- Rasmus Ristolainen will be back in the lineup tonight for the Philadelphia Flyers after missing the team’s last game due to illness (X Link). Struggling to live up to his relatively large contract in Philadelphia, Ristolainen has only skated in 30 games for the Flyers this season, missing much of the beginning of the season with an undisclosed injury. Averaging the lowest time on ice of his career up to this point, Ristolainen has scored one goal and four points for Philadelphia this year.
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Flyers Rumors
Afternoon Notes: Walker, Tarasenko, Rempal
The Philadelphia Flyers are seeking a first-round pick for defenseman Sean Walker, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. Walker has been a trade candidate for much of the season, though not much has come out about what his asking price may be. The Flyers acquired Walker this summer as part of a three-team trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings. Philadelphia also acquired Calvin Petersen, Helge Grans, and three draft picks in the deal.
This season is Walker’s first away from the Kings and he’s made the most out of the change in scenery, with 18 points in 51 games this season already surpassing his point totals in each of the last three seasons. He is on an 82-game pace of 28 points, a mark that would break his previous career-high by four points. He’s spent much of the season on Philadelphia’s second pairing alongside Nick Seeler. But Philadelphia’s recent acquisition of Jamie Drysdale has put pressure on Walker’s top-four role. It seems the team is leaning into that shift, now testing the 29-year-old Walker’s value on the open market.
Other notes from around the league:
- Ottawa Senators winger Vladimir Tarasenko has changed his agent again, now represented by Craig Oster of Newsport Sports. Newsport represents six other Senators, including Brady Tkachuk and Joshua Norris. This is the second time Tarasenko has changed agents in the last seven months, with his last change coming just before signing a one-year, $5MM contract with Ottawa. Tarasenko, 32, has been mentioned as a possible rental option with the trade deadline approaching. He has 13 goals and 33 points through 45 games this season while playing on Ottawa’s third line.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have sent forward Sheldon Rempal back to the minor leagues. The 28-year-old was recalled on February 5th, serving as a healthy scratch for the team’s Sunday win over the Edmonton Oilers. Rempal played four NHL games earlier in the season, scoring two goals and recording one penalty. He’s also scored 20 goals and 31 points in 41 AHL games this season, leading the Henderson Silver Knights in goals.
Philadelphia Flyers Activate Owen Tippett Off Injured Reserve
Spending two weeks on the team’s injured reserve with a lower-body injury, Owen Tippett will be back in the lineup tonight for the Philadelphia Flyers as the team announced they had activated him from the injured reserve. The news of his return also comes 11 days after Tippett signed an eight-year, $49.6MM extension in Philadelphia that will run through the 2031-32 NHL season.
Returning to the lineup tonight, it will be the first time playing his former team, the Florida Panthers, as a visiting player. Before his trade to the City of Brotherly Love during the 2021-22 season, Tippett played in 94 games for the Panthers spread out over three seasons, scoring 14 goals and 33 points altogether.
Now in a more elevated role with the Flyers, Tippett surpassed his totals in Florida relatively quickly in Philadelphia, scoring 27 goals and 49 points over 77 games last season. In a similarly productive season this year, Tippett has played in 46 games for the Flyers up to this point, scoring 18 goals and 30 points.
On a rather interesting note, even though Tippett is producing slightly better this season than last, he has lost nearly two minutes in average time on the ice as compared to last year. In a 10-game stretch from November 4th to November 25th, Tippett scored five goals and eight points but only played about 14 and a half minutes of those games on average. However, in his most recent 10-game stretch, head coach John Tortorella has seemingly extended his leash, playing Tippett nearly 18 minutes a night on average.
Nevertheless, while taking his recent playing time as well as the contract extension into consideration, it goes without saying that the Flyers view Tippett as being a long-term fixture in their forward core. Even though he has not scored 30 goals yet in a singular season, Tippett is well on his way to becoming one of the select few players who can average the mark over several years.
Hockey Canada Issues Updates On 2018 Investigation
Earlier today, after the London Police Service held a press conference regarding the investigation into several players of the 2018 U20 Team Canada roster, Hockey Canada released several updates of their own. The major takeaway from the report is that all members of the 2018 U20 Team Canada roster remain suspended from Hockey Canada-sanctioned events, pending an appeal process started in 2023.
For this specifically, Hockey Canada is investigating whether or not any team members breached the organization’s code of conduct and what sanctions should be imposed on the individual players. With respect to the investigation and the legal process, Hockey Canada was unable to comment further and did not give a clear timeline as to when the appeals process may reach its conclusion.
Depending on the timeline, this will bar all players from the 2018 U20 Team Canada roster from playing in any international events, except the “4 Nations Face-Off” in 2025, as it is an NHL-sanctioned event. Without getting into the specifics, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hockey Canada, Katherine Henderson was quoted as saying:
“Hockey Canada recognizes that in the past we have been too slow to act and that in order to deliver the meaningful change that Canadians expect of us, we must work diligently and urgently to ensure that we are putting in place the necessary measures to regain their trust, and provide all participants with a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment on and off the ice”.
Outside of Hockey Canada, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, and Philadelphia Flyers will receive cap relief for players currently on leave who have been charged in the 2018 Team Canada legal proceedings. Without specifying how much cap relief the teams would receive, it is reasonable to assume that the full dollar amount of each player’s contract will now be taken off the books for the foreseeable future, meaning $2.3MM, $2.2MM, and $3.98MM, respectively.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Philadelphia Flyers
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2023-24 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Philadelphia Flyers
Current Cap Hit: $83,322,620 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
G Samuel Ersson ($859K this season)
F Tyson Foerster (two years, $863K)
Potential Bonuses
Ersson $32.5K
Foerster impressed in limited action last season and has become a full-time regular this year. That said, he’s more of a secondary player at this point which likely has him heading for a short-term second contract, especially with the limited action as a rookie. If he finds another gear offensively next season and pushes into the 40-point-pace range, he could surpass the $2MM mark on that agreement.
Ersson has already signed his second contract so we’ll look at that in more detail shortly but it’s worth noting his bonuses are based on games played. The exact number needed isn’t known but the lower end of a games played bonus is usually around 20. If that’s the case here, he has already reached it.
Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level
G Carter Hart ($3.979MM, RFA)
D Nick Seeler ($775K, UFA)
D Marc Staal ($1.1MM, UFA)
D Sean Walker ($2.65MM, UFA)
D Yegor Zamula ($775K, RFA)
Walker was picked up from the Kings in the summer with his inclusion appearing to primarily be for cap purposes. However, the 29-year-old has rebuilt his value nicely, spending a lot of time on the second pairing. Now, instead of a likely pay cut had this season gone like last year, Walker is set up to potentially land a small raise on a multi-year agreement. In the meantime, he is a speculative trade candidate as is Seeler. Seeler has become a regular with the Flyers over the last year and a half after being a player on the fringes of the roster. His playing time is still somewhat limited as he’s a full-time part of the third pairing. Philadelphia is believed to be interested in an extension, one that should push into the $1.25MM to the $1.5MM range.
Staal signed with the Flyers early in free agency to give them a bridge veteran, allowing them to keep some of their youngsters in AHL Lehigh Valley a little longer. He has missed time with injuries and has been scratched at times as well. Accordingly, while it’s possible he lands another deal to fill that type of role, it’s likely to come in closer to the league minimum. As for Zamula, he hasn’t been in the lineup every night but he has more than held his own and is even seeing time on the second power play unit at times. Doubling his current AAV on a two-year bridge deal could be achievable for the 23-year-old.
Hart had been performing at a level similar to last season which had him on track to be qualified at just under $4.5MM. However, his leave of absence pertaining to the sexual assault charge as part of the 2018 investigation into Canada’s World Junior team now has that outcome looking doubtful. Now, a non-tender looks likely.
Signed Through 2024-25
F Cam Atkinson ($5.85MM, UFA)
F Morgan Frost ($2.1MM, RFA)
F Noah Cates ($2.65MM, RFA)
F Garnet Hathaway ($2.375MM, UFA)
F Travis Konecny ($5.5MM, UFA)
G Cal Petersen ($5MM, UFA)
D Cam York ($1.6MM, RFA)
After missing all of last season due to a herniated disk in his neck, Atkinson has been healthy all season long and is producing at close to a 50-point pace. That’s on the high side for this price tag but that was likely expected when he signed this deal back with Columbus in 2017. His next contract should check in closer to the $4MM mark if he can stay at that pace for another year and a half.
Konecny’s future with the Flyers has been speculated about for a while. First, he looked like a long-term core piece but then when he took a step back in 2020-21 and then followed it up with just 16 goals the following year, some questioned if he was going to be part of those plans much longer. Since then, he has authored a year and a half of top-line production and now, the idea of an extension is very much on the table. If it happens, Philadelphia will be paying him off two career platform years which certainly will carry some risk while likely upping the price tag close to the $8MM mark. But after leading the team in scoring last season and for most of this year, there’s a strong case to make to keep him around.
Cates has had a year to forget. A broken foot kept him out for the better part of two months and in between, he has struggled mightily, sitting on just one goal in 28 games. This AAV will be his qualifying offer in 2025 and he’ll have arbitration rights again at that time. There’s plenty of time to turn his fortunes around but at this point, a non-tender could be on the table if his struggles continue.
Hathaway signed a surprisingly high contract for someone who is best deployed on the fourth line but the Flyers put extra value in trying to fill his particular role. It would be surprising to see another raise coming but in a more favorable cap environment, it’s not out of the realm of possibility either. Frost had a breakout year last season, earning a nice bridge deal for his troubles but he has struggled somewhat this season while John Tortorella has scratched him frequently, leading to trade speculation. At this point, a one-year deal after this one that basically works as a second bridge might be the most likely outcome; that contract would check in a bit higher than his $2.4MM qualifying offer if his production stays in its current range.
York is also on his bridge contract and while the offensive potential he showed in the US National Team Development Program and in college hasn’t quite translated to big point totals yet, he’s logging heavy minutes. That alone could help him double this price tag in 2025 and if the production comes, the cost of a long-term agreement will go up quite quickly.
Petersen was acquired as salary ballast in the Ivan Provorov three-way trade last summer and has spent most of the last year and a half in the minors. With Hart’s absence, that should change but his struggles in his limited NHL action make this a steep overpayment. If this continues, he’ll be closer to the $1MM territory as a free agent.
Signed Through 2025-26
F Nicolas Deslauriers ($1.75MM, UFA)
G Samuel Ersson ($1.4MM in 2024-25 and 2025-26, RFA)
D Jamie Drysdale ($2.3MM, RFA)
F Scott Laughton ($3MM, UFA)
F Ryan Poehling ($1.4MM this season, $1.9MM in 2024-25 and 2025-26, UFA)
Laughton has shown he can play in the top six but is likely best utilized as a third-line middleman. This price tag is certainly quite fair for that role which is why teams are starting to call about his potential availability. With a 43-point season under his belt, there’s room for his price tag to grow if he’s able to produce near that level with any type of consistency; doing so could push him into the $4MM range.
Deslauriers is another player they willingly gave more than market value to in order to have their desired grit on the fourth line. While he has had some success offensively in the past, he is starting to slow down on that front. Another contract is definitely achievable (even at 35 which he’ll be when this deal ends) but it should come in closer to the minimum next time. Poehling has held his own in a bottom-six role and inked his new deal recently, a nice outcome for someone who was non-tendered last summer. He’ll need to become more productive to have a chance at getting third center money.
Drysdale was acquired less than a month ago and has fit in nicely so far. Injuries have limited him significantly the last two seasons which hasn’t helped to firm up where his expected long-term deal after this one will land. If he lives up to his upside and stays healthy, he should become Philadelphia’s top-paid blueliner. But if the injury trouble continues, that will certainly scale that price tag down.
Ersson impressed down the stretch last year, landing this extension before the 2023-24 campaign started. It’s a move that looks better now as he had pushed his way into more playing time early on and is now their likely starter the rest of the way. He’ll have that time to show if he’s a legitimate number one or more of a backup with the range of outcomes money-wise stretching past a few million per season depending on how he plays.
Maple Leafs And Oilers Have Discussed Sean Walker With Flyers
- The Maple Leafs and Oilers are among the teams that have spoken to the Flyers about defenseman Sean Walker, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported in a recent appearance on the NHL Network (video link). The 29-year-old right-shot rearguard is having a bounce-back season, recording 17 points in 50 games so far while averaging nearly 20 minutes a night while being on an expiring $2.65MM deal. With a limited supply of quality righties available, Pagnotta notes that Philadelphia has placed a first-round pick as the price tag for Walker’s services although they may have to lower that to get a trade done.
Philadelphia Flyers Gauging Trade Interest In Scott Laughton
The Philadelphia Flyers are reportedly gauging interest in centerman Scott Laughton on the trade market, per TSN’s Darren Dreger. Dreger shares that, while Philadelphia would be hesitant to move Laughton, they’re willing to hear offers with the market for centerman now largely dried up. Only three centermen remain in TSN’s Trade Bait series – Adam Henrique, Sean Monahan, and Jack Roslovic – after Elias Lindholm was moved to the Vancouver Canucks.
Teams were reportedly offering late first-round picks for Laughton last summer, though Philadelphia preferred to hang onto the depth centerman. The team drafted Laughton 20th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft and awarded him his NHL debut in the very next season. He’s played in every season since, totaling 569 games and 219 points across 11 years with the Flyers, establishing himself as a focal piece of the team’s bottom-six forwards and penalty-killing units. He has even earned a power-play role over the last few seasons, helping him reach a career-high 43 points in 78 games last season. That scoring production hasn’t continued into this year – with Laughton boasting just 20 points through 50 games, his lowest point-per-game pace since the 2020-21 season.
Still, a bottom-of-the-lineup centerman who can play on both special teams carries undeniable value. Laughton’s contract makes him even more valuable, with the 29-year-old sitting at a $3MM cap hit over the next three seasons – the second-cheapest among any centermen on TSN’s trade board and the only one with a contract beyond this season. A first-round pick is likely the starting bid in any Laughton trade discussions, though it may take a lot more to get Philadelphia to part with the 500-game veteran of the club.
Five Players Facing Charges Connected To 2018 Sexual Assault Investigation
5:50 p.m.: Attorneys representing Foote have confirmed that the London Police Service has charged him with sexual assault, per Westhead. Claiming innocence in the statement, Foote’s attorneys did not confirm what plea he would enter.
4:50 p.m.: Attorneys representing Hart have confirmed that the London Police Service has charged him with sexual assault, per TSN’s Chris Johnston. Claiming innocence in the statement, Hart’s attorneys did not confirm what plea he would enter.
4:45 p.m.: Attorneys representing Dube have confirmed that the London Police Service has charged him with sexual assault, per Westhead. Dube will enter a not-guilty plea before the court.
3:14 p.m.: Attorneys representing McLeod have confirmed that the London Police Service has charged him with sexual assault, per Westhead. McLeod will enter a not-guilty plea before the court.
2:41 p.m.: Five players whose rights are owned by NHL teams are facing charges stemming from a London, Ontario police investigation into an alleged 2018 sexual assault involving members of the Canadian men’s national junior team, TSN’s Rick Westhead reports Tuesday. Per Westhead, Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, Devils center Michael McLeod, Devils defenseman Cal Foote, and Flames winger Dillon Dubé have been directed to surrender to London police.
Senators forward prospect Alex Formenton, who has not been under contract with the team since 2022, is the fifth player facing charges and surrendered himself to London police Sunday, according to his attorneys.
Robyn Doolittle of The Globe and Mail first reported last week that five players had been told to surrender to police to face charges connected to the 2018 incident. Neither the NHL nor the Flyers, Devils, Flames, or Senators have released statements on the matter.
As Ian Mendes and Chris Johnston of The Athletic outlined Tuesday, discipline for players involved in off-ice misconduct falls under the jurisdiction and discretion of league commissioner Gary Bettman. If league action is taken against any of the five players named, they have the right to file an appeal with an independent arbitrator.
It is unclear whether the Flyers, Devils and Flames have the jurisdiction to terminate the standard player’s contracts of Hart, McLeod, Foote, and Dubé, given the definition of a material breach of the contract is not expressly defined.
All four players remain on indefinite leaves of absence from their respective teams. Formenton is on an indefinite leave of absence from HC Ambrì-Piotta in the Swiss National League, where he’s contracted for the 2023-24 season.
The London Police Service is expected to hold a press conference next Monday to comment further on the charges. Attorneys for Hart, McLeod, Foote, and Dubé did not respond to or declined requests for comment from Westhead.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Ryan Poehling To Two-Year Extension
The Philadelphia Flyers announced that they have signed forward Ryan Poehling to a two-year, $3.8MM contract extension. Poehling has appeared in 44 games with the Flyers this season, netting 14 points, six penalty minutes, and a -8.
Poehling is in his first year with the Flyers, moving away from the rival Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s earned a pay raise over the one-year, $1.4MM deal he’s on with Philadelphia, settling into a comfy role on the third-line and penalty kill. With this two-year extension, the 25-year-old will get his first chance to settle into a role since making his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens at the end of the 2018-19 season. He spent the next three seasons between Montreal’s NHL and AHL lineup – ultimately totaling 85 games and 22 points with the club. His year with Pittsburgh was his first spending an entire season with the NHL lineup. Poehling was part of a very strong late-first round in the 2017 NHL Draft, getting selected a few picks after Robert Thomas and Filip Chytil and just before Jake Oettinger and current teammate Morgan Frost.
Poehling signed his two-year extension on the same day that teammate Owen Tippett signed an eight-year extension with the Flyers. Tippett has become a favorite for Philadelphia’s top brass, largely thanks to the 18 goals and 30 points he has through 46 games this season. Tippett has become a force under head coach John Tortorella, scoring 27 goals and 49 points in 77 games last season and seemingly only getting better. It’s an exciting surge forward for the 24-year-old, who had yet to really get it going. Tippett was also a part of the 2017 Draft class, rounding out a top 10 that yielded Cale Makar and Elias Pettersson.
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic was the first to report the extension.
Flyers Sign Owen Tippett To Eight-Year Extension
11:53 a.m.: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports the Flyers have finalized the contract with Tippett at the reported eight-year term and $49.6MM value. It’s unclear what trade protection, if any, the deal will include.
9:19 a.m.: The Flyers and winger Owen Tippett are “closing in” on a long-term deal, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said Friday. Friedman added it will be an eight-year deal carrying an AAV between $6MM and $6.5MM. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports the total value of the deal will be $49.6MM, or a $6.2MM AAV.
Tippett came to Philadelphia in March 2022 as the focal piece from the Panthers in the Claude Giroux trade. The 2017 10th overall pick had struggled to get out of the gate after nearly five years in the Florida organization, posting 14 goals and 33 points in 94 games while averaging around 12 minutes per game.
The now-24-year-old was drafted for his speed and shooting ability, as evidenced by his 44 goals in 60 games with the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads as a 17-year-old. It took a move to the Flyers to make it happen, but those hallmarks of his game have blossomed at the right time.
His first full season in Philadelphia was a success, exploding for 27 goals and 49 points in 77 games on a Flyers offense that finished near the bottom of the league in 2022-23. Through 46 games this year, he’s notched 18 goals and 30 points in 46 games – a 32-goal, 53-point pace over 82 games.
That kind of production, if sustained, will make this contract one of the better value bets in the league at its midpoint. Tippett’s deal will take up 7.1% of the salary cap when it goes into effect, a similar share of the cap to Blues winger Pavel Buchnevich and Flames winger Andrew Mangiapane when they signed mid-term deals with $5.8MM cap hits in 2021 and 2022. Both were similar in age to Tippett when signing their deals.
Mangiapane’s production has stuttered in the years following, while Buchnevich is the Blues’ premier offensive talent and posted over a point per game in the last two seasons. Tippett likely ends up somewhere in the middle. If the consistency in his play between this year and last is any indication, he’s on track to churn out totals in the 30-goal, 55-point neighborhood over the life of the contract.
By signing him to a max-term extension now, the Flyers lock Tippett up at a controlled price throughout his most valuable seasons. He’ll be 32 when the deal ends – young enough so that Tippett could sign a lucrative mid-term deal, but old enough that the Flyers would feel comfortable walking away if the demand is too high. The likelihood of Tippett’s production regressing is also much lower than if Philadelphia waited another two or three years to give him a long-term extension.
It’s unlikely Tippett advances much past what he is now – an extremely high-end secondary scoring threat. With the salary cap increasing at its projected rate, though, $6.2MM per season works out quite well for that kind of production, especially for a player who’s consistently shouldered top-six minutes since coming to the Flyers. He’s posted strong possession numbers, too, boasting a 50.1% Corsi share (2.4% higher than the team’s share without him on the ice) at even strength since the trade to Philly.
Tippett was destined for RFA status this summer with arbitration rights after completing a two-year, $3MM contract. He will be eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time when his new contract expires in 2032.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.