Philadelphia Flyers Extend Felix Sandstrom
The Philadelphia Flyers have finished a bit of offseason work, signing Felix Sandstrom to a new two-year contract. The deal is two-way in 2022-23 and one-way in 2023-24, and includes an average annual value of $775K at the NHL level. The minor league netminder was set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer, had he not signed a new deal by July 13.
Perhaps it is unfair to call Sandstrom a minor league goalie now that he has made his NHL debut, entering five games for the Flyers this season. He, unfortunately, lost all five of those behind the struggling Flyers, but posted a reasonable .910 save percentage in the process and showed that he could be in contention for a backup role at some point in the near future.
That future could even come as soon as next season, depending on how things shake out this summer. Ivan Fedotov was recently signed out of the KHL but has no North American experience, and the team may want to go with a more veteran option given Carter Hart‘s inconsistencies to this point. At very worst, Sandstrom is now an inexpensive depth option that has shown he can handle spot starts if necessary.
Notably, he is no longer waiver-exempt and will need to pass through them in order to be assigned to the minor leagues. That’s not something the team has dealt with previously, meaning if another club has their eyes on Sandstrom, he could be at risk if they want him in the AHL.
Philadelphia Flyers Add Three To COVID Protocol
The Philadelphia Flyers have added Derick Brassard, Carter Hart, and Scott Laughton to the COVID protocol, making them unavailable for the time being. Max Willman, who had previously been in the protocol, was activated today and rejoined the team at practice. Jackson Cates, Gerald Mayhew, and Felix Sandstrom have been recalled to join the team’s taxi squad.
Losing Brassard and Laughton certainly isn’t ideal, but Hart is the biggest blow for the Flyers today. The young netminder has rebounded this season and carries a .918 save percentage through 19 appearances, carrying the majority of the load for the team. Martin Jones will now become the de facto starter for the time being, though the group in front of him is certainly not at full strength.
The Flyers are now at seven players in the COVID protocol, as Brassard, Hart, and Laughton join Kevin Hayes, Ryan Ellis, Sean Couturier, and Morgan Frost. Those are some pretty important names that could be unavailable when the team is scheduled to return to action Wednesday night.
Metropolitan Notes: Flyers, Shesterkin, Nemeth, Hurricanes
The Flyers announced that they’ve placed Max Willman and a staff member in COVID protocol. The 26-year-old has been a feel-good story for Philadelphia this season as he made his NHL debut this season and has chipped in with two goals and an assist in a dozen games. Willman was originally drafted by Buffalo back in 2014 but didn’t sign. He becomes the second Flyer currently in COVID protocol joining center Morgan Frost.
Meanwhile, goaltender Carter Hart will be unavailable for tonight’s game against Ottawa due to an undetermined illness. The team announced (Twitter link) that Felix Sandstrom has been recalled from AHL Lehigh Valley to serve as Martin Jones’ backup. They will get some help on the injury front, however, as winger Joel Farabee will return to the lineup after missing the last seven games due to a shoulder injury. The 21-year-old has seven goals in 21 games so far this season.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin is ready to return from his lower-body injury as the team announced (Twitter link) that he has been activated off injured reserve with Keith Kinkaid being returned to AHL Hartford in a corresponding move. The 25-year-old missed just over two weeks with the injury and had been off to a strong start to his season with a 2.05 GAA and a .937 SV% in 18 games. Kinkaid, meanwhile, picked up the victory on Wednesday against Arizona.
- From that same announcement, Rangers blueliner Patrik Nemeth has been placed in COVID protocol. The 30-year-old had played in all 30 of New York’s games to this point, recording two assists along with 57 blocked shots while logging just over 17 minutes per game. He’ll miss the next ten days.
- Carolina won’t be getting any help on the injury front for a little while as Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes’ team site relays (Twitter link) that winger Jordan Martinook and defenseman Jalen Chatfield aren’t close to returning from their respective lower-body injuries. Martinook has been out for a little more than two weeks and head coach Rod Brind’Amour acknowledged that the 29-year-old could start skating soon but still will need a fair bit of time before he’s able to come back. Meanwhile, Chatfield’s injury was more recent, sustained back on Sunday against his former team in Vancouver.
Felix Sandstrom Signs In Finland, NHL
June 8: Not only will the Flyers retain Sandstrom’s rights, the team has actually re-signed him to a one-year, two-way contract. Interestingly enough, Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic tweets that the goaltender will be staying with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms next season, not heading overseas. Either way, this $750K deal keeps him linked to the Philadelphia organization and, importantly, continues to fill the Flyers exposure requirements for the upcoming expansion draft.
June 7: The Philadelphia Flyers will have to add a few more names to the goaltending depth chart this summer with Brian Elliott and Alex Lyon both scheduled for unrestricted free agency. Felix Sandstrom, who could have potentially been a candidate to move up in some capacity, won’t be an option after signing a one-year contract with TPS in Finland. Sandstrom is a pending RFA, meaning the Flyers can retain his rights by extending a qualifying offer.
The 24-year-old netminder was selected 70th overall by the Flyers in 2015 and despite strong numbers overseas, has never really found his game on North American ice. In 11 appearances for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season he posted a 5-3-4 record, .903 save percentage, and 3.19 goals-against average. In 2019-20 he spent almost the entire season in the ECHL, registering even more pedestrian numbers.
Philadelphia did recently sign 21-year-old Samuel Ersson to his entry-level contract, but otherwise have only Kirill Ustimenko—who spent the entire season on the shelf following hip surgery—signed for next season. Carter Hart, the team’s presumed 2021-22 starter, is also set to become a restricted free agent and will need a new deal.
Philadelphia Flyers Recall Cam York, Felix Sandstrom
May 7: York has been elevated from the taxi squad to the active roster as expected. He will wear No. 45 and make his NHL debut this evening.
May 6: The Philadelphia Flyers may not have much to play for over the last few days, but don’t tell Cam York that. The 20-year-old defenseman has been recalled to the taxi squad and is expected to make his NHL debut on Friday against the Washington Capitals. The team recalled goaltender Felix Sandstrom to the taxi squad as well, meaning another NHL debut could be in the works.
York was the 14th overall pick in 2019 and is coming off an outstanding season with the University of Michigan, where he tallied 20 points in 24 games. There was no slowing him down in the AHL, where he immediately found success with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, scoring five points in six games and earning the call-up. There is a lot to be excited about when it comes to York, who will quarterback the second powerplay unit on Friday as well.
An offensive threat every time he touches the puck, York will still need some time before he becomes a top option for the Flyers. Still, he’ll get a chance to dip his toe into the NHL waters here with an eye on cracking the roster out of 2021-22 training camp. With Shayne Gostisbehere suspended for his hit the other night, there is lots of opportunity for York to show what he can do over the last few games.
Sandstrom meanwhile is an interesting prospect in his own right, selected 70th overall in 2015. The Swedish goaltender played in the SHL through the 2018-19 season and spent last year in the ECHL acclimating to the North American game. This year, in nine appearances for Lehigh Valley, he has an .897 save percentage and 3.45 goals-against average. Now 24, Sandstrom is a restricted free agent this summer.
Training Camp Cuts: 01/12/21
It’s the last day before NHL hockey returns, so teams will have to finalize their rosters and get ready for action. Though most of the heavy lifting was done yesterday, there will still be some cuts made today. We’ll keep track of them right here. This page will be updated throughout the day as more releases come in.
Buffalo Sabres (via team release):
F Andrew Oglevie (to Rochester, AHL)
F Arttu Ruotsalainen (to Rochester, AHL)
D Jacob Bryson (to Rochester, AHL)
D Mattias Samuelsson (to Rochester, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release):
F Jeremy Bracco (to Chicago, AHL)
F David Cotton (to Chicago, AHL)
F Jason Cotton (to Chicago, AHL)
F Seth Jarvis (to Chicago, AHL)
F Stelio Mattheos (to Chicago, AHL)
F Jamieson Rees (to Chicago, AHL)
F Sheldon Rempal (to Chicago, AHL)
F Drew Shore (to Chicago, AHL)
F Spencer Smallman (to Chicago, AHL)
F Ryan Suzuki (to Chicago, AHL)
D Joey Keane (to Chicago, AHL)
D Maxime Lajoie (to Chicago, AHL)
G Antoine Bibeau (to Chicago, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (via team release):
F John Quenneville (to Rockford, AHL)
D Anton Lindholm (to Rockford, AHL)
D Nick Seeler (to Rockford, AHL)
G Matt Tomkins (to Rockford, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (via team release):
F Riley Barber (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Kyle Criscuolo (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Turner Elson (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Taro Hirose (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Chase Pearson (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Evgeny Svechnikov (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Dominic Turgeon (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Joe Hicketts (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Brian Lashoff (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Dylan McIlrath (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Kaden Fulcher (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Pat Nagle (released)
Montreal Canadiens (via team release):
F Brandon Baddock (to Laval, AHL)
F Alex Belzile (to Laval, AHL)
F Joseph Blandisi (to Laval, AHL)
F Laurent Dauphin (to Laval, AHL)
F Jacob Lucchini (to Laval, AHL)
F Joel Teasdale (to Laval, AHL)
F Lukas Vejdemo (to Laval, AHL)
F Jordan Weal (to Laval, AHL)
D Otto Leskinen (to Laval, AHL)
D Gustav Olofsson (to Laval, AHL)
D Xavier Ouellet (to Laval, AHL)
G Vasili Demchenko (to Laval, AHL)
G Michael McNiven (to Laval, AHL)
G Cayden Primeau (to Laval, AHL)
F Kevin Lynch (to Laval, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via team release):
F Pascal Laberge (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Zayde Wisdom (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Linus Sandin (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Tyson Foerster (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Matthew Strome (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Tyler Wotherspoon (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Mason Millman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Chris Bigras (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Derrick Pouliot (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Egor Zamula (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Wyatte Wylie (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Felix Sandstrom (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Max Willman (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Roddy Ross (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
San Jose Sharks (via team release):
F Kurtis Gabriel (to San Jose, AHL)
F Antti Suomela (to San Jose, AHL)
D Trevor Carrick (to San Jose, AHL)
D Nick DeSimone (to San Jose, AHL)
D Fredrik Claesson (to San Jose, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (via team release):
F Sam Anas (to Utica, AHL)
F Dakota Joshua (to Utica, AHL)
F Tanner Kaspick (to Utica, AHL)
F Hugh McGing (to Utica, AHL)
F Curtis McKenzie (to Utica, AHL)
F Jake Neighbours (to Utica, AHL)
F Evan Polei (to Utica, AHL)
F Nolan Stevens (to Utica, AHL)
F Nathan Walker (to Utica, AHL)
D Scott Perunovich (to Utica, AHL)
D Mitch Reinke (to Utica, AHL)
D Steven Santini (to Utica, AHL)
D Tyler Tucker (to Utica, AHL)
D Jake Walman (to Utica, AHL)
G Evan Fitzpatrick (to Utica, AHL)
G Jon Gillies (to Utica, AHL)
F Matthias Laferriere (to Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL)
Vancouver Canucks (via team release):
F Jonah Gadjovich (to Utica, AHL)
F Lukas Jasek (to Utica, AHL)
F Kole Lind (to Utica, AHL)
F Will Lockwood (to Utica, AHL)
D Josh Teves (to Utica, AHL)
D Jett Woo (to Utica, AHL)
G Jake Kielly (to Utica, AHL)
Washington Capitals (via team release):
F Shane Gersich (to Hershey, AHL)
F Michael Sgarbossa (to Hershey, AHL)
F Phillippe Maillet (to Hershey, AHL)
D Lucas Johansen (to Hershey, AHL)
D Paul Ladue (to Hershey, AHL)
D Cameron Schilling (to Hershey, AHL)
Overseas Notes: Texier, Sandstrom, Brannstrom
The Columbus Blue Jackets have transferred the loan of Alexandre Texier from KalPa in Finland’s Liiga to Grenoble in the French professional league, where the young forward will continue playing for the time being. As Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports, Texier will remain in France with his family as someone close to him is dealing with an undisclosed illness.
Texier, 21, actually spent one season with Grenoble in 2016-17 before heading to Finland to continue his development. The young forward took quite an interesting path to the NHL, where he spent all of this season. Texier is still expected back in North America when the 2020-21 season begins.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have loaned Felix Sandstrom to Vasterviks IK of the Swedish second league, where he will presumably play until things start again in North America. Sandstrom, 23, is another top goaltending prospect in the Flyers system that was the 70th overall pick in 2015. In 2019-20 he posted just an .885 save percentage in the ECHL, but there is still lots of upside in the 6’2″ netminder. Perhaps he can get things back on track in his native Sweden, where he already found success at the highest level before coming to North America in 2019.
- Though the official announcement still hasn’t come out, Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion confirmed to reporters including Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia that Erik Brannstrom will be loaned to Switzerland until the next NHL season begins. Brannstrom is expected to play for the SCL Tigers in the Swiss NLA. Though he split time this season, the 21-year-old defenseman is expected to receive a full-time NHL role in 2020-21.
Minor Transactions: 04/08/19
Though we won’t get many transactions this late in the year, teams will take the opportunity over the next few days to send some of their younger players back down to the minor leagues. The AHL season still has another few games to go, and players who are playoff-eligible in the minor leagues will not be quite done with their season even if they’ve already cleared out their NHL locker. We’ll keep track of all these minor moves right here:
- The Anaheim Ducks have sent Sam Steel, Max Jones, Jacob Larsson and Jaycob Megna down to the San Diego Gulls, giving the AHL squad a boost as they try to lock up a playoff spot. The Gulls are currently in third place in the Pacific Division but haven’t yet clinched a spot thanks to a hard charging Tucson Roadrunners team.
- Bobby Nardella has signed an amateur tryout with the Hershey Bears, joining the club after recently agreeing to an entry-level deal with the Washington Capitals. Nardella will be joining a Hershey team that has already locked up a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division and who have their eyes set on a Calder Cup run.
- As if Carter Hart wasn’t enough for the Philadelphia Flyers, another young goaltender has joined the organization. Felix Sandstrom has been assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms after his season in the SHL came to an end. The 22-year old goaltender signed his entry-level deal with the Flyers in 2018, and was originally selected by them in the third round of the 2015 draft.
- With Louis Domingue returning from his minor injury, Eddie Pasquale is on his way back to the Syracuse Crunch. That’s a big deal for a team that is one of the favorites to win a Calder Cup this season. The Crunch have the second best record in the entire NHL, and have been relying on Pasquale all season. The 28-year old goaltender has a 25-12-3 record with a .916 save percentage this year.
- The Buffalo Sabres have sent Alexander Nylander, Lawrence Pilut and Victor Olofsson back to the Rochester Americans for their playoff run, as all three are eligible to compete in the AHL postseason. The Americans have already clinched a spot and could very well make a run at the Calder Cup this season, especially with this trio of talented players back in the fold.
Philadelphia Flyers See Value In Goaltending Like Vegas Does
The emergence in the last couple of years of prospect Carter Hart, who won the CHL Goaltender of the Year award Saturday for the second straight year is the only hope the Philadelphia Flyers have to filling the one major gap on their roster — goaltending. With the team locked into another year with the tandem of average goalies Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth, the team has to hope that Hart, who will join the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms next year, can live up to the hype and lead the Flyers to that next level in a year.
Only 19 years old, Hart has put up three dominant seasons with the Everett Silvertips of the WHL. In the 2015-16 season as a 17-year old, Hart posted a 2.14 GAA and a .918 save percentage. The Flyers drafted him in the second round after that season. He followed that year up with a 1.99 GAA and a .927 save percentage in the 2016-17 season to capture his first CHL Goaltender of the Year award. It only got better. Despite a respite in December to represent Team Canada at the World Juniors, he tallied a 1.60 GAA and a .947 save percentage for one of the best junior seasons for a goalie ever.
He joined Lehigh Valley for their playoff run recently, but didn’t get into a game. That job should be handed to him next season, although Hart is looking to make the rare jump straight to the Flyers.
“I want to be (in the NHL) next season,” he said to the Courier-Post. “That’s my goal for the summer is to get bigger, faster and stronger so I’m prepared for training camp. That’s really all I’m focused on right now is that this summer is huge for me. I’m excited to go home, whenever that is, and get my training started and get ready for next season.”
Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi finds himself comparing this year’s Flyers team to that of the Golden Knights squad that sits four wins away from a Stanley Cup title. The one big difference that the scribe notes between the two teams is that Vegas hit the jackpot when they got Marc-Andre Fleury in the expansion draft from the Pittsburgh Penguins. That move is the key factor that the Flyers lacked this year. When Elliott was not hurt, he put up decent numbers with a 2.66 GAA and a .909 save percentage in 43 games, but that isn’t good enough for a team to take that next step in the playoffs. Neuvirth wasn’t much better with a 2.60 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 22 games.
The scribe points out that what Fleury has done is shown the other 30 general managers in the league that goaltending is the most important position of the game. The Flyers only hope is that Hart is as good as advertised once he reaches the professional ranks. The hope is that one year in the AHL will hopefully prove he’s ready to be that goaltender of the future in Philadelphia. Of course, the Flyers may have learned this lesson several years ago and have their own pipeline with promising Swedish goaltender Felix Sandstrom expected to come over to the U.S. to join Hart in Lehigh Valley next season.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Felix Sandstrom To Entry-Level Contract
The Philadelphia Flyers have inked another impressive young goaltending prospect, signing Felix Sandstrom to a three-year entry-level contract. Sandstrom dealt with an abdominal injury for much of the season, getting into just 11 games in the SHL. If he’s coming over to North America for 2018-19, the Flyers have some decisions to make on who will get what playing time.
Sandstrom, 21, was selected in the third round in 2015 and is part of a huge pipeline of young goaltenders in the Philadelphia system. He might be best known to North American fans for his performance at the World Juniors last year, when he took home Top Goaltender honors for Sweden. Though his club didn’t win a medal, he was a rock in net putting up a .915 save percentage against top competition, including 38 saves in a loss against Canada in the semifinals.
The man at the other end for that game (well, most of it anyway after replacing Connor Ingram just three shots in) was Carter Hart, a fellow Philadelphia goaltending prospect who could be a teammate of Sandstrom next season in the AHL. Hart dominated the WHL this season but will likely be transitioning to the AHL next season as a 20-year old, to get some fine tuning before hitting the NHL. Hart may be the prize of this pipeline, but Sandstrom isn’t to be overlooked. The Swedish netminder will try to stake his own claim in the system as the goalie of the future, especially with such disarray at the NHL level.