Quick Hits: August 7, 2021

Of the three hefty cap hit players that the Flyers exposed to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft -- Jakub Voracek, James van Riemsdyk and Shayne Gostisbehere -- only JVR remains with the team. It has never seemed as if the Flyers were especially motivated to see van Riemsdyk move on but, rather, he was exposed to the Expansion Draft while Nicolas Aube-Kubel was protected in what proved to be an unsuccessful effort to to increase the chance of getting cap relief from the Draft.

The fact that JVR was not protected, however, suggests that the Flyers would still move him if they found the right trade. However, nothing seems to be on the horizon and the Flyers seem comfortable with van Riemsdyk returning for the fourth season of the five-year contract he signed as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2018.

Oddly enough, entering the 2020-21 season, JVR was coming having been a healthy scratch several times in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. Now, van Riemsdyk is coming off had one his better NHL seasons in terms of the consistency of the underlying details of his game: play-making, puck handling, two-way play, and even in terms of playing a more physical brand of hockey than his reputation suggests. His stock in trade will always be scoring deflection, rebound and slam-dunk goals near the net, especially on the power play, but it is inaccurate to call JVR "one-dimensional" based on his play this past season. Even when he wasn't scoring, he was not a problem spot in the lineup this past season.

2) In the most recent edition of FLyers Daily, Jason Myrtetus speaks with Flyers defenseman Samuel Morin. The affable off the ice, hard-nosed on the ice defenseman discusses why he believes that players who bring toughness and physicality still matter in today's game, why he opted to re-sign with the Flyers ahead of becoming an unrestricted free agent and why having a healthy 2020-21 season was a turning point in his mind. To listen, click here.

3) August 7: Today in Flyers History

1971: The Flyers sign Pierre Plante.

1991: The Flyers sign 1990 third-round pick Kimbi Daniels to an NHL contract. On the same day, they sign right winger Jamie Cooke to play for the Hershey Bears.

1995: The Flyers re-sign restricted free agent left winger Shawn Antoski to a one-year contract extension.

2008: The Flyers hire John Paddock as the head coach of the Phantoms and sign assistant coach Craig Berube to a contract extension. The club also signs 2007 second-round pick Kevin Marshall to an entry-level contract.

2009: The Flyers sign goaltender Nicola Riopel to an entry-level contract.

2014: The Flyers sign Ryan White as an unrestricted free agent.