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Wild’s Tyler Pitlick, Flyers’ Adam Ginning Clear Waivers

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Dec. 1: Both Ginning and Pitlick have cleared waivers, per Friedman. Pitlick is expected to stay on Minnesota’s roster while Ginning is now eligible to return to Lehigh Valley.

Nov. 30: This afternoon, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet shared that Wild veteran Tyler Pitlick has been placed on waivers, along with Flyers defenseman Adam Ginning. 

Pitlick, 34, has been back-and-forth between the AHL and NHL so far this season, most recently being called back up two weeks ago. His status on waivers is mainly due to surpassing the 10-game threshold in the NHL, more than signifying a desire to move on. Signed to a two-year, two-way deal last summer, Pitlick provides depth since joining his hometown organization, as well as experience, as he was a regular NHLer from 2016-2022. Having cleared waivers already earlier in the season after not making the roster, it is most likely he will return to AHL Iowa, where he has scored three goals in five games, and vie for an NHL return again when needed, at a $775k cap hit. In 15 games with Minnesota so far, Pitlick has zero points, but has mixed it up with 22 penalty minutes. 

On the other hand, Ginning offers slightly more intrigue, soon to be 26, as a former second-round selection of Philadelphia in 2018. However, at this point, the 6’3” Swedish defenseman does not have much NHL upside, as he has been surpassed in the Flyers organization by Emil Andrae. This season is thought to likely be his last chance, especially under a new coach in Rick Tocchet, and with pending UFA status. Ginning has skated in five games for the Flyers so far, not recording any stats, and has one goal in 16 total NHL games.

While a team thin on the blueline could pick up Ginning for the short term, it is not likely he offers much more than their own internal options, and most likely, Ginning will rejoin AHL Lehigh Valley to continue his season.  At 11-6-1, the Phantoms would be eager to add such a player back to their lineup as a top defender. 

Flyers’ Jett Luchanko Traded In OHL

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For the second season in a row, Flyers center Jett Luchanko was returned to his junior team weeks after making Philadelphia’s opening night roster. Unlike last season, though, the 19-year-old pivot won’t be finishing the year with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. They’ve dealt their captain to the Brantford Bulldogs for draft-eligible center Layne Gallacher and four draft picks, the team announced.

The Storm moving Luchanko was a foregone conclusion. Whether the 2024 No. 13 overall pick will be a fixture on the Flyers next season remains to be seen, but it is known that this is his last year in junior hockey. It’s either the NHL or the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms for Luchanko in 2025-26. Guelph, which hasn’t advanced past the first round of the OHL playoffs since winning the championship in 2019 and missed them entirely last season, was recently awarded the 2027 Memorial Cup. Given they’ll need to put up a competitive performance at the end of next season against the OHL, QMJHL, and WHL champions, the immediate expectation was that Luchanko would be exchanged for a haul of assets that they could use to improve their outlook for 2026-27.

For his part, Luchanko took the demotion back to Guelph and his impending departure in stride. Despite playing in only 11 of their 24 games so far, the playmaking pivot had already rocketed up to third on the team in scoring with two goals and 15 assists for 17 points.

Luchanko has been one of the OHL’s best playmakers since his draft year despite toiling on an otherwise weak Guelph roster. Since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, Luchanko’s 104 assists in 125 games rank 13th in the league. Among players with at least 100 appearances during that time, his 1.18 points per game rank 18th.

The 5’11” center was viewed by most as a reach at 13th overall, but the Flyers have been impressed enough with his early development to give him a pair of four-game trials before sending him back to Guelph. His stat line was the same each time: no points with a -3 rating. He’s totaled four shots on goal and eight hits while going 48.3% in the faceoff dot and averaging 11:31 per game.

It’ll be particularly interesting to see how much Luchanko’s production takes off in Brantford. Now in his DY+2, a major explosion should be expected – particularly on a Bulldogs offense that already boasts the league’s two leading scorers in Kraken prospect Jake O’Brien (9-31–40 in 21 GP) and Wild draftee Adam Benák (13-25–38 in 21 GP). That’s not their only star power, either. Their roster now includes five first-round picks: O’Brien, Luchanko, Chicago’s Marek Vanacker, St. Louis’ Adam Jiříček, and Toronto’s Ben Danford.

As such, the Bulldogs have yet to lose a game in regulation. They’re 18-0-5 through 23 games and are the overwhelming favorite to take home both the OHL title and the Memorial Cup at season’s end. Since being established as the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2015-16, they’ve won the OHL title twice – 2018 and 2022 – but didn’t manage to convert either of those into a Memorial Cup victory.

Devils And Flyers Seeking Depth Centers

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Considering that we’re basically just at the one-quarter mark of the season, the trade market hasn’t really materialized aside from a handful of smaller moves.  But that doesn’t stop teams from setting their respective wish lists and determining what areas they’d like to add to their rosters.

As is often the case, help down the middle is an area that a lot of teams will be targeting.  Among them are a pair of Metropolitan Division teams.  Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reports that while acquiring a top replacement for Jack Hughes is unlikely, they’d like to add a depth center to the mix.  Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the Flyers are also looking for an extra depth middleman.

New Jersey had been looking to add a center last season.  However, when Hughes suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, they pivoted from looking to make a big addition to more of a depth one in Cody Glass.  Speculatively, that’s the type of depth addition they’d likely want to make, one that would add to the roster without costing too much to acquire.

The other element in play is the player’s actual cost.  The Devils are deep into LTIR with Johnathan Kovacevic and Brett Pesce currently on there while Hughes is eligible given that he’s out for the better part of two months.  But eventually, when they’re all healthy, New Jersey is going to be right against the Upper Limit of the salary cap so if they go add someone to help at center, it ideally would be a lower-cost addition that’s easier to fit on their books.

As for the Flyers, they haven’t really replaced Jett Luchanko after he was assigned back to junior last month.  Rodrigo Abols has been filling a role as a fourth-line center but the 29-year-old only has 36 career NHL games under his belt.  In a perfect world, a more proven and impactful option would be a good way for them to go.

On the other hand, Philadelphia enters play today seventh in the Metropolitan Division and the expectation heading into the season was that they’d be a non-playoff team and a likely seller.  Not enough has happened yet to change those expectations so taking a big swing on the trade front might not the prudent move.  Instead, a smaller addition now that doesn’t cost a lot but could still help would make sense for GM Daniel Briere.  Unlike the Devils, cap space isn’t a concern for the Flyers so they could have a bigger pool of players to potentially target.

The good news for these teams is that depth centers are a little easier to come by and the odd one finds their way onto the waiver wire as John Beecher did earlier this week.  The bad news is that with the number of teams seeking center help, New Jersey and Philadelphia will likely be battling several suitors even for the types of depth upgrades it appears that they’re looking to make.

Flyers Not Worried About Limited Playing Time For Grebenkin

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  • The hope was that Flyers winger Nikita Grebenkin would be able to grab a hold of a full-time spot in the lineup this season. However, he has been scratched in seven of 19 games so far and has played just 9:35 per night in the dozen appearances he has made.  However, Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer mentions that the organization is okay with how the 22-year-old has been handled, even with the limited action.  Grebenkin is waiver-exempt so if it’s decided that he could benefit from a bigger role and more ice time, they will be able to assign him to AHL Lehigh Valley to get him that opportunity.

Flyers, Senators Swap Dennis Gilbert, Max Guenette

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11/18/25: The Flyers placed Guenette on waivers today, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Since the 24-year-old hasn’t played in the NHL since 2023-24 and has just eight games of NHL experience, that was always the likeliest outcome after yesterday’s trade. Now, all 31 other clubs will have the chance to claim Guenette, and if he goes unclaimed, the Flyers will be able to assign him to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, their AHL affiliate.

11/17/25: The Philadelphia Flyers announced that they’ve traded defenseman Dennis Gilbert to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for defenseman Max Guenette. Philadelphia also announced that they’ve signed Guenette, who was an RFA, to a one-year, two-way deal.

It becomes the second trade in as many seasons to the Senators for Gilbert. The 29-year-old native of Buffalo, NY, was traded to Ottawa during the 2024-25 season as part of the Dylan Cozens and Joshua Norris swap with the Buffalo Sabres.

Still, Gilbert didn’t earn much runway with the Senators after the trade. Despite the trade taking place in early March, Gilbert only appeared in four games for Ottawa down the stretch, registering one assist while averaging 13:02 of ice time. In Buffalo, he tallied five assists in 25 games while averaging 10:04 of ice time.

Gilbert has spent the entire season up to this point with the Flyers’ AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He’s added one assist in six games with a +1 rating and is expected to join the AHL’s Belleville Senators.

Unlike Gilbert, Guenette will play for his first professional team outside the Senators organization. The former 187th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft has spent the last five years within the Senators organization, scoring 27 goals and 116 points in 236 AHL games, with zero points in eight NHL contests.

Despite the freshly signed two-way contract for Guenette, there’s no indication he’ll join the Flyers’ active roster immediately. Whenever he suits up, whether with the Flyers or the Phantoms, it’ll be his first appearance of the 2025-26 campaign.

Philadelphia Flyers Assign Adam Ginning To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that defenseman Adam Ginning has been sent to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the club’s AHL affiliate, on a conditioning loan.

Because Ginning has appeared in just one game since Oct. 16 and hasn’t played in more than three weeks, he’s become eligible for a conditioning loan. It’s a practice some teams employ with the design of getting little-used NHLers the chance to stay fresh and get into some games. One of the highest-profile examples of the conditioning loan being used in this fashion came in 2022-23, during Seattle Kraken No. 4 overall pick Shane Wright’s rookie season.

In the Flyers’ case, the rule surrounding conditioning loans is helpful because it allows Ginning to be loaned to Lehigh Valley without needing to clear waivers. The 25-year-old is waivers-eligible, so this move allows the Flyers to send Ginning down to the minors without needing to risk him being claimed by another NHL club.

A 6’3″ left-shot blueliner, Ginning has spent most of his North American pro career in Lehigh Valley. He has almost 200 games of AHL experience, compared to just 16 games of NHL experience. With fellow Swede Emil Andrae emerging as a more reliable NHL defenseman in the eyes of head coach Rick Tocchet, Ginning’s path to consistent NHL ice time appears cloudier than ever.

This temporary loan, which can extend for a maximum of two weeks, is a chance for Ginning to get into some games without his organization needing to risk losing him on waivers.

Flyers Activate, Reassign Ethan Samson

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The Flyers have activated defenseman Ethan Samson from season-opening injured reserve and subsequently assigned him to AHL Lehigh Valley, the Phantoms announced. The rearguard had been sidelined since sustaining an upper-body injury midway through training camp.

Samson was a sixth-round pick by the Flyers in 2021 and signed his entry-level contract midway through the 2022-23 season, his final junior campaign with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars. He’s now kicking off what will be his third professional season. The 6’1″ righty isn’t viewed as an impact prospect in their system – he wasn’t even discussed in Elite Prospects’ offseason ranking of their pool – but has been quietly establishing himself as an important puck-mover for Lehigh Valley over the past couple of years.

In 132 AHL games to date, Samson has 15 goals and 21 assists for 36 points with a -19 rating. Some defensive weaknesses are apparent, but he has a strong toolkit of playmaking acumen and stick skills to work with that could potentially make the 6’1″, 181-lb righty a call-up option down the line if he’s able to develop further away from the puck. He’s still only 22 years old, but this year is something of a make-or-break one for him as he enters the final season of his entry-level contract. The Flyers have the option to cut him loose next summer by not issuing him a qualifying offer.

He’ll now get his feet wet on a Lehigh Valley team that’s rolled to an 8-3-1 start to the year, fueled by remarkable scoring depth – their top 15 scorers all have between five and nine points on the year.

Flyers Activate Tyson Foerster From Injured Reserve

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6:00 PM: The team announced that Foerster has officially been activated off IR.  As expected, Grundström has been sent to AHL Lehigh Valley in the corresponding move.

11:46 AM: The Flyers have listed winger Tyson Foerster as a game-time decision for tonight’s matchup with the Oilers, head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters (including Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports). Tocchet said it’s likelier than not that he plays, which means he’ll need to come off injured reserve. Philadelphia does not have an open spot on the active roster but would likely reassign winger Carl Grundström, who was recalled from AHL Lehigh Valley last week and is projected to be a scratch tonight, back to the minors to make one.

Foerster has missed the Flyers’ last four contests with a lower-body injury. He landed on IR on Nov. 3 to make a place for defenseman Emil Andrae on the roster. Before the injury, the 23-year-old was off to a strong start. Through 11 appearances, he had four goals and three assists for seven points, along with a +5 rating. He was averaging a career-high 18:18 of ice time per game and was on pace for a career-high 52 points if he’d played a full 82 games.

The 6’2″ righty spent most of last season on the left side of Philly’s third line with Noah Cates and Bobby Brink at even strength, and that didn’t change despite some new personnel in the top nine and a new coach this year. Through 117 minutes together at 5-on-5, that trio has outscored opponents 3-2 while controlling 54.7% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck. They’re just one defensive conscience of an overall responsible Flyers forward group that’s contributed to the club allowing just 2.19 expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, the second-best figure in the league behind the Rangers’ 2.12.

Foerster’s expanded ice time has come as a result of frequent special teams usage. He averages the second-most power play ice time on the team and is fourth among forwards in shorthanded usage. All told, he routinely plays around five-and-a-half minutes per game with either a man advantage or disadvantage.

That makes the 2020 first-rounder one of the Flyers’ most versatile forwards, and one they’d love to get back in the lineup against the Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl-led Oilers. Philly went 2-1-1 without Foerster in the lineup, riding their overall strong defensive play to an 8-5-2 record and wild-card playoff positioning nearing the midway point of November.

Snapshots: Zegras, Penguins Trade Plans, Team Canada

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Going into the 2025-26 campaign, one of the central questions surrounding the Philadelphia Flyers was the matter of whether 24-year-old Trevor Zegras, once seen as one of the game’s bright young star forwards, would be able to rediscover the level of play he’d once achieved – and then lost – as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. The early returns for Zegras and Flyers have been exceptional. Zegras leads Philadelphia in scoring with 16 points in 15 games, and has looked exactly like the creative, dynamic playmaker he was at times as a Duck.

As a result of Zegras’ strong start to his time in Philadelphia, increased attention has been paid to the fact that the player is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. Although he’s looked great as a Flyer, Zegras is still a player with a track record of inconsistency, and he has struggled with injuries over the last two years. But even considering those factors, it appears the Flyers are looking to get Zegras locked into an extension that will keep him in Philadelphia moving forward. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts Podcast said “I think” Zegras and the Flyers “are talking about an extension.” While he didn’t offer concrete details on what a Zegras extension could look like, it’s fair to say his early form has greatly increased the chances he earns a raise from the $5.75MM AAV he’s currently making.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins were expected by most to be one of the NHL’s weaker teams in 2025-26, but so far they’ve flipped the script on those observers to start this season. First-year head coach Dan Muse has his Penguins sitting seventh place in the NHL standings with a 9-5-1 record. Their strong play threatens to alter the team’s calculus when it comes to deciding whether to trade their key veteran contributors. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe wrote today that “As long as the Penguins keep playing like they have been, I don’t see [Bryan Rust, Erik Karlsson, or Rickard Rakell] being traded.” That’s a big deal for the Penguins, who regardless of their struggles in past years, are likely to want to give the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang the chance to make one last run for a Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh.
  • As Hockey Canada continues to plan for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, they’re reportedly relying on past leaders to guide their current management group. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported today that Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong has cut their long list of considered players to a set of 35–40 names. In addition, LeBrun noted that Canada’s management invited Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman, who built Canada’s gold-winning teams for 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi, to speak to the current management team to offer his guidance. If Canada can manage to build a team anything like the ones they brought to Sochi and Vancouver, they’ll be an incredibly difficult team to beat.

Former Flyers Center Mel Bridgman Passes Away At 70

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Former Philadelphia Flyers centerman and general manager of the 1992 Ottawa Senators, Mel Bridgman, has passed away at the age of 70. Bridgman was the first-overall selection in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft. He played through 14 seasons in the NHL, then returned to school to support a front office career with the Senators.

Philadelphia drafted Bridgman on the heels of the Broad Street Bullies era. Coming off of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, the Flyers managed to acquire the first-overall pick from the Washington Capitals in exchange for Bill Clement, Don McLean, and a later first round pick. Naturally, the Flyers took a player that fit right in with their gritty style. Bridgman was coming off a 157-point season in the WCHL, the predecessor to the modern WHL. He didn’t keep quite that spark in the NHL, but still put together a solid rookie year, with 50 points and 86 penalty minutes in 80 games. That presence helped Bridgman climb into a major role with the Flyers at only 20-years-old, and earned him a fifth-place finish in 1976 Calder Trophy voting.

Bridgman found his groove as a hard-nosed grinder over the next five seasons. He became the seventh Flyer to cross the mark of 200 penalty minutes when he reached 203 PIMs in the 1997-78 season. He continued to rival that mark through 1981, all while routinely rivaling 50-to-60 points. Bridgman reached his scoring peak in the 1981-82 season, though the bulk of his points would come with the Calgary Flames, after a contentious November trade swapped him for Brad Marsh. Bridgman put up 75 points and 94 penalty minutes in 63 games with Calgary, bringing him up to a year-long total of 87 points and 141 penalty minutes after nine games with Philadelphia to start the season.

His scoring fell back to normal in the following year, prompting a move to the New Jersey Devils in 1983. Bridgman, once Philadelphia’s captain for three years, took on the Devils’ captaincy and led the team in scoring (61 points) in the 1984-85 season. He continued to wear the ’C’ until being traded to the Detroit Red Wings at the 1987 Trade Deadline. Bridgman continued his career for two more years, and retired with the Vancouver Canucks in 1989.

Soon after ending his playing days, the well-known Bridgman was named GM of a 1992 expansion team, the revitalized Ottawa Senators. He brought in eight-year pro John Ferguson as his Director of Player Personnel, and built a Senators squad headlined by Peter Sidorkiewicz, Norm Maciver, and Brad Shaw. The team ranked dead-last in scoring in their inagural season, leading to an attempt to spur the offense with Alexei Yashin and Alexandre Daigle, the second-overall pick in 1992 and first-overall pick in 1993 respectively. The duo led the Senators in scoring as rookies, but failed to pull Ottawa from the league’s depths, prompting Bridgman to launch a flurry of roster transactions that would end with his firing at the end of the 1992-93 season.

Bridgman stepped away from the NHL following his ousting in Ottawa. To some, he’s remembered as a great Flyer who led the team through the first years after their dynasty era. To others, he’s among the most imposing players of the NHL’s most physical era, as described by Mike Bossy in his biography and NHL Player’s Tribune letter. Bridgman’s tenure in the NHL often sparked controversy, but was never short of action. He was tapped to lead clubs through dark times, as a player and manager, and did both with breakneck pace. Pro Hockey Rumors sends condolences to Bridgman’s family, friends, and fans.

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