A new aura of positivity has risen in the world of the Philadelphia Flyers. Danny Briere’s rebuild is starting to take shape, and the promise of Matvei Michkov provides hope for a desperate fan base that’s been dragged through the mud too often in recent history. The rookie general manager (GM) rounded out the NHL roster with three free agent signings while trade rumors continue to swirl around Travis Sanheim, Carter Hart, and Tony DeAngelo.
Flyers Add Three Free Agents
The Flyers got started on July 1 by adding former Pittsburgh Penguins center Ryan Poehling on a one-year deal worth $1.4 million. The 24-year-old fits the mold of a reclamation project who could develop a better rhythm to his game with an expanded opportunity for a rebuilding organization. The Montreal Canadiens selected him with the 25th-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, 15 picks behind Owen Tippett and two picks in front of Morgan Frost.
Poehling averaged 2:25 of ice time on the penalty kill in 53 games for Pittsburgh last season, and he scored two shorthanded goals. Assistant coach Brad Shaw implemented the “power kill” in Philadelphia in 2022-23, and the Flyers finished tied for fourth in the NHL with 11 shorthanded goals. However, they still finished 26th overall on the penalty kill and 21st in net penalty killing percentage. The addition of the 6-foot-2 forward could boost their unit.
Garnet Hathaway signed with the Flyers in possibly their most surprising move in free agency. The 31-year-old will bring a physical, gritty style to the bottom six after spending most of the past four seasons with the heavy-hitting Washington Capitals. Charlie O’Connor referred to Hathaway as “the rare depth guy that both the traditionalists and nerds can agree is a very effective player” because his puck possession metrics exceed the expectations for a bottom-six winger (from The Athletic, Flyers free agency: 10 takeaways from a quiet Day 1, and what comes next, 7/1/23). Hathaway signed a two-year deal worth a total of $4.75 million.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Flyers’ Decision to Draft Michkov
The Flyers wrapped up their key free agent signings by adding 36-year-old defenseman Marc Staal on July 2. The veteran averaged 20:56 of ice time for the Florida Panthers in 21 playoff games during their run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, and he spent parts of five seasons under John Tortorella with the New York Rangers from 2009-2013. Briere hopes to find a stabilizing presence for the young blueliners like Cam York, Ronnie Attard, Egor Zamula, Emil Andrae, and Adam Ginning. He also acknowledged that a player like Staal on a one-year deal worth only $1.1 million might be on the move before the NHL Trade Deadline.
Hurricanes To Acquire DeAngelo
The Carolina Hurricanes made an aggressive move in free agency to add Dmitry Orlov, the top defenseman on the open market. He’ll join an already loaded blue line with stars Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, and Brady Skjei. Rumors of a possible move involving Brett Pesce bring up the question of whether a unit with so many changing parts will still have room to fit DeAngelo.
GM Don Waddell gave public reassurance that the Hurricanes will still complete the delayed trade for DeAngelo when both teams can trade within the league rules after July 8.
“Us and Philly have a deal in principle. (It) just can’t be executed until a certain date,” he said.
One year later, the move will look like an embarrassing loss for the Flyers as an organization. They sent three draft picks to Carolina for DeAngelo in July 2022 because the Hurricanes didn’t evaluate him as a player worth $5 million in average annual value (AAV). The South Jersey native struggled defensively for long stretches of the 2022-23 season, and he failed to help bring the league’s 32nd-ranked power-play unit out of the basement.
Now, they’ll have to cut the losses of former GM Chuck Fletcher and send DeAngelo back to the same team while retaining part of his salary. Anthony SanFilippo said on 97.5 The Fanatic that the Flyers will likely pay 50% of DeAngelo’s cap hit in 2023-24 for only a “lower-level prospect” in return. Because of the obvious irony, the trade looks as one-sided as any deal you’ll see in the NHL.
Sanheim Reacting to Trade Rumors
The reported deal that would’ve sent Sanheim to the St. Louis Blues in addition to Kevin Hayes never crossed the finish line. Torey Krug refused to waive his no-trade clause to come to Philadelphia, and the Flyers ultimately kept Sanheim. No deal involving Sanheim looks imminent, but Elliotte Friedman spoke on the 32 Thoughts podcast about the 27-year-old blueliner’s reaction to the situation.
“I think he was shaken by everything that happened. One of the things I heard was the Flyers were really trying to keep the Sanheim stuff quiet because I think they knew how he might react. Well, now it got out,” Friedman said.
Fletcher rewarded Sanheim for a strong 2021-22 season with an exorbitantly priced $50 million contract that runs through 2030-31. However, Sanheim has performed significantly below the standards of his new salary in 2020-21 and 2022-23. His 46.08 expected goals for percentage (xGF%) in 2022-23 fell well below his career averages in play-driving metrics. It landed him in the 21st percentile of NHL defensemen who played at least 600 minutes at 5-on-5.
Sanheim now has a big weight to carry if he stays in Philadelphia to begin the lucrative eight-year deal. He will face pressure from the fan base and from Tortorella to perform to a higher standard. Focusing on trade negotiations will not help the situation.
Flyers Development Camp
Briere spoke to the media in Vorhees, NJ on July 1 about Development Camp. He downplayed the pressure on the prospects on the ice from July 3-6.
“To me, it’s not so much a time to show what they have. I think that’s more for training camp. This is called development. It’s more about that. It’s for us to get to know the players a little better as well, but mostly it’s about them having the chance to develop their game (and) feel a little better,” Briere said.
The noticeable absence of Cutter Gauthier became the most significant storyline of Development Camp.
“Cutter was invited (but) declined to come. We’re assuming that is because he’s played a lot of hockey with the World Championship (and) lots of travel, so we’re not too worried about that…We’ll find out a little bit more. We’re trying to figure out why he didn’t want to come,” Briere said about the fifth-overall pick of the draft in 2022.
Gauthier will participate in the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, MI in late July and early August (from The Athletic, Flyers development camp: Tertyshny and Knuble return, Andrae looks to impress, Gauthier updates, 7/2/23). Briere spoke with no panic about the situation and relative ease about Gauthier’s schedule.
Alexander Tertyshny, the son of former Flyers defenseman Dmitri Tertyshny, also participated in the offseason camp. Dmitri passed away in a boating accident in British Columbia in 1999 at the age of 22. He had just finished his rookie season in the NHL before the tragedy. Alexander will play at Stonehill College in Massachusetts in 2023-24. He spoke about the feeling of being around the facilities and the opportunity to wear the Flyers logo.
“It’s really special. It means a lot to me, and it means a lot to my family and my mom. It’s definitely a week I’ll cherish, and it’s definitely a week I’m looking to get a lot out of. I want to get better as a player. I do have aspirations as a player. I’ve got to clean up my college career a bit, but I’m confident I can do that. My father, he certainly knew how to get through adversity, and I feel I’m no different,” he said.
All advanced stats apply to 5-on-5 play, courtesy of Natural Stat Trick(unless otherwise noted).