Flyers Reinstate Cam York From Injured Reserve
Oct. 16: York has been reinstated ahead of tonight’s game against the Jets, the team announced. Emil Andrae was returned to AHL Lehigh Valley yesterday to open a roster spot.
Oct. 14: Although it’s not a complete guarantee, the Philadelphia Flyers are expected to welcome back one of their better defenseman tomorrow for practice, and potentially for their game on Thursday evening against the Winnipeg Jets. According to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, blueliner Cam York says there is a good chance he will return for Philadelphia’s next game.
The University of Michigan alumnus has been dealing with a lower-body injury since the preseason. Despite being on a day-to-day recovery timeline, York has already missed the Flyers’ first three games of the 2025-26 regular season. He’s currently on the team’s injured reserve and was eligible for activation yesterday.
York’s return couldn’t come at a better time. Philadelphia has started relatively slow out of the gates, earning a 1-1-1 record through their first three matchups with a +1 differential. Struggling to arrange consistent goaltending last year, it has actually been the team’s defensive pairings that have struggled the most to start the campaign.
According to MoneyPuck, Philadelphia has used four different defensive pairings to start the year, for those who have played more than 10 minutes of action. The combination of Jamie Drysdale and Adam Ginning has been the best to start, averaging an xGoals% of 50%, which is statistically neutral. Each of the other three has managed negative xGoals% to start the year, meaning that the rest of the defensemen are failing to provide any positive value.
Last season, the combination of Travis Sanheim and York yielded a 54.8% xGoals% across more than 870 minutes of ice time. Although he doesn’t offer much on the offensive side of the puck, York routinely blocks shots and has averaged a positive Expected +/- for the last three years. Head coach Rick Tocchet, who’s been largely disappointed by Philadelphia’s defensive core since the beginning of preseason, will have much more to work with when York returns.
Snapshots: York, Chara, Warf
The Philadelphia Flyers will be without Cam York to open their season, as the team announced he will begin the season on injured reserve. PHLY’s Charlie O’Connor reports York “has a lower-body issue” and while the Flyers see it as a day-to-day injury, York’s ailment has kept defenseman Dennis Gilbert on their season-opening roster. Gilbert was placed on waivers on Oct. 4 and cleared, but will now avoid reassignment back to the AHL while York recovers.
Remaining on the NHL roster despite clearing waivers has a negligible effect on Gilbert’s earnings. As he’s signed to a one-way contract, he’s owed his $850K salary regardless of which level he plays at. With that said, NHL players’ earnings are subject to escrow, while AHL players’ are not, meaning staying on the roster may actually (technically) cost Gilbert a marginal amount of money compared to what he would pocket if he was reassigned to the AHL. There are other factors to consider, such as pension credit received for every 20 games spent on an NHL roster and the additional practice time he’ll have to impress NHL coaches, that make this a valuable opportunity for Gilbert, even if it does come at the unfortunate cost of a day-to-day injury to York.
Some other notes from around the NHL:
- The Boston Bruins announced today that former captain and Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Zdeno Chara will see his number retired and raised to the rafters of TD Garden this season. Chara ranks third all-time in scoring by a Bruins defenseman, behind only legendary blueliners Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque. “Big Z” won the Norris Trophy in 2008-09 and also played for the New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, and Washington Capitals across his 1,680-game NHL career.
- The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that team president Doug Warf has resigned after a little over one year in his position. Warf, who oversaw all business operations for the Hurricanes and their arena, Lenovo Center, was officially announced as the team’s president in July of last year. Warf re-joined the Hurricanes in that post after previously working for the team from 2000-2017, according to the team’s press release. Regarding the news, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported that Warf’s resignation can be traced to “a difference in alignment” between himself and team owner Tom Dundon.
East Notes: York, Persson, Rangers Coaches
Despite his tumultuous 2024-25 season, Cam York was cemented as a key part of the Philadelphia Flyers’ future when the club signed him to a $5.15MM AAV contract extension that runs through the 2029-30 season. Today at training camp, new Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed the importance of York to the club’s short and long-term plans, stating that York “has been keeping that pattern pretty high” in terms of the consistency of his performance. As relayed by The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, Tocchet added that he hopes York will be able to “can carry his own pair” for the club this season.
Tocchet’s point about York potentially carrying his own defensive pairing is notable as York spent significant time paired with Travis Sanheim in 2024-25. Sanheim is the Flyers’ top defenseman, and separating York from Sanheim would be a large show of faith in York’s abilities. York has so far spent time in camp paired with young blueliner Helge Grans, who has played in just six career NHL games. Being the steady veteran a rookie partner can rely on is a large responsibility for an NHL defenseman, and should Tocchet elect to deploy York in that matter, it would further underline just how dramatically York has elevated his stock in Philadelphia since he was benched for a full game under interim coach Brad Shaw.
Some other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Training camp is the setting where aspiring NHLers look to make their mark and steal a spot on an NHL roster, and each year there are young players who come out of nowhere to leave a strong impression on their team’s management, even if they don’t ultimately land an NHL role that year. That exact scenario could end up playing out in Washington, where 2022 third-round Capitals draft pick Ludwig Persson has, per The Hockey News’ Sammi Silber, really “stood out” in the early portion of camp. The Swedish winger turns 22 in October and spent last season in the Finnish Liiga, scoring 16 points in 52 games for Jukurit. Persson got the chance to skate with established NHLers Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson at camp on Saturday, and while it’s difficult to see him ultimately making the team’s opening-night roster (he has just one game of professional experience in North America), his early camp performance could make him a prospect to watch moving forward for Capitals fans.
- The Athletic’s Peter Baugh and Vince Z. Mercogliano reported from New York Rangers training camp today that head coach Mike Sullivan has revealed how his staff of assistant coaches will split their responsibilities this upcoming season. Sullivan told the media that assistant David Quinn, the former Rangers head coach, will work with the team’s defensemen and run the club’s power play. Quinn ran Sullivan’s power play with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season and managed a strong sixth-place leaguewide finish in success rate. Assistant Joe Sacco, the former Boston Bruins interim head coach, will run the club’s penalty kill and work with Rangers forwards. The Bruins’ penalty kill ranked 24th in the NHL last season, killing penalties at a 76.3% rate.
Flyers Re-Sign Cam York To Five-Year Contract
9:33 a.m.: The Flyers announced York’s contract and confirmed the financial terms as reported.
7:48 a.m.: The Flyers and restricted free agent defenseman Cameron York have agreed to terms on a five-year contract worth $25.75MM, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The deal carries a cap hit of $5.15MM and takes up two UFA years, meaning he can test the open market upon expiry in 2030. Those seasons do not include trade protection, according to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic.
York, the No. 14 pick in the 2019 draft, is coming off his fifth season with Philadelphia, the last three of which have been spent as a full-time NHLer. Since beginning to play a regular role on the blue line in the 2022-23 season, York has scored 16 goals, 51 assists, and 67 points in 21:13 of ice time per night across 202 games, with a -22 rating and 369 blocks.
There was plenty of speculation during last season that York may be a trade candidate, primarily due to a rocky relationship with former head coach John Tortorella. The pair reportedly had a verbal altercation near the end of the year, which resulted in Tortorella’s dismissal and York sitting on the bench for the entirety of interim head coach Brad Shaw‘s first game at the helm to close out the campaign.
It appeared all was forgiven when reports last month indicated the two sides were close on a deal, building on initial extension talks that took place last fall. With a new coach at the helm in Rick Tocchet, the Flyers land a long-term commitment from York at a marginal discount on his market value.
AFP Analytics projected a long-term extension for York to be a five-year deal at roughly $5.75MM per season. That’s shrewd work from general manager Daniel Brière to work quickly to remove an offer sheet threat while locking him in around 10% cheaper than expected.
The Flyers will technically be over the cap by roughly $580K with a full roster after registering York’s contract, although that shouldn’t be cause for concern. Retired defenseman Ryan Ellis‘ $6.25MM cap hit will be placed on long-term injured reserve for the entirety of the season. At the same time, winger Tyson Foerster and his $3.75MM cap hit could also land on LTIR to begin the year while he recovers from an infection in his elbow. High-paid defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen also isn’t expected to be ready to begin the season. Philadelphia has time on their side to shed salary if need be – a move that could be as simple as waiving and reassigning third-string goaltender Ivan Fedotov, bringing his $3.275MM cap hit down to $2.125MM.
Next season, York will reprise his top-pairing role while fellow lefty Travis Sanheim mans the right side. He should be ticketed for a bump in ice time if Tocchet restores some of his power-play minutes. The 24-year-old didn’t see any deployment with the man advantage in 2024-25 – under 10 minutes in total – after playing a regular role there in 2023-24. That should help his offensive numbers to a career-high as well. He had 30 points in 82 games two years ago before posting 17 in 66 last season.
He and Sanheim will headline the Flyers’ defensive unit next season while being supported by veterans Ristolainen and Nick Seeler, some up-and-comers in Emil Andrae, Jamie Drysdale, and Egor Zamula, while also being complemented by depth free agent pickups Dennis Gilbert and Noah Juulsen.
Image courtesy of Eric Hartline-Imagn Images.
Flyers, Cam York Closing In On Extension
The Philadelphia Flyers and pending restricted free agent Cam York are closing in on a contract extension, per Ken Kurz of The Athletic. Kurz adds that he doesn’t believe the Flyers are worried at all about York being an offer sheet candidate.
With Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster recently signing extensions, it appears Flyers general manager Daniel Briere is looking to solidify the team’s blueline for years to come as well. While York is coming off a down year compared to his 2023-24 season, where he established career highs in goals (10) and assists (20), he’s still only 24 years old, a former first-rounder, and will more than likely benefit from the organization’s recent coaching change.
York’s struggles last season were at least partly linked to his tumultuous relationship with coach John Tortorella. He was made a healthy scratch multiple times and excluded from the power play despite his offensive upside. The tension peaked on March 25 during a 7–2 loss to Toronto, when York and Tortorella reportedly had a heated verbal exchange. Soon after, Tortorella was fired, and York sat out the next game versus Montreal (dressing but not skating) as a disciplinary measure.
Kurz previously reported that the Flyers and York held extension talks early last season, discussing both short-term and long-term options. Although those talks didn’t yield a deal last season, both sides appear to have returned to the negotiating table, likely signaling the belief that York is a strong fit for the system that new coach Rick Tocchet is looking to install. The Flyers currently have just north of $15MM in cap space (per PuckPedia), and an extension with York should still leave plenty of wiggle room for Briere and the front office to use in free agency.
Metropolitan Notes: York, Flyers Plans, Zibanejad
With Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster recently signing extensions with the Philadelphia Flyers, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic wonders if pending restricted free agent defender Cam York is next.
As Kevin Kurz reports, sources close to York have indicated that discussions between the player and the Flyers have been ongoing for some time, with both short- and long-term contract options being considered. While York is coming off a down year compared to his 2023-24 season, where he established career highs in goals (10) and assists (20), he’s still only 24 years old and will more than likely benefit from the organization’s recent coaching change.
York and Flyers had a tumultuous 2024-25 season, with former head coach John Tortorella making York a healthy scratch on two separate occasions. After sustaining a shoulder injury early in the season that York later admitted impacted his performance, Tortorella also did not play York on the power play despite the unit finishing 30th in the league. Things ultimately came to a head on March 25 when York and Tortorella reportedly had a heated exchange during a 7-2 loss to the Maple Leafs. Tortorella was soon after fired, and York was disciplined by dressing but not skating in the following contest against the Canadians.
Still, the former first-round pick possesses potential that other teams may covet on the open market. For the Flyers to determine if extending York aligns with their long-term vision, they must assess whether his style complements the system Rick Tocchet intends to implement.
Elsewhere in the Metropolitan Division:
- Sources confirmed to Kurz that the Flyers will not be in the market for big-name free agents come July 1. While general manager Daniel Briere and the front office have nearly $19MM in cap space (per PuckPedia), they seem content to continue to resign their own younger players. Excluding non-roster players, the Philadelphia Flyers have two restricted free agents remaining—York and winger Jakob Pelletier—and no unrestricted free agents. It appears the Flyers are opting to retain a roster similar to last season’s, with Tocchet and his coaching staff aiming to maximize player performance and development.
- Rangers’ general manager Chris Drury kept veterans like Mika Zibanejad informed about his intentions regarding the trade of Chris Kreider, per Larry Brooks of the NY Post. Kreider and Zibanejad were teammates for the last nine years and helped lead the Rangers to much success in that time. The team officially traded Kreider to the Ducks today. Ironically, the trade reunites Kreider with Rangers former captain Jacob Trouba, who was dealt to Anaheim last season.
East Notes: Tortorella, York, Svechnikov, Zadorov
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.
Kurz noted the growing tension between York and Tortorella dating back to the trade deadline, when after being a healthy scratch, York said, “I mean, I’m not playing to prove him anything. I’m playing for the guys in this locker room and the logo on my chest. I’m not playing for him, necessarily, if that makes sense.”
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.
Other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- According to a team announcement, Andrei Svechnikov will return to the Carolina Hurricanes’ lineup tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. The former second overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft had missed Carolina’s previous seven games with an upper-body injury. Despite being the fourth-highest scorer on the team, the Hurricanes have fared well without Svechnikov, managing a 5-2-0 record in his absence.
- Moving to the Atlantic Division, the Boston Bruins welcomed back defenseman Nikita Zadorov today, who had missed the team’s last game due to a personal leave (Twitter Link). Hopefully, for the Bruins’ sake, Zadorov’s return to the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings tomorrow night will give Boston a much-needed jolt. The team has performed dreadfully since the trade deadline in early March, managing a 2-7-1 record in their last 10 games while being outscored by a 19-goal margin.
Flyers Officially Activate Cam York, Assign Anthony Richard To AHL
The Flyers have made a pair of roster moves heading into today’s afternoon game against Chicago. The team announced (Twitter link) that blueliner Cam York has been activated off injured reserve as expected. To make room for him on the active roster, forward Anthony Richard has been re-assigned to AHL Lehigh Valley.
York has been out for nearly a month, missing 13 games in the process. Before suffering an upper-body injury in October, the 23-year-old was off to a good start to his season, picking up two goals and an assist in seven games while logging nearly 23 minutes a game of playing time. That workload was similar to 2023-24 when he averaged 22:37 per game while adding 30 points in 82 appearances in a breakout effort for the 2019 first-round pick.
His return will certainly be a welcome one for a Philadelphia back end that has had its ups and downs this season. He’ll be taking the place of Yegor Zamula against the Blackhawks.
As for Richard, it’s fair to say his demotion wasn’t performance-related. The 27-year-old was recalled a little over two weeks ago and was quite productive in his limited action, notching two goals and four assists in seven games despite seeing less than 12 minutes a night of playing time. That’s easily the most productive stretch he has had at the NHL level as he came into the year with just eight points in 24 games with three teams.
Richard is in the first season of a two-year, two-way deal he inked with Philadelphia in free agency. A top scorer at the AHL level, he’s off to a fine start with the Phantoms as well, recording four goals and five assists in his first seven games with them. He’ll now go back to Lehigh Valley and resume a top-line role while awaiting his next recall. Morgan Frost will take his place in the lineup against Chicago after being a healthy scratch in recent games.
Flyers Expected To Activate Cam York From Injured Reserve
Flyers defenseman Cameron York will likely make his return to the lineup on Saturday against the Blackhawks, indicating he’ll be activated from injured reserve, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports.
York, 23, has been on IR with an upper-body injury for nearly a month. He’s been a full participant in practice for more than a few days now, though, and is well past the initial two-week timeline for his return that was assessed on Oct. 26.
The Flyers were evidently cautious with rushing the young defender back, but “all signs point to” him playing this weekend after sitting out the last 13 games, Kurz said. The lefty, who the Flyers selected 14th overall in the 2019 draft, had skated at least 20 minutes in each of his first seven appearances of the season and had scored twice with one assist and a -2 rating.
Philadelphia head coach John Tortorella didn’t use consistent pairings at Friday’s practice, so it’s unclear where York might slot back into the lineup if he’s ready to go. He spent nearly all of his time stapled to Travis Sanheim on the team’s top pairing while playing his off-side though, and that would be his likely spot.
He might not be the only Flyers blue-liner returning, either, with Emil Andrae also taking line rushes and power-play drills today, per Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports. The 22-year-old had three assists in 10 games this season after a call-up from AHL Lehigh Valley before sustaining a mid-body injury against the Sabres last week. He’s missed the last two games but never landed on IR.
The Flyers have a full active roster and will need to open a spot to activate York. That could be accomplished by retroactively moving Andrae to IR if he’s not ready to play, or they could opt to return rookie defender Helge Grans to the minors after the 22-year-old recorded an assist and averaged 16:02 of ice time across a pair of appearances this week. Placing Andrae on IR would not impact his ability to return for Monday’s game against the Golden Knights, but they would need to make another corresponding transaction to activate him at that time.
York is in the second season of a two-year, $3.2MM contract and will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer. He’s coming off a career-best 10-goal, 30-point campaign in 2023-24.
Metro Notes: Frost, Flyers, Jiricek, Lindstrom
Morgan Frost has had a tumultuous position in the Philadelphia Flyers’ lineup since John Tortorella took over as the team’s head coach in the 2022-23 season. He’s been a healthy scratch in three of the last four games, and this is coming one year after being a healthy scratch in half of the team’s first 20 contests last year. In an article (Subscription Article) in The Athletic, Kevin Kurz opines the Flyers could be headed for a breakup of sorts with Frost before his current contract ends.
There’s no questioning his skill on the offensive side of the puck. Frost scored 10 goals and 33 points over the last 50 games of the 2023-24 season finishing fifth on the team in scoring despite his time in the press box earlier in the year. That’s not enough for Tortorella to overlook his defensive shortcomings, as he typically expects much better two-way play from his centers.
Frost’s two-year, $4.2MM extension expires after this season and he’ll only have one more year remaining until he can hit unrestricted free agency. Kurz believes Philadelphia should trade Frost by the deadline despite selling low on the former-27th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft.
Other Metro notes:
- Continuing in Philadelphia, the organization announced multiple injury updates earlier today. Notably, defenseman Cam York won’t return to the lineup this evening despite being a full participant in practice on Monday. Defenseman Jamie Drysdale and netminder Samuel Ersson remain on the injured reserve with their injuries while defenseman Emil Andrae is considered day-to-day with a mid-body injury.
- This morning, the Columbus Blue Jackets surprised many by reassigning defenseman David Jiříček to their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. Shortly after, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic wrote a scathing article (Subscription Article) on Columbus’ handling of the sixth overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft. Jiříček has rarely had a consistent role with the Blue Jackets despite the team carrying a subpar defensive core and has little else to prove in the AHL after scoring 13 goals and 57 points in 84 career games.
- Sticking in Columbus, Portzline reported that the team’s first pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, Cayden Lindstrom, underwent a minor surgical procedure this morning. Lindstrom hasn’t played at all this season with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers due to a back injury, and today’s surgical procedure was a part of the recovery process. He was recently drafted with the fourth overall pick of this past summer’s draft after scoring 27 goals and 46 points in 32 games for the Tigers.