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Ex-Flyer Allison Signs with KHL Club |
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Former Phantoms and Flyers power forward has signed a one-year KHL contract to play for Kazakhstan-based team Barys Astana for the 2024-25 season, per a Tweet by the club. Allison spent the entire 2023-24 season in the American Hockey League.
Shortly before the start of last season, Allison passed through waivers and was loaned by the Flyers back to the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Allison got off to a very slow start upon his return to Allentown but eventually started to play more effectively. Overall, though, he was capable of much more that 17 points (10 goals, seven assists) in 46 games.
Keep in mind that Allison had nine points in 10 games during his first stint in the AHL and seven points (4g, 3a) in 14 games during his initial NHL recall. Despite a series of injury issues that saw him only get into one NHL game in 2021-22 (getting injured again in that match), Allison posted 10 goals and 17 points for the Phantoms in 28 games: the same number of goals, assists and points he'd post for Lehigh Valley in 2023-24 but in 18 fewer games.
Allison made the Flyers' NHL roster for the 2022-23 season. He scored the season's first goal for Philadelphia in the team's opening-night win over the New Jersey Devils. Shortly thereafter, though, he started to fall out of favor with head coach John Tortorella. Tortorella publicly said the player was going to "east-west himself out of the lineup" and that the head coach wanted him to solely be "the player that he is" (a straight-line, north-south player who battles for pucks down low and goes to the net).
That was NOT actually a full description of the player that Allison always was before 2022-23. These were FACETS of his preferred game, but not his whole game. Yes, Allison was a player who would grind and crash the net, but he was also dangerous from the flank (with a very heavy shot) and did periodically show a dash finesse as well as power.
It seemed for a while thereafter that Allison was starting to win over Tortorella. The player further simplified his game, per the coach's directive. Off the ice, the free-spirited Allison also cut his shaggy hair. After his ice time had been cut significantly by late October to early November -- including three games in a two-week span in which he played less than 8:15 -- he had a run of games where he was moved back into the top nine. A high-point game came in the Flyers' 5-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 8, 2022. Not only did Allison score a goal (his third of the season up to that point) but he also skated 16:23 of ice time.
Unfortunately, two games later, Allison got injured yet again and he was out for six weeks with an oblique muscle strain and hip flexor. He caught his stride a few weeks after his return, but then missed another (much briefer) stretch. Noting how much time the player had missed in his career -- collegiate hockey at Western Michigan, the AHL with the Phantoms and the NHL with the Flyers -- Tortorella said the injuries affected Allison's ability to contribute.
He’s always hurt. He’s improved tremendously but it’s hard to be consistent if you’re always hurt,” Tortorella said. “You see him coming, but then he’s out again.”
There was truth to Tortorella's assessment. Allison often seemed to be in a Catch-22: he was most effective when he played an edgy, physical style with abandon. Unfortunately, that style inevitably contributed to injuries, such as a 2021-22 forearm injury in the AHL when he attempted to throw a hit near the opposing bench and ended up having to exit the lineup again for weeks. But when Allison tried to be a bit more cautious, his overall game would be less effective, too.
Allison did eventually stay healthy enough to dress in 60 games for the 2022-23 season. The results were mixed, but posted nine goals, 15 points in a bottom-six role. It was enough to seemingly remain in the mix heading into 2023-24.
During the Flyers' 2023 training camp and exhibition schedule, Allison had some good moments and some so-so games. He said, however, that he felt he was moving in the right direction. It wasn't enough, with veteran hard-hitting winger Garnet Hathaway and rookies Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink making the opening-night roster (Foerster made it to stay, Brink ultimately splitting the season between the Flyers and Phantoms).
Prior to teams making final roster cuts and submitting their opening night rosters to the NHL Office, Allison was placed on waivers. When he cleared, he was assigned to the Phantoms.
Allison did not handle the demotion well. He was clearly very disappointed to have to go back down a level, and had a downright awful month of October 2023 that made a subsequent recall -- barring a 180-degree turnaround on the ice -- unlikely. Tanner Laczynski, who was basically in the same boat as Allison after spending most of 2022-23 on the NHL roster (but failing to impress Tortorella), earned praise for his positive attitude, leadership, and all-around play for the Phantoms. Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere publicly challenged Allison to "be more like Laz".
Unfortunately, Laczynski himself ended up getting injured again (49 regular season games played) and that precluded any potential recall as a depth center/winger. When in the lineup, Laczynski was consistently one of the Phantoms' best players on both sides of the puck. Allison, meanwhile, yet again missed some time with injuries, but had a decent run for several weeks.
On March 8, 2024, the Flyers traded Allison to the Nashville Predators for Denis Gurianov. The Predators assigned Allison to the Milwaukee Admirals (14 regular season games, three goals, five points). Allison subsequently dressed in four playoffs games (one goal, one assist).
When the Flyers first acquired Gurianov, general manager Danny Briere and head coach Tortorella stated that they wanted to give the Russian forward (a former first-round pick by the Dallas Stars who had success at the outset of his NHL career but then whose play fell off sharply) "a long look" on Philly's NHL roster. It didn't work out. Gurianov dressed in only four games, playing mostly on the fourth line. Gurianov and Allison were both free agents this off-season.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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