The Philadelphia Flyers are absolutely scrambling, trying to shake things up after what’s being called a “horrendous start,” and they just made a couple of depth moves right before they face our Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. They dropped Helge Grans on waivers Monday, which at least means Cam York should be good to go for the matchup against our boys. But then, they swapped out Carl Grundstrom for Jack Studnicka, and honestly, the whole thing just screams desperation.
Grundstrom Gets the Boot After a Weird Start
So, Carl Grundstrom, a guy who was a decent pickup for Philly last season from the Sharks, is headed down to the AHL’s Phantoms. The dude had 13 points in 47 games last year, even chipped in a point in three playoff games. But this season? Not so much. He was a healthy scratch for two games, then got back in the lineup Sunday, playing 12:11. Over five games, he averaged 11:20 on ice, had just five shots on goal, and ZERO points. He was mostly stuck on the fourth line, despite apparently getting some shifts higher up in what they called Rick Tocchet’s “blender.” It really sounds like the Flyers just weren’t feeling his game to start the season, and after clearing waivers in training camp, they could just send him straight down without any fuss. Good riddance, I guess, if you’re Philly, but it makes you wonder what they’re seeing.
Meet Jack Studnicka: Is He Really the Answer?
To replace Grundstrom, the Flyers are calling up center Jack Studnicka from the Phantoms. Now, this is where it gets truly wild. Studnicka is what you’d call a journeyman, bouncing around six different organizations in the last five seasons. His NHL stats? A grand total of 16 points, that’s 6 goals and 10 assists, in 126 career games. Get this: he hasn’t even recorded a point in his last 40 NHL games. The last time he scored a goal was way back in his season debut with the Canucks in 2023-24! Sure, he had a “decent showing” in preseason with Philadelphia, but come on. The source itself says this move makes you think of “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.” Grundstrom has 21 points per 82 games in his career; Studnicka has 16 points in 126 total games. And it’s not like Studnicka brings some huge physical edge either, with just one NHL fight to his name. This whole swap is just baffling.
So, while Philly’s over there shuffling the deck, desperately trying to find *something* to spark their “horrendous start,” our Kraken are rolling in after a sick 5-3 win against the Capitals! Joey Daccord’s been looking sharp, and our forwards like Matty Beniers, Jordan Eberle, Jared McCann, and Chandler Stephenson, they’re ready to show the Flyers what a real hockey team looks like on Tuesday. Let’s Go Kraken!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Broad Street Hockey.
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