This isn’t the Philadelphia Flyers news you were looking for. The team announced today they’ve re-signed defenseman Louis Belpedio to a two-year, two-way contract worth $1.55MM, earning him a league-minimum $775K cap hit per season.
The 27-year-old is a minor-league-only option at this point in his career, although he’s qualified enough to hold a top-four spot on almost any team in the AHL. His 2022-23 season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms saw him record eight goals, 19 assists, and 27 points in 70 games, finishing second among Phantoms defenders in assists and points behind Ronald Attard. It came on the heels of a career-high 30 points recorded in 2021-22 with the Laval Rocket – he was on a one-year, two-way deal with the Montreal Canadiens at that time. Four of his eight goals this season were also game-winners, good enough to put him in a tie for first among all AHL defenders.
A third-round pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2014, Belpedio recorded just four NHL appearances with the Wild before he entered Group VI unrestricted free agency in 2021. He hasn’t gotten an NHL chance since in stints with Montreal and Philadelphia.
As of now, he’s the oldest and most veteran defender slated for AHL time in the Flyers organization. He’ll be tasked with mentoring players such as Attard, Emil Andrae, Adam Ginning, and Helge Grans.