Johnny Gaudreau
The Flyers tried to move cap space, but couldn’t clear enough for Johnny Gaudreau to sign with his hometown team. The Flyers instead added forward Nicolas Deslauriers and brought back defenseman Justin Braun.
The big story from the weekend is the acquisition of defenseman Tony DeAngelo, the perception of the deal, and the question of fit for the Flyers. The guys also look at the team’s first-round pick Cutter Gauthier and how the Draft played out.
On Wednesday, you saw that the current regime is incapable of handling a rebuild. They insisted upon an aggressive retool for a fast fix, not the necessary rebuild needed. Now it’s time to start that rebuild anyway, but focus on the front office that has so clearly set the Flyers back.
The guys are back as free agency got underway this week with plenty of movement. The Flyers, however, were quiet after spending months stating they would have an “aggressive retool.” The guys look at how things played out in free agency, the questions facing the front office, and the lack of a sense of direction from the team.
The Flyers have five picks on Day 2 of the NHL Draft on Friday, but could there also be some trades in the works?
If you were wondering just what the Flyers were going to try to do with this offseason or questioning if they were serious about an aggressive approach, you got your answer on Thursday. Tortorella is only the first piece of what could be a very busy offseason that features equally as many changes and moves as the last, likely even more aggressive than ever before.
Tuesday’s game was the sixth of its kind, a 2-1 overtime win against the Flames that showed the team’s ability to adjust and once again their ability to get the best performance at the most crucial position and use an opportunity to seize the result.
The Flyers will induct two new members into its Hall of Fame prior to Tuesday’s game at Wells Fargo Center against the Calgary Flames. This opens up a three-game homestand for the Flyers, and marks the first game the Flyers will be without Ryan Ellis again for the long-term.
To this point in the season, the one thing the Flyers had done well, even in a pair of losses, was remain competitive in games. Saturday’s game was their first that would be classified as a clunker.
The Flames out-shot the Flyers, 36-20, as the three-game road trip came to an end with a 4-0 defeat for the Flyers on Saturday night in Calgary.
