Philadelphia Flyers general manager Danny Briere spoke on the official addition of 18-year-old Jett Luchanko to the team’s NHL roster, highlighting the abilities that impressed the higher-ups so much while making a point to say that the focus is very much still on developing him as a player.
Briere admitted that he, like many people, didn’t see Luchanko making the team right out of training camp.
“Going into training camp, I never thought he had much of a chance—an outside chance, to be honest—but he’s blown us away from day one,” he said. “The speed is one thing that really jumped out. That’s impressive, and then you start watching play and the little details in his game—the way he supports everybody, the way he makes players around him better was very impressive… If you dive deeper and watch all the little details in his game, especially defensively, in the neutral zone, [he’s] in a good position, and offensively, just supporting his teammates, keeping plays alive. It was very impressive.”
Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News
He also noted that “nothing is set in stone” when it comes to exactly how long Luchanko will stay in the roster, saying that, like any other player on the team, he has to keep earning his spot every day.
“There’s nothing guaranteed,” Briere said. “You know, he might be here for one day or it could be the whole season… He’s earned the rights to stay and start with us.”
Arguments have been made that putting the 18-year-old center in the roster could be “rushing”—and ultimately harming—his development. Briere pointed out that there are cases of teenage players going both ways when put into the NHL—some thrive, some don’t. But he also made a point to say that the Flyers will be observing and evaluating Luchanko with his development at the forefront of their minds.
“We have to take into consideration his age and his development and what’s most important for us,” he said. “In three, five, seven years from now, how can we create the best Luchanko? Those are all things that we’re constantly thinking about and discussing and debating.
“It’s not just the points. Obviously, points are important because they help you win when you score goals and set up plays… but it’s the overall game we’re going to be looking at, just like we did in training camp. [We’re going to] evaluate the full spectrum.”
Danny Briere says that there’s arguments on both sides when it comes to whether or not putting Luchanko in the NHL roster is a good idea—some teenagers thrive, some don’t. Said there’s “no clear path” and that they’re just doing what they can to help him succeed. #LetsGoFlyers
— Siobhan Nolan (@SGNolan) October 7, 2024
Head coach John Tortorella agreed that Luchanko “deserves to be where he is right now,” but that when it comes to assessing his game, “I’m not gonna predict anything. I’m not gonna be looking for that particular thing—I’m gonna let him play.”
Tortorella also highlighted that all of the evaluations will have Luchanko’s long-term development in mind, saying that “if we feel what’s happening is not good for his development, those are the decisions we’re gonna have a constant conversation about. But we’re not gonna overthink it and say, ‘Oh, he made a bad play there, he’s gonna back [to the OHL].’
“We’re gonna let the kid play and have conversations as we’re playing the games and see where it goes from there.”
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