Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster spoke to the media after the Flyers fell to the Kings, 7-3, Thursday night.
The Flyers loaned Emil Andrae to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley before Thursday's 11:59 p.m. ET NHL roster freeze.
The 22-year-old defenseman was back in the lineup for the team's 7-3 loss Thursday night to the Kings. He had been a healthy scratch the previous three games and came back for Cam York, who was benched.
Sending Andrae to the Phantoms revolved around roster flexibility for the Flyers, according to a source. The Flyers had been carrying two extra defensemen. But they have only 12 healthy forwards, so if they need to call one up, they now have a roster spot available. Players can still be recalled during the roster freeze, which ends next Saturday at 12:01 a.m. ET.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The Flyers have two more games before the NHL-mandated holiday break. They host the Blue Jackets on Saturday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP) and visit the Penguins on Monday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP+).
Andrae provided a real lift to the Flyers' defense in 20 games. He had a goal, four assists and a plus-3 rating in 19:18 minutes per game. He found chemistry with Rasmus Ristolainen and showed top-four potential.
But Andrae had "fought it" of late, John Tortorella said a little over a week ago, and he's still waivers exempt, making it easier for the Flyers to send him to Lehigh Valley. The Flyers still want to develop Egor Zamula, a 24-year-old who has a minus-12 rating in 16:10 minutes per game, but is not waivers exempt.
Philadelphia Flyers
Find the latest Philadelphia Flyers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Philadelphia.
One would think Andrae has a good chance at rejoining the Flyers not too far down the line.