Goalie Felix Sandstrom and defenseman Ronnie Attard are the latest players to move up from the Phantoms to the Flyers.

The Flyers have had to figure out what to do with several moving parts this past week. 

The blows came in quick succession—Travis Konecny and Jamie Drysdale were both ruled out with upper body injuries, with Konecny being ruled day-to-day and Drysdale being placed on the Injured Reserve (IR) with a week-to-week diagnosis. Cal Petersen, who was brought in to back up Sam Ersson when Ersson took over the No. 1 goaltending position, had a terrible game in the Flyers' 7-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was crucial that the Flyers think on their feet in order to steer their ship back on the right path. 

That's where the Lehigh Valley Phantoms came in clutch.

Quite a few players have moved up and down between the AHL and NHL levels, but there are several players that are "up" at the moment as the Flyers fill out their ranks with significant players out of contention with no specific timeline for when they might return. 

Olle Lycksell and Bobby Brink have been the ones jumping between teams the most, but they've proven in recent weeks that they have what it takes to perform on the top level. Lycksell was trusted with significantly more ice time against the Penguins, along with featuring on the power play unit. Brink, who was having immense offensive success with the Phantoms, scored on his first shift back for the Flyers against the Lightning on Feb. 27. It's still a tad too soon to make an informed judgement as to whether those two are ready to consistently contribute to this Flyers team, but they've gotten off to ideal starts. 

Then, there are the defensive reinforcements brought in the form of goaltender Felix Sandstrom and defenseman Ronnie Attard. Both players have had stints with the Flyers before, but have not seen NHL ice time this season. 

Speaking to bringing in Sandstrom to back up Ersson after placing Petersen on waivers, John Tortorella explained that the decision was made because he “just didn’t feel like Cal was good enough the last game. There hasn’t been a big discrepancy [in the Phantoms] with [Felix Sandstrom] and Cal. It’s not criticizing Cal. But we have probably four or five [games] left that I think we’ll use the backup. 

"[Sandstrom] deserves a chance too. I don’t think our team played great in Pittsburgh; I don’t think Cal played that well. So [Sandstrom] gets a chance now. Next time we want to use our backup, [Sandstorm] will get that game and we’ll make a call from there.”

As for the decision to bring in Attard, Tortorella said that he left it largely up to the Lehigh Valley coaches and front office when it became clear they would need a defenseman. 

“…I talked to Danny and said—because we have six [defensemen] now—we wanted to bring another one on the road, we wanted to bring an extra forward on the road," he said. "I haven’t talked to [Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere] about [Attard's] play, but I know he’s played better. I know it’s been a little bit of a rollercoaster down there. I left it up to the coaching staff down there and Danny and Jonesy to send to us who they thought was the best choice…I’m not sure if he’ll play, if he gets an opportunity. We’ll see, and we’ll go from there. I really don’t have a lot of information on him.”

Despite having to consider these strategic moves in their lineup, Tortorella reiterated the team's philosophy of focusing on the next game, and not worrying about anything further than that. 

“We’re playing important games," he said. "That puts the focus even more on just focusing [on the next game]. I think whatever happens from there, you have a better chance of getting on the right side of it if you think about the next game. Even so much more now, when you have 20-plus games left, just to think about one at a time.”

Related: Matvei Michkov Excitement Grows After Praise From Coach, Teammate

Related: Five Accused Members of 2018 Canadian World Junior Team Opt for Jury Trial

Related: Flyers Place Struggling Goalie on Waivers