After being a healthy scratch Sunday afternoon for Lehigh Valley in their game against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, defenseman Emil Andrae has been recalled by the Flyers. The team made the official announcement after the Penguins defeated the host Phantoms 4-1.
Transaction: We have recalled defenseman Emil Andrae from the @LVPhantoms (AHL). Defenseman Dennis Gilbert has been loaned to Lehigh Valley. pic.twitter.com/WPGkTtmPHL
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 12, 2025
The move might be for a few reasons. One could be the fact that the Flyers third pairing looked to be lost in the weeds at points during Philadelphia’s opening two games against Florida and Carolina. A second could be that Cam York is still not quite ready for Monday’s home opener against the Panthers after being put on Injured Reserve to begin the season. So having the smaller but more offensively gifted blueliner dressed might add a bit more offensive punch to the lineup. Andrae seems to have far more offensive talent than both Noah Juulsen and Egor Zamula who have struggled at times over the first six periods and change of the regular season.
Andrae played in Lehigh Valley’s first game Saturday evening and had two assists in a 5-2 victory over Belleville. It was the first game for the defenseman since he was cut from the Flyers training camp on Oct. 1. Andrae fared quite well in the Flyers’ training camp and during some of the exhibition games he appeared in. It came as a surprise to some that Andrae didn’t make the Flyers’ final roster when they made their last cuts before starting the season.
The callup should give Andrae a spark and possibly a chance to show he can be one of the top six defensemen Philadelphia calls on night in and night out. Given how Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet called out a few of the defensemen during training camp for not seizing the opportunity to land a spot, a strong game from Andrae on Monday evening could be enough to keep him around a little while longer. Of course if he’s used as a stopgap measure in York’s absence, it could be a brief stay with the big club.
The 23-year-old Swedish native was a second-round pick of the Flyers in the 2020 NHL Draft. In 2024-25 he played just over half the season with Philadelphia, scoring a goal and adding six assists in 42 games. In 25 games with Lehigh Valley last season, Andrae had three goals and 13 assists for 16 points. He also registered six assists in seven playoff games for the Phantoms before Lehigh Valley was eliminated by the eventual Calder Cup champions, the Hershey Bears.
Regardless of how long Andrae is up with Philadelphia, it should be a nod to the defenseman that his strong camp wasn’t in vain. And that he kept his chin up, put in the work in the minors, and was rewarded with a multi-point game in game one. Hopefully Andrae makes the most of the opportunity, however long or brief it might be.
In calling Andrae up, the Flyers loaned Gilbert to the Phantoms. Gilbert didn’t do much in training camp in securing the sixth or seventh spot on the blueline. The Flyers placed Gilbert on waivers last week and he wasn’t claimed. Along with Juulsen, Gilbert was one of two defensemen Philadelphia acquired over the summer in free agency to add some depth to their back end. Considering just how quickly Andrae has been called up in the season, it appears that depth is still needed.
