Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae is ‘doing everything he can’ to get himself back into the lineup

During the last stretch of February heading into the Olympic break, Rick Tocchet had a familiar refrain regarding defenseman Emil Andrae — “we’re trying to get him in.”

But Andrae, 23, ultimately ended up sitting the final five games before the break, the odd man out thanks to his left-handed shot and lack of utility on the penalty kill. Is there a place for him in the Flyers’ lineup down the stretch?

“We need his input from the blue line offensively and the things that he can do in terms of breaking pucks out,” assistant coach Todd Reirden, who runs the defense, said Thursday.

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In the 40 games Andrae has played so far this year, he’s set career-highs in points and assists, with 11 points and 10 assists. The 2020 second-round pick is averaging 16 minutes, 54 seconds of ice time and is second on the Flyers with a plus-11 rating.

In Andrae’s place, Tocchet reinstated Noah Juulsen into the lineup. The veteran Juulsen is a right-hand shot and kills penalties. Juulsen and Andrae played on a pair together early in the year with right-handed defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen injured. But since Ristolainen’s return on Dec. 16, Andrae has jumped in and out of the lineup.

Reirden echoed a similar sentiment to Tocchet — the coaching staff likes Andrae, but situationally, they don’t think it makes sense to play him.

“He’s been really sharp in these three practices that he’s been back for,” Reirden said. “I know he came back a little bit earlier and did some other skating. He’s doing everything he can to get himself in a situation where he’s fighting to be in that lineup every night.”

With the trade deadline coming up, and the Flyers still on the outside looking in, the team might be looking to ship out some of their extra defensemen — especially with a glut of prospects coming up, like 2023 first-round pick Oliver Bonk, who got an extended look during the last two days of practice with Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen away in Milan.

Andrae is no stranger to fighting for his place with the Flyers. He started the year in the AHL out of training camp, despite playing over 40 games for the Flyers in 2024-25. He put up five points in seven games before earning a recall to the NHL.

“We sometimes forget what he’s gone through this year, by starting in the minors and going through that — it’s not easy, mentally and physically,“ Reirden said. ”To his credit, he came back and he’s been able to post those type of numbers."

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Whether Andrae finds himself back in the lineup come Feb. 25 in Washington or not, nearly a month after his last start, or on the Flyers beyond the March 6 trade deadline, he’s continued to take steps forward as the year progresses.

“This is a player that definitely has improved, and continues to improve,” Reirden said. “Being able to just keep that level of consistency for us is important. Sometimes you need to take a step away and then take the break that he had.”

Sanheim, Tocchet, and Team Canada will take on Ristolainen and Finland in the Olympic semifinals on Friday at 10:40 a.m. ... Team USA will face Slovakia at 3:10 p.m. The two winning teams will play for gold on Sunday and the losing teams will play for bronze on Saturday. ... The Flyers loaned Bonk, Hunter McDonald, and Carson Bjarnson back to Lehigh Valley in order to play in American Hockey League games this weekend.