Flyers Claim Lukas Sedlak, But Why?
The Flyers have claimed Lukas Sedlak off of waivers. Like most waiver-wire pickups, he isn’t an especially interesting player. He isn’t going to grab the attention of even the most ardent and dedicated hockey nerds.
He’s a fourth-liner whose role in the league is fairly plug-and-play whenever he has a role in the league. After playing for the Blue Jackets from 2016 to 2019, Sedlak departed the NHL to go back home to Russia.
Playing for the Russian KHL, he had much more of a scoring touch. Sedlak registered 43 points in 49 games back in Russia, but I wouldn’t expect any similar explosions of offense when he dons the Orange and Black.
Lukas Sedlak’s career high in points came back in the 2016-17 season, in which he registered 13 points in 62 games. So, why grab him?
Well, one might assume from the last two games that John Tortorella was not particularly impressed by either Zach MacEwan or Olle Lycksell. The latter requires more development, whereas the former probably won’t ever receive a sufficient amount of development.
Tortorella was looking for more of a heavy forechecking presence from the big-bodied MacEwan. And while he got some of that, he didn’t get enough against Tampa Bay to make himself particularly valuable.
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To make matters worse, he took two critical penalties along the way.
A bottom-six depth player who made multiple mental lapses that resulted in Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov on the ice with a man advantage?
He was bound to be replaced. And it seems as though Lukas Sedlak is the replacement.
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Sedlak should provide a more disciplined but heavy forechecking presence than the two other options for the 4th right-wing slot. And that is all anyone is going to ask from him.
John Tortorella should feel especially confident that he’ll get what he wants out of Sedlak. After all, the coach that Sedlak played under during his time with Columbus was none other than… John Tortorella.
It’s a move on the margins. A move that doesn’t inspire anyone to get too high or too low. But lying underneath the surface of the movie is the continuation of a prevalent theme.
John Tortorella making his personal mark on the Philadelphia Flyers.
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