The Flyers introduced Monday that they’ve recalled defenseman Helge Grans from AHL Lehigh Valley beneath emergency situations. The 22-year-old will make his NHL debut Monday in opposition to the Avalanche, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia experiences.
Grans will enter the lineup for Emil Andrae, whom the group mentioned received’t play after sustaining a mid-body damage in opposition to the Sabres on Saturday. Philadelphia moved goaltender Samuel Ersson to injured reserve to open a spot on the energetic roster.
Grans arrived within the Flyers group final yr as a part of the three-team commerce with the Kings and Blue Jackets that despatched Ivan Provorov to Columbus. Drafted thirty fifth total by Los Angeles in 2020, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound righty already has a great deal of skilled expertise. He logged 69 video games of Swedish Hockey League expertise with Örebro HK earlier than coming to North America in 2021, and he’s since recorded 11 objectives, 33 assists, 44 factors, 58 PIMs, and a -4 score in 185 video games for the Kings’ and Flyers’ associates in Ontario and Lehigh Valley.
Whereas Grans as soon as projected as a strong puck-moving defender with good dimension, his level totals within the minors recommend he’ll be extra of a stay-at-home possibility if he manages to lock down an on a regular basis NHL position. He’s struggled to make a big influence on the scoresheet after a 24-point rookie season in 56 video games with Ontario in 2021-22, posting simply eight factors (1 G, 7 A) in 56 video games with Lehigh Valley final season.
Grans will debut on the correct aspect of a pairing with Yegor Zamula, head coach John Tortorella mentioned. Don’t count on them to log a ton of minutes, although, with Tortorella including he plans to “play the s— out of [Travis Sanheim] and [Rasmus Ristolainen]” because the Flyers look to win their fourth recreation in a row and push their document above .500 for the primary time since their first recreation of the season (through Kevin Kurz of The Athletic).
For Andrae, it’s a tricky break for the 22-year-old. He’s performed nicely in fringe top-four minutes with Jamie Drysdale and Cameron York hitting injured reserve in current weeks, posting three assists with a +1 score in 10 appearances whereas averaging 18:27 per recreation. The undersized 5-foot-9 blue-liner has gotten concerned bodily with 13 blocks and 15 hits, and his possession play has been fairly good. The Flyers have managed 51.2% of shot makes an attempt with Andrae on the ice at even power in comparison with 42.2% with out him.
Ersson, in the meantime, hits IR after re-aggravating a lower-body injury last week. He’s not anticipated again till Saturday’s recreation in opposition to the Blackhawks on the earliest, so Monday’s transfer is only for roster flexibility functions and doesn’t influence his timeline for a return.
