We’re four weeks away from Philadelphia Flyers hockey action.
According to reports, the club’s rookie camp will begin on Thursday, September 15. Then, the prospects will suit up for a pair of weekend games against the New York Rangers’ prospects. The games will take place at PPL Center in Allentown, home of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Puck drop will be at 7:05 p.m. ET on Friday, September 16 and 5:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 17th.
-
Ep 77: Patrick Kane Signs, Goalie Issues, Corey Perry, and More
by Full Press Coverage on December 3, 2023 at 3:05 am
Jim and Chris are back for another Pucks After Dark on Full Press Hockey […]
Fresh off the World Junior Championship, where they’ll play in the semifinal against Czechia on Friday, Team Canada’s Tyson Foerster and Elliot Desnoyers are expected to be rookie-camp attendees for the Flyers. Swedish defenseman Emil Andrae will be headed back to Europe for another season with HV71, which was promoted to the top-level SHL for the 2022-23 season.
NCAA prospects are not permitted to participate in rookie camps, so we won’t see 2022 first-round pick Cutter Gauthier or any of the Flyers’ other college prospects at rookie camp.
The Rangers’ roster should also include two members of Team Canada. Forward Will Cuylle and goaltender Dylan Garand have both wrapped up their major junior careers and will likely start next season in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
The Flyers’ main training camp is set to kick off one week later, on Thursday, September 22. It’ll be fascinating to watch as coach John Tortorella puts his charges through their paces and works to re-set his team’s identity.
Here’s what general manager Chuck Fletcher and his staff need to address before the puck drops for the regular season on October 13.
Putting Pen To Paper
Over the last month, Fletcher has focused on bringing his club’s restricted free agents under contract. Morgan Frost, Isaac Ratliffe, Tanner Laczynski and Owen Tippett all signed new deals. So did Zack MacEwen, who came to terms on a one-year contract rather than go to an arbitration hearing.
On Monday, the Flyers also announced that they’d inked a new deal with Jackson Cates.
OFFICIAL: We have signed forward @JacksonCates5 to a one-year, two-way contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $775,000. https://t.co/eYAvB38Bii
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) August 15, 2022
Signed as a free agent out of college in 2021, Cates played 37 AHL games with the Phantoms last season, putting up 10 points. He also got into 11 games with the Flyers, and scored one goal. A left-shot center who can also handle duties on the wing, Cates will turn 25 on September 26.
As of Thursday, just three restricted free agents remain unsigned: forwards Wade Allison and Hayden Hodgson and defenseman Linus Hogberg. Turning 25 in October, Allison will require waivers to be assigned to the American Hockey League this season. He could have a real crack at making the Flyers’ opening-night lineup if he has a good preseason. And his high-energy, physical style should make a positive impression on his new coach.
What’s Up With Ellis?
With Allison on their non-roster list, CapFriendly shows 25 players on the Flyers’ main roster next season, with a total cap hit of just over $85 million.
Of course, the club will need to be at or below the salary-cap ceiling of $82.5 million and the roster limit of 23 players one day before the regular season begins.
The burning question: will Ryan Ellis be on that main roster?
Fletcher last spoke about Ellis when free agency opened on July 13, a little over a month ago. “He’s progressed, but there’s no guarantee when he’ll be back,” he said about the 31-year-old defenseman, who managed just four games last season after being acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators during the 2021 offseason.
If Ellis’s prognosis remains pessimistic when the season begins, he can be placed on long-term injured reserve if he’s expected to miss at least 10 games or 24 days of action. His $6.25 million cap hit would also be erased while he’s on LTIR. That would make the Flyers easily cap-compliant, and allow Tortorella some flexibility when naming his opening-night roster.
If Ellis does show up in game shape, that’s a huge boost to the blue line. On the right side, he’d slot in with Rasmus Ristolainen, Tony DeAngelo and Justin Braun.
But putting that $6.25 million back on the books would mean that just over $2.5 million would need to be cut ahead of opening day.
Around Full Press Hockey
NHL: Assessing The Philadephia Flyers’ Depth At Center And Defense
NHL Rumors: NHL Rumors: Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Dallas Stars
NHL: The Most Pressured Men in Maple Leafs Land This Season
NFL: Best Bets For 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie Of The Year
Full Press Bets: Early 2022 NFL MVP Odds: Bills’ Josh Allen Favored
PODCAST: Full Press Hockey Weekly: Ep 37: NHL Free Agency Recap
Managing The Cap
But that’s OK!
We know that Bobby Brink and his $925,000 are headed to LTIR as he recovers from offseason hip surgery. Joel Farabee is also recovering from offseason surgery, but his timeline should have him close to game-ready when the season begins.
Barring any other injuries, the club would be cap compliant if defensemen Ronnie Attard and Nick Seeler are assigned to Lehigh Valley. And let’s assume that Felix Sandstrom will sub into the backup goalie slot. Recent reports indicate that Ivan Fedotov is trying to get his Russian military conscription reversed. But it’s not yet clear whether he will be successful, or when that might happen.
Using CapFriendly’s Armchair GM tool, a 22-man opening-night roster could look something like this. It comes in with just over $200,000 in cap space to spare, so if Allison wants to grab that 13th forward spot, he’d be well served not to price himself much higher than Cates’ $925,000. That was also the average annual value of his previous deal.
FORWARDS
Joel Farabee – Sean Couturier – Travis Konecny
James van Riemsdyk – Kevin Hayes – Cam Atkinson
Scott Laughton – Morgan Frost – Owen Tippett
Nic DesLauriers – Patrick Brown – Zack MacEwen
DEFENSE
Ivan Provorov – Ryan Ellis
Travis Sanheim – Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York – Tony DeAngelo
Justin Braun
Lines and pairings, of course, are subject to the discretion of John Tortorella.
-
Ep 77: Patrick Kane Signs, Goalie Issues, Corey Perry, and More
by Full Press Coverage on December 3, 2023 at 3:05 am
Jim and Chris are back for another Pucks After Dark on Full Press Hockey […]
-
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 […]
-
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 […]
-
Wild at Blackhawks - Sharks at Rangers - Blue Jackets at Bruins
by Broken Controller Media on December 3, 2023 at 3:00 pm
Hunter Logan Previews Wild at Blackhawks, Sharks at Rangers, Blue Jackets […]
-
Predators at Sabres - Avalanche at Kings
by Broken Controller Media on December 3, 2023 at 3:00 pm
Hunter Logan Previews Predators at Sabres, Avalanche at Kings on Stack The […]
-
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 […]
-
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 […]
-
ROP Recap Preds 2 Sabres 1 Game 24 2023-24 NHL Season
by Charlie Saunier on December 4, 2023 at 3:33 am
ROP Recap Preds 2 Sabres 1 Game 24 2023-24 NHL Season Learn more about […]
-
Full Press Canadiens - 12-3 - Great work from Suzuki in tough loss
by Full Press Coverage on December 3, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Full Press Canadiens - 12-3 - Josh Gosse and Jesse Poirier speak about the […]
-
Renegades Of Puck Ep 829
by Charlie Saunier on December 3, 2023 at 9:11 am
Ep 829 The Renegades Of Puck Recap 4-3 L Vs Rangers Preview Sabres & […]
-
ROP Recap Rangers 4 Preds 3 Game 23 2023-24 NHL Season
by Charlie Saunier on December 3, 2023 at 5:55 am
ROP Recap Rangers 4 Preds 3 Game 23 2023-24 NHL Season Learn more about […]
-
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 […]
-
12/1 - NFL MVP, Week 13 Picks
by Full Press Coverage on December 3, 2023 at 2:18 am
Ian and John discuss the ever-changing MVP race and give their predictions […]
-
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 […]
-
Ep 162: Joe Flacco, Dak Prescott and The MVP, Week 13 Discussion
by Full Press Coverage on December 3, 2023 at 3:58 pm
Ian and Braden discuss Joe Flacco's return, Dak's MVP candidacy, and more […]
-
12/1 - NFL MVP, Week 13 Picks
by Full Press Coverage on December 3, 2023 at 2:18 am
Ian and John discuss the ever-changing MVP race and give their predictions […]
-
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 […]