Flyers rule out Noah Cates for the series, recall Jett Luchanko ahead of Game 3

The news is not good for the Flyers.

Down two to nothing in their Eastern Conference second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, they will be without center Noah Cates the rest of the way.

Seen being wheeled on a cart by head athletic trainer Tommy Alva while holding what appeared to be a grey Aircast walker boot after Monday’s 3-2 overtime loss at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., coach Rick Tocchet told reporters on Wednesday that Cates will miss the rest of the best-of-seven series with a “lower-body injury.”

“He’s a huge part [of the lineup],” Tocchet said of Cates, who played all 82 games in the regular season. “Mr. Consistency, right? All year, he does a lot of things for us. But it’s no different than other teams, [it’s] next man up. ... We’re good there. We’ll be OK.”

Although the exact moment or extent of the injury is unknown, after looking over his shifts, he appeared to labor for a bit after taking a shot from Carolina defenseman K’Andre Miller off the inside of the right ankle in the first period. The 27-year-old finished the game, skating over 20 minutes, but appeared to be limited with his left-foot crossovers the rest of the game — weight is on the right foot primarily with that motion — as he centered the team’s second line between Matvei Michkov and Tyson Foerster.

“He’s so important to this team. He does everything right, I think,” forward Alex Bump, who made his NHL playoff debut on a line with Cates against Pittsburgh, told The Inquirer.

“Really good mentor for all of us young guys, and just plays the game the right way, I think. [He] plays hard, plays a full 200-foot game. Tough, but it’s part of the game. I’ve always loved his game, and as a person, he’s even better. So, yeah, he’s been awesome to this team and been awesome to us young guys as well.”

Cates has developed into a solid two-way center who typically goes up against the opposition’s top line, which has earned him some Selke Trophy consideration as the NHL’s top defensive forward. Against Carolina, he’s played more than eight minutes across the two games against their red-hot line of Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall, and Jackson Blake.

“He’s a big part of our team, had a great year, not only on the offensive side, but defensively, he’s a really reliable player,” captain Sean Couturier said.

“I think you can rely on him to really not make any mistakes,” Couturier added. “He’s just going to play the right way, be on the right side of the puck. Probably really hard to play against.”

With one center down and Christian Dvorak listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury — he’s “dealing with some stuff,” Tocchet said — the Flyers recalled another in Jett Luchanko on Wednesday. Luchanko and Brantford’s season came to an end on Monday with a Game 7 loss to Barrie in the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference finals.

Tocchet said that while there is always a possibility that Luchanko, the Flyers’ first-round pick in 2024, would slot in as the playoffs roll on, it sounded like it would only happen if there are other injuries on the roster. Dvorak is “a good possibility” for Thursday when the series shifts to South Philly for Game 3 (8 p.m., TNT, truTV, HBO Max), according to the bench boss, and Trevor Zegras will move back to center. Couturier and Luke Glendening — the only right-shot pivot — are also options to move up from the fourth line.

With Cates out, Denver Barkey, 21, is also expected to get more ice time as Tocchet has been impressed with his play and high hockey IQ since he took over at center late in Game 1, and played between fellow kids Bump, 22, and Porter Martone, 19, in Game 2. The interesting thing is that it really wasn’t on Tocchet’s radar to have the 5-foot-10 forward, who last played center as his primary position as a 16-year-old for London of the OHL, to move.

“Honestly, I’ll be straightforward, a couple of weeks ago we were struggling a little bit with center [position] … and [Flyers president Keith Jones] came up and was like, ‘Hey, don’t be afraid to use Barks,’" Tocchet recalled. “So I got to give Jonesy [credit].”

Losing Cates doesn’t just impact the Flyers at five-on-five; he played on the power play and was a key penalty killer. Tocchet said Carl Grundström, who made his debut in the postseason for the Flyers in Game 2, and Garnet Hathaway will get more time. Noting that the “power play isn’t good” in regards to reads and making the right pass, there have also been talks about moving Bump to the man advantage as well.

“These are bumps in the road that we’re going to have to deal with,” Tocchet said in response to losing Cates on multiple fronts. “But there’s opportunity for guys,”

» READ MORE: Q&A: Danny Brière on Trevor Zegras’ future, Jett Luchanko, and the idea of being stuck in hockey purgatory

As for Luchanko, 19, he had a disappointing season offensively in the OHL, scoring just seven goals and 43 points in 38 games, split between Guelph and Brantford. His role did change somewhat after being traded in late November to the Bulldogs, as he skated on a high-octane team that featured several players either taken in the first round or projected to be in 2026.

Known for his speed, playmaking ability, and details, the Flyers have made no secret that they want Luchanko to shoot the puck more and for him to become a more multifaceted offensive player. But he has struggled to find that aspect of his game, as also noted by his one assist in seven games for the bronze-medal-winning Canadians at the 2026 World Juniors.

“I think just watching a lot of the guys, a lot of really good players, that I have played with in Brantford, like [Jake] O’Brien and [Marek] Vanacker, [Caleb] Malhotra, just so many guys there. So I think just watching them, the way that they play, move the puck, and offensively play,” Luchanko said on what he’s learned this past year.

If Luchanko plays in the postseason, it will not be his first taste of pro hockey or even playoff pro hockey. The speedy centerman played four NHL games in each of the past two seasons and has yet to record a point. He also played 16 games, including playoffs, and registered nine assists with Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League late last season.

After bouncing around between the NHL, OHL, and AHL the past two seasons, Luchanko will officially be a full-time pro next season, thanks to turning 20 in August.

“That’s really exciting for me,” Luchanko said of the idea of sticking in the pros. “I’ve been around a lot, and it’s definitely a little bit exhausting, kind of, you know, sleeping in a different bed a lot. So, it’ll be definitely nice next year to kind of know that I can be in one spot for a longer time.”