On the first day of free agency, the Flyers added two depth forwards and a two-way contract most likely bound for the AHL. After making no additional moves on Sunday, they signed some depth for the blue line on Monday.
The Flyers announced that they have signed defenseman Marc Staal to a one-year deal worth $1.1 million.
Staal, 36, spent the 2022-23 season with the Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers, scoring three goals and 15 points in 82 games with 43 penalty minutes. Staal has played 1,101 career NHL games with the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, and Panthers, scoring 52 goals and 229 points. During his time with the Rangers, he was coached by current Flyers head coach John Tortorella.
The move also appears to be a precursor for the pending Tony DeAngelo trade. The trade cannot officially go through until after July 8. Once official, it would leave the Flyers with four regular NHL defensemen from last season – Cam York, Travis Sanheim, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Sean Walker – with Egor Zamula and Ronnie Attard as the next most likely to make the jump to the NHL. Zamula is no longer waiver-exempt, so he would either need to maintain an NHL roster spot or pass through waivers to play at the AHL level.
