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Eight games in, Zegras has eight points (two goals, six assists) with three of them on the power play, along with a plus-5 rating. When the Flyers traded with Anaheim for him back before the draft in June, it was with the calculated risk that he could still be a top-six caliber center if he got a change of scenery. So far, so good on the early returns. Drysdale keeps it in check The Flyers might not have gotten to the shootout at all, though, had it not been for Jamie Drysdale. The defenseman made two excellent checks in the extra frame that broke up potential scoring chances from the Islanders' Bo Horvat and Matthew Schaefer to keep play going, and generally did well to steer the puck away and clear it out. Quietly, he's been doing that all season so far. Drysdale skated 22:35 in Saturday's win, and is averaging 22:18 of ice time on the year, usually on a pairing with Nick Seeler. His offensive numbers at just three assists haven't been particularly impressive toward his smooth-skating, puck-moving skillset. But as for the actual defensive part of Drysdale's game? That's seen an uptick, and it's been noticeable. "I think right off the bat, for me, his defensive play since training camp 'til as of today, is good," head coach Rick Tocchet said after practice in Voorhees on Monday. "He's being more decisive, he's trying to squash plays, I think he's done a nice job fitting, because I think the tag was 'is he a good defensive player or not?' "For me, he's been defending well." Ersson guts it out Give Sam Ersson some credit for Saturday, too. He made several big saves to keep the Flyers alive through overtime, then shut the doors on the Islanders in the shootout. Dan Vladar has had the much hotter hand to begin the season, which is partially why Ersson has only seen three rocky starts so far, but Saturday was his turn, and he hung in there for his first win. Luchanko goes back Jett Luchanko made the Flyers out of camp, but wasn't playing much. He wasn't even in the lineup for the Flyers' last two games at Ottawa on Thursday and then against the Islanders at home. On Monday, they came to grips with the fact that they can't let their 2024 first-round prospect continue to sit like they have. They sent him back to Guelph in the junior OHL, where he'll spend the rest of the regular season, and hopefully with an appearance for Canada in the World Junior Championship during the holidays. Luchanko, 19, is stuck in a weird development spot for a prospect where he's shown to have outgrown Canadian juniors, but still has to show that he's ready for a regular NHL role, while still not being fully eligible to play for the Phantoms in the AHL until he turns 20. The Flyers gave him another nine-game trial run, which is allotted to drafted Canadian junior prospects to see if he could maybe break through and prove ready to be a contributing NHL regular. But his ice time topped out at 10:40 against Winnipeg on Oct. 16, and through four games, he registered only one shot when it was a point of emphasis for him to shoot more. His skating is good, and his playmaking instincts looked sharper, but that little time and output made it tough to justify keeping him up. The decision to send Luchanko back to Guelph for one more year isn't ideal either, but at least there he can play and get reps. "He could've stayed here. He showed that he can play. But we want more than that for him in the long run," general manager Danny Brière told the media on Monday. "We felt at this point, it was time for him to start playing high minutes and more of an offensive role." But the only place Luchanko can really get those right now is back in Guelph. A loose uniform thought The Colorado Avalanche (re)introduced blue Quebec Nordiques throwback uniforms and wore them for their home game against the Carolina Hurricanes last Thursday, who met the occasion by bringing out their own white and green Hartford Whalers throwbacks. Visually, that game was a treat to watch. The Sixers just brought back their Iverson-era uniforms as a throwback for this season. I think there might be another black jersey that would go over pretty well if it made its way back, too. SIGN UP HERE to receive the PhillyVoice Sports newsletter Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick Follow Nick on Bluesky: @itssnick Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
