#Flyers bubble hockey upgrade#

Keith Yandle signed with Philadelphia on a one-year contract in July. Vigneault attempted to kickstart the former second-overall pick with opportunities to rack up points and build confidence, but Patrick finished with only three power-play points all season. Related: Flyers Hopes to Improve Penalty Kill in 2021-22įletcher also moved Nolan Patrick, who received considerable ice time on the second power-play unit in 2020-21. The top unit regularly counted on Voracek’s distribution from along the boards on the right side and Gostisbehere’s strong shot as the lone defenseman at the top of the zone in recent years. The Flyers traded Jakub Voracek, a staple on the power play over the past decade, and Shayne Gostisbehere, who tied for the team lead in average power-play time per game last season. Their stale strategy with the man advantage contributed to some of the transactions made by general manager Chuck Fletcher during the 2021 offseason. The Flyers have not shown drastic improvement in either of Therrien’s two seasons, finishing 14th and 18th on the PP in 2019-21. Head coach Alain Vigneault began in Philadelphia ahead of the 2019-20 season, and he brought in Michel Therrien to work with the power-play unit.

#Flyers bubble hockey upgrade#

Hayes, 31, finished second in scoring among Flyers players with 54 points in 81 games this season and provides a much-needed upgrade at center for Columbus, although his roughly $7.1MM cap hit is a tad rich for his skillset and career arc.Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. The main negotiating factor in a Hayes trade is reportedly salary retention, suggesting a return package from Columbus might already be ironed out. They noted the Provorov trade was of higher priority to both clubs, but the two parties are now “set to reengage” after completing the three-team deal.

The Fourth Period also mentioned in today’s report that the lines of communication aren’t quite closed between the Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets, especially regarding a long-time rumored deal involving Kevin Hayes. While a poor bubble season in 2020-21 drags Hart’s career numbers down considerably, he’s been admirable in a tough position for Philadelphia in other seasons and sat among the top of the league in multiple stats during the first few months of 2022-23. However, they did specifically name the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens as teams believed to have interest in acquiring the 24-year-old.īoth teams got strong goaltending performances this season from Ilya Samsonov and Sam Montembeault, respectively, but neither of them is regarded as the sure-fire long-term starter Hart is. The Fourth Period today seemed a little more optimistic about the eventuality of a Hart deal, but again noted nothing was imminent on that front. Today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on The Jeff Marek Show that progress toward a Hart trade hasn’t advanced, saying a source told him to “dial back on the ” and that moving Hart wasn’t Philadelphia’s current top priority. Within minutes of Tuesday’s trade being reported, reports from various insiders surfaced the Flyers were at least engaged in discussions with teams about moving Hart, although it wasn’t something as imminent as the Ivan Provorov deal, which was officially announced hours later. Naturally, though, after acquiring a fourth goalie with decent NHL experience in Calvin Petersen, questions began to resurface about the future of budding star netminder Carter Hart with the team.

The Philadelphia Flyers (and rookie general manager Daniel Brière) made their first big splash of the offseason earlier this week.