Rasmus Ristolainen still some time away from being in the lineup,<\/a> the Flyers probably think they need a talented, offensive-minded defenseman who might be able to help drive play. Or at least keep the time in the defensive zone to a minimum.<\/p>\nAndrae should help the blue line, both through his puck moving and his decision-making skills. He\u2019s come a long way since taking an extremely heavy hit (charge?) from Mathieu Olivier last December during a game which caused him to miss some time. He realizes his size isn\u2019t something opponents find imposing, so it\u2019s crucial he either makes the quick outlet pass to his defensive partner, make a clearing pass to a forward in the neutral zone, or simply skate the puck up himself to get it out of danger. Regardless, it should be beneficial to have a defender who can skate and looks to have a toolbox that is far deeper than what Zamula and Juulsen are holding.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no word if Andrae will see action on Tuesday as the Flyers host the Pittsburgh Penguins, but it\u2019s sounding the alarm for both Zamula and Juulsen. Neither player has been great. At best they\u2019ve been average. <\/p>\n
With head coach Rick Tocchet already confirming the defensive pairs for this Battle of the Keystone State, it sure seems like Andrae won\u2019t be immediately walking into the Flyers\u2019 blue line. We\u2019ll have to see when we\u2019re closer to the 6:00 p.m. puck drop and see which players are on the ice for warmups, but the assumption is that he won\u2019t be taking part.<\/p>\n
But, there is another reason why Andrae has been recalled and it\u2019s basically just because they have room.<\/p>\n
Flyers have recalled Emil Andrae from AHL Lehigh Valley. Coach Rick Tocchet has talked about his preference for 2 extra defenseman on the roster, and with Jett Luchanko going back to junior that opens a spot for an 8th defenseman<\/p>\n
\u2014 Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) October 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\nMuch has been written and spoken about Tocchet\u2019s preference to carry eight defensemen on his roster \u2014 and then 13 forwards and the two netminders to round it out. He\u2019d rather have more personnel options on the blue line than up front. With the Flyers sending Jett Luchanko back to the OHL\u2019s Guelph Storm, a spot on the Flyers roster opened up and no other Phantoms blueliner makes sense to take that spot and make a difference.<\/p>\n
Maybe it\u2019s a good sign that the Flyers didn\u2019t just go ahead and bring up Dennis Gilbert if they wanted an extra body. Andrae should play wherever he is and considering the Phantoms play on Wednesday and through this upcoming weekend, it would be a disservice to take him away from that and just have him sit up in the press box.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the perfect chance for Andrae to take the ball and run with it. Hopefully he\u2019s given the chance to this week, and possibly tonight if a curveball is thrown. He deserves it for the work he\u2019s put in both with the big club in September and the Phantoms throughout the last half of October.<\/p>\n
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