Rick Tocchet Named Assistant Coach For Team Canada
Unsurprisingly, there will be no changes coming to Team Canada’s bench for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. According to a public announcement, Team Canada will have an identical coaching staff to that of the 4 Nations Face-Off this past February, sharing that Bruce Cassidy (Vegas Golden Knights), Peter DeBoer, Rick Tocchet (Philadelphia Flyers), and Misha Donskov will be assistant coaches for Team Canada behind head coach Jon Cooper (Tampa Bay Lightning).
Flyers Sign Ben Meehan to an AHL contract
The Philadelphia Flyers have signed former Los Angeles Kings’ fifth-round selection Ben Meehan to an AHL contract for 2025-26, per Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey.
Following his collegiate career, Meehan signed an amateur tryout contract (ATO) with the AHL’s Iowa Wild in March, but only appeared in two games with the organization, recording zero points and a minus-one rating. The 6’0″, 187-pound Boston native will provide the Flyers and their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, with a young depth option on the blue line.
Phantoms Sign Wisdom And Wilson
- Lehigh Valley, affiliate of the Flyers, announced the signings of wingers Zayde Wisdom and Garrett Wilson to one-year deals. Wisdom was a fourth-round pick by Philadelphia back in 2020 and had 32 points in 68 games with the Phantoms last season but wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer last month. Wilson, meanwhile, is a veteran of 84 NHL games but last played at the top level in 2019. He had 14 goals and 14 assists in Lehigh Valley last season in 63 games.
Latest On Tyson Foerster
The Philadelphia Flyers are at risk to start the season without top winger Tyson Foerster, after an elbow injury he sustained at the World Championships became infected. Foerster underwent surgery earlier this month and will further receive a follow-up MRI next week that should make his timeline clearer, per NHL.com’s Kevin Kurz.
The Flyers would have a major role to fill in Foerster wasn’t ready for the start of the year. He found a comfortable role on the team’s second-line and second-power play unit, but routinely stepped up as an X-factor for the team’s offense. He finished the season with 25 goals and 43 points in 81 games. Only Matvei Michkov (26) scored more goals than Foerster. The two could very well directly compete for top-line minutes next season, though Michkov would assume the runway should Foerster miss time.
Despite a potential top-six hole to fill, Kurz adds that Philadelphia likely won’t turn towards a veteran free agent for insurance. Instead, he expects they’ll lean on some of their young prospects, or a potential professional try-out during training camp. Philadelphia has a long list of top prospects who could win out an NHL role at training camp, headlined by Porter Martone, Jett Luchanko, and Alex Bump.
All three forward could offer interesting upside in Philadelphia’s bottom-six. The Flyers drafted Martone with the sixth-overall pick this year. He’s long been lauded as one of the top wingers in his age group, and managed 98 points in 57 OHL games this season, while serving as the Bramtpon Steelheads’ captain. He also appeared in three games at the World Junior Championship and two at the World Championships. His aggression and puck-handling could warrant a chance to make an immediate impact.
Luchanko did as much last year, making the Flyers’ roster out of camp and playing through his first four NHL games before being reassigned to the OHL. He went on to score 56 points in 46 games as the captain of the Guelph Storm. He finished his year with 16 games, and nine points, in the AHL. Luchanko more often fills the center role, but can be rotated to right-wing. He’d be a hard-nosed addition to Philadelphia’s mix of skill in the bottom-six.
Bump may offer the most unique upside, though. The left-wing is coming off a starring role in Western Michigan University’s run to their first NCAA National Championship. He recorded 23 goals, 47 points, and a plus-11 in 42 games during the run. It was a major step up after Bump scored 36 points in 38 games as a freshman last year. He finished his season with five points across nine games with Lehigh Valley. He’s a former fifth-round pick, compared to first-rounders Martone and Luchanko, but could make the same push with the momentum of a strong season.
All three young forwards would have to earn their jump to the NHL roster with an impressive training camp. Should they underwhelm, the Flyers are hopeful enough about Foerster’s outlook to not look beyond a minor addition. That will set Foerster up for a clear return to the Flyers’ top-six as soon as he’s back to full health. He faces an uphill battle in repeating his 17.6 shooting percentage from last season, but he has a track record of finding more goals than assists. He scored 20 goals and 33 points in 77 games as a rookie in 2023-24, with a 12.0 shooting percentage.
Flyers Promote John Snowden To AHL Head Coach, Hire Two Assistants
The Philadelphia Flyers have promoted John Snowden to the role of Lehigh Valley Phantoms head coach. He will fill a hole opened when Ian Laperrière was appointed an advisor to NHL general manager Daniel Briere in June. The Flyers also announced they’ve hired Nick Schultz and Terrence Wallin as AHL assistant coaches.
Lehigh Valley will move forward under the charge of Snowden, who served as an assistant coach to Lapierre through the last two seasons. He has nine years of experience in various roles throughout ECHL and AHL hockey. That includes one year as the Newfoundland Growlers’ head coach, one year as the club’s Director of Hockey Operations, and two years as an assistant with the Toronto Marlies.
Snowden’s roots as a coach run as far back as his own days as a minor league player. He played through five seasons in both the ECHL and former Central Hockey League (CHL), and stepped up as a player-coach for the Bloomington PrairieThunder during their sole CHL season in 2010-11. He scored 36 points in 66 games, and supported Bloomington to a loss in the first round of the playoffs. Snowden ultimately totaled 239 points in 304 CHL games, and 210 points in 305 ECHL games.
Philidelphia will also promote Schultz into the first bench role of his professional career next season. He has spent the last two seasons as the Assistant Director of Player Development with the NHL club, and has served as a development coach for the club since 2019. Schultz also coached the Philadelphia Flyers Elite AAA club’s 2007 birth-year from 13U to 16U. He led the team to an AYHL 14U championship in 2022.
Schultz is much better known as a former stalwart defender in the NHL. He was the 33rd-overall pick in 2000, and went on to amass 1,066 NHL games across 15 seasons and four clubs. He served as captain for the Minnesota Wild in 2007-08, and an assistant captain role with the Wild and Edmonton Oilers from 2010 to 2014. Schultz closed his career with three seasons in Philadelphia, where he totaled 29 points in 189 games. He opted to stick around the club after retiring in 2017, and will now kickoff the next chapter of his career in the Flyers’ system.
Wallin will also receive his first AHL coaching role on Lehigh Valley’s turned over bench. He was formerly a rooted member of the ECHL, playing through five seasons in the league from 2015-16 to 2019-20. But his club – the Maine Mariners – opted to not participate in the 2020-21 season. When they returned in 2021-22, Wallin had moved from player to assistant coach. He was promoted to the head coach role in 2022, and added the general manager title in 2023. In four years with Wallin on the bench, the Mariners posted a 140-125-23 record and made three playoff appearances.
Flyers Re-Sign Cam York To Five-Year Contract
9:33 a.m.: The Flyers announced York’s contract and confirmed the financial terms as reported.
7:48 a.m.: The Flyers and restricted free agent defenseman Cameron York have agreed to terms on a five-year contract worth $25.75MM, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The deal carries a cap hit of $5.15MM and takes up two UFA years, meaning he can test the open market upon expiry in 2030. Those seasons do not include trade protection, according to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic.
York, the No. 14 pick in the 2019 draft, is coming off his fifth season with Philadelphia, the last three of which have been spent as a full-time NHLer. Since beginning to play a regular role on the blue line in the 2022-23 season, York has scored 16 goals, 51 assists, and 67 points in 21:13 of ice time per night across 202 games, with a -22 rating and 369 blocks.
There was plenty of speculation during last season that York may be a trade candidate, primarily due to a rocky relationship with former head coach John Tortorella. The pair reportedly had a verbal altercation near the end of the year, which resulted in Tortorella’s dismissal and York sitting on the bench for the entirety of interim head coach Brad Shaw‘s first game at the helm to close out the campaign.
It appeared all was forgiven when reports last month indicated the two sides were close on a deal, building on initial extension talks that took place last fall. With a new coach at the helm in Rick Tocchet, the Flyers land a long-term commitment from York at a marginal discount on his market value.
AFP Analytics projected a long-term extension for York to be a five-year deal at roughly $5.75MM per season. That’s shrewd work from general manager Daniel Brière to work quickly to remove an offer sheet threat while locking him in around 10% cheaper than expected.
The Flyers will technically be over the cap by roughly $580K with a full roster after registering York’s contract, although that shouldn’t be cause for concern. Retired defenseman Ryan Ellis‘ $6.25MM cap hit will be placed on long-term injured reserve for the entirety of the season. At the same time, winger Tyson Foerster and his $3.75MM cap hit could also land on LTIR to begin the year while he recovers from an infection in his elbow. High-paid defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen also isn’t expected to be ready to begin the season. Philadelphia has time on their side to shed salary if need be – a move that could be as simple as waiving and reassigning third-string goaltender Ivan Fedotov, bringing his $3.275MM cap hit down to $2.125MM.
Next season, York will reprise his top-pairing role while fellow lefty Travis Sanheim mans the right side. He should be ticketed for a bump in ice time if Tocchet restores some of his power-play minutes. The 24-year-old didn’t see any deployment with the man advantage in 2024-25 – under 10 minutes in total – after playing a regular role there in 2023-24. That should help his offensive numbers to a career-high as well. He had 30 points in 82 games two years ago before posting 17 in 66 last season.
He and Sanheim will headline the Flyers’ defensive unit next season while being supported by veterans Ristolainen and Nick Seeler, some up-and-comers in Emil Andrae, Jamie Drysdale, and Egor Zamula, while also being complemented by depth free agent pickups Dennis Gilbert and Noah Juulsen.
Image courtesy of Eric Hartline-Imagn Images.
Vladar's Deal Was Signed Within Three Minutes Of Free Agency Starting, Barkey Nearly Fully Recovered From Injury
With teams being warned about the potential for tampering, not as many contracts were announced in the opening minutes of free agency on Tuesday. One exception was new Flyers goaltender Daniel Vladar. In an interview with iSport’s Pavel Barta, the 27-year-old indicated that his two-year, $6.7MM agreement with Philadelphia was in place within three minutes of the market opening up. Vladar was seeking an opportunity to be a starting goalie and he should get a chance to battle for that role with the Flyers who had incumbents Samuel Ersson, Ivan Fedotov, and Aleksei Kolosov all struggle considerably last season. While Vladar’s 2.80 GAA and .898 SV% last season in 30 games with Calgary aren’t elite numbers, they’re still an upgrade on what Philadelphia received in 2024-25.
- Still with the Flyers, prospect Denver Barkey has nearly fully recovered from the ankle injury that hindered him in the playoffs, relays PHLY Sports’ Charlie O’Connor (Twitter link). The 20-year-old was a third-round pick two years ago and was a top producer with OHL London. Last season, Barkey had 82 points in 50 games with the Knights while adding 20 points in 10 playoff contests. Now pro-eligible, Barkey will likely start next season at AHL Lehigh Valley but a good start there could have him in the mix for a recall fairly quickly given his track record of production.
Flyers’ Tyson Foerster May Miss Start Of Regular Season
The Philadelphia Flyers could be missing a valuable top-six winger once the 2025-26 season begins in October. According to Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia, winger Tyson Foerster may be sidelined at the season’s start due to elbow surgery.
Rather than an orthopedic repair, Foerster’s elbow surgery was intended to remove an infection that had developed after an injury sustained during the 2025 IIHF World Championships. Despite the injury, Foerster had a solid showing throughout the international tournament, scoring two goals and three points in seven games, finishing with a +7 rating.
When asked about the surgery’s recovery timeline, General Manager Daniel Brière said, “He came and saw our doctors and they decided they had to go in and remove the infection. What I’m finding out is it takes a long time for all the samples to come back negative and that’s what we’re still waiting on, we don’t know. At that point, we’ll reevaluate and see if more needs to be done. Or if we’re lucky enough, that’s the end of it and he can move on and be ready for the start of the season. But there’s no guarantee of that, so we’re sitting and waiting right now to see how serious it is or not.”
Fortunately, the Flyers already have a readily available in-house candidate to replace Foerster on the wing if he misses time. Although they’d ultimately like to see him move back to center, recent acquisition Trevor Zegras would be an adequate replacement to place on the second line.
Still, for better or for worse, Philadelphia has its eyes on contention this season, and having Foerster in the lineup helps them do that. Despite the team having a disappointing campaign, Foerster is coming off a career year with the Flyers, scoring 25 goals and 43 points in 81 games, good for second on the team in goal-scoring and fourth in point production.
Afternoon Notes: Byram, Gulyayev, Bump
The Buffalo Sabres are presently at risk of losing restricted-free agent defenseman Bowen Byram to the heaps of interest from around the league. He has been mentioned as a candidate for an offer sheet or trade, with a heap of Western Conference teams swirling around both options. The Sabres have already expressed their intent to match any offer sheet that comes across their desk, though Sean McIndoe of The Athletic points out an important contingency to that idea in his latest newsletter. Matching an offer sheet would only set Buffalo up to repeat this song-and-dance again next season, when Byram would be just one year removed from unrestricted-free agency. They’d be better off making a decision about him sooner rather than later, unless their intent is to push Byram back onto Rasmus Dahlin‘s side.
That could end up a lucrative approach for the Sabres. Byram posted 38 points and nearly 23 minutes in average ice time – both career-highs – while playing in Buffalo’s top-four last season. His overall performances left many wanting more, but the then-23-year-old Byram seemed to add a layer of smooth confidence to his overall game. A full year, and 100 games, of familiarity in the Sabres lineup could be enough to set up a breakout campaign next year – though all updates seem to point towards a split being inevitable. Buffalo will need to be careful with their handling of Byram. Their decisions over the next few weeks will be among the biggest headlines through the remaining summer.
Other notes from around the league:
- Colorado Avalanche Director of Player Development Brian Willsie shared that the club is hoping that defense prospect Mikhail Gulyayev will come over from Russia at the end of the 2025-26 seaosn, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette. Gulyayev played through his second full year in the KHL this season – notching seven goals and 15 points in 67 games played. He added an additional three points in 13 postseason games. The total year falls closely in line with the 15 points that Gulyayev scored in 76 total games last year. He’s among the team’s top prospects, and is their most recent first-round selection still on the roster. Getting that kind of talent overseas and in a Colorado jersey will be important priority as the Avalanche look to stay fresh through the next few years.
- The Philadelphia Flyers intend to give top prospect Alex Bump every chance to make the team’s roster out of training camp, per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Bump was the motor to Western Michigan University’s engine last season, and managed 23 goals and 47 points in 42 games as the Broncos pushed for to their first national championship in school history. Bump was just as impressive last season, when he scored 36 points in 38 games as a freshman. He finished the year with nine total games in the AHL, where he scored five points. He’s a high-energy and physical winger who seems bound for success at the next level.
Two-Way Deals: 7/1/25
As major signings come in around the NHL today with the 2025-26 league year beginning, teams are shoring up their minor-league depth as well by signing players to two-way contracts. We’re keeping track of those signings today in this article, which will be continuously updated. Deals are one year unless otherwise noted.
Boston Bruins
F Riley Tufte ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
D Jonathan Aspirot ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
G Luke Cavallin ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
Buffalo Sabres
F Riley Fiddler-Schultz ($865K NHL/$90K SB/$35K PB/$85K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years, entry-level
F Carson Meyer ($775K NHL/$350K AHL Y1 – $375K AHL Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
D Mason Geertsen ($775K NHL/$425K AHL) – Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet // two years
D Zachary Jones ($900K NHL/$550K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Zach Metsa ($775K NHL/$250K AHL/$325K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Calgary Flames
D Nick Cicek ($775K NHL) – team release
Carolina Hurricanes
G Amir Miftakhov ($775K NHL/$100K AHL/$240K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Chicago Blackhawks
F Dominic Toninato ($850K NHL) – team release // two years
Colorado Avalanche
F T.J. Tynan (unknown) – team release
D Jack Ahcan (unknown) – team release
D Ronald Attard ($775K NHL/$450K AHL/$500K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Columbus Blue Jackets
F Owen Sillinger (unknown) – team release
D Christian Jaros (unknown) – team release
Dallas Stars
D Niilopekka Muhonen (unknown) – team release // three years, entry-level
Edmonton Oilers
D Riley Stillman ($775K NHL/$475K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
G Matt Tomkins ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$450 Y2 gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years
Florida Panthers
F Nolan Foote ($775K NHL/$150K AHL/$250K gt’d) – PuckPedia
F Jack Studnicka ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) – Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic
G Brandon Bussi ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) – PuckPedia
G Kirill Gerasimyuk (unknown) – team release // two years, entry-level
Los Angeles Kings
F Cole Guttman ($775K NHL/$450K Y1 – $475K Y2 AHL/$475K gt’d Y1 – $500K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
Minnesota Wild
F Tyler Pitlick ($775K NHL/$300K Y1 – $350K Y2 AHL/$325K gt’d Y1 – $375K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
D Ben Gleason ($800K NHL/$475K AHL) – PuckPedia
Montreal Canadiens
F Alex Belzile (unknown) – team release
D Nathan Clurman ($775K NHL/$125K AHL/$140K gt’d) – PuckPedia
New Jersey Devils
D Calen Addison ($775K NHL/$325K AHL/$400K gt’d) – PuckPedia
F Angus Crookshank ($775K NHL/$425K AHL/$475K gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years, one-way in 2026-27
New York Islanders
F Matthew Highmore (unknown) – team release
D Ethan Bear ($775K NHL/$325K AHL/$425K gt’d) – PuckPedia
D Cole McWard (unknown) – team release
New York Rangers
D Derrick Pouliot ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$425K gt’d Y1 – $450K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
Ottawa Senators
F Wyatt Bongiovanni ($775K NHL/$160K AHL) – PuckPedia
F Olle Lycksell ($775K NHL/$450K AHL/$500K gt’d) – Darren Dreger of TSN
Philadelphia Flyers
F Lane Pederson ($775K NHL/$525K AHL) – PuckPedia
San Jose Sharks
F Jimmy Huntington (unknown) – team release
F Samuel Laberge (unknown) – team release
F Colin White ($775K NHL/$425K AHL/$475K gt’d) – PuckPedia
D Cole Clayton (unknown) – team release
St. Louis Blues
F Matt Luff ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) – PuckPedia
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Nicholas Abruzzese (unknown) – team release
F Tristan Allard (unknown) – team release // two years, entry-level
F Boris Katchouk (unknown) – team release
D Simon Lundmark ($775K NHL/$250K AHL/$350K gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years
G Ryan Fanti ($775K NHL/$80K AHL) – PuckPedia
Utah Mammoth
F Kailer Yamamoto ($775K NHL/$500K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Scott Perunovich ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$500K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Vancouver Canucks
F Joseph LaBate ($775K NHL/$350K AHL) – PuckPedia
F Mackenzie MacEachern ($775K NHL/$575K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
D Jimmy Schuldt ($775K NHL/$500K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
Winnipeg Jets
F Phillip Di Giuseppe ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Kale Clague (unknown) – Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet