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Flyers Sign Hunter McDonald To Entry-Level Deal

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The Flyers have signed left-shot defenseman Hunter McDonald to a two-year, entry-level contract that begins in the 2024-25 season, per a team announcement. Financial terms were not disclosed. McDonald, a 2022 sixth-round pick, was already on an ATO with AHL Lehigh Valley.

McDonald made his professional debut on March 23 and has made nine appearances with the Phantoms, adjusting well with two assists and a +5 rating. He turned pro after his sophomore season at Northeastern University, which was shortened by an injury that kept him out for most of the first three months of the campaign.

2023-24 was a bit of a step back for McDonald, who was named to the Hockey East conference’s All-Rookie Team and was awarded Best Defensive Defenseman honors in his freshman year after posting 14 points and a +21 rating in 35 games. In 23 appearances this season, though, he mustered only six points and a +3 rating.

The 21-year-old is a shutdown-only threat and has been since joining the junior hockey ranks in 2019. His 14 points during his freshman year with the Huskies exceeded most offensive expectations. The New York native has NHL-ready size at 6’4″ and 205 lbs and is a decent outlet passer, but otherwise has poor offensive instincts and is a slow skater with even slower acceleration. He’s still an incredibly strong defender with a high-end ability to box out opposing forwards around the net, but he carries a third-pairing ceiling at the NHL level.

McDonald’s deal expires after the 2025-26 season, at which point he will be an RFA. He will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2029.

Seth Jones And Alex Vlasic Will Play At World Championships

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Despite their recent collapse, it doesn’t appear as though the Philadelphia Flyers are planning to make a coaching change to replace John Tortorella anytime soon. This news comes from TSN’s Darren Dreger who reports that Flyers sources have told him that “Torts is not leaving the bench.” The speculation around Tortorella’s job security makes sense given that the team is mired in a 1-6-3 streak in their last ten and are currently chasing a playoff spot after sitting comfortably in third place in the Metropolitan Division just a few short weeks ago.

The Flyers are winless in eight straight games and have looked lost the last month, particularly in their last three games where they have been outscored 19-7 by the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens. Last night’s 9-3 loss to Montreal was particularly difficult to watch as the Canadiens dominated the Flyers from start to finish which further added to speculation about Tortorella’s future.

In other evening notes:

  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli won’t play again this season after suffering a lacerated calf against the Seattle Kraken back on January 28th. While that news isn’t overly surprising given that there are just a handful of games left on the NHL schedule, what is surprising to hear is that the 19-year-old rookie might play for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships if he is healthy a month from now. Fantilli played for Team Canada last year at the tournament and could return on May 10th if he is at 100 percent. Last year’s third-overall pick will finish his first NHL regular season with 12 goals and 15 assists in 49 games.
  • Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Chicago Blackhawks defensemen Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic will suit up for Team U.S.A. at the IIHF World Championships. The 22-year-old Vlasic hasn’t represented the United States internationally for over five years, last suiting up for the Americans at the U18 World Championship in 2018-19. Jones last suited up internationally two years ago at the World Championships when he captained the Americans to a fourth-place finish.

Flyers Sign Oscar Eklind To Entry-Level Deal

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The Flyers have signed undrafted free agent winger Oskar Eklind to a one-year, entry-level contract for next season, GM Daniel Brière announced today. The deal carries an AAV and cap hit of $950K, the maximum allowable.

Eklind, 25, was under contract for next season with Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League, where he spent his 2023-24 campaign. However, the contract can be terminated for a fee as the NHL and SHL have a transfer agreement.

The 6’4″, 220-lb winger has spent his entire career in his home country. His rights have never been held by an NHL team, but career highs across the board this year, plus his appealing size, led to some recent interest.

A power forward, Eklind had 17 goals and 11 assists for 28 points in 48 games with Luleå last season, along with a +5 rating and 64 PIMs. His season ended late last month after they were swept in the quarterfinals of the SHL playoffs by Växjö Lakers HC.

He’s coming off his sixth full season playing in the professional ranks and his eighth overall with SHL or HockeyAllsvenskan (the Swedish second-tier pro league) experience. Luleå was his fifth organization in the Swedish tier system in the last seven years, also spending time with the Malmö Redhawks, IK Pantern, Mora IK, and Brynäs IF before landing with Luleå on a transfer last offseason.

Eklind pauses his SHL career for now with 30 goals, 28 assists and 58 points in 160 games, along with 125 PIMs. He didn’t fare much better in the HockeyAllsvenskan, posting 31 goals and 66 points in 183 games with 115 PIMs.

He’s a long shot to make the Flyers’ roster out of camp, and if he does ever crack an NHL roster, it’ll likely be exclusively in a fourth-line role. He has the shot necessary to stay afloat in the league, as he does physicality, but his overall play-driving ability and sluggish acceleration up the ice limit him from having much upward mobility.

Eklind will be 26 this summer, but since his birthday isn’t until after July 1, he should maintain RFA eligibility when his contract expires in 2025. He’ll have his NHL rights controlled by the Flyers indefinitely if the Flyers issue him a qualifying offer at the end of next season, even if he opts not to stick around and return to Sweden.

Injury Notes: Couturier, Hamonic, Oshie

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It has been revealed that Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier is facing a sprained shoulder, per NHL.com’s Kevin Kurz (Twitter link). Couturier seems to have dodged more serious injury and continues to carry the day-to-day injury designation given to him on Wednesday and is questionable for the team’s Friday night game.

Couturier has had an eventful season since being named Philadelphia’s first captain since Claude Giroux on February 14th. He’s since managed just three assists through 20 games, adding 11 penalty minutes and a -17. The cold streak has earned him two healthy scratches that he hasn’t yet vindicated – riding a six-game scoreless streak since returning to the lineup. Couturier managed 30 points in 41 games of the season but has since fallen apart. Hopefully a clean bill of health following this shoulder injury can bring with it a resurgence on the scoresheet.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Ottawa Senators are expected to be without defenseman Travis Hamonic on Thursday night due to a lower-body injury, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun (Twitter link). Hamonic has missed 16 of Ottawa’s last 17 games with this injury and continues to miss time even after being removed from injured reserve on March 19th. He’s played in just 48 games this season, recording six points, 40 penalty minutes, and a -10. He joins Thomas Chabot on the team’s sideline, with Tyler Kleven benefiting most from the pair’s absences.
  • T.J. Oshie missed the Washington Capitals practice on Thursday, instead seeing the team’s doctor for an upper-body injury. Head coach Spencer Carbery shared that the injury will hold Oshie out of Washington’s next two games, per Bailey Johnson of the Washington Post (Twitter link), as the Capitals face a back-to-back on Thursday and Friday. His next chance to return will come on Sunday, when Washington hosts the Ottawa Senators. Oshie has played in just 47 games this season, recording 11 goals and 19 points.

Sean Couturier Out Day-To-Day With Undisclosed Injury

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A difficult season for Flyers captain Sean Couturier continues. The 31-year-old sustained an undisclosed injury in Monday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders, and head coach John Tortorella is “not sure when he’ll be back,” he told reporters today (via Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia). He carries a day-to-day designation, though, and hasn’t specifically been ruled out of Friday’s contest against the Sabres. He’s without a point and has a -4 rating in six games since returning from back-to-back healthy scratches in mid-March, not the response he or Tortorella was looking for. Couturier’s recent struggles have been a significant reason why the Flyers’ playoff chances have dropped by about 25% in the past few weeks, as they now find themselves in a nearly neck-and-neck race with the Capitals and Red Wings for two playoff spots. He’s logged over 15 minutes in a game just twice since the beginning of March and has played mostly fourth-line minutes since his healthy scratches. The 2011 eighth-overall pick has at least managed to remain mostly healthy after missing most of the last two seasons due to back injuries, but his offensive impact has been greatly diminished with 11 goals and 36 points in 70 games, his worst point-per-game pace in nine years.

Flyers To Reinstate Jamie Drysdale From Injured Reserve

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Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale will come off injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Islanders after missing over a month with a shoulder injury. Philadelphia will likely make a corresponding transaction later Monday, as activating Drysdale gives them an excess of nine healthy defenders on the active roster with two of them being waiver-exempt (Ronald Attard, Adam Ginning).

Philly fans cringed when Drysdale sustained the injury on Feb. 25 against Pittsburgh, appearing to reinjure the shoulder that kept him out of all but eight games last year. A weeks-long absence isn’t ideal for the young blueliner as he tries to make his mark after being acquired from the Ducks midseason, but avoiding anything longer-term is still good news. Drysdale wasn’t overly impressive in 17 games with the Flyers, scoring twice and adding two assists, but he did log much-improved possession numbers from his time in Anaheim.

After the Ducks drafted Drysdale with the sixth overall pick in 2020, he had a breakout rookie campaign two seasons later, scoring 32 points in 81 games as a 19-year-old. The torn labrum less than a month into the 2022-23 season stunted all of his momentum, though, and he hasn’t been able to recapture his pre-injury form. A lower-body injury also cost him most of the early going of this year with Anaheim, and all in all has been limited to 27 appearances across his two clubs.

The sinking Flyers will gladly welcome his presence as they fight to turn things around and secure a playoff spot. They’ve gone 3-5-2 in their last 10 games, dropping them out of third place in the Metropolitan Division and putting them only two points ahead of the Red Wings, who have a game in hand, for the second wild-card spot in the East. Outside of their top pairing of Travis Sanheim and Cameron York, Philly doesn’t have many skilled puck-movers on their back end, and plugging Drysdale back into the lineup should allow trade deadline pickup Erik Johnson to be relieved of his overmatched top-four spot alongside Nick Seeler.

Seeler Will Play Tonight, Hathaway Fined For Embellishment

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  • The Flyers will get a key blueliner back in the lineup tonight as the team announced (Twitter link) that Nick Seeler will return to the lineup. The 30-year-old had missed more than three weeks with a lower-body injury.  Seeler has played in 63 games so far this season, logging nearly 17 minutes a night while leading the team in blocked shots with 184.  That helped earn him a four-year, $10.8MM contract extension earlier this month.
  • Still with the Flyers, the league announced yesterday that winger Garnet Hathaway was fined $2K for embellishment. It’s the second time he has been cited for that infraction.  Each citation between now and the end of the season will result in an increased fine for the 32-year-old who leads all NHL forwards in hits with 294 so far.

Ivan Fedotov To Occupy Flyers’ Backup Role, Extension Talks Underway

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The Flyers have assigned goaltender Felix Sandström to AHL Lehigh Valley, GM Daniel Brière told reporters Friday (including Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports). The move indicates that netminder Ivan Fedotov, who arrived in Philadelphia and spoke to reporters alongside Brière this morning, will be reinstated to the NHL roster and will be the team’s backup netminder behind Samuel Ersson to close out the regular season. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz adds that extension talks between the Flyers and Fedotov, a pending UFA, have begun.

It’s unclear when Fedotov will make his NHL debut, but he is likely to dress for his first game on Saturday when the Flyers host the Blackhawks. Reports yesterday indicated that the 27-year-old, who had spent all of 2023-24 with CSKA Moscow of the Russian KHL, violating his valid NHL contract and an IIHF arbitration ruling, had his contract with CSKA terminated and was en route to join the Flyers.

Speaking on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said Fedotov didn’t appear pleased with the chain of events that led him to remain in Russia this season. “The current situation was untenable; he didn’t want to be there, he wasn’t playing well, and the Flyers wanted him in North America,” Friedman said.

In his media availability today, Fedotov gave the following statement (via Kurz):

I’ve been here a long time ago, around eight years. It’s been a long time. So now I’m here and for sure I’m so excited and happy be here. Great feelings, because really difficult two years (it) was for me.

A tough season it was for Fedotov, whose .914 SV% and 2.37 GAA were remarkably the worst of his career since breaking into the KHL full-time in 2019-20. The seventh-round pick of the Flyers back in 2015 has long been one of the most talented netminders outside of North America, who firmly planted himself in the conversation with a 2021-22 campaign that included a Gagarin Cup championship with CSKA, KHL Best Goaltender, and First All-Star Team nods, and a silver medal with Russia at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

It was the following summer that the Flyers first attempted to bring Fedotov to the NHL, signing him to a one-year, entry-level contract with plans to have him start the season as the backup to then-starter Carter Hart. However, Fedotov was detained by Russian authorities when trying to leave the country and was accused of skipping out on required military service, missing the entire 2022-23 season as a result.

The NHL tolled his contract, making it valid for 2023-24. However, since Fedotov would be 27 at the end of the contract, not 26 as originally intended, he becomes a UFA upon expiry instead of an RFA. In the unlikely event he hits the open market in July, he’d be free to sign with any NHL club, but all indications point toward Fedotov remaining in Philadelphia through next season at least.

Fedotov hopes to provide some stability to the Flyers’ crease outside of Ersson, who’s largely held the fort after Hart left the team in January to face sexual assault charges. Sandström and Cal Petersen have received tryouts in the backup role but have put up unplayable numbers for a team in the playoff hunt. The former returns to the minors today after being recalled to replace Petersen on Feb. 29, posting a .823 SV% and 3.87 GAA in three starts and two relief appearances during his stint on the roster.

After similarly poor numbers during his time in the NHL last season (3-12-3, .880 SV%, 3.72 GAA in 20 appearances), time is running out for the 27-year-old Sandström. A UFA this summer upon completion of his two-year, $1.55MM extension, it seems highly unlikely he’ll be offered a contract to remain in Philadelphia. The Flyers selected him 70th overall in 2015, four rounds ahead of Fedotov.

Ivan Fedotov To Finish Season With Flyers

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Editor’s Note: This article has been amended to properly reflect Carter Hart’s status.

March 29: Fedotov is in Philadelphia and will meet with media alongside Briere in a press conference at the team’s practice facility Friday morning, Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN reports.

March 28: In a surprising development coming out of the Kontinental Hockey League, CSKA Moscow has terminated the contract of Philadelphia Flyers’ goalie prospect Ivan Fedotov. The reasoning became clear shortly thereafter, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that Fedotov will finish his season with the Flyers.

The news comes as a bit of a shock, as it was only seven months ago that the KHL, NHL, and IIHF held a lengthy battle over the contractual rights to Fedotov for the 2023-24 season. As it would turn out, under pressure from his native country, Fedotov would spend the majority of his year in the KHL.

After the announcement became public from CSKA Moscow, it was unclear if Fedotov would be coming over to Philadelphia, as the General Manager of the team, Daniel Briere, declined to comment at today’s media availability regarding Fedotov’s status. Nevertheless, as a precursor to Friedman’s confirmation, Sports Express in Russia did initially report that Fedotov would be leaving for the NHL.

With only one year remaining on his current contract, Fedotov will become an unrestricted free agent this summer if Philadelphia does not sign him to an extension before July 1st. In the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NHLPA, a player is eligible to hit the unrestricted free agent market once they hit 27 years of age, or have accrued seven years of experience at the NHL level.

Although there will be a bit of an adjustment coming over to North American hockey, Fedotov should be able to play himself into the starting role with the Flyers relatively quickly. In 44 games for CSKA Moscow this season, Fedotov produced a 21-22-1 record in 44 games but did carry an impressive .914 save percentage and 2.37 goals against average.

Since Carter Hart left the team in late January after being charged in connection to an alleged 2018 sexual assault involving multiple members of that year’s Canadian Men’s National Junior Team, Philadelphia has been operating with Samuel Ersson as their starting option, with Calvin Petersen and Felix Sandstrom seeing time in the backup role. Proving to be a volatile option, Ersson has produced a 9-8-4 record in 21 games with a .880 SV% after taking over the top job.

Still trying to lock down a playoff spot with nine games remaining, the Flyers could get quite the jolt with Fedotov between the pipes. However, even if the team is unable to secure a playoff spot, they could view it as an important trial run to see if they would like to continue their relationship with the netminder.

Snapshots: Cates, Fast, Liljegren

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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that forward Noah Cates will be out on Thursday due to personal reasons (Twitter link). Cam Atkinson will step back into the lineup in his place, marking the first game Atkinson has played since March 16th. The veteran Atkinson will step back into the lineup looking to snap a 16-game scoring drought. He’s managed 25 shots in that stretch, though his only other stat changes have come via a -9 and, interestingly, the first fight of Atkinson’s 10-year career. He squared off against Tampa Bay forward Michael Eyssimont, who used his two-inch size advantage to pummel Atkinson.

Atkinson is taking on more grit and responsibility as he finds himself fighting for a consistent spot in the lineup. The Flyers will hope he can find his groove soon, as he fills in for Cates’ role on the fourth-line. Cates has just 13 points through 51 games this season – a far step down from his 38 points as a rookie last year. He’s sacrificed scoring for a much more poised, all-around role, improving his faceoff percentage by five percent this season and yet to record a penalty this season. Atkinson will face pressure from healthy scratches Garnet Hathaway and Nicolas Deslauriers if he can’t make an impact quickly.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Jesper Fast will miss his fifth straight game on Thursday, per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff (Twitter link). Fast has been recovering from an upper-body injury and returned to the team’s practice in a no-contact jersey. He’s served in a quaint role when healthy, managing six goals and 18 points in 66 games while averaging 12:48 in ice time. Jack Drury and Stefan Noesen have gained a boost in ice time with Fast out, though Carolina could also lean on healthy scratch Brendan Lemieux if needed.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren has been removed from the team’s lineup on Thursday, per NHL Network’s David Alter (Twitter link). He was a late call for head coach Sheldon Keefe and will now miss the game with an upper-body injury. Liljegren’s absence opens the door for Mark Giordano to return to the lineup, marking his first game since February 29th. Giordano, the NHL’s oldest player, has one goal and seven points in 38 games this season.

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