The Flyers have added some more grit to their forward group, announcing the signing of winger Garnet Hathaway to a two-year contract. The deal will carry an AAV of $2.375MM.
Hathaway’s garnered a well-deserved reputation as one of the more effective fourth-line players in the league, backing up being an annoyance on the ice with some offensive production and solid all-around play. The cap hit on this deal is perfectly fair, although it’s fair to wonder if the acquisition blocks a young player from making an impact in the Philadelphia lineup next year.
Nevertheless, he and Nicolas Deslauriers on the same line should help the latter become more effective too, actually providing a positive offensive impact via a heavy forecheck. After scoring 13 goals last year, Hathaway’s shown he can put the puck in the net with some frequency, and he’ll be an underrated offensive boost to the Flyers’ bottom six. They’ll likely be centered by Ryan Poehling, another UFA signing by the Flyers today.
Hathaway joins Cam Atkinson, Travis Konecny, and Calvin Petersen as notable members of the Flyers’ UFA class in 2025. He’ll be 33 years old at the end of the deal, and this was likely his best option to cash in on a $2MM-plus cap hit.
Why?
If you have to ask you don’t know hockey.
Wilf, your latest effort would be called irony.
Tortorella licking his lips thinking of which promising young center he can waste away between Deslauriers and Hathaway
At the end of the day, it’s about money and term.
Ick
Solid acquisition!!!!
Which means that there is an excellent chance that it was not a solid acquisition. I am pulling for you Wilf – want to see you keep up your unblemished streak of being wrong about everything.
It’s not as if Philadelphia’s going to contend this year. Why? indeed.