Flyers Recall Samuel Morin From Phantoms

Samuel Morin's time has come … at least for now.

The Flyers on Sunday night recalled Morin from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. With Morin on the roster, the Flyers now have six healthy defensemen.

Shayne Gostisbehere suffered an upper-body injury in the second period Saturday night in Toronto and did not return for the third period. The Flyers did not provide an update Sunday on Gostisbehere.

With Andrew MacDonald out for at least a month with a lower-body injury, the Flyers were carrying six defensemen during their Canada trip last week. Then Gostisbehere went down Saturday.

Morin's call-up could be an indication Gostisbehere might miss time with his injury, but it simply could be an extra body. We'll know more Monday morning during the morning skate before the Arizona game.

If Gostisbehere is out, the Flyers will have six defensemen for the Coyotes game and Morin will draw into the lineup. If Morin does play, the Flyers will have three rookie blueliners in the lineup.

Because we don't know have an update on Gostisbehere yet, we shouldn't assume Morin will definitely play Monday, however.

Morin, who has four points and is a plus-7 in eight games this season with the Phantoms, plays primarily the left side. It will be interesting to see what Dave Hakstol does with his pairings if Gostisbehere is out Monday. He'll have options (see story).

It should be noted that if Morin does draw in, he would not replace Gostisbehere. Sanheim would likely move into a larger role, especially on the power play, since his skill set is similar to Gostisbehere's.

A more defensive-minded blueliner, Morin would likely see minutes as the third-pair defenseman with time on the penalty kill.

The Flyers didn't want to begin the season with three rookies on their blue line, but because of injuries, they're forced to now.

How long Morin will be here depends on MacDonald's health. But this is an opportunity for Morin to prove himself ready again to general manager Ron Hextall.