- 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.
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Flyers Rumors
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.
Mark LaForest Passes Away At Age 62
In a heartfelt announcement, the Toronto Maple Leafs reported that former goaltender Mark LaForest, known as “Trees,” had passed away at the age of 62.
The Welland, Ontario native began his major junior career with the OHL’s Niagara Falls Flyers for the 1981-82 season and stayed with the team through their relocation a year later, becoming the North Bay Centennials. Unfortunately, LaForest went undrafted in the NHL after a two-year stint in the OHL. Still, he managed to land a multi-year agreement from the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent.
His first two years in the Red Wings organization were spent in the minor leagues. LaForest appeared in 18 games for Detroit’s AHL affiliate at the time, the Adirondack Red Wings, and their then-IHL affiliate, the Kalamazoo Wings. It wasn’t until the 1985-86 season that LaForest got his start in the NHL with Detroit, posting a 4-21-0 record in 28 games with a 4.96 GAA and .845 SV%. With the arrival of Glen Hanlon the following season, LaForest was limited to five NHL contests for the 1986-87 campaign.
Without a path forward in Detroit, the Red Wings traded LaForest to the Philadelphia Flyers for a second-round pick at the 1987 NHL Draft. He earned the most playing time of his career with the Flyers, managing a 10-16-4 record from 1987 to 1989 with a 3.91 GAA and .873 SV%. Philadelphia traded LaForest across Lake Ontario from his hometown, joining the Maple Leafs for the 1989-90 season.
He began the campaign with Toronto’s AHL affiliate, the Newmarket Saints, contributing a .905 SV% in 10 games. Fortunately, the Maple Leafs recalled LaForest relatively quickly that season for a three-goalie tandem, and he finished the campaign with a 9-14-0 record, 3.89 GAA, and .886 SV%. LaForest spent several years in the New York Rangers’ organization before being selected by the Ottawa Senators in the 1992 NHL Expansion Draft.
Unfortunately, LaForest wouldn’t return to the NHL until the 1993-94 campaign after spending a year with Ottawa’s AHL affiliate, the New Haven Senators. He was featured in five games for the Senators that season, with his last start coming on March 15, 1994. The last goal scored against him was from Jari Kurri, assisted by Wayne Gretzky and Tony Granato.
LaForest spent another few seasons in the IHL and AHL before finally hanging up his skates after the 1996-97 campaign. He remained active in his community and appeared at several Flyers and Maple Leafs alumni events.
PHR sends our condolences to LaForest’s family, friends, and former teammates.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Karsen Dorwart
Mar. 29: According to a team announcement, the Flyers have confirmed Dorwart’s two-year contract, also sharing that he’ll join the team immediately.
Mar. 28: Dorwart’s deal is done, per PuckPedia. He lands the maximum entry-level cap hit of $975K on his two-year deal, which begins immediately. His 2024-25 salary figure will be prorated. Dorwart will earn an $877.5K base salary, a $97.5K signing bonus, and an $85K minors salary each season with no performance bonuses.
Mar. 22: College free agency has already started for some players while some of the more notable ones will become available in the coming weeks once their Frozen Four tournament comes to an end. One of the players in that category is Michigan State forward Karsen Dorwart. He’s expected to have several suitors with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reporting that several teams feel the Flyers are expected to strongly pursue Dorwart’s services.
The 22-year-old is in his junior year with the Spartans, one that has seen him take a bit of a step back offensively. After putting up 15 goals and 19 assists in 38 games last season, Dorwart has 11 goals and 16 helpers in 33 games so far. Despite the drop in output, he’s still second on the team in scoring behind Tampa Bay winger Isaac Howard.
Dorwart was viewed as one of the top college free agents available last year with Friedman noting that the Maple Leafs nearly landed him at that time before he decided to remain in school. With that in mind, it seems likely that Toronto will take a run at trying to sign him again as well. Dorwart is among the top options available again this year so it’s likely he’ll be able to secure a contract that allows him to play down the stretch this season (he won’t be playoff-eligible, however) and burn one of the two years of his entry-level deal in the process.
Details Emerge About Verbal Altercation Between Tortorella, York
More news continues to come out regarding John Tortorella’s last few weeks as the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. In an article from Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required), the Philadelphia-based reporter succinctly described Tortorella’s growing feud between Flyers’ management and defenseman Cam York.
For context, York was benched for much of Tortorella’s last game as Philadelphia’s head coach and for the entirety of the Flyers’ game yesterday against the Montreal Canadiens, which interim head coach Brad Shaw described as a “disciplinary issue.” As mentioned in Kurz’s article, and later confirmed by Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, there was a heated verbal altercation between Tortorella and York that led to the former’s ouster as head coach and the latter’s lack of ice time last night.
Questioned about the incident after last night’s contest, Kurz quoted York with a generically pacified response saying, “I’m not going to get into the details of it. I will say this, I take full responsibility for my actions. It’s been addressed here in the locker room. It’s something that I’m going to put behind me and move on from. We’ve got eight games left here and that’s my focus right now. We’ll leave it at that.” Frustration had been mounting around Tortorella at all levels of the Flyers’ organization, leading to his ouster shortly before the regular season’s conclusion.
Coaching Options Ramping Up For Flyers
While the Flyers fired head coach John Tortorella just this morning, the rumors of their next leader are already ramping up, and a former Flyers legend is on the list of names.
Despite the Canucks desire to keep their current head coach Rick Tocchet, TSN insider Pierre LeBrun notes that he is the only NHL coach currently on an expiring contract, giving him flexibility to entertain options such as the Flyers’ vacancy after the season. Tocchet recently noted that he is not thinking about his current contract while the Canucks find themselves in a playoff race and would be interested in contract negotiations only after the season concludes for Vancouver. In three seasons with the Canucks, Tocchet has amassed a 104-61-25 record and took home the 2023-24 Jack Adams Award after guiding the club to a 50-23-9 mark.
LeBrun said he can see Tocchet’s future going in several different directions, including throwing his hat in the ring for coaching opportunities outside of Vancouver. Given his history in Philadelphia, LeBrun adds that speculation will rightly ramp up surrounding mural interest between the coach and organization. In 11 seasons as a player in Philly, the fiery power forward recorded 508 points to go along with a hefty 1,815 penalty minutes. Already a fan favorite from his first stint with the team, Tocchet’s return to Philly for his final two-and-a-half seasons secured his legacy as one of the organization’s most beloved players. Following his playing career, Tocchet also served as a post-game analyst in Philly for several seasons.
With the season winding down, LeBrun added that the Flyers will rightly wait until after the season to begin their coaching search. LeBrun speculated on a few additional names, including Joel Quenneville (who is eligible to return to coaching), University of Denver Coach David Carle, and current interim coach Brad Shaw. 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.
Flyers Assign Jett Luchanko To AHL
The Flyers announced Thursday that they’ve assigned top center prospect Jett Luchanko to AHL Lehigh Valley to finish the season. His major junior campaign with the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League is over after they failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Selected 13th overall in last year’s draft, Luchanko was a surprise inclusion on Philadelphia’s opening night roster after a strong training camp. He appeared in four of Philly’s first five games of the season, going without a point and posting a minus-three rating. The 18-year-old did well in the dot for such a young player, winning 17 of 37 draws (45.9 FO%), but didn’t have good possession impacts at even strength (39.5 CF%, 43.8 xGF%).
Clearly in need of more development time, the Flyers’ only option was to return Luchanko to juniors. He won’t be eligible for a full-time AHL assignment, at least while the OHL season is going on, until the 2026-27 season. The 5’11” righty put up a solid performance captaining a conference-worst Guelph squad, posting 21-35–56 in 46 games to lead the team in points per game. He posted a minus-three rating that stands out in a good way on a team with a -75 goal differential and also scored once in five games for Canada at the World Juniors.
Luchanko is the No. 2 prospect in the Flyers’ system and the 50th-ranked prospect in the NHL, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. He’ll get his first taste of minor-league hockey over the coming weeks before looking to repeat a strong camp performance en route to cracking the Flyers’ opening night roster for a second time in 2025-26.