Offseason Checklist: Philadelphia Flyers
The offseason has arrived for all but a handful of teams who are still taking part in the playoffs. Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Philadelphia.
It was a season of extremes for the Flyers. Expected to be a bottom-five team in the league at the beginning of the year, they were well above .500 and in solid playoff position come mid-January. A 13-14-5 stretch after the All-Star break ultimately cost them their first postseason berth since 2020, though. It was still a step forward overall under head coach John Tortorella, who ended up getting some outside consideration for the Jack Adams Award and helped the Flyers to an over-.500 season after two seasons below the demarcation line. They played good defensive hockey for most of the season, helping support overmatched and overworked rookie Samuel Ersson between the pipes after he was forced into starting action in January with Carter Hart facing sexual assault charges. Now, they need to figure out how to keep the forward momentum in the rebuild going.
Make A Call On Konecny
Travis Konecny currently projects to be one of the better right wings available on the unrestricted free-agent market in 2025 after leading the Flyers in scoring for three straight seasons. He didn’t hit the point-per-game mark in 2023-24 like he did last season, but he did up his scoring with a career-high 33 goals. The 2015 24th overall pick has now spent eight seasons in a Philly jersey, giving them 400 points in 564 appearances.
He becomes eligible to sign an extension on July 1, but it hasn’t always been the smoothest ride for Konecny with the Flyers. While he’s largely remained in Tortorella’s good graces, he was pushed down the lineup at times earlier in his career despite being one of their better producers. Has two seasons of roughly 20 minutes per game of ice time erased those memories?
Philly isn’t a bonafide playoff team next season, but they’re expected to be in the conversation again. General manager Daniel Brière needs to make a call on whether to begin extension talks with Konecny this summer or if he wants to wait until further into the 2024-25 season to handle it. If things go off the rails early, Konecny could net them quite a favorable trade haul, even as a rental.
Entering his age-27 season, Konecny likely is what he is at this point. Evolving Hockey projects him to receive an eight-year deal at roughly $8.75MM per season if he signs an extension upon becoming eligible this summer. It would make him their highest-paid player and seems to be fair dollar value for his recent point production, but if he feels he may be able to land more on the open market with the salary cap set to increase again in 2025, he may bet on himself and wait until further into the season to sign or reject an extension offer.
Add Defensive Depth
The Flyers got some of their offseason work done closer to the trade deadline, inking serviceable shutdown man Nick Seeler to a four-year, $10.8MM extension. But elder statesmen Erik Johnson and Marc Staal are both set to be UFAs and unlikely to be back.
Even with RFA Yegor Zamula penciled in for a spot next year, that leaves a couple of openings on the Flyers’ roster for defensive adds. One of them could be filled internally – both Emil Andrae and Ronald Attard had strong seasons with AHL Lehigh Valley and will be in consideration for spots on next year’s opening night list.
A big UFA splash is unlikely, given where they’re at in their rebuild, but a decent second or third-pairing depth add should be expected. They have their puck-moving core set up well for the present with Jamie Drysdale, Travis Sanheim and Cameron York, but a defensive depth name like Calvin de Haan, Jani Hakanpää or Ilya Lyubushkin could make sense to help round out their D-corps.
Get Johansen Clarity
Brière was likely planning on buying out the final season of Ryan Johansen‘s albatross contract when he took it off the hands of the Avalanche in the Sean Walker trade at the deadline, but that likely won’t be possible. Medical testing after the trade (which wasn’t made contingent on Johansen passing a physical) confirmed he was dealing with a hip injury, and he didn’t play for the Flyers or their AHL affiliate after the trade while rehabbing.
There’s no indication he’s recovered from the ailment, and he can’t be bought out if he’s not cleared to play. Expect them to maintain contact with Johansen and have him undergo testing in the coming weeks so they can attempt to buy him out during the first available window, which opens 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Final ends (or June 15, whichever is later).
Otherwise, they’ll be on the hook for half of his $8MM cap hit – the Predators retained $4MM when trading him to Colorado last summer. Ideally, if he can’t be bought out, he won’t be cleared to play in the fall either and can be placed on long-term injured reserve to begin the season. After the acquisition, Brière confirmed he didn’t envision Johansen ever suiting up for the squad. The 13-year vet had just 23 points in 63 games for the Avs prior to the trade, not missing any time with his proclaimed hip injury.
Don’t Backslide
After exceeding expectations last year, 2024-25 will be key in proving the Brière/Tortorella rebuild doesn’t involve a “one step forward, two steps back” path back to contention.
Continued playoff contention next season could be made much easier by the arrival of 2023 seventh-overall pick Matvei Michkov. Underdrafted largely due to concerns about his contract in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League – he was signed through the 2025-26 season with SKA St. Petersburg – there’s now talk of him buying out the remainder of his contract and joining the Flyers this summer.
Michkov, 19, is likely NHL-ready. He had 41 points in 47 games last season while loaned out to KHL bottom-feeder HK Sochi, finishing second on the team in scoring despite only playing about two-thirds of the season.
A season with a record similar to this year is likely acceptable, given where most of the Flyers’ prospects are in their development, but steps forward from hopeful long-term ancillary pieces like Drysdale on defense and Ivan Fedotov in the crease will be major boxes to check off.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Canucks Showing Interest In Martin Necas
The Canucks will be one of the teams interested in acquiring forward Martin Nečas‘ signing rights if the Hurricanes shop him over the next few weeks, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on The Jeff Marek Show today.
Rumors around the Canucks will be all over the place in the coming week as they attempt to re-sign a large slate of big-ticket pending RFAs and UFAs, including defenseman Filip Hronek and center Elias Lindholm. While they’ll try and get extensions done for whoever they can, it’s clear the team is thoroughly examining contingency plans in case they can’t come to agreements that would allow them to stay under the salary cap.
It isn’t the first time Vancouver’s been linked to Nečas. In a brief but bizarre saga before star center Elias Pettersson signed his eight-year, $92.8MM extension in March, Friedman reported the Canucks were in “advanced” talks with Carolina about a deal for the then-pending RFA. Today, Friedman confirmed on “32 Thoughts: The Podcast” that Nečas would have been part of the return to Vancouver had the trade gone through.
While the 25-year-old Nečas has played mostly on the wing with the Canes, his best season was also the only one where he logged any significant time at center. His performance in the faceoff dot will always be a concern – he’s won just 41.5% of draws in his career – but he led the club in scoring in 2022-23 with 71 points (28 goals, 43 assists) in 82 games while also lining up at center for the most games in his career.
Thus, he could be a logical replacement for Lindholm should the former Cane head to market (and, ironically, potentially replace Nečas back in Carolina). As things stand, the Nucks have $23.75MM in projected cap space next season with eight roster spots to fill. Nečas and Lindholm could both land deals in the $7MM range, although the latter is headed in the wrong direction as his production has consistently dwindled since his career year with the Flames in 2021-22. Lindholm likely repaired his value somewhat with his playoff performance, though, posting 10 points in 13 games for Vancouver while logging over 19 minutes per game.
Nečas also took a step back this season, seeing his production drop to 24 goals and 53 points in 77 games, but there’s arguably more upside/rebound potential with a player who’s four years younger. Vancouver would also be at less risk of seeing the deal become an albatross as it ages by handing out a long-term deal to the younger player.
Blackhawks, Islanders Swap 2024 First-Round Picks
The Blackhawks and Islanders are making an unusually early pick swap ahead of the 2024 draft. Chicago has acquired the Islanders’ first- and second-round picks (18th and 50th overall), while the Islanders receive the 20th overall selection (originally owned by the Lightning) and a pair of second-round picks (54th and 61st overall, previously acquired from the Kings and Canucks).
It’s unclear whether this is a precursor to a bigger move for either club. The Blackhawks had acquired the 20th overall pick from Tampa back in March 2022 as part of the return for winger Brandon Hagel. The 54th overall pick, originally slated for the Kings, was transferred to the Flyers in last year’s Ivan Provorov three-team deal before being flipped to the Blackhawks in a pick swap a few weeks later at the 2023 draft. Meanwhile, Chicago acquired the 61st pick along with center Jason Dickinson from the Canucks in exchange for defenseman Riley Stillman in October 2022.
All in all, the Hawks will move up two spots in the first round and four spots in the second at the expense of the 61st overall pick.
Chicago also owns the second overall selection in next month’s draft after winning the second lottery draw to retain the pick. After picking up Calder Trophy finalist Connor Bedard with the first-overall selection last year, they’re expected to select either Russian winger Ivan Demidov or Belarusian defenseman Artyom Levshunov with their lottery pick this year.
The full draft order won’t be locked in until after the Stanley Cup Final ends, but Chicago drops to eight total selections from nine with today’s trade. They now own two first-rounders (2nd, 18th), two second-rounders (34th, 50th), two third-rounders (67th, 72nd), a fifth (138th) and a sixth-round pick (163rd). The Islanders move up to six total selections from five, now boasting the 20th, 54th, 61st, 115th, 147th, and 179th overall picks.
Hurricanes Name Eric Tulsky Interim GM, Don Waddell Resigns
Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell has resigned from his post, the team announced Friday. Eric Tulsky has been named the team’s interim GM.
Waddell informed Carolina owner/governor Tom Dundon of his decision this morning, telling him that he’d “come to the decision that now is the time for me to move to the next chapter of my career.” He was on an expiring contract and was being allowed to speak with other teams, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported Thursday night.
The 65-year-old has already interviewed with the Blue Jackets about the league’s lone GM vacancy, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet added.
After serving as the GM of the Atlanta Thrashers for all but their last season before moving to Winnipeg in 2011, Waddell was named the Hurricanes’ president in 2014, with an intermediary stint with the Penguins as a pro scout in between. He assumed GM duties on top of his president role before the 2018-19 season, overseeing the longest stretch of sustained success in franchise history.
While team pillars like Sebastian Aho and Jaccob Slavin were drafted before his tenure, Waddell was the GM who promoted Rod Brind’Amour to a head coaching role. He also drafted top-line winger Andrei Svechnikov with the second overall pick in 2018, drafted Seth Jarvis 13th overall in 2020, and moved to acquire top-pairing blue liner Brent Burns from the Sharks in the summer of 2022.
The Hurricanes haven’t won a game past the second round in the Waddell/Brind’Amour era, but they have made the playoffs for six straight seasons for the first time since relocating from Hartford in 1997. A run of three straight division titles for the Canes, a franchise record, ended thanks to the Rangers’ Presidents’ Trophy-winning campaign this season. He was named a finalist for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award in his first season at the helm.
The change at the top comes as the Hurricanes need to re-sign nearly half their roster to new contracts next season. Jarvis and Martin Nečas are their high-priority restricted free agents, although the latter is expected to be on the move this summer as they’re far apart in negotiations. Trade deadline acquisition Jake Guentzel, a trio of important depth forwards in Jordan Martinook, Stefan Noesen and Teuvo Teräväinen, as well as defensemen Jalen Chatfield, Tony DeAngelo, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei, are all unrestricted free agents.
While the team says it’s begun a “full search” for a permanent GM, it would surprise few to see Tulsky have his interim tag removed. He landed his first NHL job as a data analyst with the Canes back in 2014 and was eventually promoted to director of analytics in 2017 before being named an assistant GM to Waddell in 2020. He’s viewed as the organization’s second decision-maker behind Waddell and was previously connected to recent GM vacancies for the Blackhawks and Penguins, as Friedman highlighted on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.
Assistant GM Darren Yorke will support Tulsky with managerial duties during his interim stint, the team confirmed.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Ludovic Waeber Signs With NL’s EHC Kloten
Swiss netminder Ludovic Waeber is returning home after making a brief go of it in North America. He’s signed a two-year deal with EHC Kloten of the National League, the team confirmed Friday.
Waeber, 27, was a free-agent pickup by the Panthers last June, signing a one-year, two-way deal. While he’d been one of the better netminders in the NL for the past few seasons, he was never in contention to land an NHL spot over Spencer Knight or Anthony Stolarz and was solely expected to serve as injury depth.
Even on the farm, Waeber struggled, posting a .887 SV% in 15 games with AHL Charlotte. He was briefly assigned to the ECHL, where he allowed five goals on 16 shots in his lone outing with the Florida Everblades.
With Florida looking to shore up its goaltending depth at the minor-league level, Waeber was sent to the Penguins along with a conditional 2025 seventh-round pick in exchange for the more proven Magnus Hellberg, who has 26 games of NHL experience under his belt as well. Waeber demonstrated improvement after the swap with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, logging 1.78 GAA and .919 SV% with one shutout in four appearances, but it wasn’t enough to keep him in the Penguins organization or in North America at all.
The Penguins will not retain Waeber’s rights moving forward, as he’ll be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. It’s likely the last we see of Waeber, who had a .918 SV% and 11 shutouts across 97 games with ZSC Lions in the three seasons prior to signing with the Panthers, on this side of the Atlantic.
Waeber is expected to slot into the starting role for Kloten next season, with 34-year-old Sandro Zurkirchen backing up. Unlike many other NL teams, Kloten doesn’t have anybody on the roster with NHL experience.
Bruins, Hurricanes Discussed Linus Ullmark Trade Before Deadline
The Bruins were shopping 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark at the trade deadline, as evidenced by reports he blocked a deal to the Kings with his 16-team no-trade clause. The Hurricanes were another one of the teams in talks to pick up the netminder, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.
It’s fair to wonder if Boston and Carolina may re-engage on the framework of talks this summer with Ullmark still on the trade block. He has one season left on his contract with an affordable $5MM cap hit, and his no-trade list drops from 16 to 15 teams on July 1.
The Hurricanes got elite goaltending from Frederik Andersen in the regular season with a .932 SV%, but he was limited to 16 games due to blood clotting issues. He proceeded to struggle in postseason play, putting up an. 895 SV% as the Canes were eliminated by the Rangers in the second round thanks to a third-period collapse in Game 6.
Carolina has 24-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov waiting in the wings, too, after posting a .911 SV% in a career-high 40 starts, but advanced numbers suggest he wasn’t particularly far above average considering the shot quality he faced behind one of the best defenses in the league. He was good for 0.7 goals saved above expected on the year, per MoneyPuck – not a liability, but inferior to Ullmark’s consistently above-average showings since joining the Bruins in 2021-22.
In terms of a trade return, there’s a clear fit heading back from Boston to Carolina in pending restricted free agent forward Martin Nečas. Friedman didn’t disclose if he was part of trade discussions a few months back, but he certainly would be now if the teams resumed talks. He reported last week that Nečas’ ask on a contract extension is likely too far above what the Canes are willing to pay, and they’ll likely shop his signing rights this summer as a result.
While the Bruins’ offense performed better than expected after losing Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí to retirement, they were limited to 2.38 goals per game in 13 playoff showings. There’s a clear opportunity to upgrade their top six with some increased spending money this summer, boasting $20.9MM in cap space to fill six roster spots, per CapFriendly. A large portion of that will go to a new deal for RFA netminder Jeremy Swayman, but trading Ullmark would open up an additional $5MM to use to help shoulder a Nečas extension. Evolving Hockey projects a seven-year, $7.5MM AAV deal for Nečas this summer outside of Carolina.
Kings May Non-Tender Carl Grundstrom, Arthur Kaliyev
Each year, the unrestricted free agent market always has a few late additions, thanks to teams opting not to issue qualifying offers to retain the rights of some of their restricted free agents. We’re starting to get an idea of who some of those names could be, as Eric Stephens of The Athletic wrote earlier this week that the Kings are unlikely to bring pending RFA wingers Carl Grundström and Arthur Kaliyev back next season.
To see the organization cut bait entirely with Kaliyev would be slightly surprising. The 22-year-old was one of the first picks of the second round in the 2019 draft, and he’d been a capable depth scorer for the Kings in back-to-back years heading into this season.
But the Uzbekistan-born American national struggled mightily in his junior campaign, limited to seven goals and 15 points in 51 games. Again, he failed to earn anything above a fourth-line role, averaging fewer than 12 minutes per game for the second year in a row.
Kaliyev was scratched for most of the second half of the campaign and, as Stephens points out, only played in 13 of the final 34 games of the regular season after Jim Hiller took over behind the bench. With Hiller signing a multi-year extension, there’s little hope of the offensively-minded Kaliyev providing much value to the Kings in a limited role with a fractured relationship with the coach. Stephens also seconded mid-season noise that Kaliyev was on the trade block.
They could still trade his signing rights and recoup a draft pick for them, but they’re unlikely to land much if teams gain the sense that he’ll end up on the open market regardless. He’s not eligible for salary arbitration this summer after completing his entry-level contract.
Grundström, meanwhile, is arbitration-eligible, something that could dissuade the Kings from issuing him a qualifying offer, Stephens said. The 26-year-old has been a serviceable checking fourth-liner for the club since arriving via trade from the Maple Leafs in 2019 but missed a solid chunk of this season due to injury. When in the lineup, he contributed eight goals and 12 points in 50 games while averaging 10:56 per game.
The Swedish winger was signed to a two-year deal with a $1.3MM AAV, though, which carries an equivalently expensive $1.3MM qualifying offer on a one-year deal. It wouldn’t be a drastic overpay for his services, but the Kings likely (and rightfully) feel they could save a little bit of cap space by replacing his role on the open market with a player making closer to the $775K league minimum.
L.A. has $19.9MM in projected cap space this summer with 10 open roster spots as they try and push themselves into the upper echelon of the Pacific Division, per CapFriendly. A decent chunk of that will go to pending RFA Quinton Byfield, coming off a breakout 20-goal, 55-point season.
Hurricanes Allowing Don Waddell To Speak With Other Teams
Until recently, the pending expiring contract for head coach Rod Brind’Amour was generating off-ice headlines in Carolina. That file was taken care of recently with a long-term extension for Brind’Amour and the rest of the coaching staff. Those deals were obviously also signed by team President and GM Don Waddell.
Now, it appears Waddell’s contract is set to draw some attention. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Waddell’s deal is set to expire at the end of the league year and that the Hurricanes have granted him permission to speak to other teams. LeBrun adds that Carolina has had internal conversations about a new GM in anticipation of his eventual departure.
Waddell has been with the organization for a decade now. He was originally named President of Gale Force Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the team, back in 2014. Waddell then added the GM title to his duties back in May 2018 and has held both roles ever since.
His time with Carolina isn’t the only time the 65-year-old has worked in a front office as he also held both titles at times in Atlanta before leaving the team in 2011. That type of experience along with Carolina’s recent success will be intriguing to some teams looking to add to their front office either as a GM, president, or both.
At the moment, the only GM vacancy is in Columbus, a team that is known to be looking for experience and will likely be looking to shake up their front office; bringing in someone with Waddell’s pedigree could certainly help that program. To that end, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Waddell interviewed with the Blue Jackets today.
It’s a bit surprising to see Carolina being willing to let the managerial architect of their recent success depart or at least talk to other teams about potential opportunities. However, they do have some internal candidates who could be ready to be elevated to the top role.
Assistant GM Eric Tulsky has had interviews elsewhere over the years and could be deemed ready to take on the full-time GM role. Darren Yorke, another Assistant GM, has been with the organization for the last 14 years, working his way up from video scout to his current title which he has held for the last four years. Meanwhile, long-time Hurricane Justin Williams has been a Special Assistant to Waddell for the past four years and could be a dark horse candidate if the job does indeed become available in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, just when it looked like we were done with an off-ice contractual situation in Carolina garnering plenty of attention around the rest of the NHL, that clearly is no longer the case as now it’s Waddell’s time for the spotlight.
Snapshots: Hronek, Mikheyev, Okhotyuk, Abramov
Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek had a career year this season, notching 48 points in 81 games while logging over 23 minutes a night in his first full year in Vancouver. The timing couldn’t have been much better as he’s eligible for restricted free agency with arbitration eligibility this summer. While a long-term deal has been expected for a while, Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic report (subscription link) that there has been very little progress made on a new agreement nor have their been any sort of substantive negotiations in several months. Hronek is owed a $5.28MM qualifying offer next month, one they’ll have no issue tendering as a long-term agreement is likely to run past the $7MM mark.
More from around the hockey world:
- Still with Vancouver, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the Canucks might consider buying out Ilya Mikheyev this offseason. The 29-year-old wound up with a respectable 11 goals and 20 assists in 78 games this season but his production cratered as the year went on as he managed just a single tally and nine helpers in his final 45 regular season and was held off the scoresheet altogether in 11 playoff contests. Mikheyev has two years left on his deal that carries a $4.75MM AAV; a buyout would carry a cap charge of $1.15MM next season, $2.15MM in 2025-26, and $1.55MM for two more years after that.
- A pair of young NHL players were traded recently in the KHL. CSKA announced that they traded the rights to Blues prospect Mikhail Abramov in exchange for Flames blueliner Nikita Okhotyuk. Abramov picked up 14 goals and 22 assists in 59 games with AHL Springfield this season and has yet to play at the NHL level. Okhotyuk, meanwhile, spent most of the season in San Jose before being acquired late in the season by Calgary; he notched nine points, 80 blocks, and 147 hits in 52 NHL games. Both players are set to become restricted free agents in July.
East Notes: Marchand, Okposo, Devils, McGuire
Speaking with reporters yesterday including Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald at their season-ending media availability, Bruins GM Don Sweeney indicated that one of his goals this summer is to make captain Brad Marchand “a Bruin for life”. The 36-year-old will be entering the final year of his contract next season, making him eligible for an extension as of July 1st. Marchand had his second straight 67-point effort in 2023-24 and has notched at least 60 points in nine straight years. His current deal carries a $6.125MM AAV and his performance since then should be enough to land a higher number although it’s possible that he opts for more of a team-friendly agreement. Don’t expect this to be one of their top priorities, however, with Sweeney indicating that the front-burner issues (pertaining to next season’s roster) need to get taken care of first.
Elsewhere in the East:
- In an interview with Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link), Panthers winger Kyle Okposo noted that he’s not sure if this will be his final season. The 36-year-old has seen his production drop in recent years while he has had a limited role since joining Florida at the deadline following a trade from Buffalo. With 12 goals and 10 assists during the regular season, Okposo will likely garner at least some interest in free agency but the offers will likely check in at a number closer to the league minimum of $775K instead of the $2.5MM guarantee he received last summer. (That number will jump to $3MM if Florida wins the Stanley Cup.)
- Before they hired Sheldon Keefe as their new head coach, the Devils interviewed Sharks assistant coach Ryan Warsofsky for the role, relays NJ Advance Media’s Ryan Novozinsky. Warsofsky has now interviewed for a pair of head coaching vacancies this offseason, also receiving an interview from San Jose. Warsofsky has only been an NHL assistant for the last two seasons but does have head coaching experience with ECHL South Carolina and AHL Chicago.
- The Capitals have invited center Ryan McGuire to development camp this summer, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 21-year-old had a strong junior year at Colgate, notching 14 goals and 12 assists in 34 games but has elected to transfer to Northeastern next season.