(Photo: Kate Frese)
By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor
During the Flyers eight-game losing streak that was snapped with Thursday night’s 2-1 win over Dallas, there was a growing sense that changes to the playing roster were coming soon.
After making a significant management change and a coaching change, the results still had not changed, and that was going to be a reflection on the players.
Chuck Fletcher’s first move as GM of the Flyers is a minor one, but one that is certainly understood given the circumstances. The Flyers have traded forward Jordan Weal to the Arizona Coyotes for defenseman Jacob Graves and a sixth-round pick.
Weal was acquired by the Flyers in 2016 in a trade that sent Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn to Los Angeles. Weal saw limited playing time for the remainder of the season, playing in just four games. He split time between the Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the 2016-17 season. In 23 NHL games, he scored eight goals and had 12 points.
Last season, Weal was a full-time member of the Flyers, playing in 69 games and scoring eight goals and 21 points. In 28 games this season, Weal had three goals and nine points. Weal had been in and out of the lineup for the last few games.
Graves is currently playing in the ECHL with the Norfolk Admirals. He has two goals and five assists for seven points in 32 games. He also played parts of the previous two seasons in the NHL with the Cleveland Monsters.