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Free Agent Focus: Philadelphia Flyers

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Free agency is now less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  The Flyers have a number of both restricted and unrestricted and will likely have to use quite a bit of their cap space to lock up all of them in the coming weeks.

Key Restricted Free Agents: D Ivan Provorov — Only a year ago, Provorov’s name was being bandied about as one of the top young defensemen in the league and while that hasn’t necessarily changed, Provorov struggled in his third season. After tallying 17 goals in 2017-18, the 22-year-old saw those numbers drop to just seven goals this season and pick up a career-low 26 points and saw his defense take a step back. The team expects Provorov to have a bounce-back season, but have already gone out and added Matt Niskanen, who is expected to be paired with Provorov next season to give him a veteran partner in hopes of developing him into the franchise defenseman they believe he is. The one thing that has been consistent is how much the Flyers have been using him as he played a career-high 25:07 in ATOI. Provorov should get a significant raise from the $1.74MM he made last year.

F Travis Konecny — After scoring 48 goals over the past two seasons, Konecny is expected to score a big raise. The 22-year-old put up almost the exact same number two years ago and has proven to be a valuable piece in the team’s top-six. On top of that, Konecny has shown himself to be an agitator on the ice (despite his smaller frame) which became even more apparent after the team traded away Wayne Simmonds at the trade deadline. Considering how young he is, the team may want to sign him to a long-term deal now in hopes that he continues to improve and get better as all signs suggest he could become a top-line scorer for the franchise. He made $1.1MM last season, but should get quite a bit more.

D Travis Sanheim — After a solid rookie season, Sanheim took his game up a notch in his first full year as he played all 82 games, averaging 19:34 minutes on the ice and nine goals and 35 points, suggesting that the first-round pick from 2014 is finally developing into the top-four blueliner that the team had hoped. You could make the case that he was the most improved player on the team last year. After making $1.26MM last season, however, the 23-year-old should get a significant raise as well.

Other RFAs: F Nicolas Aube-Kubel, F Justin Bailey, D Jacob Graves, F Ryan Hartman, F Scott Laughton

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Kevin Hayes — Hayes hasn’t played a game for Philadelphia ever, but he might be the most significant of their free agents. The team sent Winnipeg a fifth-round pick to acquire Hayes’ rights, a rare move by teams, with the hope that they could begin negotiating with Hayes now and convince him to sign a deal before other teams can begin communicating with him. The 27-year-old has been a solid centerman for two seasons now with the New York Rangers. However, when the Rangers decided he wasn’t a part of the team’s long-term plans, they traded him to Winnipeg. Hayes didn’t have the effect on the Jets’ second line that they had hoped and were happy to get something for Hayes’ rights. Regardless, the Flyers need a second-line center to take over for the next couple of years until Nolan Patrick is ready to move into that role. However, with rumors that Hayes could be asking for $7MM or more, that’s a steep price and so far the Flyers haven’t had much luck in getting Hayes to sign early.

G Cam Talbot — There are a number of goaltenders on the team hitting unrestricted free agency, but what the team is looking for is a veteran goaltender that can help mentor young star Carter Hart. Talbot could be that top candidate as the 31-year-old was acquired at the trade deadline in hopes he could be that guy. Unfortunately he struggled in four appearances, but he remains a candidate to be brought back, especially at a heavily discounted price, although the team could just as easily find another player to fill those shoes.

Other UFAs: F Cole Bardreau, F Greg Carey, G Brian Elliott, F Byron Froese, F Tyrell Goulbourne, G Mike McKenna, G Michal Neuvirth, F Phil Varone, F Mike Vecchione

Projected Cap Space: With a little more than $49MM in commitments for next season (per CapFriendly), the team has plenty of money to make changes and moves. With a cupboard of top prospects fast approaching and a number of tradeable players, the Flyers are likely to look quite differently. However, much of the team’s success this summer will be in trying to find a second-line center. The team still hopes it can be Hayes, but if not, the Flyers will have to find another candidate either through free agency or trade. Regardless, some of that $33.8MM in projected cap space will have to go to their young restricted free agents and hopefully, they can lock all of them up to long-term deals now, but there are lots of possibilities in Philadelphia this season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 03/20/19

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There’s only four games on the schedule for tonight in the NHL, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be without fireworks. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres renew their rivalry, while the Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals clash in a battle of Eastern Conference division leaders. As teams prepare, we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • It wouldn’t be a weekday without a Justin Bailey transaction, as the Philadelphia Flyers forward has been sent back to the AHL once again. Bailey has been involved in eight transactions since the beginning of March, bouncing up and down as the team needs an extra body.
  • The New Jersey Devils have sent Colton White and Nick Lappin back to the minor leagues as they finally start to get healthy. The Devils were without nearly half of their normal roster recently, but could get several players back in the next few days. The team will welcome in the Boston Bruins tomorrow night, at which point White and Lappin could be on their way back up if more insurance is needed.
  • Defenseman Libor Sulak has been recalled under emergency conditions by the Detroit Red Wings, who may not have Trevor Daley back before the end of the season. Sulak is another one of the Red Wings’ young players to make his debut this season, and has played six NHL games.
  • Cameron Gaunce is back up with the Lightning, now that Dan Girardi has been downgraded from day-to-day to out indefinitely. Gaunce will serve as the team’s seventh defenseman until Anton Stralman is ready to return.
  • With Valtteri Filppula out for four weeks, the New York Islanders have recalled Tanner Fritz from the AHL. Fritz has played just four games with the Islanders this season, but offers an experienced professional to give the team some center depth while they deal with Filppula’s absence.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Adam Johnson from the AHL, while sending Joseph Blandisi and Juuso Riikola back down. Johnson is still waiting to make his NHL debut after signing out of the NCAA ranks almost two years ago, but is having an excellent season in the AHL with 40 points in 63 games.
  • Paul Carey has been recalled once again by the Boston Bruins, who also activated David Pastrnak today. Patrice Bergeron did miss practice, but head coach Bruce Cassidy deemed it a maintenance day and told reporters the star center would be just fine.
  • The Anaheim Ducks announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Andy Welinski from San Diego of the AHL.  He has been shuttled back and forth between the Ducks and Gulls in recent days based on their injury situation.  Welinski has played in 19 games with Anaheim so far this season, playing a little over 14 minutes a night.

Eastern Notes: Merzlikins, Giroux, Wood, Smith

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The Columbus Blue Jackets may be getting another big prospect into the organization sooner than later as The Athletic’s Tom Reed reports that goaltending prospect Elvis Merzlikins will likely soon sign an entry-level deal now that his Swiss League team has been eliminated. The 24-year-old prospect could find himself battling for Columbus’ starting goaltending job next season.

Expect that in the next few days, the Blue Jackets sign Merzlikins, who has been the starting goaltender for Lugano for the last six years, get his immigration papers in order and get him to Cleveland of the AHL to get into as much action as possible before the end of the season. The 24-year-old had an impressive season in the Swiss League with a .921 save percentage and a 2.44 GAA in 43 games this season. A third-round pick in 2014, Merzlikins has opted to stay overseas since drafted, but suggested last summer that he might come over this season. With Sergei Bobrovsky likely headed elsewhere in free agency this summer, the team could give Merzlikins a shot at the starting job.

  • Philadelphia Flyers forward Claude Giroux may miss his first game in more than three years as interim head coach Scott Gordon said that Giroux is ill and will be a game-time decision Sunday, according to Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi. The 31-year-old has played in 256 straight games, dating back to February of 2016. If he can’t play, Justin Bailey will replace Giroux who has 20 goals and 76 points this season for Philadelphia.
  • The New Jersey Devils are without forward Miles Wood once again Sunday as he will continue to sit out with a right ankle fracture despite making the West Coast trip with the team, according to Chris Ryan of NJ.com. Wood, who has been out since Feb. 25, remains day-to-day. The 23-year-old hasn’t been as effective for New Jersey after a breakout 19-goal season a year ago as he has eight goals and 21 points in 56 games this season.
  • Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos stated on Hockey Night in Canada late last night that Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach D.J. Smith could draw quite a bit of interest as a head coaching candidate this offseason. Smith was considered a top candidate for the New York Islanders job before Barry Trotz came available and took the position. Smith may get quite a bit of interest from the Ottawa Senators this summer. Ottawa considered Smith back in 2016, but Toronto rejected their request to interview him. They hired Guy Boucher instead.

Minor Transactions: 03/16/19

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The playoff picture received a shake-up last night. The Maple Leafs stormed back from down three to beat the Flyers, crushing Philadelphia’s postseason hopes in the process; the Blue Jackets blanked the Hurricanes to pull even in the wild card race; the Golden Knights held off the surging Stars, who had an opportunity to leapfrog the Blues in the Central race; and the Avalanche suffered an upset at the hands of the Ducks that may very well have wiped out their chances of a playoff run. We have entered the home stretch, as no team has more than a dozen games left on their regular season schedule. Each day’s slate of games will have more of an impact on the postseason placement than the next and today is no different, with match-ups like Blues-Penguins, Bruins-Blue Jackets, Flames-Jets, Capitals-Lightning, and Predators-Sharks that can cause four-point swings in playoff races. Even the smallest moves can be crucial the rest of the way, so keep up with all of those transactions here:

  • Cody Goloubef’s stint with the Ottawa Senators lasted just one game this time around, as the team has announced that the veteran defender has been reassigned to AHL Belleville. Goloubef has played in five NHL games with the Senators this season, which is five more than he had played with the Boston Bruins prior to a mid-season trade.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have made veteran defenseman Brian Lashoff an emergency recall, the team announced. The 28-year-old has not played in the NHL this season and in fact has just 17 games with Detroit to his credit since the end of the 2013-14 season, in which he started nearly every game for the team. Nevertheless, Lashoff – a leader for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins – earned a two-year extension this week and the Red Wings may be rewarding that commitment by giving the long-time defender another shot at the top level.
  • Jacob Middleton’s shot at filling a gap on the Sharks’ blue line was short-lived. CapFriendly reports that the rookie defenseman has been returned to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. Fortunately, that just means he’s down the hall in the other locker room, so Middleton can easily be used as needed down the stretch. With Radim Simek done for the year and Erik Karlsson still sidelined, the Sharks are thin on the back end and Middleton has been a consistent defensive asset for the Barracuda this season.
  • The back-and-forth continues for Jordan Kyrou, who has been reassigned by the St. Louis Blues yet again in his fourth move in about 48 hours. This time, Kyrou’s roster spot has been lost to the return of David Perron. The Blues announced that Perron has been activated from the injured reserve and will re-join the lineup. The veteran winger has missed the past 24 games with an upper-body injury, but is finally ready to get back to work. St. Louis could use the help as their hot streak has faded some and the Dallas Stars are suddenly right on their heels.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have recalled Justin Bailey from the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms. It his fourth recall in the last five weeks since Feb. 10. The team needs that extra forward with Mikhail Vorobyev injured Wednesday. Bailey has played seven games for the Flyers this season with no points.
  • Despite a recall Friday, the New Jersey Devils have chosen to re-assign forward Nick Lappin to the Binghamton Devils of the AHL, according to CapFriendly. Lappin did not play Friday. The 26-year-old forward has 16 goals and 27 points in 45 games with Binghamton.
  • The Boston Bruins have assigned forward Trent Frederic to the Providence Bruins of the AHL, according to Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont. Frederic was recalled Tuesday as an emergency call-up, but several player getting healthier, including the return of Jake Debrusk, the team can return him to Providence. The 21-year-old has appeared in 13 games for Boston, but has failed to register a point.

Minor Transactions: 03/15/19

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The NHL has six games scheduled for this Friday night and at least one of them is must-see television for those who are watching the playoff race in the Eastern Conference. The Carolina Hurricanes travel to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets in a huge matchup that could decide their playoff fates. The Montreal Canadiens find themselves two points behind the Hurricanes and tied with the Blue Jackets for the wild card spots, meaning they have a chance to catch whichever team loses tonight. As teams prepare for the final stretch drive, we’ll be here to keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Philadelphia Flyers will have Jakub Voracek back in the lineup against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, so there was no need to keep Justin Bailey up in the NHL. The young forward has been reassigned to the minor leagues, where he has eight points in 16 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
  • Last night, the New Jersey Devils recalled Nick Lappin and Eric Tangradi from the minor leagues once again and could have them in the lineup for tonight’s game against the Vancouver Canucks. The Devils have been decimated lately with injury, and are just playing out the string with no hope of making the playoffs this season.
  • Landon Bow has been recalled by the Dallas Stars, as the team waits to see how long Ben Bishop will be out with his latest injury. Bishop has been back at his Vezina-caliber level this season, but will need a little more to help the Stars do any damage in the playoffs.
  • The St. Louis Blues have recalled Jordan Kyrou again, his third transaction in the span of a day. The young forward will get a chance to help the Blues down the stretch and into the playoffs after a dominant season at the AHL level.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have recalled Joseph Gambardella from the minor leagues, giving them another forward option as they try to hold onto their playoff hope. Gambardella is among the league leaders in goal scoring in the AHL with 27 in 45 games, but failed to record a point in his four games earlier this season for the Oilers.
  • The San Jose Sharks have sent a pair of forwards to the minor leagues, assigning Lukas Radil and Dylan Gambrell to the San Jose Barracuda. Gambrell knows this game having been bounced up and down all year, but Radil hasn’t spent much time in the AHL this season. The team did include Radil in a paper transaction at the deadline, meaning he is eligible for AHL playoffs if the team chooses to keep him down.

Minor Transactions: 03/14/19

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,Now that we know exactly when the draft lottery will be, teams around the league that are already out of the playoff race have something to look forward to. Still, those teams have to play out the string knowing they have little chance of making the postseason, and tonight is filled with games between contenders and bottom dwellers. The St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Arizona Coyotes, San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators are all taking on teams well out of the playoff race, and have a chance to get themselves another two points. As they prepare for those games, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • With Jakub Voracek sitting out again tonight with his suspension, the Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Justin Bailey from the AHL. Bailey has played six games for the Flyers since coming over from the Buffalo Sabres organization, but is still looking for his first point with the orange and black. The Flyers will get Voracek back in time for Friday’s game against the Maple Leafs, meaning Bailey’s NHL stint is likely going to be a short one.
  • After relieving Corey Crawford last night, Collin Delia is on his way back to the minor leagues. Cam Ward is set to return from injury, and Crawford was just dealing with an illness that removed him from the game against the Maple Leafs. Delia will resume his role with the Rockford IceHogs and continue to develop in the AHL.
  • Literally an afterthought in the wake of the Erik Brannstrom call-up today, the Senators announced that veteran defenseman Cody Goloubef has also been recalled. Goloubef, 29, has played in four games with Ottawa and 29 games with Belleville since a mid-season trade from the Boston Bruins.
  • Jordan Kyrou is on his way up to St. Louis. The Blues could use a boost right now and hope that one of their top prospects can provide just that. Kyrou has been a point-per-game player for the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage this season and is well on his way to being a regular in the St. Louis lineup next season.

Minor Transactions: 03/05/19

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It’s a busy night in the NHL with ten games on the schedule including an epic matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Winnipeg Jets. The two teams are considered top contenders from each conference and very well may end up battling for the Stanley Cup down the road. As teams prepare for action tonight we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Justin Bailey from the minor leagues, his second call-up since being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in mid-January. Bailey, 23, played five games for the Flyers during that first recall but failed to score a single point.
  • Joshua Ho-Sang and Michael Dal Colle are back up for the New York Islanders under emergency conditions, likely meaning a pair of New York Islanders forwards are dealing with injury or illness. The pair of youngsters have been playing together in the minor leagues and still have plenty of potential.
  • Goaltender Collin Delia has been recalled under emergency conditions by the Chicago Blackhawks, and announced later on that Cam Ward will be out 7-10 days with a knee injury. Delia has played quite a bit for the Blackhawks this season and could potentially be a candidate to take over an NHL role next year.
  • The Ducks announced the recalls of center Sam Steel and defenseman Jacob Larsson from San Diego of the AHL.  Steel has had a productive rookie season with the Gulls while Larsson has seen action in 38 games with Anaheim this year while logging over 16 minutes per night of ice time.

Minor Transactions: 02/26/19

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The trade deadline has come and gone, meaning roster limits are no longer in effect for the NHL. Teams are allowed to carry as many players as possible, though hold just four non-emergency recalls through the end of the season. While many teams used those recalls to complete paper transactions in order to maintain minor league playoff eligibility for their young stars, others will use them over the next few weeks. We’ll be right here to keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Florida Panthers have recalled Riley Stillman from the minor leagues, giving them another defenseman down the stretch. Stillman, the son of former Panthers alternate captain Corey Stillman, has 11 points in 46 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds in his first year of professional hockey.
  • Zach Trotman has been recalled by the Pittsburgh Penguins, another healthy defenseman to fill in while they assess the injuries to Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin. The team acquired two defenders yesterday, meaning Trotman likely won’t stay with the club through the end of the season. The 28-year old has 70 games of NHL experience under his belt.
  • Justin Bailey was sent back to the minor leagues by the Philadelphia Flyers, a move that means he won’t get to face off against his old team tonight. The Buffalo Sabres are in Philadelphia and will also not have to face Wayne Simmonds after the power forward was dealt yesterday.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Danny O’Regan from the minor leagues after their loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. O’Regan had been with the team already and was involved in a paper transaction to make him eligible for the AHL playoffs.
  • Kurtis MacDermid is up with the Los Angeles Kings and is expected to play against the Carolina Hurricanes tonight. MacDermid hasn’t played a game in the NHL this season but suited up 34 times for the Kings last year.

Minor Transactions: 02/10/2019

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After a 14-game slate yesterday, several teams are back in action today as the NHL trots out eight more games, including six matinees. Among the match-ups, St. Louis and Nashville will complete their weekend home-and-home series, in-state rivals Tampa and Florida are set to square off, and Chicago looks to extend their league-best six-game win streak as they host Detroit. Meanwhile, many teams will be tinkering with their rosters in anticipation of a new week of games. Tomorrow marks two weeks out from the NHL Trade Deadline and some minor moves could be clues of bigger things to come. Stay tuned right here:

  • The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled a recently-acquired piece. The team has announced that forward Justin Bailey has received his first call-up since coming over from the Buffalo Sabres last month. Bailey, 23, was swapped for Taylor Leier and since arriving in Lehigh Valley has five goals and seven points in ten games with the AHL Phantoms. Bailey has NHL experience with the Sabres, but this is the first test of how he fits in the Philly lineup. Ideally, Bailey will challenge to fill a starting winger spot next season in the likely absence of impending free agents Wayne Simmonds and Michael Raffl. 
  • Another player traded away by Buffalo is getting the opposite of an NHL opportunity. First-year pro Cliff Pu, the centerpiece prospect of the Jeff Skinner trade, has been reassigned by the Carolina Hurricanes from the AHL to the ECHL. Pu, a 2016 third-round pick, heads to the Florida Everblades after recording just six points through 42 games with the Charlotte Checkers, the team announced. Admittedly, Pu was joined by future second-, third-, and sixth-round picks in the Skinner return, but the optics are poor for the Hurricanes that Pu has struggled mightily in the minors while Skinner’s 33 goals are second-best in the NHL.
  • The Florida Panthers announced they have recalled forward Jamie McGinn from Springfield of the AHL and have placed Colton Sceviour on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. McGinn was just placed on waivers on Feb. 1 and has looked impressive in four games with the Thunderbirds with two goals and four points. The 30-year-old underwent back surgery in September, but has shown he might be ready to return to the team’s bottom-six. Sceviour played a full shift Saturday against Washington and has five goals and 14 points.
  • With the loss of Sven Baertschi, who will be out for a while, the Vancouver Canucks announced they have recalled Zach MacEwen from the Utica Comets of the AHL. The 22-year-old was brought into the system as an undrafted free agent, but has thrived with Utica, especially this year where he has 17 goals and 42 points in 49 games along with 49 penalty minutes. He gets called up one day after posting a four-point game against Rochester.

Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres Swap Forwards

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The Buffalo Sabres and Philadelphia Flyers have come to terms on a one-for-one trade. The Flyers have announced tonight that they have acquired forward Justin Bailey in exchange for forward Taylor Leier. Bailey and Leier are each expected to remain in the AHL for the time being, but likely to get looks prior to the end of the season. Both players are impending restricted free agents in need of new contracts in the off-season.

Bailey, 23, adds yet another power forward to the mix for the Flyers. At 6’4″, 214 lbs., Bailey brings a heavy game, but also has an offensive touch. Bailey has recorded 20 points through 37 games with the Rochester Americans so far this season and has a history of production at the minor league level. While he had yet to be called up this season, Bailey does have 52 games of NHL experience with the Sabres and eight points over that time. The 2013 second-round pick should get a look in Philadelphia down the stretch and would be a prime candidate to fill the hole that Wayne Simmonds’ probable departure would leave in the Flyers’ lineup next year.

Leier, 24, played the entire 2017-18 season with the Flyers, before being sent down to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms early this year. He heads to Buffalo with 55 NHL games and seven points of his own, similar production to Bailey. Leier’s AHL scoring numbers are also remarkably close to Bailey’s, as the swap seems to be of equal offensive talent. However, Leier is a far different style of player; the former fourth-rounder plays a game based around quickness and finesse and may be able to find a more suitable fit with the Sabres than with the Flyers. Buffalo and head coach Phil Housley have found success with role players thus far and Leier could be next up.

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