- The Philadelphia Flyers made similar paper moves, per CapFriendly, activating forwards Cam Atkinson, Sean Couturier and defenseman Victor Mete off injured reserve. Both Atkinson and Couturier missed the entirety of 2022-23 due to upper-body and back injuries, respectively. The Flyers’ front office has said repeatedly throughout the summer that they expected both players back at full health for the start of the upcoming season. Mete, a July free agent signing, played just 17 games between the NHL and AHL last season with Toronto before a lower-body injury shut him down for the season in early December.
- The New York Rangers have signed goaltender Brad Arvanitis to a PTO, according to a team announcement on X. He’ll be in camp as an extra body with an ECHL contract already secured with the Maine Mariners, the Boston Bruins’ affiliate, for next season. Arvanitis, 26, actually spent the majority of last season playing in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL), a league technically one rung below the ECHL but carries no direct NHL affiliation. However, SPHL teams often serve as a source of reserve players for ECHL squads, and the two leagues will often loan players to each other throughout the season. In his first full professional season after finishing his collegiate career at Division III school Babson College, Arvanitis posted a .919 save percentage, 2.71 goals-against average and a 9-6-2 record in 20 appearances with the SPHL’s Pensacola Ice Flyers.
Flyers Rumors
Jon-Randall Avon Out With PCL Sprain, Will Miss Remainder Of Camp
- Philadelphia Flyers forward prospect Jon-Randall Avon sustained a PCL sprain in his left knee just before rookie camps got underway, per PHLY Sports’ Charlie O’Connor. The 20-year-old center will miss between four and six weeks, keeping him out of the remainder of Flyers rookie and training camp. A free agent signing in 2021 after going undrafted, Avon recorded 60 points in 59 games with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes last season and will likely make his pro debut with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season when healthy.
Summer Synopsis: Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers promoted Daniel Briere to the general manager chair on March 10, finally finding who they wanted commanding their rebuild. The 2023 summer marked Briere’s first chance to take strides toward improving the Flyers’ long-term outlook and he seized the opportunity, reeling in a tremendous draft class and using calm free-agent signings to shore up the NHL roster. There’s still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Flyers but Briere’s busy summer opened the door to opportunities for a lot of the organization’s younger players, which should result in an interesting 2023-24 campaign, if nothing else.
Draft
1-7: F Matvei Michkov, Sochi (KHL)
1-22: D Oliver Bonk, London (OHL)
2-51: G Carson Bjarnason, Brandon (WHL)
3-87: G Yegor Zavragin, Mamonty (MHL)
3-95: F Denver Barkey, London (OHL)
4-103: F Cole Knuble, Fargo (USHL)
4-120: F Alex Ciernik, Västerviks (Swedish Div. 2)
5-135: D Carter Sotheran, Portland (WHL)
6-172: F Ryan MacPherson, Leamington (GOJHL)
7-199: D Matteo Mann, Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
Daniel Briere wasted no time before making a splash in the new GM role, getting seemingly everything he wanted out of the 2023 NHL Draft. This includes reeling in the polarizing Matvei Michkov, who many argued has a ceiling that might not be far behind Connor Bedard. Questions about how easily he’ll translate to NHL play and off-ice controversy make Michkov hard to project. But they also show how much of a swing for the fences this is from Briere. There’s undoubtedly risk involved with Michkov, who is on contract with the KHL until 2026, but there’s also no doubt that he could be the face of the next generation’s Philadelphia Flyers. The upside is tremendous and Briere is clearly not scared of taking on some risk. It’s a confident move that could pay incredible dividends for the Flyers.
Philadelphia was much calmer with their remaining draft class, maybe in an effort to hedge their bets after swinging for the downs. Teammates Bonk and Barkey bring the same high-offense potential, underlaid by reliable fundamentals. Cole Knuble and Alex Ciernik are both small-frame forwards whose games are defined by gritty forechecking and explosive plays with the puck. And the team get a duo of strong goaltending prospects in Carson Bjarnason and Yegor Zavragin. Both goalies had claims for “best in the draft class” at some point during last season, so it’s exciting to see Philly land both options.
Briere did well at funneling interesting talent into every position with his first NHL Draft.
Trade Acquisitions
G Calvin Petersen (Los Angeles)
D Sean Walker (Los Angeles)
D Helge Grans (Los Angeles)
F Massimo Rizzo (Carolina)
The Flyers only made one trade involving bringing in players this summer, as a part of a three-team trade involving the Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings. When all was said and done, the Flyers had relinquished Ivan Provorov, Kevin Connauton, and Hayden Hodgson and received Sean Walker, Helge Grans, Cal Petersen, the 2023 First Round pick used to select Oliver Bonk, and two 202
4 Second Round picks, one carrying a condition.
That’s quite some movement for a rookie general manager and emphasizes the rebuild mindset. Grans is a former high-second round pick, going 35-overall in 2021. He’s spent the last two seasons with the AHL’s Ontario Reign, recording 33 points in 115 career games. While his draft day value has dissipated a little, he’s still an exciting shot at more upside. Grans could be apart of the battle to make the NHL roster our of training camp, although his lack of top-tier experience will likely keep any NHL stint short.
Walker and Petersen likely represent cap dumps from the Kings, who were in a bind for money before moving the duo’s combined $7.65MM. Most of that money is held up in Petersen’s $5MM cap hit, on a contract set to expire in the 2025 summer. He’ll compete for the team’s backup role with Felix Sandstrom, who played 20 NHL games last year. Walker, on the other hand, should have a much clearer path to an everyday role. The 28 year old can play both sides on defense and Provorov’s departure opens space in the team’s top four. With little competition elsewhere, that role will almost certainly become Walker’s.
Philadelphia also acquired prospect Massimo Rizzo in a player swap with Carolina. Rizzo is entering his junior year with the University of Denver, where he’s scored 82 points in 77 career games.
UFA Signings
D Marc Staal (one year, $1.1MM)
F Ryan Poehling (one year, $1.4MM)
F Garnet Hathaway (two years, $4.8MM)
D Victor Mete (one year, $775K)*
F Rhett Gardner (two years, $1.6MM)*
Continuing with the rebuilding theme, Philadelphia used their UFA signings to add aging veterans and any available players that may still have untapped potential. Staal, now 36, helps fill out the Flyers shallow defense depth chart and Hathaway provides assurance to the bottom-six, getting signed through his age-33 season.
Poehling and Mete will be the additions to watch closely. Both players have shown flashes of solid play throughout their NHL career but haven’t been able to string things together enough to stick on a roster. They each get cheap deals in Philadelphia, where roster vacancies should open the door to opportunity.
None of the UFA signings scream out high-impact but they help round out a Flyers roster that’s already looking towards the 2024 NHL Draft.
RFA Re-Signings
D Ronald Attard (two years, $1.7MM)*
D Cameron York (two years, $3.2MM)
F Noah Cates (two years, $5.2MM)
F Olle Lycksell (two years, $1.6MM)*
G Samuel Ersson (two years, $2.9MM)
F Morgan Frost (two years, $4.2MM)
The Flyers locked in three important roster players in York, Cates, and Frost. York started the season in the AHL but earned his way to the NHL roster in December. He scored 20 points in the 54 games he appeared in, doubling his point total from his rookie season. York was drafted 14-overall in 2019, one pick ahead of then-teammate Cole Caufield
.
But despite the high selection, York has struggled to find his NHL footing. He gets a cheap, two-year contract that should give him a chance to build on the momentum he gathered in the second-half of last season. The Flyers blue-line will certainly give York every opportunity to thrive, with Travis Sanheim likely the only player ahead of him on the LD depth charts.
Cates and Frost, on the other hand, spent the entire year with the NHL club. Frost netted a career-high 46 points in 81 games while averaging over-16 minutes of ice time per-game. It was an incredibly strong showing from the young prospect, who played all over the lineup. Fellow 24-year-old Noah Cates also had a strong year, scoring 38 points in 82 games while looking phenomenal defensively. His strong rookie season earned him the ninth-overall spot in Calder Trophy and 15th in Selke Trophy voting. Locking up this duo was arguably the most important part of Philadelphia’s off-season, as they represent a strong backbone from which Briere can add onto.
But most eye-raising of the RFA signings has to be Samuel Ersson’s one-way contract. Ersson played in 12 NHL games last season – the first of his career – and otherwise operated as the AHL Leigh Valley Phantoms’ starting goalie. A one-way contract could simply be a curtesy but with the 23-year-old Ersson’s lack of North American playing experience, it’s more likely evidence that he’ll have a shot at competing for an NHL role. This creates a really interesting situation in the Flyers goalie room, which is now comprised of Carter Hart, Cal Petersen, Ersson, and Sandstrom. Which pair will emerge as the NHL duo is, seemingly, entirely up in the air.
Departures
F Kieffer Bellows (one year, $775K)*
F Evan Barratt (Nurnberg, DEL)
D Wyatte Wylie (Ottawa Reign, minor league deal)
F Kevin Hayes (trade with St. Louis)
F Brendan Lemieux (Carolina, one year, $800K)
F Jackson Cates (unsigned UFA)
F James van Riemsdyk (Boston, one year, $1MM)
D Justin Braun (unsigned UFA)
F Max Willman (unsigned UFA)
G Troy Grosenick (Nashville, one year, $775K)*
The Flyers spent the offseason departing primarily with an array of older veterans that held minimal roles. Kevin Hayes is perhaps the most significant subtraction after recording 54 points in 81 games last season. The season marked Hayes’ highest point-totals since 2018-19 and a career-high in games played. But with the emergence of Cates and Frost as genuine options down the middle and the Flyers’ rebuilding status, Hayes’ role presents as more of a barrier to opportunity than anything else. He leaves the club alongside James van Riemsdyk and Justin Braun, two long-term Flyers that operated in limited roles last season.
Brendan Lemieux also marks an interesting departure. The Flyers acquired Lemieux and a fifth round pick at the trade deadline, in exchange for Zack MacEwen. He’d go on to score six points in 18 games with Philadelphia but will fight for a roster spot for 2023-24 somewhere else. Like many of the team’s departures, Lemieux doesn’t leave a big hole to fill.
Salary Cap Outlook
After re-signing Morgan Frost, Philadelphia is left with a projected $867K in cap space; just enough of a buffer to comfortably enter the season. The team will also likely be placing Ryan Ellis on long-term injured reserve when the season opens up, bringing their projected cap hit up to $7.12MM. That figure assumes that both Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson will return to the team, something that certainly seems possible, but neither player’s reunion can be guaranteed yet. Regardless, Philadelphia will be entering the 2023-24 with plenty of money to go around.
Key Questions
What Will Noah Cates Look Like? Noah Cates placed top-15 in Selke voting as a rookie. That’s an incredibly impressive feat, especially for a player exposed to the high-danger chances let up by Philadelphia last year. Recording a full season and 38 points on top of that warrants a lot of excitement. If either his defensive impact or his scoring can continue to climb as Cates becomes more adjusted to the NHL will be one of the most important questions to monitor throughout the 2023-24 season. If all goes well, he could become a vital piece of Philadelphia’s lineup for years to come, operating as the glue holding the bottom-six together. But the Flyers didn’t get better this off-season and the increased challenge could be a lot for the young Cates to take on.
Can Cam York Find His Way? Cam York was once Philadelphia’s prized prospect. And he hasn’t looked particularly bad throughout his early professional career. But he hasn’t looked particularly great either, struggling to earn an NHL role until the second-half of the 2022-23 season. Still, it looked like York was finally feeling comfortable. Travis Sanheim will still operate in the top LD role but York should have plenty of opportunity operating behind Sanheim. The two are the unrivaled bright spots on Philadelphia’s back-end. With the spotlight finally back on him, and little competition for minutes from his peers, a good season from York could revitalize the excitement that once surrounded him.
Who Will the Goalies Be? On the surface, it’s hard to argue that Carter Hart and Cal Petersen won’t be the team’s NHL duo. But if Philadelphia will actually role out the nearly-$9MM cap hit of the two goalies is yet to be seen. Philadelphia has used six different goalies over the last three seasons and awarded Sam Ersson with a one-way contract this summer. Does this mean fans are in store for an exciting training camp or does Philadelphia plan on carrying three netminders this season? they plan on carrying three netminders for the entire season? If that is the case, Ersson, who has only played one full season of North American hockey, could carry interesting potential throughout the season.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Clarke, Brown, Blues
With some major departures this offseason of key veteran players, the New Jersey Devils should have some openings in their forward corps for emerging young players to grab in preseason and training camp. According to New Jersey Hockey Now’s James Nichols, one of those young players looking to grab an NHL job is Graeme Clarke, who “expects himself” to make the NHL roster this fall. Although Clarke hasn’t made his NHL debut just yet, it’s easy to see why the 22-year-old forward believes he’ll be on the Devils’ roster by opening night.
Clarke led the Utica Comets in scoring last season in the AHL, potting 25 goals and 58 points in 68 games. It was a legitimate breakout year for a player who registered just 24 points the year before, and cemented his status as a talented prospect who profiles as a potential middle-six scorer in the NHL. It’s highly likely that Clarke would have gotten an NHL call-up last season were he playing for a less talent-rich franchise, but with training camp and the preseason coming it’s likely that Clarke won’t have to wait much longer to get his chance.
Some other notes from across the NHL:
- PHLY Sports’ Charlie O’Connor reports that the Philadelphia Flyers are giving prospect Matt Brown, an invite player to their rookie tournament that begins tonight, a look on the team’s powerplay and a heightened role. O’Connor notes that the Flyers may be “considering offering him an ELC and want a closer look at his offensive ability.” Brown led Boston University in scoring last season with 16 goals and 47 points, and the 24-year-old could end up joining a Flyers prospect pool that already ranks among the league’s best.
- The St. Louis Blues are without a captain thanks to their trade of Ryan O’Reilly to the Toronto Maple Leafs at last year’s deadline, and even though the club hopes to rebound and return to the playoffs they may not do so with a player wearing the “C.” The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford reports in his recent mailbag that the Blues don’t have “imminent plans” to name a captain. (subscription link) Brayden Schenn is a player generally considered a candidate to be the team’s next captain, although Rutherford does note that the organization could opt to give the important leadership role to a younger core player, such as team number-one center Robert Thomas.
Mark Recchi To Be Inducted Into Flyers Hall Of Fame
- Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Recchi will be inducted into the Philadelphia Flyers team hall of fame, the Flyers announced today. Recchi will be honored in a pre-game ceremony before the Flyers’ January 27th contest against the Boston Bruins, another team Recchi played for. Recchi played parts of 10 seasons in Philadelphia, racking up 602 games played, 232 goals, and 627 points. Recchi had the most productive season of his career in Philadelphia when he scored 123 points in 1992-93.
Latest On Sean Couturier, Cam Atkinson
While there were a myriad of reasons why the Philadelphia Flyers as a franchise went on a significant downturn after their run to Game Seven of the second round in the 2019-20 playoffs, injuries have been among the biggest. The Flyers have simply lost too many players they planned on having as meaningful contributors to long-term injuries, and that has plunged the franchise into a rebuild as a result. Thankfully for Philadelphia, it seems two of their more significant players lost to injury may be ready to re-enter the lineup.
Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports reports that Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson were “very active” in today’s informal veteran skate before the start of rookie camp, adding that both players ” look ready for [training] camp. ” That’s a major development for the Flyers, who would be able to add a top-line center and a former 40-goal scorer back into their lineup after a full year missed for each player. While that likely won’t be enough to return head coach John Tortorella’s side back to the postseason, the presence of two accomplished veterans on the Flyers’ roster could help the development of the Flyers’ stable of young players and advance their rebuild.
Matvei Michkov Expected To Be Loaned Within KHL
KHL club SKA St. Petersburg is once again loaning Philadelphia Flyers top prospect Matvei Michkov to league rival HK Sochi, according to multiple reports out of Russia. St. Petersburg loaned Michkov to the basement-dwelling club near the beginning of last season as well.
The Flyers’ seventh-overall pick in 2023 has skated just 6:12 this season, only playing in one out of St. Petersburg’s four games to begin the 2023-24 KHL season. SKA has also effectively benched another young talent, Minnesota Wild prospect Marat Khusnutdinov, despite recording 41 points in 63 games for them last year.
The move returns Michkov to a club where he should immediately play a top-line role. As an 18-year-old, Michkov recorded 20 points in 27 games for Sochi in 2022-23, leading the team in points per game by far. Sochi has dropped three of their first four games, with their lone win coming from a massive 3-1 upset over 2023 Gagarin Cup finalist Ak Bars Kazan.
This is undoubtedly positive news for Michkov’s development (and the Flyers’ brass), returning him to a role where he can actually get playing time. He’s still under contract with SKA through the 2025-26 season, though, and this song and dance without having control over where Michkov plays is likely what some teams were looking to avoid by passing on him throughout the top five of the 2023 draft.
Philadelphia Flyers Expected To Sign Morgan Frost
Sept. 7: Philadelphia has officially announced a two-year contract for Frost. The deal is indeed a $4.2MM package that carries an AAV of $2.1MM.
The Philadelphia Flyers are expected to sign their last remaining restricted free agent, Morgan Frost, to a two-year contract, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones said last weekend the two sides were working toward a resolution. The deal, which carries a $2.1MM AAV, breaks down as follows, per CapFriendly:
2023-24: $1.45MM base salary, $350K signing bonus
2024-25: $2.4MM base salary (this amount also represents his qualifying offer in 2025)
The deal will keep Frost in Philadelphia through the 2024-25 season, at which point he will be in his last season of RFA eligibility. He’ll also have arbitration rights that time around, something he didn’t have on his side this summer.
Frost, 24, is coming off a breakout 2022-23 season, which saw him post 46 points in 81 games, finishing fourth on the Flyers in scoring. He finally arrived as a full-time top-nine NHL center after a rocky development path since turning pro in 2019. The team’s 27th overall pick in 2017, Frost missed nearly all of the 2020-21 campaign due to a shoulder injury but has rebounded nicely since then. Last season was also his first healthy campaign spent exclusively in the NHL, avoiding any minor-league assignments.
It was a particularly strong end to the season for Frost, who had eight goals and nine assists in the final 20 games of the campaign. He also managed to keep his head above water defensively – his 47.9% Corsi For at even strength was fifth among full-time Flyers forwards last season, and he did so while receiving some heavy minutes, averaging a career-high 16:21 per game. However, Frost struggled in the faceoff dot, posting a 45.8% win rate.
In the unlikely scenario that Frost stagnates in his development, $2MM is still well below market value for what he brought last season. Flyers general manager Daniel Brière doled out a slightly richer deal to budding shutdown center Noah Cates earlier in the summer, signing him for two years at a $2.65MM cap hit. Using the 24-year-old Cates as a direct comparable, it’s clear why Frost held out this long into the summer in hopes of landing a more prosperous bridge deal. This deal could also set the table for Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto, who remains without a contract for this season and posted similar production to Frost in 2022-23 (20 goals, 35 assists in 82 games).
Philadelphia Flyers Add Dany Heatley To Scouting Staff
- The Philadelphia Flyers have confirmed the hire of two-time All-Star Dany Heatley as a pro scout, notes independent Flyers reporter Charlie O’Connor. This will be Heatley’s first documented off-ice staffing role since retiring from pro hockey in 2016. The 42-year-old former sniper won the 2002 Calder Trophy as a member of the Atlanta Thrashers and scored 372 goals in 869 NHL games across 13 seasons with the Thrashers, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild, and Anaheim Ducks.
Michael Del Zotto Announces Retirement
Longtime NHL defenseman Michael Del Zotto announced his retirement via Instagram today, ending a 13-season NHL career.
Del Zotto, 33, was drafted by the New York Rangers with the 20th overall pick out of the OHL’s Oshawa Generals in 2008. He would jump to professional hockey after one more season in juniors, recording 37 points in 80 games in 2009-10 and earning All-Rookie Team honors.
Unfortunately, while Del Zotto would turn into a serviceable NHL defenseman for over a decade, he didn’t develop into the potential bonafide top-pair player he hinted he could be at the beginning of his career. He would only beat his rookie totals once in New York, recording ten goals, 31 assists and 41 points in 77 games in 2011-12 before dropping to a bottom-pairing role in the 2013-14 campaign. Then-Rangers general manager Glen Sather dealt him to the Nashville Predators for shutdown defender Kevin Klein in a one-for-one swap in January of that season.
Things didn’t go much better for Del Zotto in a brief stint with Nashville to close out the season, which saw his ice time continue to decrease as he recorded five points in 25 games and a -4 rating. He was due a qualifying offer of $2.9MM that season with his contract expiring, which the Predators didn’t issue, and he signed a one-year, $1.3MM contract with the Philadelphia Flyers in August 2014. It turned out to be a prudent choice for Del Zotto, who, for a brief time, recaptured his former glory in Philadelphia. He notched 32 points in 64 games during his first season there while averaging nearly 22 minutes per game, but again fizzled out over the following two seasons with the Flyers.
After signing as an unrestricted free agent with the Vancouver Canucks in 2017, Del Zotto would play stints with the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, and St. Louis Blues in depth roles until the 2021-22 season. While he didn’t appear in any postseason contests, Del Zotto was on the Blues’ roster for their 2019 Stanley Cup championship.
2021-22 was when it became clear Del Zotto’s days of playing at the highest level were drawing to a close. Despite recording a respectable 13 points in 26 games with Ottawa and posting decent possession numbers, the Senators waived him. They assigned him to AHL Belleville, where he managed over a point per game. It was enough to land him another NHL contract for 2022-23 with the Florida Panthers, but they waived him pre-season and didn’t include him on the opening night roster. He would record two goals and 10 points in 25 games with their AHL affiliate in Charlotte before they traded him back to Anaheim in the days leading up to Christmas in a three-way swap of minor-league players, including the Detroit Red Wings. Del Zotto closed the season with a strong 31 points in 40 games for AHL San Diego.
But without ever getting a callup to the NHL throughout the season despite a paper-thin defense in Anaheim, Del Zotto has opted to step away from the game. His 736 games rank 18th among players from the 2008 draft class at the time of his retirement, during which he recorded 63 goals, 199 assists, 262 points, and averaged 20:03 per game over the years. PHR congratulates Del Zotto on his lengthy career in the pros and wishes him the best in retirement.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.