With an injury to Kimmo Timonen creating question marks around the Flyers defense, the team has made a move to give themselves some depth at the position. Welcome to the NHL, Erik Gustafsson.
According to Frank Seravalli of the Daily News, Gustafsson has been recalled by the Flyers. Gustafsson played last night in Syracuse (Phantoms won, believe it or not), so it’s unlikely that he’s with the team in Los Angeles at this point. There’s no reason why he wouldn’t be able to make it across the country in time for tomorrow night’s game, however.
If Timonen cannot play Thursday against the Kings, Gustafsson will make his NHL debut. The Flyers, somewhat surprisingly, opted to call up the 22 year old defenseman over the more-seasoned Danny Syvret.
Gustafsson earns $900,000 against the salary cap compared $600,000 yearly cap hit of Syvret. Unlike Syvret, though, Gustafsson doesn’t have to be subjected to the waiver wire.
