QUICK HITS: APRIL 18, 2017
1) Flyers forward Jordan Weal celebrated his 25th birthday on Saturday. The impending unrestricted free agent, buoyed by a strong showing (eight goals, 12 points, plus-four) in 23 games with the NHL squad after posting 47 points in 42 games with the Phantoms, finds himself in a unique position.
It seems more likely than not that the Flyers will get the player signed to a new contract and protect him from the expansion draft. Weal indicated after the Flyers' final game of the season that he wants to stay put rather than testing the market this summer. However, once the negotiations get down to brass tacks, the Flyers may wind up having to overpay to keep a skilled but undersized player who passed through waivers unclaimed back in October and who had played just 14 career NHL games before his recall in the second half of the season.
Based upon his play with the Flyers, both from an offensive standpoint and a two-way perspective albeit in a small sample size -- Weal appears to be a solid investment for the Flyers even if they have to spend a little more than they otherwise would have if he were a restricted free agent rather than a UFA.
Weal was on the Phantoms "clear day" roster by virtue of an on-paper reassignment from the Flyers on March 1. However, because he exceeded the 10 game/ 30 day threshold in the NHL the rest of the season, he would have to clear waivers first to play for the Phantoms in the playoffs.
Ordinarily, that would not be an issue. He is not eligible to play for any other team in the Calder Cup playoffs (or in an NHL Stanley Cup playoff series) and, as impending UFA, that would typically be enough deterrent to prevent another team from putting in a waiver claim. However, with the expansion draft looming, getting Weal through waivers again would not be a certainty this time around. As a result, it appears that his 2016-17 season is done.
2) For those with access to Lehigh Valley-based Service Electric Channel, all Phantoms home games during the Calder Cup playoffs will be televised on basic cable.
3) Game 7 of the QMJHL playoff series between the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (featuring Flyers defense prospect Phillipe Myers) and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens (Flyers 2016 first-round pick German Rubtsov is done for the playoffs after undergoing hand surgery) will take place on Tuesday night at 7 PM EDT. The defending President's Cup champion Huskies forced a seventh game with a 9-2 blowout win in Game 6. Myers scored a goal and was plus-two in the victory.