Flyers make a move today amidst 7 game losing streak

Look, when your team is sitting at 0-5-2 and hasn't tasted a single victory all season, you're going to start seeing some roster shuffling. That's exactly what's happening in Philadelphia right now, where the Flyers are making moves on the back end that feel less like a solution and more like a band-aid on a sinking ship. On Monday, the club placed defenseman Helge Grans on waivers, and while this isn't exactly earth-shattering news, it does open the door to some interesting possibilities for a team that desperately needs something to change.

Grans Gets the Axe

Grans, a 24-year-old Swedish defenseman, was put on waivers Monday afternoon as reported by Elliotte Friedman. If he goes unclaimed by Tuesday, he'll be sent down to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, which is where he's spent the vast majority of his professional career in North America.

The former 2020 second-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings came to Philadelphia as part of the three-team deal that shipped Ivan Provorov to Columbus back in the summer of 2023. Since then, Grans has been a steady AHL presence but has never really looked like an NHL-caliber player. He's appeared in just seven games at the top level, and his most recent outing did nothing to change that perception.

Grans made his lone appearance this season on Saturday in a brutal 5-1 loss to the Bruins. Paired with Simon Benoit on the third pairing, he logged 12:26 of ice time, finished minus-1, and didn't register a single shot on goal. Head coach Rick Tocchet was reportedly unimpressed with that pairing, and Grans was made a healthy scratch for Sunday's loss to Carolina. PHLY Sports' Charlie O'Connor called the waiver move "unsurprising," noting that it was pretty clear from Saturday's game that Grans simply isn't ready for the NHL.

Over nearly five seasons in the AHL, Grans has accumulated 78 points in 298 regular season games and has gradually worked his way up from a third-pairing role to a top-four spot at that level. Prospect evaluators have suggested he could potentially develop into a late-blooming bottom-pairing NHL defenseman, but he hasn't shown the explosiveness or refined defensive reads needed to make that jump. He's heading into the second year of a two-year deal with an $837,500 cap hit that converted to a one-way contract this season.

What This Means for the Flyers Going Forward

The more interesting storyline here isn't about Grans leaving. It's about who might be staying.

The Flyers currently have Rasmus Ristolainen on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, retroactive to October 3, meaning he's already cleared the seven-day minimum and could return at any point. Cam York was listed as day-to-day on October 10. If either or both of those guys are ready to suit up for Tuesday's home game against Seattle, Grans had to go regardless.

But then there's Oliver Bonk. The young defenseman was recalled from Lehigh Valley on Sunday and was thrown right into the fire, skating on the top pairing alongside Travis Sanheim against Carolina. It was a rough night for the kid, finishing minus-3 in over 16 minutes of action, but the fact that Tocchet gave him that kind of responsibility says something about how frustrated the coaching staff is with the current group.

By waiving Grans, the Flyers may be signaling that Bonk's stay with the big club could extend beyond just a quick fill-in. Perhaps the organization views Bonk as the better option and wants to give him a longer look, especially given how dismal things have been. With the team winless through seven games, nothing is off the table when it comes to roster decisions. There's a scenario where Bonk sticks around on the third pairing even after the injured defensemen return, potentially pushing someone like Benoit to the press box instead.

Philadelphia hosts Seattle on Tuesday night looking to finally crack the win column. Whether it's Ristolainen returning, Bonk getting another shot, or some combination of both, the Flyers need bodies on the blue line and they need results. Grans is almost certainly going to clear waivers and head back to the AHL to continue developing. For the Flyers, though, the real question isn't about who they're sending down. It's whether any of these moves can actually stop the bleeding.