Quick Hits: August 30, 2022
1) The Flyers announced on Monday that they have signed 26-year-old restricted free agent right winger Hayden Hodgson to a two-year contract. Year one is a two-way arrangement and the second season is one-way. The deal carries an $800,000 average annual value.
The breakdown per Capfriendly: Year one carries an immediate $50,000 signing bonus and a $750,000 base salary prorated across the 2022-23 campaign if Hodgson spends the season in the NHL. If he's in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Hodgson will make a prorated $175,000. In year two, Hodgson will make a guaranteed $800,000 whether he's in the NHL or AHL.
With the deal, the Flyers now have off of their restricted free agents under contract for next season. For an in-depth look at Hodgon's developmental leap ln 2021-22, which saw him rise from the ECHL to an AHL contract to an eventual NHL contract and six games played for the Flyers, see the Transaction Analysis feature on the Flyers official website.
2) Hodgson is subject to waivers if he does not make the opening night NHL roster and the Flyers elect to assign him to the Phantoms. Nonetheless, the numbers game may work against him for making the opening night roster even with young wingers Joel Farabee (neck surgery. out until late October or early November) and Bobby Brink (hip surgery, likely out until January) sidelined during training camp.
Line combos could easily differ significantly from the ones below but the depth chart heading into camp is more or less accurate:
Potential opening-night top six (roster locks) James van Riemsdyk - Sean Couturier - Travis Konecny Scott Laughton - Kevin Hayes - Cam Atkinson Top nine, (probable for NHL roster, late 2021-22 line combo) Noah Coates - Morgan Frost - Owen Tippett
Offseason surgery (likely to be on IR) Joel Farabee, Bobby Brink (SOIR candidate)
This summer, the Flyers signed rugged unrestricted free agent winger Nicolas Deslauriers to a four-year contract ($1.75 million cap hit). He'll almost certainly open the season as a fourth-line starter in the top 12.
Here's where it gets dicey. There's a group of players vying for two or three (if there are 13 forwards on the opening night roster) spots. The group is as follows: NHL roster veteran incumbents Patrick Brown (subject to waivers) and Zack MacEwen (subject to waivers), Hodgson (subject to waivers) and younger forwards Wade Allison (waiver exempt), Tanner Laczysnki (waiver exempt), Isaac Ratcliffe (subject to waivers), as well as 20-year-old rookie hopefuls Tyson Foerster (waiver exempt), Elliot Desnoyers (waiver exempt) and Zayde Wisdom (waiver exempt).
Re-signed this summer as a restricted free agent 24-year-old Jackson Cates (waiver exempt) is a dark horse. Originally drafted by the Flyers, 25-year-old Cooper Marody (subject to waivers) was signed to a two-year, two-way contract this offseason ($762,500 AAV in the NHL, $400,000 in the AHL).
Back on July 13, the Flyers signed 26-year-old center Adam Brooks to a two-year, two-way contract ($762,500 NHL AAV, $450,000 at the AHL level). The former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect bounced around the waiver wire in 2021-22 after he did not make the Leafs' opening night roster. He's all too familiar with the waiver process from his experiences last season.
Before the season began, Brooks was waived by Toronto and claimed by the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 11. After dressing in just four games with the Habs (0g, 1a), he was waived by Montreal and claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights Nov. 17. After roughly three months and seven games played (2g, 0a) with Vegas, he was waived and reclaimed by the Maple Leafs on Feb. 16. The Leafs hoped to place the player with the AHL's Marlies and waived the player the next day for purposes of AHL assignment. However, Brooks didn't clear. On Feb. 18, the Winnipeg Jets claimed him and dressed Brooks in 14 games (0 points) over the remainder of the season.
Other forwards on NHL contracts: returning 27-year-old forward Max Willman (subject to waivers), 26-year-old winger Linus Sandin (subject to waivers) and incoming 23-year-old rookie forward Olle Lycksell (waiver exempt).
3) The opening roster battles on defense appear to be fairly straightforward barring injuries. The veteran group of Ivan Provorov, Tony DeAngelo, Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen are locks. Well-respected veteran Justin Braun, who returned to the Flyers over the summer as an unrestricted free agent after being a trade deadline rental for the Rangers, is close to a lock for a third pairing role. Cam York, at age 21, will look to establish himself as a full-time NHL player right out of camp.
If the Flyers carry seven defensemen for opening night, rather than going with six D and then making a depth callup for the first road trip, veteran returnee Nick Seeler would seem to be the most likely player to start out with that role. He'd be subject to waivers if tabbed to start the season with Lehigh Valley during Philadelphia's season opening homestand.
Twenty-three-year-old defenseman Ronnie Attard (waiver exempt) and 22-year-old Egor Zamula (waiver exempt) would be more likely to enter to mix for a top-six spot at the start of the season if there's an injury among one of the veterans.
The big mystery on the Flyers blueline is when or if veteran defenseman Ryan Ellis will be available to be cleared to play after dealing with a chronic multi-layered nagging injury in his pelvic area. The 31-year-old seems likely to start the season on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), of which the only benefit to the Flyers would be desperately needed allowance to exceed the salary cap by up to Ellis' $6.25 million AAV.
The Flyers re-signed Kevin Connauton as an unrestricted free agent this summer to a two-year, two-way contract. The veteran of 360 NHL games (26 with the Flyers in 2021-22) is 7th D depth behind Seeler. Another alternative depth callup option is 23-year-old Linus Högberg, who dressed in five late-season games for the Flyers last season.
Twenty-six-year-old former Minnesota Wild defenseman Louie Belpedio (originally drafted by Chuck Fletcher and Brent Flahr) spent last season in the AHL with the Laval Rocket. On July 13, the Flyers signed him to a one-year, two-way contract ($750,000 in the NHL, $450,000 in the AHL). He's a secondary NHL depth callup option beyond being likely to play on the upper end of Ian Laperriere's AHL blueline with the Phantoms. Belpedio is subject to waivers.
Apart from Högberg, the organization's younger depth options under NHL contract include 22-year-old incoming rookie Adam Ginning (drafted by the Flyers in the second round of the 2018 Entry Draft), 21-year-old Mason Millman, 22-year-old Wyatte Wylie and 23-year-old Cooper Zech. All are waiver exempt and all would need to show further development (barring a situation where the organization is utterly riddled with blueline injuries) to be near-term recall candidates.
4) In goal, there is no question whether Carter Hart will be the Flyers No. 1 goalie. The question is whether he can stay healthy for an entire season (he's dealt with minor issues that caused him to miss time in each of his four pro seasons to date) and maintain consistency for the duration. In camp, there will be a roster battle between 25-year-old Felix Sandström and 33-year-old Troy Grosenick for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.
22-year-old prospect Samuel Ersson, whose rookie season was curtailed by groin injuries in 2021-22, will be with the Phantoms.
5) Today in Flyers History: On Aug. 30, 1979, the Flyers signed 1979 first-round pick Brian Propp to a three-year contract. The 20-year-old left winger made an immediate impact, tallying 34 goals and 75 points in his rookie NHL season. Propp started out the season on Bobby Clarke's line but settled onto a line with Ken "the Rat" Linseman and Paul Holmgren that came to be known as "the Rat Patrol".
6) August 30 Flyers Alumni birthdays: Jean-Guy Gendron (1934-2022), Vladimir Malakhov (1968).
7) Starting in the 2022-23 hockey and basketball seasons, the Wells Fargo Center will feature an upscale pizza eatery restaurant run by James Beard Award-winning Chef Marc Vetri. Located on the 11th Street side of the Club Level at Wells Fargo Center, Vetri's "MVP" will replace The Bistro. Earlier this summer Wells Fargo Center also announced culinary partnerships with local restauranteur Stephen Starr and chef Jose Garces. These will also become features of the Club Level offerings.