The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled defenseman Emil Andrae on Tuesday afternoon from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League. The move probably should put a smile on the faces of many Flyers fans.
Transaction: We have recalled defenseman Emil Andrae from the @LVPhantoms (AHL). pic.twitter.com/SzBLWlB2tv
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 28, 2025
Andrae, who had a strong training camp, played just one game for the Flyers this season against Florida in the Flyers’ home opener on Oct. 13. Although he was pointless with a shot on goal in 10:22 ice time, he leads the league with a shot attempts share of 87.5 per cent in that lone contest (small sample size, yes).
However, when defenseman Cam York was ready to return to the lineup having recovered from injury, Andrae was sent back down to the Phantoms on Oct. 15. Instead of being disappointed by the demotion, Andrae, who played 42 games with the Flyers in 2024-25, put his head down and worked hard. Through six games in Lehigh Valley, Andrae was still looking for his first goal but had five assists.
Why did Flyers recall Emil Andrae?
The promotion for Andrae could be for a few reasons. One is that head coach Rick Tocchet has finally had enough with the rather paltry performance the third pairing has routinely shown so far through eight games.
Neither Adam Ginning, Egor Zamula, nor Noah Juulsen have looked exactly stellar in their opportunity and there is a real lack of spark in the Flyers’ defensive depth. And with Rasmus Ristolainen still some time away from being in the lineup, the Flyers probably think they need a talented, offensive-minded defenseman who might be able to help drive play. Or at least keep the time in the defensive zone to a minimum.
Andrae should help the blue line, both through his puck moving and his decision-making skills. He’s come a long way since taking an extremely heavy hit (charge?) from Mathieu Olivier last December during a game which caused him to miss some time. He realizes his size isn’t something opponents find imposing, so it’s crucial he either makes the quick outlet pass to his defensive partner, make a clearing pass to a forward in the neutral zone, or simply skate the puck up himself to get it out of danger. Regardless, it should be beneficial to have a defender who can skate and looks to have a toolbox that is far deeper than what Zamula and Juulsen are holding.
There’s no word if Andrae will see action on Tuesday as the Flyers host the Pittsburgh Penguins, but it’s sounding the alarm for both Zamula and Juulsen. Neither player has been great. At best they’ve been average.
With head coach Rick Tocchet already confirming the defensive pairs for this Battle of the Keystone State, it sure seems like Andrae won’t be immediately walking into the Flyers’ blue line. We’ll have to see when we’re closer to the 6:00 p.m. puck drop and see which players are on the ice for warmups, but the assumption is that he won’t be taking part.
But, there is another reason why Andrae has been recalled and it’s basically just because they have room.
Flyers have recalled Emil Andrae from AHL Lehigh Valley. Coach Rick Tocchet has talked about his preference for 2 extra defenseman on the roster, and with Jett Luchanko going back to junior that opens a spot for an 8th defenseman
— Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) October 28, 2025
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Much has been written and spoken about Tocchet’s preference to carry eight defensemen on his roster — and then 13 forwards and the two netminders to round it out. He’d rather have more personnel options on the blue line than up front. With the Flyers sending Jett Luchanko back to the OHL’s Guelph Storm, a spot on the Flyers roster opened up and no other Phantoms blueliner makes sense to take that spot and make a difference.
Maybe it’s a good sign that the Flyers didn’t just go ahead and bring up Dennis Gilbert if they wanted an extra body. Andrae should play wherever he is and considering the Phantoms play on Wednesday and through this upcoming weekend, it would be a disservice to take him away from that and just have him sit up in the press box.
It’s the perfect chance for Andrae to take the ball and run with it. Hopefully he’s given the chance to this week, and possibly tonight if a curveball is thrown. He deserves it for the work he’s put in both with the big club in September and the Phantoms throughout the last half of October.