Despite his tumultuous 2024-25 season, Cam York was cemented as a key part of the Philadelphia Flyers’ future when the club signed him to a $5.15MM AAV contract extension that runs through the 2029-30 season. Today at training camp, new Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed the importance of York to the club’s short and long-term plans, stating that York “has been keeping that pattern pretty high” in terms of the consistency of his performance. As relayed by The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, Tocchet added that he hopes York will be able to “can carry his own pair” for the club this season.
Tocchet’s point about York potentially carrying his own defensive pairing is notable as York spent significant time paired with Travis Sanheim in 2024-25. Sanheim is the Flyers’ top defenseman, and separating York from Sanheim would be a large show of faith in York’s abilities. York has so far spent time in camp paired with young blueliner Helge Grans, who has played in just six career NHL games. Being the steady veteran a rookie partner can rely on is a large responsibility for an NHL defenseman, and should Tocchet elect to deploy York in that matter, it would further underline just how dramatically York has elevated his stock in Philadelphia since he was benched for a full game under interim coach Brad Shaw.
Some other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Training camp is the setting where aspiring NHLers look to make their mark and steal a spot on an NHL roster, and each year there are young players who come out of nowhere to leave a strong impression on their team’s management, even if they don’t ultimately land an NHL role that year. That exact scenario could end up playing out in Washington, where 2022 third-round Capitals draft pick Ludwig Persson has, per The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber, really “stood out” in the early portion of camp. The Swedish winger turns 22 in October and spent last season in the Finnish Liiga, scoring 16 points in 52 games for Jukurit. Persson got the chance to skate with established NHLers Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson at camp on Saturday, and while it’s difficult to see him ultimately making the team’s opening-night roster (he has just one game of professional experience in North America), his early camp performance could make him a prospect to watch moving forward for Capitals fans.
- The Athletic’s Peter Baugh and Vince Z. Mercogliano reported from New York Rangers training camp today that head coach Mike Sullivan has revealed how his staff of assistant coaches will split their responsibilities this upcoming season. Sullivan told the media that assistant David Quinn, the former Rangers head coach, will work with the team’s defensemen and run the club’s power play. Quinn ran Sullivan’s power play with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season and managed a strong sixth-place leaguewide finish in success rate. Assistant Joe Sacco, the former Boston Bruins interim head coach, will run the club’s penalty kill and work with Rangers forwards. The Bruins’ penalty kill ranked 24th in the NHL last season, killing penalties at a 76.3% rate.