You hit the nail on the head at the end. The unfairness of it all really rubs me the wrong way.

It is all well and good that they prefer size for their Dmen. But the overwhelming number 1 attribute should be skill. Ginning is big and not very good. Zamula has been terrible.

He should be with the big club playing every game. This D core isn’t good enough to justify choices based on ideal size of a 3rd pair defenseman. The best players should play. You’re also in a rebuild and you’re stunting the development of a solid puck moving defenseman. You’re not going for the cup this year. If he’s not part of the plan, showcase him in the NHL and trade him for position of need. Maybe a trade is their plan here but they’d be selling low.

I thought the Flyers were in the business of accumulating talented players?
Has that changed?

I think his size does put him at a bit of a disadvantage, in that he needs to play at least at the level of his first call up if not better. I think Flyers brass really does believe in him and knows he can be better than he’s shown since he was first demoted last year. Let him dominate some more in the A with large amount of minutes and really cement himself. Fellow 2nd round pick Ginning spent 4 years in Europe and 3 seasons largely in the AHL before finally making the team this year, and is 2 years older than Andrae. Andrae also got a longer look in the NHL last year. I am confident he will be a full time NHLer this year or next, with the Flyers.

Free Emil! I think things like this and having grebby sit game 1 sting because it stinks of older regimes that wouldn’t just play the best players, but would come up with convoluted reasons why a veteran JAG would get the ice when we supposedly had a meritocracy. Just reeks of same old same old.

I love Andrae, I really do, but I don’t know where the idea that he had an incredible camp this year came from. He wasn’t bad by any means, but Danny said at the beginning of training camp that he would have to really stand out to earn a roster spot, and he didn’t.

Who knows? Maybe if and when Risto is healthy again, he’ll get called back up to be paired with Risto. But then, even if the Flyers have moved on from Zamula and Juulsen by that point, we’d have all of Sanheim, Seeler, York, Drysdale, Ginning, and Ristolainen in the NHL, and I agree that at least in theory it’s probably better for Andrae’s development to be playing every game for the Phantoms than to be the 7th D for the Flyers. Andrae had one of the As at the Phantoms’ first game, too, so seems like they’re giving him opportunities to demonstrate his leadership abilities there.

I’d love for him to stay in Philly, but I’m not delusional enough to think they wouldn’t trade him if the right opportunity came along. It’s also hard to see where he fits into the future of our blue line given everyone’s current contracts + the prospects in the pipeline. We’ll just have to wait and see, unfortunately.

They don’t want him in the top four, and he’s waiver-exempt. That leaves injury call-up and trade piece as his only paths to NHL games this year.

Briere and Jones have a clearly articulated vision for defenders on a contender. Andrae does not fit.

But, given York’s and Drysdale’s injury history, maybe he will play a lot this year?

Excellent job in laying out all of the various reasons for Andrae being Yoyo’d by the Flyers organization. I believe, as do most, he is currently the Flyers 5th best defenseman. The argument about his size does not hold water for me if the defensemen are spaced out appropriately. York on the top line, Drysdale on the second line would lead to Andrae being fine on the third line. Why does size matter on the third line of it doesn’t on the top two? Plus, it is the least important line so why are they acting like it is the top line? Makes no sense to me. Play your best players. Although, the Flyers do not like to always do this or else Michkov and Zegras would be getting more ice time.