The Flyers will have some big decisions to make before Monday's deadline to reduce the roster to 23 players.
The Philadelphia Flyers ended their preseason with a bang, taking down the New York Islanders by a score of 5-2 Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center.
Now, the real fun begins.
The Flyers' season opener comes Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena, but before then, the club will need to finalize its 23-player roster.
Final rosters are due at 5 p.m. ET on Monday. In the mean time, the Flyers have some big decisions to make.
Among them will be their verdict on the two roster hopefuls who suited up for Thursday night's tilt against the Isles — Tyson Foerster and Emil Andrae.
Many have penciled Foerster in as a virtual roster lock after posting seven points during an eight-game stint with the Flyers last season. However, despite having a good camp, the 21-year-old was largely outshined by fellow winger Bobby Brink, who logged three points in his three preseason appearances.
Brink watched Thursday night's contest from afar after playing in each of the Flyers' last three games, but Foerster did get another crack at putting together another strong showing.
While Foerster didn't necessarily bring fans out of their seats like Brink did in his standout performances, he still punched in another strong outing to end his camp on a high note.
In 16:15 of ice time, Foerster tallied an assist and two shots on goal. He was also assessed a minor penalty for slashing Islanders defenseman Sebastian Aho early in the contest, but the Isles were unable to convert on the resulting power play.
No harm, no foul, right?
"I thought tonight was my best game so far," Foerster told the media after the game. "It's up to them, but we'll see what happens."
Andrae, who filled in for Rasmus Ristolainen in the lineup after initially being listed as a scratch, had a more uneven performance. Though the 21-year-old Swede showed encouraging flashes, he also committed some rookie mistakes on occasion, as has been the case for much of the preseason.
Early in the middle frame, Andrae blew a tire in the neutral zone, resulting in what appeared to be a dangerous rush for the Islanders. However, Nick Seeler took an intentional holding penalty to stymie the near-scoring chance.
Overall, Andrae finished the night with a pair of shots and a plus-1 rating in 17:05 of ice time. A decent performance for the young blueliner, but it's clear his game could use some polishing.
"You know what I really like about him? I thought he made a bunch of mistakes, but right after he makes a mistake, he makes a good play," head coach John Tortorella said of Andrae after the game.
"I don't think he's afraid of anything. I don't think he's afraid to make a mistake. I like a lot of things about him."
While the youngsters were busy proving they're ready for full-time roles in the NHL, the Flyers' veterans carried the squad offensively.
After an early goal by Islanders forward Karson Kuhlman, Nic Deslauriers scored a greasy goal off a behind-the-net feed from Garnet Hathaway to knot the game up. Just over a minute later, Noah Cates gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead after blocking a point shot that sparked a 2-on-1 rush with Travis Konecny.
Owen Tippett and Konecny added goals of their own in the middle frame, and Cam Atkinson potted his second marker in as many games to give the Flyers a 5-2 lead 7:41 into the third period.
After missing the entire 2022-23 season due to a neck injury, Atkinson sure looks like his old self again. And Sean Couturier, who also missed all of last season — and then some — registered an assist and led all Flyers forwards with 17:06.
Not a bad sign.
No one will be perceiving the Flyers as a legitimate playoff contender this season, but with the return of Couturier and Atkinson, paired with the injection of promising young talent, the club may not be as behind as many believe.
"My game I think still has some work to be done, but I think it's going in the right direction," Couturier told the media after the game. "It got better and better every game, so I just gotta keep building on it."