Flyers’ Phil Myers patiently waits to make NHL debut, but it looks close

Phil Myers, recalled from the Phantoms on Saturday, may not make his NHL debut with the Flyers for a while, but just being around the team as its seventh defenseman is a worthwhile learning experience, he said.

“Even practices are at a high pace, and it’s definitely nice to get to know the guys a little better and to be here in a good atmosphere,” Myers, 22, said Monday after the morning skate in Voorhees. “The boys are hot right now and it’s fun to be around them right now.”

Myers does know several players, along with Flyers interim coach Scott Gordon, who were with him during his two AHL seasons with the Phantoms. “It makes it a little easier to get comfortable,” said Myers, who was paired with Travis Sanheim when he was with Lehigh Valley for part of last season.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Myers was a healthy scratch Monday for the second straight game since he was promoted.

“It’s good to be around the guys and finally be sitting in this big room,” Myers said. “I’ve been working toward this goal for quite a while, and it feels good to know I’m close and that all the hard work I’ve put in over the years is paying off.”

With the Flyers on a roll -- they were on a 9-0-1 run heading into Monday’s game against visiting Pittsburgh -- Gordon is reluctant to change the lineup.

But Myers’ time will come.

Reports from Lehigh Valley suggested he has been a much more consistent player this season.

Myers, a right-handed shooter, agreed.

“I’ve just been focusing on bringing the same effort every night and keeping it simple,” he said. “If I ever get the opportunity to crack the lineup, that’s definitely what I want to focus on -- just keeping it simple, play my game and bring the same effort I’ve been bringing all year.”

Anthony Stolarz, who has stopped 75 of 77 shots (.974 save percentage) in his last two starts -- a 1-0 win over the Rangers and a 3-2 shootout loss to Los Angeles -- will face host Minnesota on Tuesday. … Negotiations with Flyers winger Michael Raffl, a potential unrestricted free agent, are not progressing. Raffl would like to remain here, “but at the end of the day, it’s a business and you never know” what will happen, he said. Raffl, a onetime 21-goal scorer, has a $2.35 million cap hit this season. … Gordon was an assistant under Penguins coach Mike Sullivan for one season with Providence in the AHL in 2002-03.