Despite some strong individual moments in the preseason, the Philadelphia Flyers aren't handing an NHL roster spot to forward Rodrigo Abols just yet.
The Flyers are still deliberating on whether to keep 14 forwards and seven defensemen, or 13 forwards and eight defensemen.
If the Flyers opt for the former, Abols can count himself in. If it's the latter, it's down to the Latvian or 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko, but not both.
Theoretically, the Flyers wouldn't keep Luchanko, 19, around if he wasn't going to play. Luchanko made it through four NHL games with the Flyers last year, but ultimately didn't get a full nine-game audition and sat out for some contests, too.
The two pressing issues working against each other are the Flyers' aversion to sending Luchanko back to the lowly OHL Guelph Storm, and head coach Rick Tocchet preferring to have an eight-defenseman roster.
NHL Waiver Wire: Flyers Should Take a Chance on Recently Cut 11th Overall PickWith perpetuated struggles on defense, the Philadelphia Flyers must keep an open mind towards their options, internally and externally, at the position.
The latter is particularly prudent, too, because the battle for a roster spot on defense has been markedly poor, and even the incumbent Egor Zamula has already been challenged for his poor play.
Until someone stands out and takes the reins, the Flyers might be better off carrying eight defenders. That tips the scales in Abols's favor.
However, Tocchet himself still wants to see more from the 29-year-old.
"He's got to pay the mortgage, right? He wants to be an NHL player. It's my job to to give feedback to him on how to be an NHL player. For him, he's 6-foot-4, pretty good skater, got a hell of a shot, and there's some things there, but there's more for him to be an NHL player," Tocchet said Wednesday.
"There is something there, and now he's got to find it, right? When you're on the bubble, you've got to do something consistently every day. That's the rules of the NHL. You've got to see it from him every day."
Tocchet went as far as to say Abols was "trending" towards becoming an NHL player, but wouldn't make that declaration yet.
Abols did not play against the New York Islanders on Thursday night, whereas Luchanko took warmups and also did not play.
The fate of the two players could be decided Saturday when the Flyers host the New Jersey Devils at Xfinity Mobile Arena at 12:30 p.m., though it's unclear if either player will play at the time of this writing.
What is clear is that Abols has at least forced the Flyers to make a hard decision heading into the final days of the preseason and training camp, and that's progress from this time last year.
Time will tell if the former seventh-round pick has enough juice to finish the job and get himself over the line.