BUFFALO — Egor Zamula had clearly fallen out of favor in Philadelphia. He’d dressed for just 13 games this season. His last game he played for the Flyers was nearly two weeks ago. And he had been functionally jumped on the team’s defense depth chart by first-year pro Ty Murchison.

Now, as final confirmation of Zamula’s place within the organization, he’s been placed on waivers.

The Flyers announced on Thursday that Zamula, who has played in 168 games for the NHL club over six seasons, was placed on waivers. For the next 24 hours, Zamula is available to all 31 other NHL teams to be claimed without a club being required to provide compensation to the Flyers. Basically, the Flyers very well may lose him for free.

But given their depth on defense, that apparently is no longer a major concern for general manager Daniel Briere. Cam York and Rasmus Ristolainen both returned from injury over the past week, and Noah Juulsen has solidified himself in head coach Rick Tocchet’s eyes as the clear-cut No. 7 defenseman on the NHL roster. That meant that Zamula was the team’s No. 8 on paper — and likely the No. 9 in reality. Murchison was sent down on Wednesday to accommodate the activation of Ristolainen off injured reserve, but Tocchet made it clear on Thursday that Murchison remained a preferred recall option.

“He’s knocking on the door,” Tocchet noted after morning skate. “I mean, who knows? With the way the NHL is, he could be up in 48 hours. That’s just the way it works.”

Murchison, Tocchet implied, largely was demoted because the organization would prefer him play big minutes in the AHL than serve as the No. 8 in the press box in the NHL. But functionally, Murchison remains the eighth defenseman on the Flyers’ depth chart, even after the demotion. In other words, Zamula is currently the No. 9, and therefore was not in line to play in any NHL games in the near future anyway.

There’s no guarantee that Zamula will be claimed. After all, he has sat as a healthy scratch for 19 games this season, and has just one assist in those games. But Zamula does have significant NHL experience (168 games) and is signed to a reasonable, short-term contract (one more year remaining at a $1.7 million cap hit). Zamula also brings size to the table (he stands at 6’3) and is still only 25 years old. As far as waiver claims go, Zamula could be legitimately enticing to another club looking for cheap, competent depth with upside at the position.

So why did Zamula fall out of favor in Philadelphia? He was a lineup regular both in 2023-24 and 2024-25, appearing in 66 & 63 games respectively across both seasons. And while Zamula joined the organization as an undrafted free agent, the Flyers signed him in 2018 only a few months after he was passed over in his first year of draft eligibility, functionally making him an extra draft pick that year. Zamula was once a legitimate top-10 prospect in the organization, given his strong work in his Draft+1 and Draft+2 seasons with the Calgary Hitmen in the WHL, and consistent development with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms after turning pro.

Zamula’s biggest issue has long been the lack of pace in his game. Patient to a fault, Zamula’s slow and deliberate decision-making was especially glaring at the NHL level, making him prone to ugly turnovers and cutting down dramatically on his offensive upside, and the upside of his teammates while skating with him.

Zamula’s defensive play has long graded out well — he especially scores high in terms of rush coverage and zone entry defense — which explains his solid results by advanced metrics. Last season, he ranked in the 76th percentile among NHL defensemen in overall even strength xG impact; this season, he sits in the 59th percentile. But he lacked offensive upside even when sheltered, and didn’t bring much in the way of defensive heaviness either, which set him apart from Juulsen and Murchison, who both relish playing a physical style — an element the Flyers seem to want on their bottom-pairing.

The act of waiving Zamula doesn’t come as a major surprise, especially given his current place on the Flyers’ depth chart. But the timing is a bit curious. With Murchison off the roster, the Flyers currently sit at 23 active players, including Zamula. In other words, they didn’t need to waive Zamula now; they’re already compliant with NHL roster rules, even with Ristolainen back in the fold. So why did they do it on Thursday?

There are two plausible explanations. First, it’s possible the Flyers have a specific call-up in mind that they plan to execute on Friday. To add another player now, one must be removed from the roster, and Zamula’s excision — whether via demotion to the AHL or a waiver claim by another club — would clear up that spot.

Second, however, this could be driven by the looming NHL roster freeze, which begins on 12:00 AM Saturday and lasts through December 28. During the roster freeze, NHL teams are not allowed to trade or demote players — but they can recall players. If Zamula is removed from the roster prior to the freeze, that brings the Flyers down to 22 players on their active roster, giving them the flexibility to call up anyone they want during the freeze.

The Flyers do play three games (Saturday, Monday and Tuesday) while the freeze is in effect. So the timing of the Zamula waiving may have more to do with making a specific recall over the next week possible, as opposed to preceding an immediate call-up as soon as Friday afternoon.

And the Flyers will learn on Friday afternoon at around 2:00 PM EST whether Zamula was poached by another club, or if he remains under their control and free to be reassigned to the AHL (or even kept up with the big club). But regardless of that outcome, Thursday’s decision makes it clear that Egor Zamula is no longer viewed as a priority piece in the Philadelphia Flyers’ future.