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Surprise: Raffl Goes to the Phantoms

September 27, 2013, 6:50 PM ET [14 Comments]
Tim Panaccio
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Never a dull moment with the Flyers.

Bill Meltzer and I both felt that Michael Raffl had earned a spot on the roster once Tye McGinn went back to the Phantoms.

We both felt even after Thursday's mind-numbing loss in New Jersey that nothing had changed.

Friday afternoon, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren surprised us by sending Raffl to the Phantoms and keeping Chris VandeVelde. What Bill said back in August still seems to hold true - the Flyers want Europeans who h ave never played in North America to get used to the smaller rinks and spend some time in the AHL.

“The difference there is Chris is a North American player and has played three years pro and NHL games," Holmgren said. "For purposes of sending Michael down, it’s important to get him playing more minutes down there.”

Now it comes down to VandeVelde or Scott Laughton "if" the Flyers go with 13 forwards instead of 14.

Our bet remains the same there. Laughton goes back to his junior club after 9 games.

We'll see.

For more on this, check out CSNPhilly.com:

click here
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