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The roster movement continues! The Flyers have just announced that they’ve loaned forward Andy Andreoff to the Phantoms (he cleared waivers at the beginning of the road trip), and recalled defenseman Mark Friedman.
The Friedman recall was likely necessitated by the injury to Justin Braun, and it seems like a good one. He’s played 28 games with the Phantoms so far this season and registered two goals and eight assists. The underlying numbers are sound as well, as he’s put up a 52.01 CF% (per Brad’s data), as well as a 51.66 Controlled Exit% (per my data). He’s done a lot of good work to clean up the finer points of his game, and really solidify himself as “NHL ready.” But don’t just take my word for it, Phantoms assistant coach Kerry Huffman (who runs the defense) had this to say about Friedman’s season and recent development.
...He's doing a lot of really good things. There is not a lot to correct. That's kind of a sign. When we start seeing that with young defensemen then we know that they're getting on the cusp. He's just got to keep going and keep his head down and work."
— Bob Rotruck (@BobRotruck) January 8, 2020
Friedman made his NHL debut in the last game of the Flyers’ season last year, but now he figures to get a longer look, and he’ll be trying to make the most of it.