Philadelphia Extends Forward Danick Martel

7/15: The team has confirmed the deal, revealing that Martel simply accepted his qualifying offer.

7/12: The Philadelphia Flyers have reached an agreement on a new contract for depth forward Danick Martel. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that it is a one-year, two-way deal for the restricted free agent. Martel will reportedly make $715K at the NHL level.

This deal could prove to be a great value for the Flyers. Martel, 23. was a top-20 goal scorer in the AHL last season with 25 tallies in 59 games. He was one of the top contributors for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, especially in the postseason when he was second on the team in scoring with eight points in 13 games. Martel also cracked 100 points in his final junior season with the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armanda prior to signing with the Flyers. Despite his very small stature – he stands just 5’8″ and weighs in at 161 pounds – Martel has also proven to be a gritty, irritating presence that bothers the opposition, forces turnovers, and draws penalties. In addition to being an offensive force, Martel has been one of the better plus/minus players for the Phantoms in recent years.

While Martel went scoreless in four games up with the Flyers last season, he now enters the 2018-19 season with that experience and hopes to replicate his results in the minors if given another chance at the NHL. Martel will likely get that chance from Philadelphia and maybe even a longer look this time around. Although primarily a left winger, Martel can line up at all three forward positions. He can also play both a scoring or energy role. This versatility should afford Martel the chance to prove himself sooner rather than later and an injury up front for Philly could land him a long-term role.