Injury Updates
Nick Seeler Injury Status and Update Ahead of Flyers vs. Capitals
Philadelphia Flyers GM Danny Briere announced on Monday morning that prospect defenseman Emil Andrae was re-assigned to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms, indicating that veteran rearguard Nick Seeler is closing in on a return to the lineup at long last.
Seeler, 31, has been dealing with leg numbness since taking a puck to the knee in an Oct. 1 preseason game against the Boston Bruins.
It is worth noting that Briere and the Flyers have not yet activated Seeler from injured reserve, though the Eden Prairie, Mn., native is trending towards seeing his first game action of the 2024-25 regular season this week.
The Flyers will play six more games before the end of the month, including two back-to-back sets this week, so it is likely that Seeler returns by Saturday.
John Tortorella, however, would not make any promises in regards to Seeler’s availability.
“I’m not sure what the lineup is going to be tomorrow,” Tortorella stated in earnest. “I really don’t know.
“I still got to check on guys that are banged up. We still got some nicks. They got through the practice.”
*Note: Seeler revealed after Monday’s practice that he would make his season debut on Tuesday. As of Oct. 22, he is still on injured reserve.
With the exception of Wednesday’s away matchup with the Washington Capitals, the Flyers will be at home all week. Veteran defenseman Erik Johnson remains on standby in case he is needed, though Seeler practiced in a regular practice jersey and in his usual place on the second defense pairing alongside Jamie Drysdale on Monday.
Why Flyers sent Emil Andrae down
Although Emil Andrae was on the Flyers’ roster since Nick Seeler was placed on injured reserve, head coach John Tortorella did not give the 22-year-old an opportunity to play in any of the games.
Instead, Andrae was effectively an insurance option in the event another defenseman suffered an injury.
Because the young Swede has only played one full season in North America since he was drafted in 2020, the Flyers would prefer that Andrae plays a substantial amount of minutes in the AHL with the Phantoms as often as possible.
Although he did not play, Andrae’s call-up was effectively a reward for his hard work and for being the best defenseman among his AHL peers during training camp and the preseason.
The former second-round pick missed the Phantoms’ first three games of the AHL regular season while he was with the Flyers, but Lehigh Valley does not play again until Oct. 24. The Flyers play on Oct. 22 and Oct. 23, so Andrae is still on standby while the Flyers consider a final decision on Seeler’s injury status.
And, since three of the Flyers’ next four games are at home, Andrae is only a few hours away from joining the team if called upon.
That travel situation is much more favorable than the one at the start of the season, where Andrae had to join the Flyers in Calgary after it was revealed that Seeler would not be healthy enough to play on the season-opening four-game road trip.
The Flyers are preparing as if Seeler will play against the Capitals this week while Andrae gets himself situated back in Lehigh Valley, where he will play for the foreseeable future. Of course, things can change rapidly in the NHL.
Drysdale with a -7, Zamula with a -5 and Risto with a -3 all need to pick up their game in the defensive zone. Perhaps having Seeler back there with Drysdale will help his cause.
It is good that the steady Seeler will be returning to the lineup. However, this shows that one of our most-needed defensemen is 31 years old. Meanwhile, touted prospect Emil Andrae, drafted four years ago now, still cannot break into the regular rotation. He is starting to look like numerous other recent defense prospects the organization talked up that did not pan out: Sam Morin, Philippe Myers, Robert Hagg.
And yet, Andrae hasn’t been given a real chance with the big club. They’d rather play Johnson. I don’t call that a rebuilding.
Sam Morin with multiple knee surgeries was not going to be the guy…..Hagg did move on and played as a third pairing guy with Buffalo, Florida, Detroit and now Anaheim so he is hanging around…..Myers just did not cut it as a Pred…..Prov is starting in Columbus with Werenski and Severson…..Ghost for all his defensive liabilities is still a PP specialist with the Canes now…and Sanheim…is what he is here. Ginning may still come around, Ronnie Attard getting late early for him now.
“From last March, the Flyers have gone 5-8-3 and surrendered 4.07 goals per game and 13 power play goals in those 16 games without Seeler in the lineup” He is a force of stability back there and will help Drysdale in the defensive zone.