Ersson placed on IR to open door for young defenseman’s NHL debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
VOORHEES, NJ — The Flyers placed Samuel Ersson on injured reserve Monday, making room for Helge Grans to be recalled from AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.
With Emil Andrae out with a mid-body injury, the Flyers needed a defenseman for their game tonight against the Avalanche at Wells Fargo Center (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP+). Grans, a 22-year-old Swede, will make his NHL debut against a Colorado team that has serious stars like Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar.
“It gives us an opportunity to see a big right-handed defenseman here against one of the best teams in the league with some pretty good speed,” head coach John Tortorella said during the morning skate. “He’ll see stuff pretty quickly here.”
Andrae, also 22 years old from Sweden, was injured in the third period. Flyers’ 5-2 victory last Saturday night against the Sabers. He opened his eyes during 10 matches with the big club.
“He played very well,” Tortorella said. “I think he helped our transition game, I think he defended better than we thought. He’s had a good run here since he got called up, so we’re going to miss him.”
Ersson’s status hasn’t really changed. The Flyers can backdate his time on IR. The 25-year-old goalkeeper was everyday life with a lower body injury. Tonight will be the fifth game he has missed this season and the third in a row. The Flyers will be paying attention to their No. 1 goaltender, especially with the season only in November.
Aleksei Kolosov will start in net for the Flyers (8-8-2) against the Avalanche (9-9-0). Ivan Fedotov will be his replacement.
For Grans, the NHL debut comes at a perfect time. His father Morgan and mother Maria were already in the United States visiting him on vacation. The right-handed defenseman arrived with the Flyers in Ivan Provorov’s three-team trade. In 70 games with the Phantoms over the past two seasons, Grans has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) and a minus-3 rating.
“I would say I’m a two-way defenseman who can handle the puck,” Grans said. “But I like to play a defensive role. … I feel like my offensive game has improved a little bit this year with some confidence.”
He understands that Colorado presents a significant challenge.
“I’ve only seen them on TV, so I guess I don’t know exactly what it feels like,” Grans said. “But I’m going to do my best to be ready.”
The Flyers should use Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen a lot tonight. The club was damaged at the back. Cam York and Jamie Drysdale, both recovering from upper-body injuries, continued their work on the ice during the team’s optional morning skate.
York, who practiced and skated fully, last played on October 23. Drysdale skated without contact and will miss his fourth straight game tonight.
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