

The rumors about a trade between the Flyers and the Hurricanes came out the week of the draft at the end of June. But the Flyers acquired DeAngelo on July 8, 2022. The one-year anniversary of the trade is Saturday.

The Flyers might want to celebrate by trading him back, but it’s far from a done deal. Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell confirmed Saturday to The Hockey News that they have a “deal in principle” with the Flyers. But free agency changed things.

The Hurricanes acquired defenseman Dmitry Orlov, one of the biggest names in free agency, and signed him to a two-year, $15.5 million contract. They also signed left wing Michael Bunting to a three-year, $13.5 million contract. Orlov filled a defensive position DeAngelo would compete for, and both Orlov and Bunting filled up cap space needed to pay DeAngelo’s remaining $5 million on his two-year, $10 million deal with the Flyers.

“As you add good pieces, you always ask how are you going to make it fit?” Waddell told The Hockey News. “We’ve got a lot going on this year with contracts and other things. Also potential other opportunities maybe for a trade still. Also potential other opportunities maybe for a trade still.”

Waddell didn’t completely rule out the possibility, though.

“The good thing is that it’s July 1. We’ve got some time to figure this out. Again, when you get presented with good players, it’s something I feel you have to do.”

» READ MORE: Which players could the Flyers trade? Here are some possibilities.