Philadelphia Flyers Reassign Adam Ginning
According to a team announcement, the Philadelphia Flyers have reassigned defenseman Adam Ginning to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The transaction reduces the Flyers’ active roster to 22 players.
Beginning tomorrow, Philadelphia will embark on a brief two-game road trip against the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins before returning home on Saturday. Given that it’s atypical for a team not to have at least one extra forward and defenseman on the roster for a road trip, the expectation is that another roster move is coming.
That roster move will likely come in the form of Jamie Drysdale‘s activation from the injured reserve, when he’s eligible to be tomorrow. Head coach Rick Tocchet left that possibility open this morning when he indicated that both Drysdale and Bobby Brink may be in the lineup tomorrow.
Ginning, 26, wraps up his second stint with the Flyers this season. He has gone scoreless across five games, averaging 15:20 of ice time per game. He’s been a boon on the defensive side of the puck, averaging a 94.3% on-ice SV% at even strength.
He’s returning to a Lehigh Valley club where he has already played in 17 games this year. Throughout those 17 appearances, he’s registered one goal and three points with a -2 rating. His +/- is tied for third-worst on the team.
Flyers Place Jamie Drysdale On Injured Reserve, Recall Adam Ginning
8:00 p.m.: Philadelphia has quickly replaced the void left by Drysdale on the active roster. According to a public announcement, the Flyers have recalled Adam Ginning from AHL Lehigh Valley. He’s gone scoreless in five games for the Flyers this season, averaging 15:20 of ice time per night.
2:26 p.m.: The Flyers placed defenseman Jamie Drysdale on injured reserve today, per Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer. With six healthy defensemen still on the active roster and a two-game homestand upcoming, there’s no immediate need to fill his roster spot.
Drysdale has already sat out one game after getting rocked by Ducks winger Ross Johnston on Tuesday night. Johnston was ejected for the hit but wasn’t given any further discipline. While Drysdale is still officially day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, the move rules him out of Philadelphia’s next two games. He’ll be eligible to return on Jan. 14 against the Sabres.
The sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft is having his best all-around season. He’s battled through a lengthy list of injuries throughout his development to overcome some defensive warts in his game. His 3-15–18 scoring line in 41 appearances isn’t the offensive ceiling expected from him, but he’s averaging over 21 minutes per night for the Flyers while posting good possession numbers as their right-shot second-pairing anchor with either Emil Andrae or Nick Seeler on his left flank.
On track to finish the season with a plus rating for the first time in his six-year career, he’s been splitting top power-play quarterback duties with Cameron York. A long-term absence could be tough to swallow for the Flyers, who haven’t gotten a ton of offensive output from their blue line. They also haven’t seen good two-way numbers from Rasmus Ristolainen, next up on the right-shot depth chart behind Drysdale, since his return from injury last month.
Wild’s Tyler Pitlick, Flyers’ Adam Ginning Clear Waivers
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.
Philadelphia Flyers Assign Adam Ginning To AHL On Conditioning Loan
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.
Metro Notes: Brunicke, Murashov, Ginning
One of the emerging storylines coming out of Pittsburgh Penguins training camp has been the exceptional preseason performance of young defenseman Harrison Brunicke. The 19-year-old defenseman has drawn rave reviews for his play both in training camp and in preseason games, and that praise has come both from the media as well as people within the Penguins organization. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reported today that “there is an appetite around the organization” for the Penguins to keep Brunicke on their season-opening NHL roster. Yohe also commented that “some people in the organization” are telling Yohe that Brunicke is “already the Penguins’ best defenseman.”
That’s high praise considering the Penguins blueline currently features three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson and veteran Kris Letang, who was among the NHL’s top blueliners for more than a decade. Brunicke is a 6’3, 202-pound defenseman who was a second-round pick in 2024 out of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. Widely praised for his poise and mature, pro-ready game, Brunicke is not eligible to be loaned to the Penguins’ AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, and therefore the organization will need to decide whether the player is best served spending 2025-26 back in the WHL or in the NHL. It’s not an easy decision – and some clubs have in the past taken the more complicated route of using AHL conditioning stints to buy time until the player can be sent to the World Junior Championships – but based on Yohe’s reporting it appears the Penguins are likely to give the young defender a chance to start his NHL career.
Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:
- If Brunicke is the young Penguins player who has attracted the most buzz this preseason, netminder Sergei Murashov isn’t far behind him in second place. The 21-year-old 2022 fourth-round pick has been excellent in his preseason minutes and is coming off of a stellar debut season in the North American pro circuit. Yohe reports that the Penguins’ plan for Murashov is to give him “the bulk of the work in the AHL this season,” and noted that while the Penguins believe he could be a future number-one goalie, “they don’t want to impact his development” by bringing him to the NHL too fast. The Penguins have Tristan Jarry and Arturs Silovs set to form their tandem in net this season, so there is not an immediate need for Murashov at the NHL level. But based on everything he’s shown since arriving from Russia to the Penguins organization, he could become a legitimate factor in the team’s NHL plans as soon as next season.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have had a few positive storylines in preseason – namely the emerging chemistry between star sophomore Matvei Michkov and prized offseason addition Trevor Zegras – the competition for down-the-lineup defensive roles has not generated such positive buzz. Per The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet “hasn’t been overly encouraged” by the performances of the team’s depth blueliners – namely Helge Grans, Adam Ginning, and Noah Juulsen. Grans was placed on waivers yesterday and is not expected to factor into the team’s opening-night roster. While Ginning and Juulsen have left Tocchet wanting more this preseason, Kurz notes that the two could currently have a leg up in the battle for limited roster spots. According to Kurz, Emil Andrae “may simply be too small for the coaching staff’s liking” to dress in their opening-night lineup, while Egor Zamula “struggled mightily” in Monday’s preseason game and could be losing his grip on a lineup spot. As a result, a big opportunity could lie ahead for Ginning, who got into just one NHL game last season but played in a top-four role in the AHL.
Philadelphia Flyers Recall Aleksei Kolosov, Reassign Adam Ginning
Goaltender Aleksei Kolosov‘s time with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms was short-lived. The Philadelphia Flyers announced they recalled Kolosov from the Phantoms and sent defenseman Adam Ginning the other way. Additionally, the team shared that they placed defenseman Yegor Zamula on the injured reserve with an upper-body injury retroactive to January 23rd.
The recall is head-scratching at face value. After producing a mediocre 4-8-1 record and a .870 save percentage in 15 games with the Flyers, the organization decided to try Kolosov at the AHL level a little over a week ago.
Kolosov’s results in Lehigh Valley weren’t much better. He posted a 2-4-1 record in seven games, with a .874 SV% and a 3.59 goals-against average. Still, while it’s not entirely the fault of the goaltenders, and it is merely wishful thinking that Kolosov would have produced a different outcome, the Flyers are 2-4-0 since sending him down and have given up 20 goals in that stretch.
The Minsk, Belarus native may receive one or two more starting opportunities with Philadelphia in the coming week. However, this is not the most promising route for him to secure more starts. The Flyers have faced significant goaltending issues this season, and Kolosov’s subpar performance has contributed to this problem.
Ginning is heading to a familiar environment fresh off making his season debut in Philadelphia. He skated in 12:48 of last night’s loss to the New York Islanders adding one hit and one blocked shot to the team’s total. He could be back with the Flyers soon given the team only has six healthy defensemen on the roster without him.
Philadelphia had to make a roster move after yesterday’s acquisition of Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier from the Calgary Flames. Moving to the last part of the transaction, Zamula finally lands on the injured reserve after missing the past four games. Once he’s healthy enough to return, Kolosov or forward Rodrigo Abols will likely be reassigned to AHL Lehigh Valley.
Philadelphia Flyers Recall Adam Ginning
Defenseman Adam Ginning will make his season debut for the Philadelphia Flyers after the team announced his recall from their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Ginning is expected to replace veteran defenseman Erik Johnson in the lineup as the Flyers face off against the New York Islanders this evening.
Shortly after Philadelphia’s announcement, Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports quickly contextualized Johnson’s absence for tonight’s game. O’Connor stated that the Flyers never intended for Johnson to play in any back-to-back games this year although he did suit up in the back-to-back against the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames to start the season.
Philadelphia selected Ginning in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft but he didn’t begin playing for the organization until the 2022-23 season. He’s primarily played for AHL Lehigh Valley collecting six goals and 39 points in 168 career games.
He’s already appeared in 10 games for the Flyers dating back to the 2022-23 season. He’s tallied one goal in those ten contests and has posted impressive possession numbers and physicality albeit in a small sample size.
That’s exactly what will be expected of him tonight and in the future should he have any staying power in Philadelphia’s lineup. There’s no question the Flyers are a physical team with 980 hits delivered already this year and Ginning should only help increase that total.
Flyers Sign Adam Ginning To Two-Year Extension
The Flyers have re-signed defenseman Adam Ginning to a two-year contract extension with a cap hit of $787.5K, according to a team announcement Monday. It’s a two-way deal in 2024-25 ($775K NHL/$200K AHL) before converting to a one-way deal paying him $800K for 2025-26, per PuckPedia.
Ginning, 24, saw a bit of extended NHL action near the end of the season. After his NHL debut was his lone appearance for the Flyers in 2022-23, he suited up nine times for the big-league club this season. His late-season call-ups saw him record his first NHL point, a goal in a 6-2 loss to the Blue Jackets on April 6.
Averaging 14:09 per game, the Swedish shutdown prospect put up good possession metrics in his sheltered minutes, controlling 55.7% of shot attempts and 59.4% of expected goals when on the ice at even strength, per Hockey Reference. Both were above the team average. That, plus his +24 rating with AHL Lehigh Valley one year ago, indicates the 2018 second-round pick still has NHL upside.
It was an important end to the season for both parties, with Ginning earning himself a fair chunk of guaranteed cash in this deal, even if he does end up playing most of it in the minors. The Flyers also avoid the threat of losing the pending restricted free agent to a Swedish Hockey League contract, something Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports reports he was considering before his recall.
The left-shot blue liner will remain waiver-exempt throughout next season unless he plays more than 60 games. No matter what, though, he loses his waiver exemption in the second year of the deal. He’ll likely be a restricted free agent again at the end of this contract, but if he fails to get into 80 NHL games by the time it expires, he’ll qualify for unrestricted free agency via Group VI status.
Ginning was the third pick of a 2018 class that’s paid some dividends for the Flyers, including first-rounder Joel Farabee selecting goaltender Samuel Ersson in the fifth round. Their first selection, Jay O’Brien at 13th overall, was never signed and yielded them a compensatory second-round selection in the draft later this month. Their only other selection that year to play NHL games so far is defenseman Jack St. Ivany, who they didn’t sign coming out of college and lost in free agency to the cross-state rival Penguins.
He’ll enter training camp this fall as a candidate to crack the opening night roster. The Flyers now have 40 players signed to standard contracts next season, with Bobby Brink and Yegor Zamula still left as notable RFAs.
Flyers Reassign Bobby Brink, Olle Lycksell, Ronnie Attard, Adam Ginning
With their season coming to an end at the hands of the Washington Capitals last night, the Philadelphia Flyers have reassigned several waiver-exempt players to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In the transaction, the team will be sending forwards Bobby Brink and Olle Lycksell, as well as defensemen Ronald Attard and Adam Ginning north to Lehigh Valley.
Of the four, Brink spent the most time at the NHL level this season, suiting up in 57 games for the Flyers. Over that stretch, Brink scored 11 goals and 23 points in total, sitting 12th on the roster in scoring. While he did not manage to crack the 60-game mark this year, Brink should rather easily crack the opening night roster next season as a middle-six option.
Lycksell, on the other hand, likely has more offensive potential compared to Brink, based on his strong back-to-back seasons with the Phantom. Scoring only one goal and five points over 18 games for the Flyers this season, Lycksell was more than productive with Lehigh Valley earlier in the year, scoring 19 goals and 38 points in only 36 games.
On the blue line, Attard and Ginning are both remarkably similar in size and stature. Of the two, Attard has the upper hand on the offensive side of the puck, while Ginning excels more defensively. Even though Philadelphia has some openings in their defensive core this summer, both defensemen should expect similar roles next year.
While the Phantoms still have three games left to play in the 2023-24 AHL season, they are likely headed for the same fate as last year, poised for sixth place in the Atlantic Division. If the season were to end today, Lehigh Valley would match up against their interstate rivals, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Flyers Recall Olle Lycksell, Adam Ginning
The Flyers have recalled forward Olle Lycksell and defenseman Adam Ginning from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, per a team announcement Monday. The 24-year-old Swedes and longtime teammates will serve as reinforcements for their Tuesday home game against the Maple Leafs. CapFriendly reflects that both recalls are emergency loans, meaning the Flyers still have two of their four post-trade deadline standard recalls remaining. As such, injuries or illnesses likely have the status of multiple players in doubt ahead of tomorrow’s game.
Philadelphia last recalled Lycksell in late February, keeping him on the roster for a five-game stretch before returning him to the Phantoms the day before the trade deadline. A sixth-round Flyers pick in 2017, Lycksell has been recalled three times this season, his second playing pro hockey in North America. After slowly developing into a top-six producer over a half-decade in the Swedish Hockey League, Lycksell has been highly productive since arriving in Lehigh Valley last season, recording 83 points in 89 games.
Lycksell has been especially hot lately despite sporadic playing time. He has three goals and seven assists in his last three games for the Phantoms and is now over a point per game on the season, putting himself in “too good for the minors” territory. Despite playing 17 NHL games over the past two seasons, he’s still searching for his first NHL goal and has four assists with a -4 rating while averaging 10:09 per game. He’s been a volume shooter in his limited minutes, recording 13 shots in nine appearances this season. He also has decent possession metrics (51.7 CF%, 65.4 xGF% per Hockey Reference) after a disastrous showing with Philly in 2022-23 in that department.
Ginning has suited up for the Flyers more recently, making his lone appearance of the season on March 7 against the Panthers. The blue liner was recalled again under emergency conditions before last Tuesday’s game against the Sharks, but he was scratched and returned to the Phantoms the next day. The 2018 second-round pick had a rough showing against Florida in his second career NHL game, recording a -1 rating, 43.8 CF% and 16.2 xGF% (per MoneyPuck) in over 18 minutes of ice time while paired with Ronald Attard at even strength. A developing shutdown prospect with good size at 6-foot-4 and over 200 pounds, Ginning has 13 points, a -7 rating, and 82 PIMs in 56 games with the Phantoms this year.
Lycksell is in the first season of a two-year, two-way deal with a $787.5K cap hit. He’ll be an RFA with arbitration rights upon expiry in 2025. Ginning is still on his entry-level contract with a $883.75K cap hit, although the deal expires this summer, making him an RFA with arbitration rights if the Flyers issue him a qualifying offer.
The Flyers now have four extra skaters on the active roster, not including the forcibly reinstated Ryan Johansen. As CapFriendly notes, adding Ginning and Lycksell’s combined $1.67MM cap hit puts them over the $83.5MM Upper Limit, meaning they’ve likely transferred de facto retired blue-liner Ryan Ellis‘ $6.25MM cap hit to long-term injured reserve unless a corresponding transaction is pending.