PHILADELPHIA — Emil Andrae is well aware that it’s sometimes difficult for the media members and broadcasters, gazing down on the ice surface from their spaces even higher than the nosebleeds, to immediately recognize him. His sweater number, his gait, his frame, his aggressiveness and even the way he tapes his stick are comparatively similar in appearance to rookie Matvei Michkov. Even Andrae’s friends will text him to let him know they’re having trouble figuring out who is who when watching Flyers games on television.
A change from No. 36 might help, as Michkov will presumably keep No. 39 for the long term. But Andrae wore No. 6 with the Phantoms, and Nos. 4 and 44 in Sweden, and none of those are available with the Flyers.
So for now, 36 it is. And, the way the 2020 second-round pick has been trending lately, Flyers fans might have to get used to seeing it for a while. If Andrae was even actually considering a number change, he probably won’t now, as he scored his first-ever NHL goal in the second period of the Flyers’ 5-4 shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at Wells Fargo Center. Andrae’s goal, in which he zipped in a juicy rebound of a Garnet Hathaway attempt from in tight, gave the Flyers a 3-0 lead at the time that they would ultimately end up squandering.
After missing three games last week with what the team called a mid-body injury, Andrae played in his 12th game of the season on Monday and has three assists to go along with his goal. He’s seemingly becoming a favorite of coach John Tortorella and the staff. Andrae is averaging 19:10 of ice time per game and has eclipsed 20 minutes in four of his last five games, not counting Nov. 16 against Buffalo when he got hurt.
It’s evident that Tortorella values the 5-foot-9 Andrae’s puck-moving ability and his willingness and fearlessness to try and create. He detailed one particular example from Saturday’s 3-2 win over Chicago, in which Andrae sent a tape-to-tape stretch pass from deep in the defensive zone to the far blue line to spring Michkov for an opportunity.
“As far as the ability to have the wherewithal to make plays, he’s always had that,” Tortorella said. “He makes a stretch play in the last game that some of our guys can’t make. … That’s in him. I want him to take a chance. I want him to try to make plays. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake.”
Speaking after Monday’s morning skate, Andrae said: “I’ve been put in a great spot here, playing a lot of minutes, power play. Just trying to take every chance I can and prove that I’m good enough for this level, and not for just 10 games. I want to keep being here.”
Cam York, who returned to the lineup on Saturday from a one-month absence with an upper-body injury, took note of Andrae’s play while watching from the sidelines.
“Not the biggest guy but plays bigger than his stature,” said York, which is how many might describe him, too. “I like how he’s not afraid to throw his body around. Has a great IQ and great skating ability. Does a lot of things really well, and has a bright future.”
The Flyers’ blue line is nearly at full health again. With York and Andrae both back for the last two games, Erik Johnson and Egor Zamula have been the healthy scratches. The only player still out is Jamie Drysdale, who missed his seventh straight game on Monday. But all indications are that Drysdale is nearing a return, as he has shed the no-contract practice jersey he was wearing last week and seemed to get in a full on-ice workout with Zamula and coach Angelo Ricci on Monday morning after everyone else had already hit the showers.
Drysdale has work to do if he’s going to work his way up the organizational depth chart again. The hesitation in his game and difficulty reading plays were all too obvious at the time he got hurt, resulting in just one goal and two assists in 15 games, a minus-10 rating, and some subpar underlying metrics, too.
Tortorella would apparently like to see Drysdale do some of the things that Andrae seems to be showcasing already.
“Jamie doesn’t see the ice like Emil right now in his game,” Tortorella said. “Remember, Jamie hasn’t played a lot of games in this league. I don’t think he sees the ice like Emil right now. We want Jamie up the ice, we want him to take a chance. I think he’s made up a little bit different in that way.”
Still, the path for Drysdale to get back in is relatively straightforward. Helge Grans, while giving the team some effective minutes in his first four NHL games, will almost certainly be reassigned to make way for Drysdale to reunite with his previous partner, Nick Seeler. Grans was pressured into a turnover in the third period on Monday leading to Vegas’ game-tying fourth goal with about eight minutes left, and didn’t play after that.
But even if Grans goes back to the Phantoms, there are likely to be some difficult decisions for Tortorella and the staff on the horizon both in who they dress, and who gets the key minutes.
Or, maybe it’s not so tricky.
“Decide who are the six best,” Tortorella said. “It’s not a complicated process at all. … If we go with the six that we want and one or two of the young guys is going to be out, they wait their turn.”
For their part, the young defensemen seem to understand what’s at stake, and that they’re all competing with one another to prove to the organization that they should be a part of the future.
“This is kind of the beginning of it, right?” York said. “You see new faces and new guys playing really well that maybe didn’t expect to be playing where they are. Obviously, don’t know what the move is going forward, but it’s been really good to see from the young guys.”
Said Andrae: “(The internal competition) drives all of us I think to be the best they can (be), and that’s going to help our team in a long way. … As long as I just try to focus on myself and try to provide as (many) good things to the team as I can, I think I’ll be in a good spot.”
(Photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
