Morin, 26, ended up playing in just 29 NHL games, recording a single goal. The 6’6″ defenseman (who tried his hand at forward late in his career) suffered multiple major knee injuries that required surgery, including a procedure to remove loose bodies in September. He did not play a single game at any level this season and will be forced to retire as a true “what if” story.

While he never possessed elite offensive upside, the mean, physical nature of Morin’s game had a place in the NHL. He was a strong contributor for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in his first two seasons of professional hockey, earning a single game with the Flyers in 2016-17. Things went steadily downhill from there, however, as his knees were ravaged and his skating severely impacted. He tried to reinvent himself as a Matt Martin-like forward, essentially an enforcer who can add some defensive presence to a line, but was limited to 20 games in 2020-21, his last season.

He was set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer, and will now have to look for another avenue of employment. Fletcher did suggest that they could find a place for him somewhere in the organization, though it is unclear where exactly that would be.

Hayes is the obvious headline here, given he is expected to be a key part of the Flyers’ attack again this season. According to head coach Alain Vigneault, the veteran center felt pain in his groin yesterday and went in for surgery today. Six weeks from today is November 2, meaning he will miss at least the first ten or so games of the regular season should the timeline prove accurate.

In fact, the head coach specifically noted how difficult the first month of the season will be without Hayes and Allison, who also made quite an impact in his short time last season. The 23-year-old Allison scored four goals and seven points in 14 games with the Flyers after showing he was more than ready for the jump to the NHL. Selected 52nd overall in 2016, he could very well push up the depth chart this season as the team tries to find a new identity.

For Morin, this latest surgery was to have loose bodies removed, not a repair of any major ligament. That should inspire at least a bit of confidence that he’ll be able to return at full strength, but it’s difficult to project anything for the 26-year-old at this point. Once a promising defensive prospect, his professional career has been ravaged by injuries, limiting him to just 58 games (at any level) since the start of the 2017-18 season. After a failed attempt to restart his career as a forward, Morin returned to the defensive side of the puck late last season and is listed again as a defenseman this season.

Morin, 26, was at a career crossroads heading into this season and decided to try his hand on the wing. Though he was never expected to provide much offense at that spot, a midseason switch back to defense has seemingly extended his NHL career. The physical, fighting Morin has landed another contract and even though it’s only worth the league minimum, it keeps him in the league for the time being.

Beloved by his teammates, Morin shouldn’t be expected to play every night for the Flyers in 2021-22, but represents an option for head coach Alain Vigneault to insert at certain times. He probably isn’t even really penciled in as a seventh option, but more of a specialty that can come in and out as needed. With the roster makeover that GM Chuck Fletcher has attempted this summer, the team has new faces like Ryan Ellis and Rasmus Ristolainen to eat up heavy minutes on the back end. Morin’s job will to be–to steal a phrase from Mike Babcock–6’6″ every day.

• The Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled winger Corey Perry from the taxi squad. He’s expected to make his Montreal debut today against Vancouver with Joel Armia out with a concussion and Paul Byron questionable with a foot injury.
• Ville Heinola is heading back to Winnipeg’s taxi squad as the Jets announced (Twitter links) that the blueliner has been sent down to make room for Dylan DeMelo’s return to the lineup. Heinola logged just over 14 minutes in his season debut on Thursday against Ottawa.  Anton Forsberg was added to the active roster after passing through his quarantine period which allowed them to send Mikhail Berdin to AHL Manitoba.  Winnipeg also recalled center David Gustafsson from the taxi squad while designating newly-acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois as a non-roster player.
• The Senators announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled Micheal Haley from the taxi squad. The rugged winger will take the place of Tim Stutzle who was placed on IR retroactive to January 16.  Today would mark the seven-day requirement to be on there so he’ll be eligible to be activated at any time.
• The Maple Leafs announced (via Twitter) that they’ve added center Travis Boyd to their active roster and that he will join the team for their upcoming road trip.  The 27-year-old had 10 points in just 24 games with Washington last season but cleared waivers at the end of training camp.
• Lias Andersson’s time with the taxi squad was short-lived as the Kings revealed (Twitter link) that he has been recalled to the active roster.  It’s the third time he has been recalled already this season and despite going back and forth, the center has played in two games with Los Angeles in the early going.
• Samuel Morin is on this list for the third straight day as the Flyers announced (via Twitter) they’ve promoted him from the taxi squad once again.  He’s trying to convert himself into a winger after playing defense throughout his career up until this season but has yet to suit up in 2020-21.
• With AHL training camps getting underway, the Panthers have sent defensemen Brady Keeper and Riley Stillman to Syracuse, per a release from the Crunch.  Stillman has played once with Florida this season, logging nearly 17 minutes back on Tuesday while Keeper has been with the taxi squad since the start of the season.

There’s a lot of progress being made. We’re working on a bunch of different fronts, there’s a lot of balls up in the air. Nothing has materialized yet.

Even if Cirelli and Cernak take short-term contracts to keep the AAV down (which is the likeliest scenario at this point), it’s doubtful that moving out one player will be enough to get them back into compliance.  Tyler Johnson is known to be available but he passed through waivers unclaimed earlier this offseason.  With few teams having the ability to take on pricey contracts, BriseBois and the Lightning still have a lot of work to do.

Elsewhere around the league:

• Flyers defenseman Samuel Morin has fully recovered from his second ACL surgery, notes Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The 25-year-old has been limited to just 11 games combined over the past two seasons with Philadelphia and AHL Lehigh Valley and as a result, head coach Alain Vigneault believes that Morin will have to at least start next season with the Phantoms (assuming he clears waivers).  He’s entering the final year of his contract and will have a lot of work to do to prove himself worth of a qualifying offer next offseason.
• Despite Canada’s World Junior team having to shut things down for two weeks for quarantining purposes, they haven’t ruled out the possibility of Rangers winger Alexis Lafreniere joining them, Hockey Canada’s Scott Salmond told reporters, including TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link). Discussions remain ongoing with New York about the top pick being made available.  At this point, the uncertain status of the start of next season is likely holding things up but if it’s pushed back in the near future, it would become more palatable for Lafreniere to be made available.

More from the East:

• If NHL regular season action resumes, many teams will be getting key injured players back which could make for quite the compelling stretch run. However, the Senators aren’t certain if they’ll be able to have defenseman Mark Borowiecki (ankle injury) or goalie Anders Nilsson (concussion) back in the fold, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.  Head coach D.J. Smith noted that while both players are doing better now, the fact that they’re unable to be put through the paces on the ice makes it tough to assess their recovery.  While Nilsson is signed and the presumptive starter for next season, Borowiecki is a pending unrestricted free agent and could benefit from getting back and showing he has fully recovered.
• Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher spoke with reporters today, including NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman, to provide an update on their injured players. Defenseman Philippe Myers will be ready to return after being out fracturing his right patella in early March while winger James van Riemsdyk is expected to be cleared within the next week or two.  As for defenseman Samuel Morin who has been out with a torn ACL since November, he isn’t expected to return if play resumes but has started skating.  Meanwhile, center Nolan Patrick is working out at home as he continues to deal with a migraine disorder but has not been cleared for contact and there is no word on whether or not he’d be able to play if the season continues.

The Flyers also juggled its roster some more, as they moved forward Travis Konecny to injured reserve and also transferred Oskar Lindblom and Samuel Morin to long-term injured reserve.

Konecny is out indefinitely with a concussion he suffered last Saturday against Ottawa on an open-ice hit from Mark Borowiecki. Lindblom was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma Friday and is expected to miss the season, while Morin tore the ACL in his right knee and is also expected to sit out the rest of the season. Those are serious injuries as Konecny has 11 goals and 28 points in 30 games, while Lindblom was having a breakout season with 11 goals and 18 points in 30 games.

The Flyers announced that Laughton went down with a groin injury, while Pitlick suffered a concussion. Both could be out for a little bit,  which is why the team is bringing in Aube-Kubel and Twarynski. This will be Aube-Kubel’s first recall to Philadelphia this season. The 23-year-old played nine games with the Flyers last season, but failed to register a point. He has appeared in 26 games with Lehigh Valley this year, scoring five goals and eight points. Twarynski has already seen 14 games of NHL action this season, scoring one goal. He has two goals and three points in 12 with the Phantoms.

Morin, 24, was the 11th overall pick in 2013 and brought basically everything you would ever want in a defenseman. A huge 6’6″ frame that could skate, move the puck and compete physically, Morin won a gold medal with Team Canada at the World Juniors and was a huge part of the Rimouski Oceanic’s QMJHL championship.

When he hit professional hockey, things still went quite well. Through two years in the minor leagues he became a horse for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and looked like he would be a key contributor to the Flyers in the future. Unfortunately, things have completely derailed to the point where it’s now unclear if he’ll ever be healthy enough to play at the highest level.

The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) writes that the Blue Jackets would prefer to trade him than pass him through waivers, but the market for Milano has been cold. The team could opt to keep him and consider moving on from one of its veteran players, such as Markus Hannikainen or Brandon Dubinsky. However, the team wouldn’t be able to bury Dubinsky in the minors with his $5.85MM salary. However, Hannikainen might be an easier option as he makes just $750K.

• Sticking with the Blue Jackets, Portzine, in a separate article, writes that Columbus is considering giving former star Artemi Panarin’s first-line position into the hands of rookie Alexandre Texier this season. Panarin, the team’s lead winger last season, left for the New York Rangers over the summer, but the team believes that the 20-year-old may be able to succeed in that role this year. Texier scored one goal in two late regular season games and played in all eight playoff games for Columbus, scoring two goals and three points. The scribe adds that if Texier does win the top-line job, he could become a top candidate for the Calder Trophy.
• Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi believes that the Philadelphia Flyers are likely to keep eight defensemen out of training camp. The team has a numbers problem with defensemen and with only one of them waiver exempt, Philippe Myers, who is a lock to make the team, the Flyers would have to put a player on waivers, likely Samuel Morin. Philadelphia believes there is a good chance they would lose Morin if they put him on waivers and are more likely to keep the extra defenseman instead.

The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor (subscription required) writes that if Provorov signs, the team will have eight NHL-caliber defensemen on their roster and unless the team is willing to roll with just 13 forwards next season, the Flyers will have to make a move to get to seven. Some forwards are obviously going no where. The team has two top-four defenseman already in Shayne Gosthisbehere and Provorov, while the team traded for Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun to add veteran leadership to their defense. The team is also really high on youngsters Travis Sanheim and Philippe Myers, which leaves the team just two potential candidates to move.

The most obvious choice would be to send down Samuel Morin. He has potential, but has struggled to make an impact with Philadelphia so far. The problem is that the Flyers would be required to put him on waivers this season and risk losing the 24-year-old for nothing if another team puts a claim on him. While he only has eight games of NHL experience on his resume, there are some teams that would be quite interested in a 6-foot-6 defenseman who might be ready to become an NHL regular.

The only other option for the Flyers would be Robert Hagg, who already has two years of NHL experience and put up 20 points last season. While the team likes him, the team acquired a very similar player in Braun, who is more experienced and better defensively. Many have already wondered if the acquisition of Braun was meant as a sign that the team intends to move on from Hagg. However, Hagg is also no longer waiver-exempt and would almost assuredly would get claimed if Philadelphia put him on waivers, suggesting the team’s only option would be to trade him.

Regardless, no matter what, if the team doesn’t end up in a holdout situation with Provorov, which could be what the Flyers are waiting to find out before making a decision, the team must make a move at some point.

• The Canadiens announced the recall of winger Dale Weise from Laval (AHL). He was sent down last week to accommodate the return of Paul Byron from IR but this move was expected with the 23-man roster limit now removed.  Weise played in three games with the Rocket, scoring twice.  He will likely battle for fourth line ice time down the stretch.
• The Devils have shuffled their forward group, announcing that they have sent wingers Joey Anderson and Brett Seney to AHL Binghamton while recalling forwards Michael McLeod, Nathan Bastian, and John Quenneville. Anderson has just three points in 19 NHL games this season while Seney has spent the bulk of the year in New Jersey, collecting 13 points in 50 NHL contests.  McLeod, a 2016 first-rounder, has played just once with the big club this season but sits second on Binghamton in scoring and should now get a longer look to assess his development.  Bastian has also played just once in New Jersey but leads Binghamton in goals with 17 in 56 games.  They also announced that goalie MacKenzie Blackwood has been recalled from Binghamton following the trade of Keith Kinkaid, as well as defenseman Egor Yakovlev, with Eric Gryba heading back to the AHL.
• For the time being at least, the Senators have re-assigned defenseman Cody Goloubef, centers Logan Brown and Filip Chlapik, and winger Drake Batherson to Belleville of the AHL, per a team announcement.  The team also made forward Rudolfs Balcers and defenseman Christian Wolanin paper transactions for the inevitable reality of last-place Ottawa having an early end to their season, but Belleville continuing on to the postseason.
• The Flyers have brought back defenseman Samuel Morin from his conditioning stint with AHL Lehigh Valley.  He has been working his way back from ACL surgery from an injury sustained in the minor league playoffs back in May and played in a pair of games with the Phantoms.  It’s likely that Morin won’t be thrown into action with Philadelphia right away but with the roster limit gone, they can have him on the active roster from here on out. The team also made defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Corban Knight paper transactions. The young Myers was the top defender for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantom prior to his recall, while Knight is an experienced AHLer who can lead a team. Their return for the postseason would be a major boost for the Phantoms.
• The Nashville Predators have recalled Matt Donovan from the AHL, placing Dan Hamhuis on injured reserve. Donovan is leading all Milwaukee Admirals defensemen in scoring with 29 points through 55 games, but hasn’t played an NHL game since 2014-15.
• Christian Dvorak has officially been recalled from his conditioning stint with the Tucson Roadrunners, meaning he’ll be back on the ice for the Arizona Coyotes soon. The young forward has missed the entire season up to this point, but could give the Coyotes a much needed offensive boost down the stretch.
• Matt Luff was recalled by the Los Angeles Kings today, only to be returned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign later on alongside Michael Amadio. It’s unclear if this move was intended for AHL postseason means, seeing as the Reign are in last place in the entire league and aren’t going to be heading to the postseason.
• The Vancouver Canucks have returned goaltender Marek Mazanec and forward Zack MacEwen to the AHL’s Utica Comets, the team announced. Mazanec’s demotion is good news for the Canucks; Thatcher Demko has been cleared for action and will dress for the Canucks as the backup tonight.
• Teddy Blueger has been reassigned to the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, but could be on his way back up shortly. With Tanner Pearson shipped out of town, Pittsburgh needs another forward and Blueger has been the next man up. He should get a chance at regular minutes down the stretch.
• Collin Delia will return to the minors upon the activation of Corey Crawford, Chicago announced. Delia has performed admirably in net during Crawford’s absence and even earned a contract extension with his play, but needs the starts available in the AHL rather than sitting behind Crawford and Cam Ward.
• With the Toronto Maple Leafs trading away Par Lindholm today, stating their desire to open up regular NHL minutes for Trevor Moore, it is no surprise that Moore was an emergency recall by the team. Moore has been the epitome of consistency through his time with the University of Denver and AHL Marlies and now hopes to bring that same dependable production to the NHL.
• The Arizona Coyotes made a pair of paper transactions, assigning defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin and forward Conor Garland to the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners – to ensure their AHL postseason eligibility – and then called them back up.
• The Carolina Hurricanes followed suit, making forwards Saku Maenalanen and Warren Foegele paper transactions, so that they may compete with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers if need be.
• The Dallas Stars are without Mats Zuccarello after just one game with the trade addition. To fill his roster spot for the time being, the team has recalled Denis Gurianov from AHL Texas. Gurianov has shown flashes, but inconsistency in the pros, but now Dallas needs him to be a reliable option over the next four weeks.
• Daniel O’Regan seemed like a likely trade candidate as a young impending free agent who has not been a fit in Buffalo. The Sabres even showcased him this past week, but to no avail. The deadline has come and gone and Regan is still a Sabre, or more accurately a Rochester American after being demoted today. Tage Thompson was a paper transaction for the club.
• Dylan Sikura was made a paper transaction by the Chicago Blackhawks, as well. While the team would like to see what he can do in the NHL over the next month, the Blackhawks are trending away from the postseason, making Sikura’s best bet at postseason play a return to the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs. The move today maintains his eligibility to do so.
• The Colorado Avalanche made dependable depth forward Sheldon Dries a paper transaction, but the reassignments of fellow forwards A.J. Greer and Andrew Agozzino were not just formalities. The pair will head back to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, having presumably lost their roster spots to the healthy Colin Wilson and the acquisition of Derick Brassard.
• Goaltender Harri Sateri, defenseman Filip Hronek, and forward Filip Zadina were all made paper transactions by the Detroit Red Wings. Sateri and Hronek are currently filling in as injury replacements and will likely return to the AHL for real in short time, but Detroit wants to see what top prospect Zadina can do in the NHL down the stretch. The Red Wings surely won’t be making the playoffs though, so they made sure the trio can all still experience a postseason run this year.
• The Edmonton Oilers made veteran minor league forwards Brad Malone and Josh Currie paper transactions. The duo is currently helping out in the NHL, but with the Oilers’ playoff hopes all but dead, their major role the rest of the way will likely be as experienced leaders guiding the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors into the postseason.
• Jordan Greenway, Luke Kunin, and new addition Ryan Donato were all made paper transactions today by the Minnesota Wild. The trio is very much part of the Wild’s immediate plans this season, as well as their future, but Minnesota may not make the playoffs this year and the forwards could benefit from making a run with AHL Iowa.
• New York Islanders defenseman Devon Toews was another paper transaction. Toews has carved out a role for himself with the club, which currently leads the Metropolitan Division, but should be be available to the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers come playoff time, a return to the team at a critical time would only further his development.
• Lukas Radil was a paper transaction for the San Jose Sharks today. The Sharks are hoping to make a deep playoff run this year, but on the off chance that doesn’t materialize, the experienced forward Radil would be of benefit to the AHL Barracuda.
• The Vancouver Canucks currently have defensemen Ashton Sautner and Guillaume Brisebois on the roster as the team battles injuries. However, to make sure the AHL’s Utica Comets were not stripped of two of their top defenders this season, Vancouver made the pair paper transactions today.
• The Winnipeg Jets announced that they have reassigned defenseman Tucker Poolman to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose today. The move was expected after the Jets traded for not one but two defenseman today. The move also serves to ensure Poolman can play in the AHL postseason if need be. The same goes for forward Mason Appleton, who was also sent down.
• Peter Cehlarik and Karson Kuhlman have both been returned to the AHL’s Providence Bruins, but it remains unclear if this is a paper transaction or an actual move by Boston. With the deadline passed and roster restrictions nullified, one would think that Cehlarik and Kulhman – who have both player regular minutes for the Bruins of late – would be back up. However, no such move has been made and perhaps the team simply wants to give the duo some more ice time in the minors now that their NHL roster includes several more veteran members up front.
• The Anaheim Ducks have demoted defenseman Andy Welinski and forward Sam Steel in favor of defenseman Korbinian Holzer and goaltender Angus Redmond. The move may have something to do with AHL playoff eligibility, but more than anything it is about Redmond’s recall. The Ducks, who continue to struggle with injuries in net, will dress Redmond as their backup tonight with Ryan Miller sidelined with a lower-body injury. It is the first NHL experience for a keeper who has played almost exclusively in the ECHL as a pro.

Morin, 23, suffered his initial groin injury early in the 2017-18 season and missed most of the year, skating in just two games for the Flyers in a season where he was expected to push for a starting job as a a rookie. However, Morin was able to come back later in the spring and returned to action with the Phantoms. In the postseason though, Morin suffered a far more serious knee injury that required major surgery. Morin went under the knife in May and was not even able to skate until late December. However, nine months after the knee injury and 15 months since his last game with Philadelphia, Morin is finally ready for game action.

Morin was selected by the Flyers with the 11th overall pick in 2013 and was considered to have the size and skill to be a core defenseman. Morin joined Ivan Provorov, Robert Hagg, Travis Sanheim, and Phil Myers as Philly’s next wave on defense that was expected to rival all blue lines across the league. However, it has not worked out that way. Provorov has developed into an elite defender, albeit in a down year, and Hagg has settled into a dependable stay-at-home role, but the Flyers are still waiting on the promise of the rest of the group, with Sanheim being the focus this season. Morin sticks out as the biggest disappointment, though. TSN’s Frank Seravalli notes that Morin has played fewer NHL games than all but one of his fellow 2013 first-rounders, due to injuries of course but also underwhelming performance. The Flyers hope that Morin’s injury history is just that and the young defenseman can move forward and take steps towards reaching his potential.

Considering he has now passed through unclaimed twice already this season, his trade value can’t be high.  It’s likely that the Flyers would need to retain close to the maximum 50% of his contract which carries a $2.35MM cap hit through next season and/or take a similar contract back as part of a return.  The 30-year-old is only three years removed from a 14-goal season but he has struggled since joining the Flyers back in 2016.  This season, he has just five goals and six assists in 42 games.

More news from Philadelphia:

• A pair of Flyers goalies are making good progress in their respective injury recoveries. The team announced that Brian Elliott has resumed on-ice workouts but there isn’t a timeline yet for his return.  He has been out of the lineup since suffering a groin injury in mid-November.  Meanwhile, Michal Neuvirth is expected to resume on-ice activities sometime next week although, like Elliott, there remains no timetable for his return.  The team also updated defenseman Samuel Morin’s situation, indicating that he’s likely a month away from returning following offseason ACL surgery.
• NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Boruk notes that there could be an early trend to follow when it comes to new GM Chuck Fletcher’s trades. Their movement thus far (which could also extend to Weise’s waiver placement) has been either to remove players that aren’t playing with much physicality or to bring someone in with some size that is more apt to playing that type of role.  Considering they soon have a decision to make on winger Wayne Simmonds, it will be interesting to see if Fletcher’s apparent desire to play a more physical style will have any kind of impact on their contract negotiations.

Morin, 23, was the 11th-overall pick in 2013 but has played just three NHL games so far in his career and saw his 2017-18 season decimated by injury. If he can get back this season—the team expects some time in February—there’s a good chance he would be an immediate upgrade on their blue line and could offer a stylistic counterpoint to some of the team’s more offensive options.

• The Flyers’ opponent tonight will be without one of their leaders, as the Columbus Blue Jackets announced that assistant coach Brad Shaw was hospitalized and will not be at the game. Shaw became ill yesterday, and the team relayed it is an abdominal issue keeping him out. He’ll be replaced by skills coach Kenny McCudden behind the bench tonight, but will rejoin the team when he is able.
• The Buffalo Sabres were missing quite a few players from practice today, but luckily it was just a maintenance day for Zach Bogosian, Jack Eichel and Carter Hutton. Not so lucky were Jake McCabe and Casey Nelson, who have been ruled “week-to-week” in their recoveries from upper-body injuries. The Sabres are back in action on Saturday night when they’ll welcome Philadelphia into town.

MacDonald, 32, is in his sixth season with the Flyers and his eleventh overall. The veteran defenseman has had ups and downs in his career, but provides experience and leadership on the young Philly blue line. An alternate captain for the team and the oldest skater on the roster, MacDonald’s loss, especially at the start of the season, could be a blow to the Philadelphia locker room. With a six week window for recovery, MacDonald is sure to miss all of camp and the preseason and will likely miss the first two weeks or more of the regular season.

In his absence, the Flyers will need to lean more on their young defensive core. Shayne Gostisbehere, Ivan Provorov, and Robert Hagg have established themselves as the next wave of top defenders for Philadelphia and were primed to take ice time and responsibility from MacDonald this season regardless. Now they will especially be thrust into more responsibility, as will veteran Radko Gudas. Travis Sanheim and Christian Folin will now begin the season with guaranteed starting jobs now that MacDonald is out, giving the Flyers a rounded out top six. With Samuel Morin sidelined for at least a few more months with an ACL injury, one big question now is who begins the season as the Flyers’ extra defender until MacDonald can return.