It’s always unfortunate when a long-lasting plan doesn’t come to fruition, regardless of the reason or the outcome. For the Philadelphia Flyers, that plan was Cam York starting the regular season as a Flyer instead of a Lehigh Valley Phantom.
However, after a gruelling camp set out by newly-minted head coach John Tortorella, he weeded out the players who needed more time or who couldn’t keep up with his demands. In this instance, one of those players was York, who endured a relatively quiet, stagnant, and okay training camp.
Tortorella and the Flyers have been talking about accountability all summer, they’ve been mentioning how no roster spot is given, and if you can’t keep up you’re going to be left behind. York, who is only 21 years old, will have a bright future at some point but that won’t start on the 13th of October when the Flyers open the season against the New Jersey Devils.
The Flyers cut ten players from their roster on Wednesday and currently have 32 players left on the roster with the season only a week away. The rest of the players who were assigned to the Phantoms or back to their junior hockey team weren’t all too surprising. Some had hoped that maybe Tyson Foerster could crack the lineup this year after a good training camp but the Flyers’ MO, at one point being to “play the kids”, has gone to making sure they don’t hinder their development.
A move like this is similar to last year when the Flyers demoted Morgan Frost to the Phantoms to start the year. His case was a little different, mostly because he had endured injuries and COVID interruptions within a two-year span that only allowed him to skate in two games, but they wanted to make sure he could marinate and get his confidence back before reentering the lineup at the NHL level.
York’s demotion was big news partially not only because everyone had him penciled in for the opening roster, but also because news at this time is relatively slow. Tortorella was bombarded by questions at his press conference and he gave us an insight as to why the Flyers made the decision.
Whether right or wrong, the Flyers feel like they would be rushing the young defenseman and his training camp performance was indicative that no roster spot is given. York will be the first one to tell you he didn’t have a good camp, the coaches have pointed that out, and they’ve been vocal about his abilities and how they want his best stuff right now, not down the line.
The particular play on Tuesday against the New York Islanders’ Casey Cizikas, while a man up, was probably the nail in the coffin for his chances of getting that opening night roster spot. He got beat on a relatively nonchalant play and got outmaneuvered and outmuscled as the power play quarterback and the last line of defense while up a man.
I guess the wrinkle that has confused many was the constant messages about “playing the kids” this year. It was a message that initially seemed hollow because the Flyers never usually seem to want to venture down that path unless the regular season is over and the playoffs are completely out of grasp. Last year was indicative of that as the kids didn’t start playing a major role for some time, while some wily veterans kept getting the benefit of the doubt. Earlier last week, general manager Chuck Fletcher talked about York and said, “Cam York, to me, is a young man that’s going to have a very bright future in this league, precisely because the attributes he brings are exactly what we need…To me, that the main storyline of this camp – let’s see what we have, let’s see how good these kids are.”
John Tortorella also chimed in and stated, “I’m going to play the kids. I’ll tell you right now. It doesn’t matter to me stature, draft pick, whatever it may be, what you’ve done before. It’s kind of a clean slate with me because I really don’t know the player, I need to watch them.”
“But I do feel, as an organization right now, we need to get a foundation underneath us here, we need to get it back on the rails. And we need to get a good foundation of what our kids are, so they’re going to get every opportunity. I’m not afraid to put them into a situations that maybe it might bump another out that thought he was going to be there.”
Now, in Tortorella’s defense, he gave the kids as many opportunities as possible during the preseason, especially with several veterans barely suiting up. It’s unfortunate that York couldn’t seize the moment right now, but there will be plenty of opportunities down the road.
There’s no way that Nick Seeler or Kevin Connauton can be looked at as improvements on the back end or better options than York, even more so indicated by Connauton’s waiving yesterday, but it’s just that the current situation dictates more time in the minors for the youngster. Unfortunately, that does mean the Flyers will be opting with a very slow and unproductive third pairing that will comprise Justin Braun with Seeler, unless Egor Zamula or Ronnie Attard can step up.
After York’s demotion, Tortorella said, “That’s the thing that York and I have discussed through camp is there are so many God-given abilities he has that other players don’t. We want to try to get to it. I don’t think we got to it. That’s part of my responsibility. I don’t think we got to the abilities where he could help us right now with our defensive corps.”
“For me, with Yorky, it’s not the physical skills. I think it’s the mental skills. I think it’s him learning to, first of all, wanting to be a guy that’s going to make a difference and then being the player to make a difference. Just remember guys, this a young man playing a really important position in our game. This isn’t bad. This is a process building a team. We feel he’s going to be a very important part of this team when we find our way. When we find our way, I have no idea. But this is the right thing for Yorky.
Tortorella finished it off with, “To me, I know it seems like he’s a high pick and it’s a big deal, we’re sending him down. I don’t think it is. I think it’s the right thing to do. I think it’s so important these decisions that are made are for the right reason, to help this organization win. We can’t talk about winning without doing things to win. To me, this is a real small one in trying to find a way to win and a young man that we project to be a part of that winning team. Right now, he’s going to do it down there. And hopefully we’ll see him soon.”
The coach and general manager had their say on the matter, as did York who said, “You can’t have soft skin. You’ve got to accept what he’s saying. In the moment, you might be frustrated and annoyed, but it’s for the better. Just continuing to build a relationship with him and the staff is going to be important.”
The writing was on the wall for York and everyone else attending the training camp that was being spearheaded by Tortorella and company. It was going to be tough, it was going to be gruelling, and you had to be on the ball every second of every minute because he was watching and analyzing everything. York and several other young players got a lot of opportunites to showcase their game and skills over the six preseason games and while some took advantage of the extra playing time – Samuel Ersson comes to mind – others either fell through the cracks or didn’t show enough.
York didn’t have an abhorrent camp by any means but based on who he is, what he has in his bag of tricks, and what the organization wants out of him, he fell short of the mark this September.
Morgan Frost played in 24 games at the AHL level last year before getting called up, posting 19 points along the way. He ended up sticking with the Flyers until the end of the season and suited up in 55 games, scoring 5 goals and 16 points. It wasn’t the best season in the slightest for the young forward who was given the same message as York is being given now, but he matured by the end of the season, bettered his game, and looked a lot more comfortable in the final months of the season. More of the same is expected from York, who played 30 games for the Flyers last year, but they hold a different opinion about their defensemen than they do about their forwards.
Tortorella stuck to his guns and everything that he has said since the beginning, Cam York needs to take this opportunity by the horns and tear things apart in the AHL in short order if he wants to get called up as soon as possible, and the Flyers are relatively comfortable with the decision based on their familiarity and comfortability with Seeler.
The ball is in York’s court, and if he plays to his abilities and doesn’t let the demotion get to him, we will be seeing him shortly wearing the Orange and Black again in no time.
Music City Hockey Trip
Take a three day vacation to Nashville with Philly Sports Trips this October! The package includes direct flights, a three night stay at the Cambria Hotel Nashville Downtown, an all-inclusive tailgate, and tickets to the Flyers Predators game. $100 cash for anyone who shows proof they went to the Flyers game on the trip.
