Defenseman Emil Andrae gets a chance to show the Flyers he belongs

Emil Andrae was one of the Flyers’ final cuts in training camp.

Two games later, the defenseman is back with the Flyers. He wants to make that permanent, but no one is putting more pressure on him to make that happen than himself.

“Pressure is a privilege,” said Andrae, 23. “It means something for me to stay here, and that’s what I’m thinking about, but I don’t think about pressure like that. I think I put the biggest pressure on myself. That comes from me, and trying to focus on what I can control.”

In his season debut with the Phantoms on Saturday, Andrae earned two assists and showed off the puck-moving ability the Flyers are hoping to see from him consistently. In camp, Andrae didn’t connect with enough of his passes to make it.

“I thought his decisions with the puck, giving the puck up away a lot — I think there’s pockets where, ‘Man, this guy can play,’” coach Rick Tocchet said. “He moves the puck well, he can escape, but I think his puck decisions in camp and throughout the camp were a little bit ... he was throwing pucks in the middle of the ice and little things like that. I think that if he’s got some reps, why not give him a chance now?”

With Cam York (lower-body injury) sidelined against the Panthers for the home opener Monday night, Tocchet wanted someone with that puck-moving ability to replace him in the lineup.

Andrae got into 42 games in 2024-25, notching one goal and six assists but never fully establishing himself as a regular. But the 2020 second-round pick from Sweden is still an important part of the Flyers organization, general manager Danny Brière said after making final cuts. The team sent him down to Lehigh Valley to get more playing time, as opposed to keeping him on the bench.

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“You want to make plays, but at the same time you want to be reliable and consistent,” Andrae said of his mindset coming into the home opener. “I think it’s more of a mindset than how you play. I think just don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Just get out there, play my game, and just trying to relax and have the swagger, I think that’s going to help me more than thinking about what I have to do.”

Monday could be a one-off for the 5-foot-9, 189-pound Andrae, who could be sent immediately back to Lehigh Valley, with York set to potentially come back on Thursday, according to Tocchet. But the Flyers believe there’s space for all three of Andrae, York, and Jamie Drysdale on the main roster, if Andrae can prove he belongs with the group.

“I remember the year we won in Pittsburgh, [Kris] Letang was out, we didn’t have big crushing guys,” Tocchet said. “We used our brain and our speed. ... These are mobile guys that can make plays.”

Tocchet is looking for someone to “make a statement on defense,” to prove he belongs alongside top-pair workhorse Travis Sanheim. Nick Seeler is taking a chunk of those minutes, but the team wants one of the many fringe defensemen on the roster to separate himself from the pack.

In morning skate, Andrae worked with Noah Juulsen, whom he played with in one preseason game, on the third pair.

Now Andrae is getting his first opportunity to prove that his performance in camp was an aberration.

“Obviously, I don’t know if I’m going to be here long, but my mindset is to play well enough to stay here,” Andrae said. “That’s my goal. Take it game by game, and hopefully I can put in a good effort today and show this coaching staff that I belong here.”

Matvei Michkov dealt with an ankle injury in the offseason that put him “behind the eight-ball” in training camp, but is fully healthy now. ... Dan Vladař will start in goal for the Flyers in the home opener. Jett Luchanko and Nikita Grebenkin will both play ... The Flyers will honor Bernie Parent ahead of Monday’s puck drop, and will have his No. 1 behind the goal on the Xfinity Mobile Arena ice.