- Although General Manager Daniel Brière would like to add more pieces than he subtracts this offseason for the Philadelphia Flyers, don’t expect them to be wild spenders. Anthony Di Marco of DailyFaceoff writes that Brière will only look for specific areas of need, rather than go after the market’s biggest fish. The only hypothetical option Di Marco listed was Brock Nelson of the Colorado Avalanche on a three-year deal, given the Flyers’ need for centers. Meanwhile, although the team may like to improve their disappointing goaltending, Di Marco doesn’t believe Brière will be interested in any of the options on the free-agent market.
[SOURCE LINK]
Flyers Rumors
Flyers Notes: Coaching Search, Ristolainen, Ersson
At the end of March, it was confirmed that the Philadelphia Flyers will be among several teams seeking a new head coach this summer. Considering this, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia provided various updates regarding the Flyers’ head coaching search as summer approaches.
First, Hall reported that the Flyers are not following a strict timeline for their search, and they will conduct all research internally instead of hiring an external firm for assistance. They’ll start their research at the base level, as Hall indicated that Philadelphia hasn’t begun making a short list yet. Still, General Manager Daniel Brière confirmed Brad Shaw will be interviewed after serving as the team’s interim head coach for the last month of the regular season.
According to Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer, unfortunately, the hottest name on the coaching market, David Carle of the University of Denver, isn’t considered a serious candidate for the job. Hall shared that Brière would like to start adding to the team rather than subtracting from it, and that change in philosophy should affect their eventual hire. Given the mixture of youth and veterans on the roster, the Flyers will want to find a coach who can blend development with contention.
To hypothesize, Jay Woodcroft is likely the top available option for coaches with considerable experience with development and the playoffs. Woodcroft guided the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors to a Pacific Division Playoff Championship in 2020-21, before coaching the Edmonton Oilers to the Western Conference Finals a year later.
Other notes from Philadelphia:
- As reported by Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports, Brière commented on the status of defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, whose season prematurely ended due to an upper-body injury. Unfortunately, Ristolainen’s upper-body issue was confirmed as an arm injury, similar to the one that ended his 2023-24 season in February. Ristolainen underwent surgery to repair the injury and may not start the 2025-26 season on time. As a potential trade candidate for the Flyers heading into the offseason, the recent injury history and delayed start to next year may preclude Philadelphia from receiving any worthwhile offers for their Finnish blueliner.
- In a separate injury update from Hall, netminder Samuel Ersson admitted to a lingering lower-body injury that plagued him most of the season. Unsurprisingly, something was afflicting Ersson, as he had an up-and-down campaign, which, admittedly, is more than the other Flyers netminders can say. After maintaining a .902 SV% through the first two months of the regular season, Ersson’s SV% dropped to an. .874 mark from December through March.
Shaw Interested In Returning To Philly
- Brad Shaw, who served as the Flyers interim head coach after the team fired John Tortorella, said today he would be happy to remain with Philly’s coaching staff even if the club does select an outside hire for the lead role, per Jordan Hall of NBCS Philly. Shaw noted that he would be interested in the head coaching position, and he’ll meet with GM Daniel Briere next week to see where things stand. This is the second interim head coaching position for Shaw, who experienced a similar situation with the New York Islanders during the 2005-06 season when head coach Steve Stirling was fired. Shaw guided the Isles to an 18-18-4 record and was not retained. He has since bounced around the league in various assistant coaching roles.
Minor Transactions: 4/18/25
There will be several small roster moves today as playoff teams recall their required third goalie for practice and emergency backup purposes, and non-playoff teams conduct some end-of-season roster trimming. We’ll cover all those moves here:
- The Blues announced they’ve recalled goaltender Will Cranley from ECHL Florida to serve as their emergency backup. St. Louis selected the 23-year-old in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. He was previously added to the Blues’ practice roster for a day during the 4 Nations break while Jordan Binnington was traveling back from the tournament. He finished his second professional season with a 2.71 GAA, .896 SV%, two shutouts, and an 11-9-3 record in 23 ECHL games. He also logged a .867 SV% in a pair of appearances for AHL Springfield, the first of his career.
- The Stars added defensemen Lian Bichsel and Alexander Petrovic back to the active roster after reassigning them to AHL Texas yesterday for cap purposes. They needed the space to activate Tyler Seguin from long-term injured reserve for the final game of the regular season. They’re expected to serve as the third pairing in Game 1 of the first round against the Avalanche tomorrow, per Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports. It’ll be the postseason debut for Bichsel, Dallas’ first-round draft choice in 2022. They also recalled goaltender Ben Kraws from ECHL Idaho as their EBUG. An undrafted free agent signing out of St. Lawrence last year, the 24-year-old impressed with a 2.88 GAA, .910 SV%, five shutouts, and a 23-12-5 record in 40 games for Idaho. He also posted a 3.01 GAA and .889 SV% in three appearances for AHL Texas, logging a 2-1-0 record.
- Serving as the Avalanche’s EBUG will be Kevin Mandolese, the team announced. The 24-year-old has spent the year as Trent Miner’s backup with AHL Colorado after being acquired from the Senators over the offseason. He has a 2.87 GAA, .903 SV%, 11-6-0 record, and one shutout in 19 games.
- Since the Wild’s AHL affiliate is one of the few to miss the cut for the Calder Cup Playoffs, they’re going with a higher-profile option for their EBUG. Top prospect Jesper Wallstedt will fill the role for them, according to a club announcement. The 2021 first-rounder is expected to succeed the retiring Marc-André Fleury as Filip Gustavsson’s backup next season, but is coming off a disastrous injury-plagued campaign with Iowa. He finished the year with a 3.59 GAA, .879 SV%, one shutout, and a 9-14-4 record in 27 showings.
- The Panthers summoned Evan Cormier from ECHL Savannah to be their EBUG, per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. The 27-year-old struggled with a 3.38 GAA, .887 SV%, one shutout, and a 17-13-4 record in 36 showings in 2024-25. He filled the same duties for the Cats in the first half of last year’s playoff run, signing a two-way deal at the trade deadline for the second season in a row.
- The Penguins returned forwards Ville Koivunen, Joona Koppanen, Vasiliy Ponomarev, Samuel Poulin, Valtteri Puustinen, and defenseman Filip Král to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after their late-season call-ups. They’ll aid the Baby Pens as they aim to capture a Calder Cup. Not joining them is top prospect Rutger McGroarty, who sustained a lower-body injury last week and isn’t yet ready to return.
- The Flames assigned forward Sam Morton and defenseman Hunter Brzustewicz to AHL Calgary after they made their NHL debuts in last night’s regular-season finale. Morton scored his first NHL goal in the outing, while Brzustewicz impressed with a plus-two rating. They’ll join the Wranglers for the postseason.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled enforcer Ryan Reaves from the minor leagues. Reaves recently played in his first AHL games since the 2010-11 season. He recorded one goal and, surprisingly, no penalty minutes in three games of play. The 38-year-old also recorded two assists and 28 penalty minutes in 35 NHL games this season. He’ll provide a boost of muscle to the Leafs lineup as they head towards a First Round matchup against the Ottawa Senators.
- Defenseman Emil Andrae has been reassigned to the minor leagues after holding down a routine role on the Philadelphia Flyers lineup since early March. Andrae split his time between the major and minor rosters this season, with seven points in 42 NHL games and 16 points in 25 AHL games. He was primarily a minor-leaguer last season and managed a stout 32 points, 66 penalty minutes, and minus-10 in 61 games. With the Flyers season over, Andrae will look to again support the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a late-season push.
- The Edmonton Oilers have recalled depth forward Derek Ryan from the minor leagues. Ryan split time between the NHL and AHL this year, with one goal and six points in 36 games in the Oilers lineup. He also managed eight points in 13 AHL games. Ryan has played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on five different occasions, racking up 10 points in 60 games. That includes appearing in 19 games of Edmonton’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals last season. Ryan contributed one assist to the effort. He’ll now be returned to the NHL roster to support another long run.
- The Rochester Americans are getting a wave of strong recruits, as the Buffalo Sabres have reassigned each of Jiri Kulich, Tyson Kozak, Noah Ostlund, and Isak Rosen back to the minor leagues. Rosen leads Rochester in scoring this season with 28 goals and 55 points in 60 games. Ostlund has 36 points in 44 games, while Kozak has 14 points in 31 games. Kulich has been the only of the bunch to spend the bulk of the season in the NHL. He carved out a top-six role through points of the season. Kulich finished what was his rookie NHL season with 15 goals and 24 points in 62 games.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Flyers Could Pursue Pat Ferschweiler As Next Head Coach
- As the 2024-25 season closes, the pursuit of a new head coach is ramping up for the Philadelphia Flyers. In that vein, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that Pat Ferschweiler, the head coach of the NCAA’s Western Michigan University Broncos, could be on the Flyers’ radar this summer. Ferschweiler has been the Broncos’ head coach for the last four seasons and recently guided the team to its first National Championship in program history. He’s only had one NHL opportunity in his professional coaching career, being the assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings from 2015-16 to 2018-19.
[SOURCE LINK]
Philadelphia Flyers Assign Carson Bjarnason To AHL
- Per the AHL transactions page and publicized by Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Flyers have reassigned goaltender prospect Carson Bjarnason to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Bjarnason was the fourth netminder taken off the board in the 2023 NHL Draft as the 51st overall pick and recently produced a 22-15-3 record in 40 games with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings with a .913 SV% and 2.93 GAA.
[SOURCE LINK]
Flyers Sign Devin Kaplan, Alex Bump To Entry-Level Contracts
5:03 p.m.: Like Kaplan’s, PuckPedia reported Bump’s contract details:
2025-26: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus
2026-27: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $500K Performance “A” bonus
2027-28: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $1MM Performance “A” bonus
1:35 p.m.: The Flyers confirmed Kaplan’s deal and Bump’s.
11:05 a.m.: The Flyers are signing forward prospects Devin Kaplan and Alex Bump to entry-level contracts, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Kaplan’s contract begins immediately, while Bump will finish the season on a tryout with AHL Lehigh Valley before his ELC goes into effect for 2025-26. It will be three-year deals for both, so Kaplan’s contract runs through 2026-27, while Bump’s takes him through 2027-28. Kaplan’s deal has the following breakdown with a $922K cap hit, per PuckPedia:
2024-25: $855K salary (prorated), $95K signing bonus
2025-26: $800K salary, $95K SB, $55K GP bonus
2026-27: $825K salary, $95K SB, $30K GP bonus
Kaplan and Bump are both coming off appearances in the NCAA national championship game, although they were on different sides of the coin. Bump helped lead Western Michigan to its first title in program history while Kaplan was on the losing end with Boston University. The 2022 draft picks aren’t among the premier pieces in the Flyers’ prospect pool, but they’re intriguing pickups nonetheless. Kaplan went early in the third round at No. 69 overall out of the U.S. National Development Team Program, while Bump was a fifth-rounder from the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League.
The 21-year-old Kaplan has a pro-ready frame, checking into the Flyers’ roster at 6’3″ and 201 lbs. The New Jersey-born right-winger is coming off his junior season at BU, but it wasn’t necessarily one to write home about. His 10-8–18 scoring line in 38 games equated to the worst points per game rate of his college career, and his minus-eight rating was a career-low and second-worst on the team.
While Kaplan could make his NHL debut over Philadelphia’s final two games of the regular season, it’s likely ill-advised to pencil him in on the Flyers’ opening night roster for 2025-26 after that stagnating development to end his time in college. The 2023 Hockey East champion wraps up his Terriers career with 25-39–64 in 115 games with 148 PIMs and a +16 rating. Philadelphia will look to get his offensive production back up in the AHL next season while continuing to develop him as a potential bottom-six energy piece down the road.
Despite being selected two rounds after Kaplan, Bump begins his pro career as the far more offensively accomplished winger in college. Bump, a 6’0″ lefty, served as an alternate captain for the Broncos this year and led the club in scoring as a sophomore with 23-24–47 in 42 games. That came after a 36-point freshman effort in 38 games, so he ends his NCAA tenure over a point per game. That puts him 13th in the country in scoring over the past two years.
He’s still only the No. 13-ranked prospect in the Flyers’ system (per Scott Wheeler of The Athletic), but he should be set for a top-six role in the AHL out of the gate next year. An NHL call-up in the first half of his ELC shouldn’t be out of the question considering his collegiate track record, which now includes NCHC Forward of the Year honors, conference tournament MVP and First All-Star Team.
Flyers Reassign Rodrigo Abols
The Flyers reassigned center Rodrigo Abols to AHL Lehigh Valley before Wednesday’s win over the Rangers, per a team announcement.
Abols will finish the season in the minors unless injuries over Philadelphia’s final four regular season games necessitate a recall. The 29-year-old has been up with the big club since the trade deadline, his second recall of the year after signing a two-way deal with the Flyers as a free agent last summer.
The former Canucks draft pick has been serviceable in a fourth-line role for Philly. He’s scored 2-3–5 through 22 appearances, his first in the NHL, with a -10 rating while averaging 9:11 per game. He’s been good on draws, winning 58.4% of his faceoffs. The 6’4″, 205-lb pivot has also added 12 blocks and 25 hits, and his possession metrics (49.0 CF%, 46.0 xGF% at even strength) are passable on a subpar Flyers squad.
Abols has spent the overwhelming majority of his professional career in the Swedish Hockey League, including the last four seasons, before making a return to North America in the summer of 2024. He’d previously spent a year in the Panthers system (2019-20) without seeing an NHL call-up. While on assignment to Lehigh Valley this year, Abols has 12-15–27 in 44 games with a minus-three rating.
The Latvian national team fixture has likely done enough to earn another two-way deal this summer from an NHL club, whether that ends up being the Flyers or somebody else. Still, he may prefer to return to more familiar pastures in Sweden or another European league instead of toiling in the minors again. Abols’ demotion should mean a guaranteed spot in the lineup for recent undrafted free agent signing Karsen Dorwart in the Flyers’ final games.
Flyers’ Olle Lycksell Clears Waivers, Assigned To AHL
Apr. 8th: Philadelphia announced that Lycksell has successfully cleared waivers. The team also shared that they have reassigned Lycksell to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Apr. 7th: The Flyers placed winger Olle Lycksell on waivers today, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The move is presumably to get him some playing time with AHL Lehigh Valley down the stretch. As a pending Group VI unrestricted free agent, there’s no risk of a claim since he’d be ineligible to dress for his new team for its final few regular season games.
Lycksell was a healthy scratch against the Canadiens on Saturday, the first time he’d been one since being brought back up to the NHL following the trade deadline. While historically a productive player in the minors and top-level European leagues, he hasn’t carried that offensive momentum to the NHL. He has five assists and a minus-three rating in 19 showings for the Flyers this year. All of that offense came in his 13 post-deadline appearances.
Selected by Philadelphia in the sixth round of the 2017 draft, the 25-year-old Swede has produced above a point per game for the second consecutive year in the minors. He’s recorded 17-24–41 in 40 games with Lehigh Valley, and his 1.03 points per game since the beginning of last season rank eighth in the AHL among players with at least 50 games played. He has 50-75–125 in 131 appearances for the Phantoms since arriving in North America in 2022.
Back in his home country, the 5’11” forward put up 42-53–95 in 221 career Swedish Hockey League games with Linköping HC, Färjestad BK, and Växjö Lakers HC. He could be headed back to one of those clubs this summer, with the Flyers set to lose team control over his signing rights. He’s certainly shown enough at the AHL level to get a lucrative two-way deal from another NHL club, but he may prefer to return home for more stability and a guaranteed role.
Since Lycksell was on the Phantoms’ roster on trade deadline day, he’s eligible to suit up for Lehigh Valley in the Calder Cup Playoffs, to which they’ve clinched their berth already. He remains their leading scorer despite his extended stints on the NHL roster this year.
Flyers Open To Trading First Round Picks
Despite their massive struggles down the stretch – which resulted in the firing of coach John Tortorella – Flyers GM Daniel Briere sees light at the end of the tunnel and is willing to potentially part with first round picks to get his team over the hump, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. As LeBrun reports, Briere told The Athletic last week that the goal for the franchise is not just compete or “squeeze into the playoffs,” but rather be a contender year in and year out.
With three first-round selections in this year’s upcoming draft (including two they acquired via trades) and four second-round selections, Briere may have the assets needed to bring in NHL-ready talent. Briere noted he likes having the opportunity to make the Flyers more competitive as soon as possible. As the team has firmly been in a rebuild the last several seasons, it stands to reason Briere and President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones (both Philly legends in their own right) would now look to expedite the process. Briere took over as GM of the Flyers on March 17, 2023 and in the 2023-24 season, the upstart Flyers impressed to the tune of a 38-33-11 record, narrowly missing the playoffs but showcasing the potential of the roster. However, the team came falling back down to earth this season and currently hold a 30-36-9 mark on the year. After dismissing Tortorella, Briere noted the organization needed to move to the “next chapter.” It appears that chapter may also include selling off draft assets to improve the current roster.