A roster "puzzle" unfolds as the Philadelphia Flyers prioritize center depth, sending Emil Andrae back to the AHL temporarily.
The Philadelphia Flyers oddly sent defenseman Emil Andrae back to the AHL once again, but as it turns out, Rick Tocchet willingly offered a clear explanation for the move.
The Flyers, according to Tocchet, simply wanted a right-shot center in Jacob Gaucher given the dubious status of injured captain Sean Couturier.
"Emil got sent down, not because of his play. Just a roster situation, a puzzle. We needed a centerman up here because [Couturier] was a touch-and-go. Still a game-time decision," Tocchet explained during his pre-game media availability.
"We wanted a right-handed shot centerman, which is [Gaucher]. I've heard he's played pretty good down there. It's just a roster thing. Emil could be getting called up in a day or something, but he's been playing well. That's kind of the thinking from our side."
The timing for the Flyers needing (or wanting) a right-shot center is a bit unfortunate, as the club had just sent top prospect Jett Luchanko back to his junior team, the OHL Guelph Storm, earlier in the week.
If Couturier was going to miss Saturday night's game against the Maple Leafs, it would have represented a prime opportunity for Luchanko to dip his toe into some top-six minutes at the NHL level against a strong team.
The other "key" to the puzzle is that defensemen Egor Zamula, Adam Ginning, and Noah Juulsen have to pass through waivers to go to the AHL.
For Andrae and the latter three, the new CBA requires players sent down to the AHL to play in at least one game before returning to the NHL in an effort to combat salary cap shenanigans and paper transaction loopholes.
And, for example, a team like the Metropolitan Division rival New Jersey Devils, who are expected to be without defenseman Brett Pesce for several weeks, could have found some use for the penalty kill maven Juulsen for a short period of time.
So, while the Flyers are still clearly better with Andrae in their lineup, making this move to protect against injuries for a game or two won't hurt anyone.