The Philadelphia Flyers cut and subsequently assigned Olle Lycksell to the AHL after he cleared waivers Tuesday, officially ending his time in the NHL this season.
Because the Flyers already used their fourth and final post-trade deadline call-up on rookie goalie Aleksei Kolosov, Lycksell, 25, cannot return to the NHL this season barring an injury that creates an "emergency" situation that prevents the Flyers from dressing 12 forwards.
Lycksell hadn't played for the Flyers since featuring in a 2-1 win over the Nashville Predators on March 31 despite having assists in each of the two games prior to that.
But, as a pending free agent and a "prospect" who turns 26 years old before the start of next season, Lycksell was running out of time.
His most recent stint with the Flyers was an audition, either for the Flyers themselves or for other NHL teams, and the Flyers have decided to cut that short despite there being just five games remaining and being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
This fate was not for a lack of opportunity, either, as Lycksell played up and down the lineup in various roles and situations.
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers' most common line combinations including Lycksell at 5-on-5 were the following:
Olle Lycksell, Sean Couturier, and Matvei Michkov; Nick Deslauriers, Rodrigo Abols, and Olle Lycksell, and Olle Lycksell, Ryan Poehling, and Bobby Brink.
The line with Couturier and Michkov did not produce a single goal and was not on the ice for a goal against in 32:02 together, but the line with Deslauriers and Abols was out-attempted 27-25, out-scored 3-1, and out-chanced 17-13.
Curiously, the line with Lycksell, Poehling, and Brink was the best of the three, out-attempting opponents 18-15, out-scoring opponents 2-0, and narrowly out-chancing opponents 8-7.
It is worth noting, of course, that Poehling has five goals and seven points in his last five games and seven goals and 10 points in his last 10 games.
The 26-year-old former first-round pick is arguably the hottest player on the Flyers since the middle of March.
In respect to their similar ages, the difference between Lycksell and Poehling is ultimately that former first-round picks have to prove they can't play, while later draft picks like Lycksell have to prove that they can.
Based on this latest roster move, Lycksell has not proved to the Flyers that he can, at least consistently enough, leading to what could very well be the end of his Flyers career.
From the Flyers' perspective, it might make sense to offer Lycksell a contract in free agency and keep him around as a prospective 13th or 14th forward whom they can depend on in a pinch, particularly in case of injury.
From Lycksell's perspective, if the Swede is determined to make the NHL permanently, he could find a better opportunity to do so elsewhere.
The Flyers' top-nine is already stocked with players like Michkov, Brink, Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster, and Travis Konecny, leaving little opportunity to carve out a role other than one as a fourth-line grinder.
Standing at just 5-foot-11 and 176 pounds, the odds are against Lycksell making a career out of such a role, especially this late in his development.
The good news is that, in the interim, Lycksell will join a Lehigh Valley Phantoms team that just clinched its third playoff berth in as many years.
With 17 goals and 41 points in 40 games with the Phantoms this season, Lycksell is the AHL club's leading scorer and ranks third on the team in goals, trailing only Jacob Gaucher and Alexis Gendron, who have scored 20 times apiece.
A strong Calder Cup playoff campaign could go a long way for Lycksell, who will be a Group-6 unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He'll be free to stay with the Flyers, if he wants, or choose another team, on Day 1 of free agency on July 1.
