- Earlier this week, the Flyers announced several injuries including one for winger Wade Allison and he was ruled out for the start of the season. It appears as if he’ll be out considerably longer than that as Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the high-ankle sprain is believed to be quite serious and that it could be months before he was able to return. The 23-year-old had four goals and three assists in 14 games with Philadelphia last season – his first NHL action – and looked to be a candidate to push for a regular spot in training camp. Now it appears that it’ll be a while before he gets that next opportunity.
Flyers Rumors
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Philadelphia Flyers
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2021-22 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Philadelphia Flyers
Current Cap Hit: $81,118,523 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Wade Allison (one year, $925K)
F Joel Farabee (one year, $925K)
F Morgan Frost (one year, $863K)
Potential Bonuses
Allison: $425K
Farabee: $600K
Total: $1.025MM
Farabee’s second season was a good one as he earned an extension that we’ll look at closer to the end of this article. For the upcoming season, those performance bonuses could be met with a similar showing so either the Flyers will need to leave themselves some wiggle room at the end of the season or face a reduced cap for the overage next year. Frost was limited to just two games last season due to injury so he may see some AHL time but should be a regular before too long. With his limited production and game action so far, he’s a strong candidate for a short-term deal. If Allison lands a full-time spot, the ‘A’ bonuses in his deal could be achievable but if he bounces back and forth between the Flyers and Phantoms, those shouldn’t be an issue and, like Frost, he’s likely to get a short-term second contract.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Nicolas Aube-Kubel ($1.075MM, RFA)
D Justin Braun ($1.8MM, UFA)
F Derick Brassard ($825K, UFA)
F Claude Giroux ($8.275MM, UFA)
G Martin Jones ($2MM, UFA)
D/F Samuel Morin ($750K, RFA)
D Rasmus Ristolainen ($5.4MM, UFA)
F Nate Thompson ($800K, UFA)
D Keith Yandle ($900K, UFA)
Giroux, Philadelphia’s captain, has been a fixture in their lineup for the past 13 seasons. However, his production is starting to tail off and it has already been stated that he won’t sign an in-season deal. His next contract could very well be his last, especially if it’s a four-year pact or longer and it seems like a lot will be riding on how things go this season. Either way, his next deal should come in a couple million cheaper than this one. Aube-Kubel, as a role player, shouldn’t be commanding much more than his qualifying offer of $1.225MM unless his production ticks up this season. Brassard has seen his value dip in recent years to the point where he has had to settle for what feels like a below-market contract based on his production for the second year in a row. This seems to be his new baseline deal moving forward. Thompson is a capable veteran depth piece that can win faceoffs. There is always a market for those players but it typically is close to the minimum.
The Flyers paid a big price to add Ristolainen just before the draft to add what they hope will be an impact piece to their back end. He has struggled with Buffalo as of late but still logs heavy minutes which will keep his earnings potential fairly high. He’ll need to bounce back offensively to have a chance at landing a sizable raise on his next deal. Braun doesn’t produce much but is a steady defensive player. As he ages, it’s hard to see him landing a pricier contract next year but he could come close to his current rate. Yandle signed for cheap after being bought out by Florida and is looking to restore some value. However, he’ll be 36 for 2022-23 and will likely have to go year to year. An incentive-laden contract for that season would make a lot of sense for him. Morin served as a depth option both up front and on the back end last year and shouldn’t be able to command much more than that unless he locks down a regular role defensively. The recent report that he has sustained another significant knee injury will make that quite difficult to accomplish.
Jones has not played well lately which led to the Sharks paying him a lot of money ($10MM over six years) to no longer play for them. When he’s on, he’s capable of pushing for closer to a 50/50 share of starts and that would certainly help his case for free agency next summer. At 31, a good showing could land him a multi-year commitment.
Two Years Remaining
F Oskar Lindblom ($3MM, RFA)
D Travis Sanheim ($4.765MM, UFA)
F James van Riemsdyk ($7MM, UFA)
The second stint in Philadelphia hasn’t gone as well for van Riemsdyk. He’s still fairly productive – he tied for the team lead in points last season – but he’s more of a supporting player being paid like a front-liner. It’s not a massive overpayment but his deal has definitely become an above-market one and he will be facing a cut two summers from now. Lindblom’s first full season back from cancer was a quiet one. Similar showings would make him a non-tender candidate but he still has time to turn his fortunes around.
The Flyers were one of two teams to take a restricted free agent to arbitration this offseason as they did so with Sanheim. That guaranteed that they’d get a contract in place before training camp but it also gave Sanheim more leverage as he could have elected to take a two-year deal from an arbitrator to get to free agency early. They didn’t go to arbitration but he still got the two-year pact and the quick trip to the open market. He’s coming off a down season but if he can get back to his production from two years ago, he could be looking at a substantial jump in pay on a long-term deal based on what the defensive market was this year.
Three Years Remaining
G Carter Hart ($3.979MM, RFA)
Hart had a year to forget but his first two were strong enough to give him what was still a pretty strong second contract. He has the potential to be a high-end starter and if that happens, he could come close to doubling that on his next deal. The qualifying offer here is $4.479MM so if Hart doesn’t bounce back or is more of a 1B netminder, that could be a bit too rich for them at that time.
Four Or More Years Remaining
F Cam Atkinson ($5.875MM through 2024-25)
F Sean Couturier ($4.333MM in 2021-22, $7.775MM from 2022-23 through 2029-30)
D Ryan Ellis ($6.25MM through 2026-27)
F Joel Farabee ($5MM from 2022-23 through 2027-28)
F Kevin Hayes ($7.143MM through 2025-26)
F Travis Konecny ($5.5MM through 2024-25)
F Scott Laughton ($3MM through 2024-25)
D Ivan Provorov ($6.75MM through 2024-25)
Couturier isn’t going to win any scoring titles but he’s a premier two-way center in this league and would have landed that price tag on the open market. The last couple of years could be a bit pricey but in the short term, they shouldn’t have any issues with that deal. Hayes, like van Riemsdyk, has been productive but is a bit overpaid relative to the role he fills which is more of a complementary one than a top one. That could be an issue down the road. Atkinson is making high-end second-line money and as long as he plays and produces like a top-six forward – there’s little reason to think he won’t – they’ll get a good return on this deal. Farabee’s deal carries some risk given that he has just 107 career games under his belt but he’s already trending towards being a long-term top-six piece and $5MM for that is pretty good value. Konecny is making market value for a second liner and that’s basically the role he fills even though he is coming off a bit of a disappointing season. Laughton opted for some security at the trade deadline when he signed this extension. Good third-line centers have made more than that in free agency and he’s at least a capable third liner so there shouldn’t be too many issues with this one other than the term may be a little longer than they’d probably have preferred.
Provorov may not be a true number one defenseman but that’s the role he fills on the Flyers. He’s in the prime of his career and is making a lot less than a typical number one defender gets. As a number two, he is making market value and if they keep relying on him as their top blueliner, it becomes a below-market contract. Ellis was their biggest acquisition on the back end, coming over from Nashville. He should take some of the pressure off Provorov and will be a key cog offensively. As long as he plays in their top two, they’ll get a good return on this deal.
Buyouts
G Ilya Bryzgalov ($1.643MM through 2026-27, $0 cap hit as it was a cap-exempt buyout)
Retained Salary Transactions
None
Still To Sign
None
Best Value: Couturier (current contract, not next year’s extension)
Worst Value: Hayes
Looking Ahead
The Flyers project to be tight to the salary cap all season long and will need to be healthy to bank enough space to add an impact player at the deadline. Looking ahead to next summer, with nearly $66M in commitments already, keeping both Giroux and Ristolainen and having enough space to fill out the rest of their roster could be a bit difficult.
Long term, Philadelphia has over $47MM in commitments for 2024-25 already which is near the top of the league in that regard; that number will certainly go up if Giroux and/or Ristolainen re-sign while Hart will be in line for a new deal at that point as well. The odds of them being able to add another core piece will be low as a result with the cap not expected to go up much between now and then. The long-term core is pretty much in place already and any changes will need to come on the trade front. GM Chuck Fletcher has already shown an ability to make core-changing trades based on his moves this summer and more could be coming down the road if this team is unable to get into contention.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign JR Avon
Sometimes it pays off to take an amateur tryout. Jon-Randall (JR) Avon has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. He is currently in Flyers camp on an ATO and participated in the recent rookie camp for the team.
The 18-year-old Avon went undrafted this year after missing what was supposed to be his sophomore season in the OHL due to COVID restrictions. After registering just 11 points in 56 games for the Peterborough Petes as a rookie, there certainly wasn’t much to go on, but that was when he was just 16 and buried on the depth chart of a loaded forward group that included the likes Nick Robertson, Mason McTavish, and Akil Thomas.
He has obviously impressed the Flyers brass enough to earn an entry-level deal, which will add him to the organization, though obviously not guarantee him a spot with the team. Instead, Avon will return to the OHL this season where he can continue his development while the contract will slide forward and not burn its first year.
Philadelphia Flyers Announce Several Injuries
Philadelphia Flyers training camp hasn’t even officially opened yet and the team is already announcing multiple injuries. Kevin Hayes will be out six to eight weeks following abdominal surgery, Samuel Morin was given a six to eight-week timeline after knee surgery on September 10 and Wade Allison, who was injured at the recent rookie tournament, is out indefinitely with an ankle sprain. Zayde Wisdom is still out indefinitely following his shoulder surgery and Cooper Zech is out six to eight weeks with an upper-body issue.
Hayes is the obvious headline here, given he is expected to be a key part of the Flyers’ attack again this season. According to head coach Alain Vigneault, the veteran center felt pain in his groin yesterday and went in for surgery today. Six weeks from today is November 2, meaning he will miss at least the first ten or so games of the regular season should the timeline prove accurate.
In fact, the head coach specifically noted how difficult the first month of the season will be without Hayes and Allison, who also made quite an impact in his short time last season. The 23-year-old Allison scored four goals and seven points in 14 games with the Flyers after showing he was more than ready for the jump to the NHL. Selected 52nd overall in 2016, he could very well push up the depth chart this season as the team tries to find a new identity.
For Morin, this latest surgery was to have loose bodies removed, not a repair of any major ligament. That should inspire at least a bit of confidence that he’ll be able to return at full strength, but it’s difficult to project anything for the 26-year-old at this point. Once a promising defensive prospect, his professional career has been ravaged by injuries, limiting him to just 58 games (at any level) since the start of the 2017-18 season. After a failed attempt to restart his career as a forward, Morin returned to the defensive side of the puck late last season and is listed again as a defenseman this season.
Health Notes: Morin, Drouin, Ylonen
The news out of Philadelphia surrounding Samuel Morin does not sound good. Anthony SanFillipo, co-host of Flyers podcast “Snow The Goalie”, reports that multiple sources have shared that the defenseman-turned-forward has suffered another “significant” knee injury. Morin, 26, has previously suffered two torn ACL’s in his career, both occurring within a 20-month period in 2018 and 2019. As a result, Morin played just six NHL games and five AHL games over those two affected seasons. To date, the 2013 No. 11 overall pick has played in only 29 NHL games and has just one point. While this has had a serious impact on Morin’s development as a pro, he appeared to be back on track this past season with 27 games played between the Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms and was adjusting nicely to his new position. However, yet another knee serious knee injury could very well mean another lost season for Morin, if not the end of his playing career. It’s a devastating result for a player who showed so much promise coming out of the QMJHL. SanFillipo says to expect a formal announcement from Philadelphia this week.
- Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin has finally spoken up about his leave of absence this past season. Drouin told Chantal Machabee of RDS in a one-on-one interview that he dealt with mental health issues last year. While Drouin notes that he has dealt with anxiety for years, it turned more serious late in the 2020-21 campaign when that anxiety led to insomnia. Drouin tried to push through, but it became too difficult to handle and he decided he needed to take a break. “It was really a step back, to have a lifestyle that was easier for me,” Drouin said. “There are times when I could go three evenings without sleeping and go and play two games in two nights. This is not something that is normal for any human and I had to change that a bit.” The Canadiens placed Drouin on LTIR and he missed the team’s miraculous run to the Stanley Cup. However, he is ready to get back to work this season. Drouin said he’s “doing very well” and that “the passion never left” and that he is excited to return to the game. Habs fans hope that the talented forward is ready to get back to his scoring ways as well.
- Montreal will have no shortage of health issues to monitor this season. Young forward Jesse Ylonen, who is expected to challenge for an NHL roster spot, will not be vaccinated against COVID-19 this season, reports TVA. This is apparently a “personal decision” that will leave Ylonen as one of only 15 or so players expected to be unvaccinated. It has already forced Ylonen into a quarantine upon his arrival to Montreal which caused him to miss a rookie game on Saturday. That could be just the beginning though, as Ylonen will be subject to unpaid suspension if he is unable to travel due to local health policies or worse if he contracts COVID.
Philadelphia Flyers Extend Joel Farabee
The Philadelphia Flyers have inked a long-term deal with one of their young breakout stars, signing Joel Farabee to a six-year extension. The contract will come into effect for the 2022-23 season and keep Farabee signed through 2027-28. Currently on the last season of his entry-level contract, the extension will carry a $5.0MM average annual value. PuckPedia reports that the deal does not include any trade protection and provide the full breakdown:
- 2022-23: $1.0MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
- 2023-24: $2.25MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
- 2024-25: $3.0MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
- 2025-26: $4.25MM salary + $1.5MM signing bonus
- 2026-27: $6.0MM salary
- 2027-28: $6.0MM salary
Farabee, 21, experienced a true breakout this season, scoring 20 goals and 38 points in 55 games for the Flyers. That perhaps should have been the expectation though after his strong rookie campaign, which saw him post 21 points in 52 games before playing well in the postseason bubble. The 14th overall pick from 2018, Farabee is quickly making teams regret not selecting him higher. He now sits third in goals from that draft class behind only Brady Tkachuk and Andrei Svechnikov despite having played just 107 NHL games to this point.
An extension this early and for this much is a bet that the 2020-21 Farabee wasn’t an illusion and that he will only continue to get better in the years to come. The deal buys out two years of unrestricted free agency and means the Flyers never have to deal with another RFA negotiation or arbitration with the young forward. It also means that there is a real opportunity for excess value in those years if Farabee continues on his strong development path.
Signing a deal of this length now could very well be leaving money on the table, but it obviously gives Farabee security and peace of mind. He gets a good salary for the prime years of his career and will hit the open market with plenty of time to sign another multi-year deal. Any savings he provides can also be used to make the Flyers better over his contracted period, giving him a supporting cast that can help contend.
The Flyers will need those savings too, as they move forward with long-term deals for aging veterans. Sean Couturier recently signed an eight-year extension that will pay him $7.75MM through 2029-30, while Ryan Ellis is entering just the third season of his own eight-year deal that carries a cap hit of $6.25MM. If the Flyers re-sign captain Claude Giroux before he hits unrestricted free agency next summer he too will be an expensive ticket, meaning every dollar they can save on a deal like Farabee’s is important.
Of course, there is always risk when signing a deal of this length as well. There’s no guarantee that his performance this year is indicative of what he’ll provide over the entire deal, and he could always regress or suffer injuries. Still, betting on a 21-year-old who has shown he can be a 20-goal scorer in a shortened season is a pretty worthwhile gamble.
Tanner Laczynski Has Resumed On-Ice Workouts After Surgery
- In a column he penned for the Flyers’ team site, Philadelphia center Tanner Laczynski indicated that he has resumed on-ice activities after undergoing hip surgery back in April. The 24-year-old was limited to just 19 games last season in his first professional campaign split between the Flyers (five games) and AHL Lehigh Valley (14 contests). With the additions of veterans Nate Thompson and Derick Brassard this summer, Laczynski may need to wait for injuries to strike before getting another NHL look next season.
Couturier May Have Left Some Money On The Table In His Extension
The eight-year, $62MM contract extension that the Flyers and center Sean Couturier agreed on last week appeared to be a bit of a bargain considering what top pivots have been getting and the scarcity of impact centers hitting the open market. Speaking with reporters, including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Couturier suggested that he left some money on the table, saying that he didn’t want to “break the bank”, calling it “another way to try to help the team”. Speculatively speaking, given that GM Chuck Fletcher called the 28-year-old their best player right now, it will be worth monitoring to see if they try to make Couturier’s contract the ceiling in terms of their contract hierarchy.
Prospect Notes: Tuomaala, Mercuri, St. Louis
Philadelphia Flyers fans could get a closer look at recent second-round pick Samu Tuomaala much sooner than expected. Speaking at the team’s development camp today, Tuomaala told the media including The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor that he will be playing in North America this season. The Finnish forward actually hopes to play in the AHL (or NHL), but if not will suit up for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves, his CHL right holder. O’Connor speculates that a decision could be made shortly, with it being more likely he plays junior rather than pro as an 18-year-old, but Tuomaala could have the opportunity to change minds in training camp as well. The No. 46 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Tuomaala was a first-round caliber talent. A gifted shooter with speed and aggression, the only knocks on Tuomaala are his size and hockey IQ both of which could hinder him in the AHL and hurt his development. Sometime pure talent comes out on top though. Keep an eye on Tuomaala this fall.
- Do the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs know something that no one else does? Or are they simply enamored with a 2020 Carolina draft pick? The Sea Dogs have announced that they have acquired Hurricanes prospect Lucas Mercuri as well as fellow forward Olivier Picard and a 2024 seventh-round pick from the Val-d’Or Foreurs in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick and 2024 fifth-round pick. This trade would be more than fair given Mercuri’s ability (36 points in 45 USHL games last year) if not for one crucial detail: Mercuri is committed to UMass and is expected to play in the NCAA this season. There has been no word to the contrary, as by all accounts Mercuri is enrolling in Amherst and playing for the Minutemen this year. After spending the past three years in U.S. playing prep school hockey in Connecticut and then suiting up for the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers last season, it certainly seems that the Montreal native is committed to an NCAA development path. So then why give up a top pick? The answer is not Picard, who has 15 points in 77 career QMJHL games, so Saint John either sees enough in the upside of Mercuri to take a shot or they have inside information about a potential unexpected move to the major junior ranks.
- A new Boston collegiate rivalry is brewing. Lucas St. Louis, son of Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis, has committed to play his college hockey at Harvard. St. Louis’ USHL team, the Dubuque Fighting Saints, announced that their incoming recruit has made his commitment to the Crimson, though the 16-year-old will very likely play at least two USHL seasons before joining Harvard in 2023-24. However, older brother Ryan St. Louis will still be in town, as he is joining Northeastern this season. A graduate of the USNTDP and a surprise absence from the 2021 NHL Draft, St. Louis is a major recruit for the Huskies and could be drafted in 2022 but will very likely play all four years at Northeastern. That will provide some crossover for the brothers as they compete for cross-town rivals. Though Harvard and Northeastern do not share a conference, they do compete in the Beanpot Tournament each year and could easily have scheduled non-conference matchups or NCAA Tournament regional clashes. The sons of an electrifying NHLer, the St. Louis brothers bear watching over the next several years, both as college contributors and potential future pros.
Flyers Will Wait To Negotiate Extension With Claude Giroux
The Philadelphia Flyers locked up Sean Couturier today a year before he reached free agency, but they won’t be doing the same for captain Claude Giroux. When GM Chuck Fletcher spoke with the media about the contract, he indicated that he would be waiting until after the season to speak about a new deal with Giroux. He didn’t mince words when explaining why the Couturier deal happened so early:
Fletcher did suggest that the relationship between the Flyers and Giroux could continue beyond this season, but both sides are happy to wait and see how the year plays out before making any decisions. The 33-year-old Giroux has played his entire career to this point in Philadelphia and had 43 points in 54 games this season. His eight-year, $66.2MM contract that was signed in 2013 will expire at the end of 2021-22, making him an unrestricted free agent.