The playoffs aren’t happening. There are injuries on defense. So we might as well see what we have in these young kids finally, huh?
Defenseman Samuel Morin will make his National Hockey League debut this evening, as he’s been called up from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ahead of the game against the New Jersey Devils. With Radko Gudas seemingly on the shelf following a hit he took against the Devils over the weekend, it’s a good opportunity for the Flyers to finally see what Morin can bring at the NHL level.
It’s been a long time coming. Morin was drafted in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft, and he’s played two full seasons in the AHL. That’s rare for a guy who’s expected to make an impact at the NHL level, but it goes to show just how patient general manager Ron Hextall has been with his young prospects. Morin is the 29th of 30 players in the first round of that draft to make his NHL debut.
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The Phantoms are still in the midst of a playoff race, just four points up of the playoff bubble with six games remaining. We’re guessing that Morin will probably be here until Sunday when the Flyers season ends. That would keep him out of Lehigh Valley games against Hershey on Wednesday, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday and Springfield on Saturday, allowing him to return to the AHL for the final three games and, hopefully, the postseason.
We don’t know what the pairings will be this evening, but we should know more after the morning skate. With Morin, Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov all on the blueline tonight, this is the youngest and most exciting defensive unit the Flyers have put on the ice in literally years. Let’s see what we have here, shall we?
Morin will wear No. 50 tonight for the Flyers.
