Quick Hits: July 24, 2023
1) Flyers Daily: On the weekly Mondays with Meltzer edition of Flyers Daily, Jason Myrtetus and I discuss how the Flyers will replace Ivan Provorov's minutes on the blueline, both in the immediate future and long term. We also talk about Egor Zamula (who is no longer waiver exempt) and Emil Andrae and their respective ceilings. In the opening segment, we reflect on the 24th anniversary of the tragic boating accident that took the life of Dmitri Tertyshny, and left fellow Flyers prospects Mikhail Chernov and Francis Belanger devastated after witnessing the death of their friend.
To listen, click here.
2) ICYMI: The July 21 episode of Flyers Daily featured a one-on-one conversation between Bobby Brink and Myrtetus. Jason talked about his recovery from hip surgery last year, the keys to making plays and scoring goals at the pro level, and more. To listen, click here.
3) Flyers special advisor Patrick Sharp will be traveling to Slovakia in August to participate in a special farewell game being held in Trencin on the 18th in honor of his former Chicago Blackhawks teammate Marian Hossa. Other participants include the likes of Jonathan Toews, Nicklas Lidström, Daniel Alfredsson, Dustin Byfuglien, Zdeno Chara, Miroslav Satan, Michal Rozsival, Martin Havlat, Tomas Kopecky and Flyers alum Michal Handzus.
4) Today in Flyers History: June 24
* 1969: Andre Lacroix led the Flyers in goals and overall scoring (24 goals, 56 points) during the 1968-69 season. However, general manager Bud Poile refused to renegotiate the player's contract entering the offseason. The contract still had one season to run. Deputy general manager Keith Allen, who had coached Lacroix and would soon replace Poile as GM, believed that Lacroix deserved to be rewarded for his breakout season. Poile, who was not often one to concede, relented in this case. On July 24, 1969, the Flyers signed Lacroix to a new two-year contract at a $5,000 per season raise.
* 1990: Flyers general manager Russ Farwell, who had recently taken over for the fired Bob Clarke, elected to keep Paul Holmgren as the team's head coach. However, he changed out two of the three assistant coaches. On July 24, 1990, the Flyers hired Ken Hitchcock (formerly Kamloops Blazers head coach) and former NHL defenseman Craig Hartsburg (who had been a Minnesota North Stars assistant coach after his retirement as an active player the previous year) to replace Andy Murray and Mike Eaves.
* 2009: The Flyers signed defenseman Marc-Andre Bourdon to an entry-level contract.
* 2021: On the second day of the 2021 NHL Draft, the Flyers made another NHL roster player trade. The club sent veteran playmaking winger Jakub Voracek to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a one-for-one exchange for veteran goal-scoring winger Cam Atkinson. Voracek posted 62 points (6g, 56a in 79 games) in his first season with Columbus, while Atkinson produced 23 goals and 50 points in 73 games for the Flyers before missing the final nine games due to injury.
In 2022-23, Atkinson missed the entire season due to a neck injury that ultimately required cervical fusion surgery. He is expected to be ready for training camp and the regular season in 2023-24.
Voracek was limited by post-concussion issues to just 11 games (1g, 5a) early in the 2022-23 season. His final game was on Nov. 6, where he was concussed on a high stick by Colorado's Dryden Hunt. It's considered unlikely that Voracek will be able to play again. However, he has not officially retired. On March 2, 2023, the Blue Jackets traded Voracek's remaining contract (which runs through 2023-24) to the Arizona Coyotes along with a 2023 sixth-round pick in exchange for goalie Jon Gillies.
* July 24 Flyers Alumni birthday: goaltender Johan Backlund (1981).