If some NHL team out there during a season didn’t have to do any roster management and their front office basically just kicked back and put their feet up as all 23 players on their roster remained healthy and were good enough to never be questioned, that would be pretty cool. Unfortunately, players get hurt and players also suck so bad that they need to be replaced.
For the Philadelphia Flyers, some of their success last year can be attributed to staying relatively healthy. Tyson Foerster was a massive loss but it was a small group of him, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Rodrigo Abols who were roster regulars who missed a substantial amount of time. It could have certainly been worse.
And just in case it does get worse for next season (please, no), some depth players are going to need to step up and make some statements for the team to not fall off a cliff or just take that unfortunate step back. They could be called upon to bring up some talent from the AHL and put them in a situation that might be more than they’re ready for, but will need to take on purely out of necessity.
So, who could those players be? We came up with four players who could be the first call-ups this season for the Flyers.
Oliver Bonk, RD
First, it’s the obvious choice. Oliver Bonk is going to be in a fairly contentious roster battle for a spot on the Flyers’ blue line at training camp and might just be the victim of circumstance. Just because David Jiricek is not exempt from waivers, he has a massive upper hand and the 21-year-old could be sent down even after having a better training camp.
The Flyers clearly think highly of Bonk and it would not be shocking if someone like Ristolainen or Drysdale were to go down with injury — or Jiricek spends the first 15 or 20 games doing his best 2021-22 Keith Yandle impression — that Bonk would be the very first thought in Briere’s mind. Not the veteran presence of Cam Dineen, who was signed this summer, or anyone else. Bonk could very well be the first defenseman called up.
Of course, it depends on who gets hurt. Even though we mentioned Ristolainen just because of the handedness, would the Flyers want to throw in Bonk and have him be the more physical presence in the top four? He certainly has the size to handle himself, but would that be the ideal thing they want to do? The former first-round pick projects to be Ristolainen’s long-term replacement and he will be able to perform better than the Finnish blueliner can in other areas, but would the Flyers be worried so much about this that they decide to bring up someone who is purely physical like Hunter McDonald?
It’s difficult to see since that would then force someone like Nick Seeler into the top four and to have a bottom pairing of McDonald-Jiricek which could be its own disaster. Either way, Bonk just feels like such a likely candidate to get the first call on the blue line.
Jacob Gaucher, C
The 25-year-old center Jacob Gaucher could very well be the forward that the Flyers turn to if they ever need some sort of replacement. If Carl Grundstrom is not with the team and down with the Phantoms, then he could very well be, but that is still an uncertainty. Briere looped him in with the several depth signings that they made this summer, clearly sending a message he won’t be an NHL regular, so if some winger goes down then Grundstrom could very well be the first call.
But maybe instead of trusting Denver Barkey with full-time center role if someone like Christian Dvorak or Noah Cates (or god forbid Trevor Zegras) were to get hurt, they would opt for Gaucher to be the fourth-line center and move Sean Couturier up the lineup. It’s not impossible and would probably keep everyone in line a little bit more — to not touch the top six and whatever lines Rick Tocchet has going up there, and then just go like-for-like with the bottom-six centers.
It’s not exciting at all, as Gaucher probably doesn’t have a long future with the Flyers as a real piece other than a depth center, but he is certainly a top option to make the trip to Philadelphia.
Unless it’s later in the season and Jett Luchanko is performing above expectations after a few months, or 22-year-old Cole Knuble is clearly showing that his first year of pro hockey is going extremely well, Gaucher is the option.
Ty Murchison, LD
If the Flyers are a little cautious about bringing Bonk up to the big leagues, if it’s in a situation where he would be here for just a week or so before heading back to Allentown, then maybe Ty Murchison is the option here. He’s already had a bit of a cup of coffee and if he has a good training camp, the 23-year-old defenseman could find himself up for a stretch of games if they need him.
With him being older than Bonk and less of a top prospect, the Flyers might view Murchison taking a role on the Flyers’ blue line as less of a risk to mess him up. They’ve already done it before, so he’s certainly an option. And maybe with a strong camp he could rise up the depth chart above the other, similarly leveled young defensemen in Lehigh Valley.
Zach Aston-Reese, LW/C
Okay now we’re really reaching the point in the list where it really would be a more utilitarian recall than anything. No purpose or higher meaning to bring in a talent that might show something more. Briere would be wanting a nameless and faceless hockey player to just fill a role and not be so awful at his job.
Whether this is Grundstrom, or the newly signed Zach Aston-Reese, the Flyers could just need someone to fill this role as a forward who would basically just be a plug-and-play skater that has been in the NHL before and isn’t going to get scared of the bright lights. Maybe Jack Studnicka is an option here too. Nolan Foote, perhaps. Just anyone to play several minutes and call it a day.
It’s not exciting. It won’t be Devin Kaplan who we could squint and maybe see a future fourth-liner if he develops further. Noah Powell and Alex Ciernik will need to show a lot more to be considered. And we’ve already gone over why they might want to keep Luchanko down there. It would be a situation where the Flyers just need someone to not mess up.