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Philadelphia Flyers Activate Sean Couturier

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His time was coming near, but the Philadelphia Flyers announced Sunday that they are activating injured forward Sean Couturier off of injured reserve and the Selke Award winner is expected to be in the lineup today against the Washington Capitals.

The 28-year-old was expected to miss at least two weeks after suffering a Costochondral separation, or a rib separation, early in a Jan. 15 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Couturier has only managed to play in two games this season (including just 45 seconds on the day of his injury).

Couturier should immediately provide some much-needed stability to a Flyers team that was expected to be a dominant team this season. While the team is in second place with a 7-3-2 record this year, Philadelphia has struggled quite a bit at the same time, giving up several leads in games.

The Flyers are also expecting Philippe Myers to return to the Flyers’ lineup and is expected to start on the first pairing with Ivan Provorov, according to The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor. Travis Sanheim has come out of the lineup, but no report on whether it is injury-related.

Philadelphia Flyers Announce Multiple Injuries

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Morgan Frost of the Philadelphia Flyers has suffered a dislocated left shoulder and is out indefinitely. The young forward has been placed on injured reserve. Philippe Myers, who was also forced from action recently, has suffered a fractured rib and is considered week-to-week. One of the only reasons Frost had even been playing was because of an injury to Sean Couturier, who hasn’t played since last Friday.

It’s important to remember that missing even a few weeks can mean up to a quarter of the season in this condensed schedule. Should Couturier be able to return soon, the absence of Frost may not be that noticeable, but Myers was and will continue to be a huge loss. Even with very little NHL experience, the 23-year-old defenseman was given a three-year, $7.65MM contract this winter and was expected to be a key part of the Flyers back end.

Frost meanwhile is just trying to get his foot in the door, after spending most of last season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 21-year-old forward was a first-round pick in 2017 and has just 22 NHL games to his name so far. His best opportunity to prove his value may have been while Couturier was out, but now he’ll miss a huge chunk of the season himself.

The Flyers are back in action this evening against the Boston Bruins as they look to maintain their lead in the East Division.

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Philippe Myers

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December 8: The deal is done, with Myers officially signing a three-year deal worth an average annual value of $2.55MM. Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher released this statement:

We’re happy to have Phil signed for the next three years. He is a big, mobile right shot defenseman who progressed into a top four role on our blue line last season. We look forward to his continued growth.

Myers is receiving a pretty substantial raise over his entry-level salary and will still be a restricted free agent when this new deal expires. At that point though, he will have arbitration rights and will be just a year away from UFA status, giving him plenty of leverage in talks. If the young defenseman does manage to secure a spot next to Ivan Provorov on the team’s top pairing in the meantime, it could be a big payday in 2023.

December 7: The Flyers have one remaining restricted free agent in defenseman Philippe Myers and it appears that they’re on their way towards getting that deal done.  Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter link) that the two sides are close to an agreement and that a contract could be finalized later this week.

The 23-year-old spent the majority of last season with the Flyers, getting into 50 games where he recorded 16 points (4-12-16) while averaging over 17:06 per game, a number that went up as the season progressed.  By the time the postseason hit, he was a fixture in their top four and logged just over 20 minutes a night in 16 playoff games while picking up three goals and an assist.

With the team not changing much on the back end this offseason (Matt Niskanen retired with Erik Gustafsson, a left-shot player, taking his spot on the roster), Myers arguably sits atop Philadelphia’s depth chart among right-shot blueliners.  As a result, it certainly seems as if he’s a candidate to take on an even bigger role next season.

The Flyers have some cap flexibility and have nearly $4.8MM in cap room, per CapFriendly.  While someone in his situation (71 career regular season NHL games) would typically be a safe bet for a bridge contract, they do have some room to try to get a longer-term contract done.  With how quickly Myers has moved up their depth chart, that may be the smarter play for GM Chuck Fletcher although such a move wouldn’t be without its risks.  Whichever way they wind up going, it at least appears that some good progress is being made on his next contract.

Philadelphia Flyers Issue Qualifying Offers

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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that Nolan Patrick, Mikhail Vorobyev and Philippe Myers have received qualifying offers, keeping their negotiating rights in the organization. Nathan Noel, the team’s only other pending restricted free agent, did not receive an offer and will become an unrestricted free agent on Friday.

The decisions made today shouldn’t surprise anyone, but that doesn’t mean the work is finished for GM Chuck Fletcher and the Flyers front office. Patrick in particular is a very interesting case to follow as he becomes a restricted free agent this offseason. Because he has been limited so much by injuries, Patrick is not actually eligible to sign an offer sheet and without arbitration rights is at the mercy of the Flyers. They don’t need to necessarily work out a multi-year deal with the top draft pick, though perhaps they could get some savings if they do.

If Patrick is healthy, he has already proven his worth in the NHL. The second overall pick in 2017 played in the NHL as a teenager, scoring 13 goals and 30 points in his rookie season. While that certainly didn’t blow the doors off the building, holding your own as a center in the league at that age is still impressive. Patrick returned in 2018-19 and once again posted 13 goals and 31 points in 72 games, but unfortunately, those would be the last games he played to this point. All of 2019-20 was lost to a migraine issue, and though Patrick has been skating for months it’s still hard to know if he’ll actually be ready to start next season.

If he is, perhaps the Flyers could try to lock up several of his RFA years right now at a bargain bin price. If there is still doubt in his ability to stay on the ice, a one-year deal makes a lot more sense.

East Notes: Reinhart, Komarov, Myers, Barkov

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One of the big items on new Sabres GM Kevyn Adams’ list this offseason will be Sam Reinhart’s case.  The pending restricted free agent has wrapped up his bridge contract and in doing so, he showed that his 50-point campaign in 2017-18 was no fluke.  Now just two years away from UFA eligibility, a long-term contract is going to be what both sides are likely looking for.

With that in mind, NHL.com’s Dan Rosen took a stab at trying to figure out what a good comparable would be.  He suggested Blues winger Jaden Schwartz, whose cap percentage at the time the deal was signed would translate to a roughly $6MM price tag today and next season with the Upper Limit expected to remain around the $81.5MM mark.  Buffalo has a plethora of players to sign still for next year but as a fixture in their top six, the Sabres shouldn’t have many qualms about signing Reinhart to a contract around that price tag.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • A large group of Finnish players will be heading back to their respective club teams later this week. Heikki Miettinen of Helsingen Sanomat in Finland notes that Islanders winger Leo Komarov has leased a private plane to fly several of his NHL compatriots from Helsinki to New York in advance of training camps opening up next month.  The hope is that by doing a private flight, they will be able to avoid self-quarantining guidelines although that is not set in stone.
  • Flyers defenseman Philippe Myers has fully recovered from his fractured kneecap in March, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer. Prior to the injury, he was starting to carve out a bit of a bigger workload, averaging more than 18 minutes a night before going down.  Still just 23, this will be his first taste of the postseason and it will be interesting to see if head coach Alain Vigneault deploys him in a similar manner once it gets underway or if he’ll defer more to his veterans.
  • Panthers center Aleksander Barkov has purchased a stake in Tappara’s hockey program, notes George Richards of Panthers Pressbox. The 24-year-old is from Tampere and played in Tappara’s system from 2009 through 2013 before making the jump to the NHL.

Snapshots: Patrick, Kalynuk, Panthers, Granlund

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The Philadelphia Flyers are expected to be quite healthy whenever the league begins their 24-team tournament. The team is expected to get back James van Riemsdyk (fractured right index finger) and Philippe Myers (fractured right kneecap). However, the news remains grim for young center Nolan Patrick, who has missed the entire 2019-20 season with migraine issues.

Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi notes that the second-overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft hasn’t seen much improvement and seriously doubts the team would be willing to put the 21-year-old out on the ice if he could re-injure himself during the 24-team playoffs. It’s much more likely the Flyers will allow him to heal throughout the summer and hope that he is ready to go whenever training camp gets underway for the 2020-21 season, which could be anywhere between November to January.

Even if Philadelphia believed Patrick was ready to contribute, Carchidi points out that it doesn’t make much sense to break up the team’s chemistry that led them to a first-round bye in the playoffs. Throwing a player who hasn’t played since Apr. 2, 2019 isn’t necessarily a good way to hold onto that chemistry.

  • In a separate article, Carchidi writes that the Philadelphia Flyers are in negotiations with their 2017 seventh-round pick, Wyatt Kalynuk, who decided to forego his senior season at Wisconsin and can become a free agent later this summer. The 23-year-old offensive defenseman was an all-Big Ten selection after scoring seven goals and 28 points.
  • NHL.com’s Jameson Olive interviewed Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon, who states that along with regular players on the team’s roster, the Panthers expect to add several prospects to the playoff roster, including forwards Owen Tippett, Henrik Borgstrom and defenseman Brady Keeper. Tippett could be an interesting player, who was a first-round pick back in 2017 and appeared in seven games back in the 2017-18 season, but was returned to junior. He scored 19 goals in 46 games with Springfield this year in the AHL. Borgstrom struggled this year, mainly playing in the AHL after playing 50 games with Florida in 2018-19, but still has the potential to become a solid NHL forward, while Keeper finished out his rookie season in the AHL, faring well. “I’m sure we’ll have a few of our top prospects there,” Tallon said. “We’ll narrow it down to see how many [Joel Quenneville] wants. We still have to wait for the league [to give] an exact number.”
  • Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins reports that while forward Markus Granlund has already signed a contract with Ufa Salavat Yulaev in the KHL for next season, expect the forward to be part of the Edmonton Oilers’ “Black Aces” taxi squad when the 24-team playoffs begin later this summer. Granlund remains under contract with the Oilers until the season is over and should be able to provide veteran depth for the team in case of injuries. Granlund played in 34 games with the Oilers this season with three goals and four points, but did spend quite a bit of time in the AHL this year, something he hadn’t been forced to do in years.

East Notes: Williams, Nilsson, Borowiecki, Flyers Injuries

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After sitting out the first three months of the season while pondering his playing future, some have wondered if Hurricanes winger Justin Williams’ career will be over if the season is eventually called off.  In an appearance on Sportsnet 590 (video link), the 38-year-old indicated that he hasn’t been giving any thought to whether or not he’ll play beyond this season during this stoppage.  He has been a productive addition for Carolina, picking up 11 points in 20 games which is pretty good for someone who missed that much time to start the season.  Williams also expressed optimism that an extended training camp wouldn’t be needed if they get the green light to return to playing in the weeks and months to come.

More from the East:

  • If NHL regular season action resumes, many teams will be getting key injured players back which could make for quite the compelling stretch run. However, the Senators aren’t certain if they’ll be able to have defenseman Mark Borowiecki (ankle injury) or goalie Anders Nilsson (concussion) back in the fold, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.  Head coach D.J. Smith noted that while both players are doing better now, the fact that they’re unable to be put through the paces on the ice makes it tough to assess their recovery.  While Nilsson is signed and the presumptive starter for next season, Borowiecki is a pending unrestricted free agent and could benefit from getting back and showing he has fully recovered.
  • Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher spoke with reporters today, including NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman, to provide an update on their injured players. Defenseman Philippe Myers will be ready to return after being out fracturing his right patella in early March while winger James van Riemsdyk is expected to be cleared within the next week or two.  As for defenseman Samuel Morin who has been out with a torn ACL since November, he isn’t expected to return if play resumes but has started skating.  Meanwhile, center Nolan Patrick is working out at home as he continues to deal with a migraine disorder but has not been cleared for contact and there is no word on whether or not he’d be able to play if the season continues.

Philippe Myers Out Four Weeks With Fractured Patella

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So much for being a game-time decision. The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that Philippe Myers has suffered a fractured patella on his right knee and will be out approximately four weeks.

Myers, 23, had started to fulfill the promise that earned him a contract in 2015 despite going undrafted. In his first taste of real full-time NHL hockey, he had 16 points in 50 games and had become a staple in the Flyers’ lineup. That includes excellent possession numbers in more than 17 minutes a night, using his 6’5″ frame to contribute at both ends of the rink.

This comes at a terrible time for the Flyers, who were playing their best hockey of the season. The team is on a nine-game winning streak and have climbed within a single point of the Washington Capitals for first place in the Metropolitan Division, but will now have to fill those 17 minutes in another way.

Luckily, the team already went out and added some playoff experience on the right side last offseason. Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun were brought in for these tough games, while the youngsters like Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim continue to develop into top options. Myers will be missed, but the Flyers do have strong depth on the back end to replace him.

The most interesting name to watch might be Shayne Gostisbehere, who hasn’t played up to his previous standards this season and could still play a big role down the stretch.

Injury Updates: Sutter, Daley, Johnson, Myers

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Canucks center Brandon Sutter has been out of the lineup since suffering a lower-body injury back on November 12th but it appears that he’s ready to return.  The team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran could be in uniform tomorrow night against Toronto.

That means that Vancouver is going to have to do some cap juggling in order to activate Sutter off LTIR.  The team has less than $3MM in cap room to work with per CapFriendly and Sutter’s AAV checks in at $4.375MM.  Tyler Motte ($975K) is eligible to be transferred to LTIR as he has already missed a month but that still won’t be enough to activate him.  The Canucks are carrying seven defensemen at the moment and may be forced to drop that to six by sending Jalen Chatfield back to AHL Utica.  If Sutter is cleared to play, expect some roster movement from Vancouver in a hurry.

Other injury notes from around the NHL:

  • Detroit defenseman Trevor Daley could return to the lineup tomorrow after missing 16 straight games due to a lower-body issue, notes Arthur J. Regner of the Red Wings’ team website. He has received the green light to return from team doctors so now it’s a matter of seeing if he needs extra practices before seeing game action.  On the surface, it appears that the team is expecting him to play with the placement of Madison Bowey on waivers today will be the roster spot that’s used to activate Daley off IR.
  • Lightning center Tyler Johnson is day-to-day with a lower-body issue, the team announced (via Twitter). Head coach Jon Cooper indicated that there’s no timetable for his return and that he will not play on Tuesday.  The 29-year-old is off to a relatively quiet start offensively with 14 points in 27 games, the lowest full-season point-per-game rate of his career.
  • Travis Konecny isn’t the only injury the Flyers are dealing with today. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News reports that defenseman Phillipe Myers left practice early today due to back spasms that have been an issue in recent days.  That leaves his availability for Wednesday against Colorado in question.  Myers has very quietly been a surprising factor offensively on Philadelphia’s back end as he has chipped in with nine points in just 17 games this season.

Philadelphia Flyers Recall Three Players

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The Philadelphia Flyers have made several roster moves on Thursday morning, recalling Philippe Myers, German Rubtsov and Carsen Twarynski from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. To make room, the team has loaned Mikhail Vorobyev and Samuel Morin to the AHL, the latter on a conditioning stint. Scott Laughton, who underwent surgery on his right index finger yesterday, was placed on long-term injured reserve. He will be out for three to four weeks.

While Myers got his first look in the NHL last season and Twarynski started this year with the club, it is Rubtsov that will draw the most fanfare. This is the first recall for the 21-year old forward, who was drafted 22nd overall in 2016.

It’s been a long and winding road since that draft, as Rubtsov first stayed in the KHL before leaving to join the Chicoutimi Sagueneens partway through the 2016-17 season. He was on the move again the following year when he was traded from Chicoutimi to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, where he finally found some stability and went on a long QMJHL playoff run. Last season was spent in the minor leagues with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, but Rubtsov suffered a shoulder injury after just 14 games and had to sit out the rest of the year.

Now back flying around the rink, the Russian forward has six points in seven games with the Phantoms and is now getting his first chance in the NHL. Even if it is just a short-term recall, it’s good news for his development and future as a Flyer.

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