Jett Luchanko sent back to OHL, Briere emphasizes offensive development as key reason

PHILADELPHIA — Jett Luchanko proved during his first four games in the NHL this month that he can hold his own against the world’s best players in the world’s best league.

But the Philadelphia Flyers are sending him back to juniors because they want to help him become a player that eventually can do far more than simply tread water. And in Flyers general manager Daniel Briere’s mind, returning him to his age-appropriate level with the Guelph Storm of the OHL will give him the best chance to do so over the long-term.

“It’s tough at times to be patient, because you want to ice the best team possible right away,” Briere acknowledged. “But we feel, for his development (and) to have the best Jett Luchanko, he needs to go play a lot of minutes, he needs to go learn to be ‘The Guy.'”

Luchanko didn’t flail in his time with the big club. He may not have scored a point, but he was noticeable every single night, producing scoring chances and driving play. He helped the Flyers to a 53.63 percent expected goal share at 5-on-5 when he skated (per Evolving-Hockey) — best among Flyers centers — and nearly scored his first NHL goal on multiple occasions.

The details of Luchanko’s game are already there, even at age 18. But the offensive side still needs further development. And that’s a big reason why Briere and the Flyers ultimately chose to send him back.

“Give him the chance to keep pushing the limit on his development, especially offensively,” Briere noted. “We know he’s a good playmaker, he’s shown that in camp. Now, he needs to develop his shot and his knack around the net.”

After all, Luchanko has yet to deliver a truly exceptional scoring season in the OHL, putting a strong-but-not dominant 74 point campaign in his draft year with Guelph. And while the Flyers know it may take him some time to get back into a rhythm in a lower league, they believe that the OHL is the best place for Luchanko to grow the creative side of his game. In fact, they impressed upon the youngster in his exit interview that they want him to do exactly that.

“We told Jett – we want him to push the limit and not just settle into wanting to play safe,” Briere said. “We want him to push his limits and find out how (much) he can get away with his offense, without being a liability.”

Luchanko still could have played in five more NHL games without burning the first year of his entry-level contract, which was generally viewed as the “deadline” for making a final decision on whether he would stay with the big club all year, or return to the OHL. But head coach John Tortorella — long the biggest advocate in the organization for keeping Luchanko — chose to sit the center for both games of the back-to-back with Washington earlier this week, and had him skating as a projected scratch for Saturday’s game against the Wild during practice on Friday.

Tortorella explained on Friday that given the team’s early-season losing streak, he was inclined to task the veterans on the club with righting the ship, not an 18-year old who was never a lock to stay with the Flyers long-term. And if Luchanko wasn’t going to play, there was no reason to delay his return in the hopes that Tortorella’s view of the current situation would change.

Regardless, Briere things Luchanko will ultimately benefit from his time with the big club, as he returns to Guelph and works to put himself in position to represent Team Canada at the U20 World Junior Championships this winter. And then eventually, to don the Orange & Black once again.

“The experience of being around the team, to conduct yourself like a pro with all those guys, learning from some of our veteran leadership on how to carry yourself around an NHL dressing room — I think it’s valuable experience for sure,” Briere said. “It’ll help him next season when he comes into camp.”

Briere was careful to avoid guaranteeing that Luchanko would permanently make the Flyers roster next season, when he will be 19 years old. But Luchanko’s success at camp this season and his rapid development over the past year certainly has them bullish on both his chances of making the club full-time in 2025-26, and his long-term upside.

“If he comes back (next year at camp) and he takes another step, it’s going to be tough to keep him out of the lineup,” Briere said.

In the end, that’s what Saturday’s decision was all about for the Flyers and Luchanko. They’ve learned that he can already perform like a quality bottom-of-the-lineup NHLer, even as a teenager. But they want him to become far more than that. And they believe that the OHL environment is far more conducive to helping him to master the kind of offensive creativity and assertiveness that would get him there.

“We’re not trying to create a fourth line center,” Briere said. “We think he has more upside than that, and we want to give him the chance to become that player.”