Quick Hits: August 29, 2022
1) On this week's "Mondays with Meltzer" edition of Flyers Daily, Jason Myrtetus and I covered a lot of ground in 34 minutes.
Among other topics, we look at Wade Allison's contract extension and why it could be a great cap bargain for the Flyers if the player stays healthy; Allison's need to strike a balance between playing aggressively and unduly risking further injuries; the roster spot competitions heading into camp; how much will waiver status be factor in roster decisions; the prospects of Morgan Frost and Cam York earning significant power play time; how much John Tortorella's systems could be of benefit to Carter Hart; the hiring Ian McKeown for the newly created position of Vice president of Athlete Performance and Wellness and the trend across sports to take a more inter-disciplinary approach; and a listener-submitted "which scenario is more realistic" segment.
To listen to the podcast, click here.
2) On the Flyers official website, I did a deep-dive analysis of Wade Allison's injury-curtailed 2021-22 season, along with his new two-year contract and the one-year contract signed by defenseman Linus Högberg. To read the article, click here.
Per Capfriendly, here is some additional info on the first year -- the two-way portion -- of Allison's contract. At the AHL level, where he spent most of 2021-22, he's gotten a raise from a prorated $70K to $200K. NHL AAV is $785K but year two (one-way) carries a $820K real-dollar salary in both the NHL and AHL.
3) Today in Flyers History Holt Becomes a Flyer
Longtime NHL enforcer Randy Holt collected nearly 60 fighting majors over the course of his 395 game career. By far, the most fights he had in his career came against the Flyers: 15 in all.
Three of the fights came during the infamous March 11, 1979, game between the Flyers and the LA Kings at the Spectrum. Although subsequently broken, the game held the record at one fime for the most combined penalty minutes in a single match. Holt alone collected 67 penalty minutes in the first period including three fighting majors (two against Frank Bathe, one with Paul Holmgren), three game misconducts, two 10-minute misconducts and a run-of-the-mill hooking minor.
Philadelphia signed Holt to a one-year contract on August 29, 1983. He was a depth defenseman for Bob McCammon's team, dressing in 26 games of mostly sparing ice time. Holt did not record a point, had four shots on goal, was minus-one and collected 74 penalty minutes including four fights. The bouts were against Boston Bruins rookie Nevin Markwart, Hockey Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders, Joe Paterson (then of the Detroit Red Wings, later a Flyers player and Phantoms coach), and prolific Bruins tough guy Terry O'Reilly.
4) August 29 Flyers Alumni birthdays: Mike Murray (1966), Doug Sulliman (1959), Tim Tookey (1960).