Tag: Matt Niskanen

This is how teams that make the playoffs look on a regular basis. It may just be the second game of the season for the Flyers, but what you got was a showing of potential, the possibilities that are there with this team. Observations from the Flyers win over the Devils.

After a fairly sloppy and wide-open first period against the Blackhawks, the Flyers started to tighten things up in the second and third periods, playing a solid all-around game. It’s only the first step to having a better start than in years past, but very early on you saw the potential the Flyers have to offer.

With the new season comes storylines that are worth watching as the year progresses. Here are 10 that you should watch for in the 2019-20 Flyers season.

The Flyers final 23-man roster includes three injured players on the non-roster injured list — but not long-term injury list — and 20 active players. There are a total of 11 forwards and seven defensemen on the roster. To complete the final cuts, Joel Farabee and Phil Myers were sent down to the AHL.

There is one final tuneup for the Flyers in the preseason, and this one is a special exhibition. The Flyers will face one of Switzerland’s teams in Lausanne HC to close out the 2019 preseason on Monday afternoon.

Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher announced seven additional roster cuts on Tuesday that bring the roster to 27 with just two games remaining in the preseason and two days left until the team heads to Europe.

Saturday marks the final time the Flyers will take the ice at Wells Fargo Center before the home opener in Philadelphia on Oct. 9. Once again, there will definitely be a lot of veterans in the lineup. Game time is at 7 p.m.

The Flyers announced the next round of cuts on Friday, ahead of what was originally scheduled. In total, 18 players were cut, leaving 36 players remaining on the camp roster.

With several veteran players making their preseason debut, the Flyers struggled to capture momentum, while the Bruins kept the foot on the gas all night. It helped the Bruins leave with a 3-1 win over the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night.

It’s back home for the Flyers as they continue a busy first week of the preseason with a meeting against the Boston Bruins on Thursday night at 7 p.m.

Day 2 of Flyers training camp continued with the same aggressive pace. Head coach Alain Vigneault came away impressed with Joel Farabee and the line of Kevin Hayes, James van Riemsdyk and Oskar Lindblom.

As training camp begins bright and early on Friday for the Flyers and continues into the weekend with three on-ice sessions each day, here are five things to watch during training camp.

The 2018-19 season was another year in what has been a roller-coaster career for Shayne Gostisbehere, who followed up a career-high 65 points with a career-low 37 points. So the question arises again: which version of Gostisbehere will the Flyers get this season?

September is here. In less than two weeks, the preseason begins.What this does is effectively end one of the most speculative offseasons in Flyers history.

With the offseason essentially complete except for a few re-signings to come, the guys look at what the Flyers did and analyze the offseason as a whole while also looking at some of the other signings and the teams in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference.

For every team that made a big signing as free agency opened, it is a calculated risk. The New York Rangers landed prize forward Artemi Panarin and are waging their success on him. The Flyers made their bet before free agency began on Kevin Hayes, Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun.

The Flyers made their additions already, now they focus on bringing back the remaining RFAs to cap off their roster after a relatively quiet July 1.

After several weeks of activity, all the wheeling and dealing happening over the last two weeks, the weekend where free agency opens may not be all that eventful.

In this episode, a review of the NHL Draft as well as some of the trades and the way the offseason is being perceived. 

Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher had a good first draft because of a move to get back into the second round and move up to take a first-round talent while taking calculated risks on his middle round picks.

The draft still marks an important offseason event for the Flyers. But this year, it is different. It is Chuck Fletcher’s first draft as GM of the Flyers. And that means a new approach to the draft for the Flyers.

Kevin Durso and Matt Mastrogiovanni take a closer look at the offseason moves made by the Flyers so far and look ahead to the 2019 NHL Draft.

It’s been a busy week for Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher and there may be more to come, but the latest moves to the team’s roster have already shown the immediate willingness to improve the on-ice product.

Could the Flyers trade the 11th overall pick? GM Chuck Fletcher is not actively looking to trade a fairly high draft pick, but he is not opposed to moving it for the right price.

Kevin Hayes signed with the Flyers just over two weeks after they acquired his rights in a trade. Between him and the additions of Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun, Hayes believes the Flyers could do damage and soon. “I think Chuck and Paul are putting together a team that can do some damage and ultimately win the Stanley Cup.”

With less than a week before the open negotiation period opens to free agents, the Flyers are nearing a deal with Kevin Hayes. According to a report from TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the deal will be for seven years and worth $50 million, an average annual value of $7.14 million.

The Flyers have acquired defenseman Justin Braun from the San Jose Sharks for the Flyers 2019 second-round pick (41st overall) and a 2020 third-round pick.

One day after they acquired defenseman Matt Niskanen from the Capitals for Radko Gudas, they officially placed defenseman Andrew MacDonald on waivers for purposes of a buyout. MacDonald is expected to clear waivers and have the contract bought out, making him a free agent.

The Flyers are holding out hope that Niskanen’s on-ice performance improves to form while his off-ice intangibles serve as the immediate value. Niskanen has gone the distance with a team before. He’s been the veteran in a group of young defensemen. He’s had to be a leader, saying on Friday that he “grew into” the role.