Flyers hope Cam York’s return from injury can further bolster a growing defensive group

Step by step, the Flyers are getting healthy.

Defenseman Cam York will be the latest to return to the lineup, as he will slot back in on Tuesday against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m., NBCSP). York last played Oct. 8 against the Ottawa Senators and has missed eight games with an upper-body injury.

The Californian struggled mightily to start the season, suggesting the injury may have lingered for a while. According to Natural Stat Trick, in the five games York played, he had the worst Corsi for percentage among the regulars at five-on-five and was on the ice for seven goals against.

“Rather [have] him play out of it, being healthy, to be honest with you,” coach Rick Tocchet said of the early struggles. “It wasn’t just him, it was a few guys that, I think, you want to play to get out of the struggles instead of being injured and stewing about it. So, listen, hopefully, he took the break, obviously, to get healthy, but also to analyze the game.”

So what is the message to York in his first game back? “I would say stay consistent,” Tocchet said. “I think that’s the hardest thing is when you come back, the game might be a little faster at the start, but I think if you stay consistent, and I know we use the word a lot, simplify, I think it gets you in the game quicker.”

With York returning, where does he slot in? Fellow blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen was officially placed on injured reserve on Tuesday, retroactive to Oct. 24, and is out for two weeks. He came back for one game on Saturday, and although Tocchet suggested his return would help limit 21-year-old blueliner Oliver Bonk’s minutes so he was not playing 20 a night, the rookie mostly remained on the top pair with Travis Sanheim.

Ristolainen played on the third pairing, which is potentially where York could find himself on Tuesday. At morning skate, Tocchet suggested not tweaking the top four of Bonk and Sanheim and Nick Seeler and Jamie Drysdale.

York typically skates with Drysdale, but if he is on the bottom pair, he’ll play with rookie blueliner Hunter McDonald, who Tocchet said has done “a pretty good job” and has shown that “it’s hard to take him out.”

» READ MORE: Hunter McDonald has made his presence felt with some booming hits. Next up, fighting lessons from Rick Tocchet.

Breaking camp as an NHLer for the first time this season, things looked up for Alex Bump. But after three games of getting shuffled around in the lineup and another in the press box as a scratch, he found himself back in Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League.

Bump did not pout or complain. Instead, he went to work and notched seven goals and eight points in five games and was named the AHL’s player of the week on Oct. 18.

“I think that’s really important,” Bump said on Tuesday about going down with a good frame of mind. “I think if you go down there being disappointed about it or mad about it, you’re going to get the wrong results. So I think just going into it with the right mindset is really important because the mental game is the biggest battle, I think.”

Bump was recalled on Oct. 19 and has played in three games, starting on a kid line with Cole Knuble and Denver Barkey before lining up the last two games with veterans Sean Couturier and Tyson Foerster.

According to Natural Stat Trick, the line has played almost 19 minutes together at five-on-five, and while they’ve allowed more shot attempts (14-17) and scoring chances (6-12), they have had twice as many high-danger chances and have not allowed a goal.

“They’re both two great players. Obviously Foery can score, I have a little scoring touch as well, and Coots has been around a long time; he’s a great player,” Bump said. “Just trying to learn from both of them ... from Coots especially. But yeah, we’re finding that chemistry; I think that’s what matters most is kind of just finding that chemistry with a line and just you just take off with it.”

For Bump individually, his game is an offensive one. Against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, he led all Flyers forwards with five individual shot attempts and tied Jacob Gaucher for the most high-danger chances created (two) despite playing under 12 minutes at five-on-five.

Across his six games, the Minnesotan has yet to be on the ice for a five-on-five goal against and is one of just three Flyers who have played in at least six games without a negative plus-minus; Nick Seeler is plus-1, and Denver Barkey is even. He is tied for the fourth-most individual high-danger chances created (six) and has the third-best high-danger chances for percentage (46.43%) among players who have skated in at least six games.

Part of his uptick in his all-around game is the rise in his puck possession and wall play. With a total of 23 games, including 17 from last season, and six playoff games, the rookie is feeling more and more comfortable at the NHL level.

“That’s just getting more reps, I think, is what’s helping, but that’s one of my better things in my game is puck possession and holding onto the puck,” said Bump, who is also getting power-play time on the second unit. “So just I need to find that more and more throughout, and I’m getting there, but I think I still have more to give.”

It’s been a weird few months for Emil Andrae.

First, the defenseman was a bit surprised when he got traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in June, in a deal that saw Simon Benoit and Joseph Woll come to Philly. But he was even more shocked when he was part of a six-player swap headlined by Kirill Marchenko and Matthew Knies that saw him go to the Columbus Blue Jackets right before the season started.

» READ MORE: Flyers mailbag: What’s next for Oliver Bonk, and is Danny Brière poised to make a big trade?

“I was there for two exhibition games and three good weeks with that group ... and to be a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs, just a lot of fun and I was excited to be there,” Andrae told The Inquirer on Tuesday.

“And then the trade happened, and once I found out it was Columbus, I was pretty happy. I thought it was a good chance for me to come to a team where they needed some D-men.”

Andrae has played in five of the Blue Jackets’ first nine games, registering two assists and a plus-3 rating while averaging more than 10 minutes a night.

Although he will not play on Tuesday against the Flyers, Andrae noted it was a little weird being back at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Selected in the second round of the 2020 NHL draft by Philly, Andrae first came to North America at the end of the 2022-23 season.

The Swede made his NHL debut in October of 2023, spending the next three seasons splitting time between the Phantoms and the Flyers. At 5-foot-9, he struggled to find a solid footing in Philly despite showing he is a mobile, puck-moving defenseman with aggresiveness and offensive upside.

“I’m still a pretty small guy. Some coaches think it’s important. Obviously, I think it’s more important to know what you do with the puck and being in the right spot at the right time, and use your ... your hockey mind. I think that’s the most important thing you have on the ice,” Andrae said.

“I feel like I provided a lot of good hockey. Obviously, you have ups and downs through the whole year, and you can’t always be at your A game. But I think my B game was good enough to solidify myself in this league, and I know I’m good enough to play here. And coming to Columbus, we had a lot of injuries, and now there’s guys coming back too, and I feel like all these five games I played pretty solid.”

Last season, Andrae was sent down before the team broke camp but was quickly recalled and made his debut Oct. 13. He never went back.

“Probably last year,” he said when asked about his favorite memory in Philly. “My goal was to be up all year, and that’s what I pretty much did, and I brought a lot to that team, and I think I had a lot of fun last year. Being last in the league and having that 3.8%, making the playoffs, and then getting into the playoffs and being a part of that team was strong, and being a part of that journey was a lot of fun.”

Now he has to rebuild trust with a new coaching staff, led by long-time NHL bench boss Rick Bowness.

“Hopefully from here on, [I] just can build my game and keep getting better because I know what I’m worth ... and once that opportunity comes, and when you get the opportunity, I know what I’m good for, and I’m going to provide that.”

Goalie Dan Vladař (2-3-1, .900 save percentage) will start for the Flyers. ... Forward Jacob Gaucher was recalled from Lehigh Valley on Tuesday.