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Evening Notes: PWHPA, Hischier, Hodgson

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There’s some exciting news coming on the women’s hockey front. In an interview with The Hockey News’ Ian Kennedy, Canadian National Team captain Marie Philip-Poulin confirmed that the current touring structure for PWHPA games will turn into a league for the 2023-24 season, bringing two professional women’s leagues back into the fold for the first time since the CWHL and NWHL were both active.

The PWHPA Dream Gap Tour is the main pool of talent that Canada and the United States select for their national teams. They’ve effectively been limited to playing exhibition games without a league structure governing competition, although that shouldn’t diminish the level of talent and competition on display. A league structure should bring more financial stability and a better plan for growing the women’s game in North America.

  • New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier left the team’s in-progress preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens at the first intermission. The team reports that Hischier’s absence is simply due to cramping and that he won’t return to the game for precautionary reasons. Hischier registered a shot on goal and played 6:24 in the first period, his preseason debut.
  • Philadelphia Hockey Now’s Sam Carchidi tabs winger Hayden Hodgson as a candidate to crack the Flyers’ roster out of camp this year. Hodgson made waves in the Flyers organization this season after a breakout year in AHL Lehigh Valley, earning an NHL contract near the end of the season and a six-game call-up, where he registered three points. Hodgson hadn’t even played in the AHL since 2017-18, spending every season since then entirely in the ECHL (and partly in Slovakia).

Philadelphia Flyers Add Cal O’Reilly On PTO

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In conjunction with announcing today’s training camp cuts, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher also announced that the team has added veteran forward Cal O’Reilly to camp on a professional tryout (PTO).

O’Reilly, 35, hasn’t played in the NHL since a one-game call-up to the Minnesota Wild in 2017-18. Before that, however, he spent quite a bit of time bouncing up and down between the NHL and AHL. After the Nashville Predators selected him 150th overall in the 2005 NHL Draft, he stayed in the organization through the beginning of the 2011-12 season. In Nashville, O’Reilly never managed to crack the lineup full-time but did finish his Predators career with 11 goals, 24 assists and 35 points in 85 games. Just a few weeks into the season, though, Nashville dealt O’Reilly to the then-Phoenix Coyotes for a fourth-round pick, essentially moving up one round in total value while also getting a solid, yet brief NHL stint out of O’Reilly. After just five points in 22 games, though, the Coyotes attempted to waive O’Reilly, whom the Pittsburgh Penguins claimed for the remainder of the season, where he had one assist in six games.

After playing 33 games in that busy 2011-12 season, O’Reilly would only see NHL ice again in three more seasons: 20 games with the Buffalo Sabres in 2015-16, another 11 games with the Sabres in 2016-17, and that one-game call-up in Minnesota in 2017-18. O’Reilly did remain in the Wild organization for another season after that, though, serving as the captain of the AHL’s Iowa Wild from 2017 to 2019.

O’Reilly’s technically been in the Flyers organization ever since, spending the last three seasons as a leader for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Already signed to an AHL contract for 2022-23, O’Reilly will enter his third straight season as the Phantoms’ captain. His 53 points last season were his most since he scored 67 points in 67 games during his last season in Iowa.

With Philadelphia’s depth continuing to get hit by injuries, the Flyers will have O’Reilly in camp to evaluate if he’s still NHL call-up material at age 35. He essentially comes in (maybe just temporarily) to replace one of the team’s other PTO additions, Artem Anisimov, who currently is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Flyers Issue Injury Updates

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  • The Philadelphia Flyers issued a few injury updates today, as reported by NHL.com’s Bill Meltzer. Per the update, both Artem Anisimov and Carter Hart are dealing with lower-body injuries, and Cam Atkinson is dealing with an upper-body ailment. All are officially day-to-day. While these injuries don’t seem likely to have any major impact on Hart or  Atkinson, an injury could pose an issue for Anisimov, who is in Flyers camp on a PTO and is battling for a roster spot.

Flyers Open Extension Talks With Travis Sanheim

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Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim is entering the final year of his contract and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer.  However, GM Chuck Fletcher told reporters including Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the goal is to re-sign the 26-year-old and discussions with his agent have already started.

Back in the 2021 offseason, Philadelphia somewhat surprisingly opted to file for club-elected arbitration with Sanheim.  That allowed the defender to choose the term had it gone to a hearing and he likely would have picked two years, permitting him to get to unrestricted free agency at 27.  It didn’t get that far as the two sides settled three days before the scheduled hearing but again, somewhat surprisingly, the Flyers agreed to give him a two-year deal with a $4.675MM AAV, putting them in the situation they are now where they’re really going to have to pay up to keep him beyond the upcoming campaign.

Sanheim is coming off arguably the best season of his five-year NHL career as he collected 31 points in 80 games last season while logging nearly 23 minutes a night.  That wasn’t his best single-season point total (that was 35 back in 2018-19) but he clearly established himself as one of their top defenders.

With Ivan Provorov ahead of him on the depth chart, Sanheim slots in as their second-pairing left defender although, with special teams time, he was still their second-most-used defender last season.  That’s an important distinction to note as while the team might want to argue that he’s not a top-pairing player based on their depth chart, Sanheim’s camp can easily claim otherwise.

Philadelphia already is one of the highest-spending teams in the league when it comes to their blueline at over $31MM this season.  While Ryan Ellis’ playing future is in doubt, things aren’t at the point where they can conclusively rule that he won’t play in 2023-24 so they can’t automatically assume he’ll be on LTIR at that time.  They already have $23.875MM in commitments to just five blueliners for that year and a new deal for Sanheim alone would push that amount over $30MM before they round out the rest of their back end.

Can they justify spending that much on their back end?  Spending upwards of 40% of the salary cap on the blueline isn’t something many teams want to do.  But at the same time, can they afford not to?  Letting Sanheim go would deal a big blow to their defense corps and considering their stated intention is to get back to being a playoff contender, losing him would make that task much more difficult.  There’s still plenty of time to work on a new deal but with most of the heavy lifting for the 2022-23 roster now done, reaching a new agreement with Sanheim should now be at the top of Fletcher’s priority list.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ryan Ellis Not Expected To Play This Season

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There is a chance we never see Ryan Ellis on the ice at an NHL hockey game again. Philadelphia Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher met with the media today and explained to reporters including Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic that there is no timetable for Ellis’ return and that it would be a “bonus” if he played at all this season. Though he can’t say now, Fletcher explained that there is a possibility Ellis’ career is threatened by this injury, which he described as “multi-layered.”

Clarity on what Ellis’ injury actually is has been hard to come by, but Fletcher indicated today that it includes a torn psoas and issues with his hip and adductor muscle. He missed all but four games last season – the first four he had ever played outside of the Nashville Predators organization.

Acquired for Nolan Patrick (who also may not play this season) and Philippe Myers, Ellis was supposed to reshape the Flyers’ defense and give Ivan Provorov or Travis Sanheim a long-term partner. The 31-year-old is signed through the 2026-27 season and carries a $6.25MM cap hit, making him the second highest-paid defenseman on the Flyers roster.

It appears that contract will live on long-term injured reserve for a while.

Sean Couturier, meanwhile, hasn’t been ruled out for the entire season so far, though he is getting a second opinion this morning and has not been cleared to play at this point. Fletcher called it premature to speculate about his season-long outlook or even his career, despite this being his second back injury in 12 months.

Ilya Fedotov Drops Appeal In Russia, Won't Play In North America This Season

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  • Flyers goalie Ivan Fedotov has dropped his appeal on charges of evading his Russian military obligations, notes team reporter Bill Meltzer (Twitter link). The decision means that the 25-year-old will not be permitted to join Philadelphia this season.  The team will have the ability to toll the contract, meaning that they can roll over the one-year, $925K agreement to the 2023-24 season.

Joel Farabee Likely To Be Ready For The Start Of The Season Or Soon After

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  • It has been a tough stretch on the injury front for the Flyers with Sean Couturier out to start the season and Ryan Ellis not ready to return either. However, it appears they’ll have winger Joel Farabee available on opening night or soon after, notes Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now.  The 22-year-old underwent disc replacement surgery back in June with the procedure carrying a recovery period of three to four months so it appears he’s on track.  Farabee had 17 goals and 17 assists in 63 games last season and could be in line for a bigger role once he’s ready to return.

Sean Couturier Out Week-To-Week, Potentially Season-Ending

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6:10 PM: Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the Flyers are “hoping” that Couturier’s back will heal in six to eight weeks. He also adds that if Couturier’s back doesn’t heal in that timeframe, surgery would be required, which would leave Couturier out for what Seravalli called a “significant period of time.”

5:00 pm: The Flyers have released an official statement on Couturier, confirming that he has an upper-body injury. His official status is week-to-week, although that shouldn’t discredit the reports of SanFilippo and Friedman.

3:55 pm: Philadelphia Flyers star center Sean Couturier has a herniated disk in his back that could keep him out for the entire 2022-23 season, reports Crossing Broad’s Anthony SanFilippo. It’s expected that Couturier will be out for at least several months.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Flyers and Couturier are seeking out a second opinion to determine the exact nature of the injury. It’s unclear whether it’s the same issue that kept Couturier out for all but 29 games last season.

Couturier, now 29, has played just 74 games over the past two seasons after winning the Selke Trophy in 2020. The Flyers have certainly felt his absence, missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1993 and 1994. Given the state of the team now, especially without Couturier, it’ll be a third such season in 2022-23.

One of the league’s best defensive forwards, Couturier’s stock has risen astronomically over the past five seasons after a somewhat slow start to his career. Elevated in the lineup for the 2017-18 season, Couturier then enjoyed back-to-back 76-point seasons while playing over 20 minutes a game. Now the team’s uncontested no. 1 center with Claude Giroux gone from the team, he’s the heart and soul of the Flyers’ offense.

Significant back injuries in back-to-back seasons also don’t bode well for Couturier’s long-term future. If it’s another significant injury that requires him to miss the whole season, it becomes a question mark whether Couturier will be able to return to his previous level of play when healthy.

The Flyers have been busy adding forwards on the PTO market in the past few days, including Antoine Roussel and Artem Anisimov. Neither of them, even if they sign, would come even close to replacing Couturier’s crater-sized hole in the Flyers’ lineup. Kevin Hayes will have a huge role to play next season as the team’s likely first-line center for the foreseeable future after having 31 points in 48 games last season.

What might have been at least a mediocre season for the Flyers if everything went right now seems over before it even began. Without Couturier, it’s hard to imagine this edition of the Flyers finishing anywhere outside of the bottom-five teams in the league, if not bottom-three. It’ll be an incredibly challenging first season for new head coach John Tortorella, who’ll be tasked with reconfiguring the offense in Couturier’s absence.

Kurtis Gabriel Retires From Pro Hockey

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In a Twitter post Monday, forward Kurtis Gabriel announced his retirement from professional hockey after a nine-year career.

Gabriel, 29, spent last season with the Toronto Marlies and Rockford IceHogs in the AHL, also getting two NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks. He also spent time in the Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and San Jose Sharks organizations.

He retires with 371 AHL games under his belt, including 72 points and a whopping 639 penalty minutes. He had five points in 51 NHL games, totalling 153 penalty minutes as well.

With his 6’4″, 212-pound frame, Gabriel was one of the few prototypical enforcers left in pro hockey. Off the ice, he’s a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Well-loved wherever he played, Gabriel promises to have many post-career options if he wants to stay in the game.

The Newmarket, Ontario native was originally a third-round draft pick of the Wild in 2013.

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Artem Anisimov To PTO

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The Philadelphia Flyers released their training camp roster today and along with Antoine Roussel, whose PTO was reported yesterday, they will also be bringing Artem Anisimov to camp on a tryout contract. Nolan Maier, Pat Nagle, and Tyler Wall are the other PTOs for the Flyers, all goaltenders who will be helping fill the crease for the next few weeks.

Anisimov, 34, has a history with new Flyers head coach John Tortorella going back to when both were with the New York Rangers. The veteran forward made his name there and was a key depth piece during their Conference Finals run in 2012. Anisimov then went to the Columbus Blue Jackets (though not at the same time as Tortorella), the Chicago Blackhawks, and appeared to have finished his NHL career with the Ottawa Senators.

After playing in just 19 games with the Senators in 2020-21, Anisimov played last season back in Russia, suiting up for his hometown team in Yaroslavl. That seemed a likely place for him to continue, with his NHL saga behind him.

Not so fast, as he’ll try to show he can still compete at that level and earn an NHL contract. There was a time when Anisimov was a solid two-way center that you could rely on for 20 goals and around 40 points, though that seems like quite a while ago now. The last time he broke that 20-goal mark was in 2017-18 with the Blackhawks, and even then he had just 31 points on the year.

There’s basically no risk to bringing him to camp though, and at the very least he will help fill up the veteran minimums for preseason contests. Perhaps there’s still something left in the tank, too, after he scored 19 points in 27 games for Yaroslavl last season.

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