The Philadelphia Flyers have largely stayed out of the headlines during the first week of the NHL’s 2020 free agency season.
General manager Chuck Fletcher committed to just two new contracts, both for the blue line.
-
Ep 76: Oilers, Flames, Winter Classic Jersey, Avs, and More
by Full Press Coverage on November 23, 2023 at 6:42 am
Jim and Chris are back for another edition of Full Press Hockey Weekly to […]
UFAs Gustafsson, Pouliot Signed
On Day 1, minor-leaguer Derrick Pouliot was signed to a one-year, two-way contract that will pay him the NHL minimum of $700,000 with the Flyers, and $425,000 in the AHL. Originally drafted eighth overall in 2012, the 26-year-old spent last season with the St. Louis Blues organization, playing two games with the big club and putting up 7-32-39 in 58 games with the San Antonio Rampage.
On Day 4, Fletcher brought in 28-year-old blueliner Erik Gustafsson. He signed a one-year deal with a cap hit of $3 million.
Gustafsson was originally selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fourth round of that same 2012 draft. He found his footing in the NHL after signing as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015.
The 6’0″, 197-pound Swede turned heads when he put up 17 goals and 60 points with the Blackhawks in 2018-19. His 42 even-strength points that year ranked him fifth in the league among defensemen.
Knowing that he’d be due a significant raise from his $1.2 million cap hit, the Blackhawks dealt Gustafsson to the Calgary Flames at the 2020 trade deadline. In exchange, Stan Bowman received a conditional third-round draft pick.
What Gustafsson Brings
Gustafsson had three assists in seven games before the regular season was paused, then added four assists in 10 postseason games. In those games, he averaged 17:06. During his time in Chicago, his average ice time was 20:02.
Fletcher has some options in terms of how Gustafsson is deployed. He can play both sides, but prefers the right. “We think his skill set matches really well with what we need,” Fletcher told reporters on a conference call on Friday. “I think we have a lot of strong defenders on our team, and we’re very structured defensively as a group. And his skill set, his ability to go back for pucks and make good decisions, and transition the puck up the ice was a very important element to add to our group.”
More Moves To Come?
Fletcher said he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of adding another defenseman to his group. Matt Niskanen’s sudden retirement has left a big hole to fill.
As of Friday evening, notable free-agent blueliners who are still on the market include Sami Vatanen and Travis Hamonic. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet mentioned in his ’31 Thoughts’ blog that the Flyers had spoken with the Arizona Coyotes about 32-year-old right-side defender Jason Demers. It’s unclear whether or not those discussions took place before Gustafsson was signed.
Pitlick Lands In The Desert
Speaking of the Coyotes, they inked the Flyers’ unrestricted free agent Tyler Pitlick. His new deal is for two years, with a cap hit of $1.75 million per season. That’s a significant raise over the $1 million that Philadelphia paid him last season. It’s a solid reward for a good year with the Flyers. But it’s too rich for Fletcher to match.
Flyers’ trade deadline acquisition Nate Thompson also has a new home. He signed a one-year deal worth $750,000 with the Winnipeg Jets. That’s a dip from the $1 million that the 36-year-old Alaskan made last season.
And after he was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline, Derek Grant is returning to the O.C. on a three-year deal with a cap hit of $1.5 million per season.
This will be Grant’s third tenure in Anaheim. He previously signed there as a free agent in 2017, then moved to Pittsburgh in free agency a year later. He was traded back to the Ducks in January of 2019, after 25 games with the Penguins and five in the minors.
This time around, 30-year-old Grant gets a rare contract with both term and some nice money. He made $700,000 last season. This is the first time he’s ever inked a deal with an average value of more than $1 million.
Patrick Accepts Qualifying Offer
Fletcher finished up two other bits of business this week. On Wednesday, he inked new first-round draft pick, Tyson Foerster, to his three-year entry-level contract. On Friday, 2017 first-rounder Nolan Patrick accepted his qualifying offer — a two-way deal that is initially reported to carry a cap hit of just over $870,000, according to CapFriendly.
A draft lottery prize who was selected second overall, 22-year-old Patrick has 26 goals and 61 points in 145 career NHL games to date but missed all of last season with migraine disorder.
The good news for Flyers fans: Patrick has been scrimmaging over the last couple of weeks in his hometown of Brandon, Manitoba, and appears to be handling the activity well. A return to the ice in good health next season would be a terrific boost to Philadelphia’s forward group.
With Patrick’s deal on the books, the Flyers’ only remaining unsigned restricted free agent is defenseman Philippe Myers.
-
Ep 76: Oilers, Flames, Winter Classic Jersey, Avs, and More
by Full Press Coverage on November 23, 2023 at 6:42 am
Jim and Chris are back for another edition of Full Press Hockey Weekly to […]
-
Ep 75: Hockey After Dark
by Full Press Coverage on November 15, 2023 at 3:12 am
Jim and Chris are back for the first edition of Full Press Hockey After […]
-
Ep 74: Drama In Ottawa, McAvoy Suspended, NHL Rumors, and More!
by Full Press Coverage on November 2, 2023 at 1:27 pm
In a jam-packed episode, Jim and Chris discuss the drama in Ottawa with […]
-
Off to Motown: Patrick Kane Signs with Detroit Red Wings
by Full Press Coverage on November 28, 2023 at 7:07 pm
Jim Biringer is back once again joined by Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey […]
-
What's on Russ's Mind: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
by Full Press Coverage on November 23, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Jim Biringer is back once again joined by Russ Cohen of Full Press Hockey, […]
-
Off To Alberta To Check On The Edmonton Oilers
by Full Press Coverage on November 19, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Jim Biringer is back once again joined by Avry Lewis-McDougall of the […]
-
Ep 87: Captain Brad Marchand, New Season Expectations, Bruins Hockey Is Back
by Full Press Coverage on October 11, 2023 at 11:10 pm
Ian and Chris return for the start of the Bruins season as they talk Brad […]
-
Ep 86: David Krejci Announces Retirement
by Full Press Coverage on August 14, 2023 at 10:28 pm
Ian and Chris react to David Krejci's retirement. Learn more about your ad […]
-
S5Ep13 - Patrick Kane Signs with Detroit Red Wings
by Jim Biringer on November 28, 2023 at 5:21 pm
Jim Biringer is back for the fifth season of the Final Word on Hockey in a […]
-
S5Ep12 - Time For William Nylander To Get Paid
by Jim Biringer on November 19, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Jim Biringer is back for the fifth season of the Final Word on Hockey […]
-
Avalanche at Ducks - Canucks at Flames - Capitals at Golden Knights
by Broken Controller Media on December 2, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Hunter Logan Previews Avalanche at Ducks, Canucks at Flames, Capitals at […]
-
Sabres at Hurricanes - Red Wings at Canadiens - Kraken at Senators
by Broken Controller Media on December 2, 2023 at 4:10 pm
Hunter Logan Previews Sabres at Hurricanes, Red Wings at Canadiens, Kraken […]
-
Lightning at Stars - Blackhawks at Jets - Rangers at Predators - Islanders at Panthers
by Broken Controller Media on December 2, 2023 at 4:05 pm
Hunter Logan Previews Lightning at Stars, Blackhawks at Jets, Rangers at […]
-
Episode #147: Sloppy October Is Over?
by Full Press Coverage on November 2, 2023 at 8:37 pm
On this edition of The Calder Farmstead, Sean and Sarah finish out the […]
-
Episode #146: Spooky Luck
by Full Press Coverage on October 27, 2023 at 4:09 pm
On this episode of The Calder Farmstead, Mr. Anderson (Sean) and Tina […]
-
Renegades Of Puck Ep 828
by Charlie Saunier on December 1, 2023 at 6:59 pm
Ep 828 The Renegades Of Puck Recap 6-1 L Vs Wild Preview Rangers & […]
-
Full Press Islanders - 12-1 - Take the 2 points and run
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 4:55 pm
Last night wasn't pretty but they found a way to win and that's what […]
-
Full Press Hurricanes - 12-1 - Carolina Falls 5-4 in Overtime Against the Islanders.
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 4:30 pm
The Hurricanes thoroughly outshot the New York Islanders 43-16, but the […]
-
Leafs Digest - 12-1 - MASSIVE Trade Incoming? - Trade Reports INTENSIFYING
by BCM on December 1, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Nick Gosse and Darius Domingues break down recent reports highlighting […]
-
Full Press Kraken - 12-1 - Shootout loss, Maple Leafs, Marner
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 2:40 pm
Recapping the shootout loss to Toronto. Learn more about your ad choices. […]
-
Full Press Wild - 12-1 - Recapping a dominating Wild win over the predators.
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 2:30 pm
Win, Nashville, domination, Connor Dewar. Learn more about your ad […]
-
11/28 - MNF Reaction, State Of The NFL
by Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 3:49 am
Ian and John react to Monday Night Football and discuss more of the state […]
-
11/27 - Thanksgiving Recap; Jalen Hurts, NFL News and Notes
by Full Press Coverage on November 27, 2023 at 10:43 pm
Ian and John recap Thanksgiving weekend, discuss Jalen Hurts' moment, and […]
-
11/24 - Thanksgiving Recap, Jets/Dolphins, Week 12 Picks
by Full Press Coverage on November 24, 2023 at 3:47 pm
Ian and John react to all of the action on Thanksgiving Day and look ahead […]
-
11/23 - Thanksgiving Day Preview, Tom Brady, Top 5 NFL Teams
by Full Press Coverage on November 23, 2023 at 3:11 pm
Ian and John discuss the Thanksgiving Day slate of games in the NFL, Tom […]
-
Ep 193: Ayako Hamada
by Full Press Coverage on December 2, 2023 at 3:00 pm
Ayako Hamada has had a wide and varied career through AAA, SHIMMER, TNA, […]
-
Ep. 262 - The In Season Tournament is Going Better Than Anyone Expected
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 12:56 am
Jet and Sap share their thoughts now that group play is over with in the […]
-
Ep 198: Week 13 vs Chiefs
by Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 8:20 pm
In this episode, co-hosts Kyle Senra and Jesse Hall are joined by Braden […]
-
Ep 316: Week 13 Fantasy Football Preview
by Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 4:08 am
In this episode, Kyle Serna and Brad Harvin provide a survival guide for […]
-
11/28 - MNF Reaction, State Of The NFL
by Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 3:49 am
Ian and John react to Monday Night Football and discuss more of the state […]
-
Ep 180: Hall of Fame Class Of 2024 Semifinalists Discussion
by Full Press Coverage on November 28, 2023 at 7:02 pm
Ira and Clark dissect the 2024 Hall of Fame class semifinalists. Learn […]
-
Ep 197: Recapping Weeks 11 & 12
by Full Press Coverage on November 27, 2023 at 11:26 pm
This episode is a double-dip in a good way. Kyle Senra and Jesse Hall […]
-
11/27 - Thanksgiving Recap; Jalen Hurts, NFL News and Notes
by Full Press Coverage on November 27, 2023 at 10:43 pm
Ian and John recap Thanksgiving weekend, discuss Jalen Hurts' moment, and […]