Flyers Re-Sign Lauridsen to Two-Year Contract
Yesterday, the Flyers re-signed defenseman Oliver Lauridsen to a two-year contract. As was the case with the contract signed last summer by Marc-Andre Bourdon, the first year of Lauridsen's deal is a two-way contract, the second year is one-way.
At the NHL level, Lauridsen's deal will pay at a $600,000 full-season salary scale in each of the next twos season. At the AHL level, he will get a raise on the $65,000 salary paid under his entry-level contract. Year two of the deal pays $600,000 regardless of whether Lauridsen plays in the NHL or AHL.
Lauridsen has one season of waiver exemption remaining. That means he would not have to clear waivers to be sent to the Phantoms next season. In year two, he would have to clear waivers before being assigned to the AHL. However, his salary will fall below the threshold at which any money would count against the Flyers' salary cap if he were to be waived, unclaimed and assigned to the AHL in 2014-15.
I have heard a couple of people say that Lauridsen is "taking a slight pay cut" in his new contract. That is only true in terms of capology but not in his actual take-home pay.
Per capgeek.com, his entry-level deal carried a $650,000 cap hit at the NHL level, while the new deal has a $600,000 NHL cap hit. However, the new deal guarantees that he will see more money in his paychecks, even in the AHL. Thus, it represents a real-life pay raise in addition to an opportunity to eventually stake a place on the Flyers' starting blueline at the NHL level.
After leaving St. Cloud State and signing with the Flyers, Lauridsen received signing bonus installments of $65,000 in each of his first two years and then got paid at the AHL rate on the contract for the duration of his two pro seasons except for the period of his recall to the big club at the end of last season (dating from March 29, 2013 through the end of April when the NHL regular season came to a close).
Lauridsen's strong showing late in the 2013 NHL season was followed up by an equally encouraging performance for Denmark at the IIHF World Championships. He averaged 18:58 of ice time per game in the tournament, which would have been higher had he not been forced out of a match against arch-rival Norway early in the second period due to a strained left hip flexor. He did not miss a game and finished up by playing 20-plus minutes in a must-win 3-2 victory over Belarus (which ensured the Danes could not be relegated) and a hard-fought 4-2 loss to Sweden. Lauridsen did not record a point at the tourney, was an even plus-minus and had six penalty minutes.
The big defenseman's generally solid play upon his recall last season has moved him up in the pecking order for an NHL recall in 2013-14. Barring pre-season injuries among the Flyers veterans -- which is an ongoing concern for a player such as Nicklas Grossmann who is coming off a season-ending concussion and has hurt both of his knees in the past -- the Great Dane is likely to begin next season with Adirondack.
That is for two reasons:
1) Even once the Flyers remove a big-salaried defenseman (one of Braydon Coburn, Andrej Meszaros or Grossmann) via trade, they will still have a logjam of players competing for the seven opening-night spots. As a roster bubble player with a year of waiver exemption remaining, Lauridsen is one of the easier cuts to make because he can go back to the AHL next season with no fear of losing his rights.
2) Although his overall play with the Flyers late last season was encouraging, there were still some obviously raw aspects of his game -- puckhandling and footwork especially -- that can use additional development as a regular in the AHL. If he already hit his ceiling, he's unlikely to stick in the NHL.
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Thursday Quick Hits
* Today is the final day of the Flyers' Development Camp. After yesterday's Trial on the Isle in Stone Harbor, the prospects return to Voorhees today for a pair of on-ice sessions at the Skate Zone. The morning session runs from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., while the brief afternoon session is from 2:00 to 2:30 p.m.
* According to a
report in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Flyers Hall of Famer Joe Watson's daughter, Heidi, was the victim of a burglary at her Rittenhouse Square apartment. Among the items stolen was a 1974 Stanley Cup ring. The diamond-encrusted gold ring, originally presented to all of the Flyers' players wives, was a gift to Heidi from her mother upon her college graduation. Anyone with any information about the whereabouts of the ring is asked to call Central Detectives at 215-686-3093.
* Happy 61st birthday wishes go out to the best all-around winger in Flyers history, Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Bill Barber. A model of consistency during his NHL career, Barber was a player who could be penciled in for 30 to 40 goals every season while modeling a commitment to two-way play and a willingness to play through pain. Knee problems ended his career at age 32, but Barber still stands at the franchise's all-time leading goal scorer with 420 regular-season tallies. He also had 53 goals in 129 playoff games. As the Flyers' head coach in 2000-01, Barber won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year. Except for a few years spent as a pro scout for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Barber has spent 40-plus years in the employ of the Flyers' organization.
* Today is the 50th birthday of Todd Bergen, who was one of the NHL's most intriguing flash-in-the-pan players. Bergen had one of the oddest careers in the annals of hockey history. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound forward had speed to burn and great hands. Two years after being drafted by the Flyers with the 98th overall pick of the 1982 Draft, Bergen made quite the splash in his first pro season.
After posting 20 goals and 39 points in the AHL during the first half of the 1984-season, he was called up to the big club. In 14 games with the Flyers, he scored 11 goals and added 5 helpers for 16 points. In the playoffs, he dressed in 17 games and added 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists).
As talented as he was offensively, Bergen was a completely one-dimensional player. His lack of a physical game and disinterest in playing defense made him an instant dartboard for Mike Keenan. Bergen took Keenan's almost daily harangues very personally. He was also someone who didn't particularly enjoy playing hockey, anyway. A talented golfer, he announced in the summer of 1985 that he would rather quit hockey and pursue a golf career instead of playing one more day for Keenan.
In the late fall of 1985, the Flyers finally worked out a trade, sending Bergen to the Minnesota North Stars. He agreed to play for the North Stars but suffered a serious abdominal muscle tear that forced him out of action before he ever played an NHL game. He was sent to the AHL for conditioning, but re-injured himself after just 27 games. Bergen then retired from hockey for good.
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