One of the Philadelphia Flyers’ top defensive prospects, Emil Andrae, has shown that he is ready to play in the NHL. Being one of the team’s most exciting players in the pipeline, it would be a smart decision to give him a chance to play in the NHL immediately.
Andrae’s Professional Experience
Despite being just 21 years of age, Andrae has significant experience at the professional level. In the regular season and playoffs, he has played over 100 games in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) coupled with a small sample size in the American Hockey League (AHL) where he impressed in his first playing time in North America.
In the SHL, Andrae broke out in his 2022-23 campaign. For a 20-year-old going on 21, his 26 points in 51 games were tied for 13th among SHL defenders. Among defenders his age or younger in the league, he tied for first place in points. His offensive game is pretty impressive already, especially considering his age. He has great speed and an excellent wrist shot. He has displayed some pretty solid playmaking work, as well.
Andrae isn’t just good for his offense, either. At 5-foot-9, he is definitely undersized for a defender. He makes up for this with a surprisingly strong physical game and is still competent in his own end. He has both the skills and the maturity to succeed at the NHL level, and further proved this with the Flyers’ AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
While his time in Lehigh Valley was limited, his two goals and four assists for six points in just ten games were pretty impressive. This is especially notable because he seamlessly transitioned from one league to another which varies in its style. If anything, he was potentially even better in the AHL than he was in the SHL. Even though he is just 21, Andrae is ready for NHL hockey.
Flyers’ Defensive Woes
The Flyers’ defensive issues have been well-known for quite a while now. After trading minute-munching defender Ivan Provorov, they are even worse off than they were before. This could allow Andrae to slot in somewhere, given he would be better than some of the players on the defense already.
| LD | RD |
| Cam York | Marc Staal |
| Travis Sanheim | Rasmus Ristolainen |
| Nick Seeler | Sean Walker |
The Flyers have not had a good power play in a pretty long time. Thankfully for Philadelphia, Andrae is a terrific power play quarterback. Cam York has been decent in that role, while Travis Sanheim has not been given much power play time at all. Andrae would instantly slot into a major role and potentially help them score on the man advantage a bit more.
Related: Philadelphia Flyers’ Lack of “Top-End Talent” Shows on the Power Play
In addition, head coach John Tortorella frequently ran with two defenders and one forward in overtime. Andrae would be perfect in this role, given he is a great skater and smart decision-maker. He is a de facto forward with how skilled he is, yet is underrated in terms of his defensive impact. He could be a player that the coach really, really likes.
The Flyers have lacked a dynamic defenseman for quite a while. This goes back to Shayne Gostisbehere in his prime, which was in his 2015-16 campaign. He was arguably the team’s most valuable player and took them to the playoffs despite a weak defensive core. Andrae probably won’t do this for the Flyers, but it would get fans excited and actually talking about hockey right now and not just about the future. The best part is that they wouldn’t have to force it, as he has shown that he is fully capable of competing with some of the best.
Andrae Deserves a Chance
Andrae has earned the opportunity to play in the NHL. Playing in such a prestigious league is not something that is handed to you; it is achieved through hard work and actually deserving it. From what we have seen, the young defender absolutely deserves a shot. Whether it be for a few games or the whole season, he has at the very least earned a chance.
With the Flyers in a rebuild, there’s not a lot of excitement around the current team. Andrae will surprise a lot of people, and get people excited about the team once he proves he belongs in the league.