According to President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Chuck Fletcher, the Philadelphia Flyers have claimed forward Lukas Sedlak off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche today. In a corresponding move, the Flyers have sent forward Olle Lycksell back down to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
With Sedlak now in the mix with the rest of the fourth liners in Zack MacEwen, Nicolas Deslauriers, and Jackson Cates, there wasn’t much room for Lycksell, who played well but was understandably tentative in his NHL debut. Head coach John Tortorella said he has a few things to work on, most notably being confident with the puck. Being sent back down to the Phantoms will afford Lycksell to get more meaningful playing time and to work on his kinks.
In Sedlak, the Flyers have brought in someone with familiarity with Tortorella in his days with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Drafted in the 6th round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Blue Jackets, Sedlak didn’t make his NHL debut until the 2016-17 season and spent parts of the next 3 seasons under Tortorella. He appeared in 162 games, scored 15 goals and 27 points, and averaged 9:24 of ice time. He then appeared in 3 NHL games with the Colorado Avalanche this season, going pointless, and averaging 7:42 of time on ice.
The gap between being drafted in 2011 and playing for the Jackets in 2016-17 can be explained with 2 seasons in the QMJHL with the Chicoutimi Sageueneens, where he scored 32 goals and 79 points in 98 games. Then he played 3 seasons in the AHL for the Springfield Falcons and the Lake Erie Monsters, accumulating 48 points in 159 games. Then from 2019-20 to 2021-22 he was in the KHL with Traktor Chelyabinsk where he fared a lot better as he scored 121 points in 164 games.
It’s unclear if he cracks the lineup, but with the Flyers sending down Lycksell, it’s only a matter of time before they give Sedlak a chance – all depending on how Zack MacEwen fares in the coming games.
