Recap of Philadelphia Flyers' 2024 Offseason – Hockey Writers – Philadelphia Flyers

In one week, the Philadelphia Flyers begin training camp, ending the five-month season following an incredibly competitive 2023-24 season. Although the Flyers project to have a very similar schedule to last season and make the default number of picks in the NHL Draft (seven), it was by no means a quiet summer.

The Flyers have long had a reputation as one of the NHL's top title-making teams, and they've lived up to it over the past few months. From signing one of the summer's biggest extensions to some status changes within the club's lineup, here's a recap of what you missed when you returned from hockey's winter break.

Flyers Have A Busy Draft

The Flyers entered the Sphere on June 28 with a lot of potential. Philadelphia holds the No. 13 pick, which was originally theirs, and the No. They also had a chance for a second-round pick, as the Columbus Blue Jackets had to decide whether to give the Flyers a 2024 or 2025 second-round pick in last summer's three-team trade centered around Ivan Provorov.

The Flyers only made two instead of four potential top-50 picks. Columbus retained its 2024 second-round pick (No. 36 overall). However, the team added another 2025 top pick by trading 32 picks to the Edmonton Oilers for next year's first round pick. It's top 12 protected, so don't get any big ideas, but unless the Oilers win the Stanley Cup, the Flyers will at least get the top pick.

The Flyers didn't pick 13th, moving down one spot to the Minnesota Wild to add a third-round pick (which they used to move up later in the draft). The Wild did well by selecting defenseman Zeev Buium, and the Flyers addressed a need at center by adding Jett Luchanko one pick later. Buium is a top turn, but there is plenty of time to learn who really picks the best.

Free Agency: Hathway Extended, Johnson Re-Signed

Few teams spent less on July 1 than the Flyers, which is expected of a team that isn't aiming for short-term success. They didn't have much cap space, even after buying Cam Atkinson. But general manager Daniel Brière agreed with two familiar faces.

Garnet Hathaway was the team's biggest free-agent signing last year, providing physical play and drive as a fourth-base right fielder. Although it took some time for his offense to catch on, a strong finish to the season (11 of 17 points came after Feb. 1) earned him another two-year contract at the same rate ($2.4 million) than his current season. contract ($2.375 million).

Unlike Hathaway, veteran defenseman Eric Johnson would hit the open market this summer before moving up again. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers were outscored 16-7 at 5-on-5 with Johnson on the ice after arriving at the trade deadline from the Buffalo Sabres, but the team's worst .847% on-ice save percentage goes. long way to explain that. Johnson's baseline numbers in Philadelphia have been solid, and the 36-year-old is being trusted to mentor the team's younger defensemen. As long as John Tortorella doesn't overplay him (a pitfall he avoided with Marc Staal, who started last season in the same role), it's a very low-risk move.

Michkov Will Come, Kolosov Won't

The Flyers have had a lot going on with Russian prospects over the past few years. It started when Ivan Fedotov was prevented from coming to the NHL as planned in 2022 due to military obligations, but he finally arrived late last season (a few days before free agency, he signed a two-year, $6.55 million deal to avoid free agency . .

Brière took a risk by drafting the highly talented Matvei Michkov with his first overall pick in 2023. Michkov had a three-year contract in the Kontinental Hockey League, which, combined with the war between Russia and Ukraine, created uncertainty that had a major impact. Michkov is available to the Flyers at No. 7 in general.

In terms of landing in North America, the gamble paid off. Michkov's KHL team, SKA St. Petersburg (who loaned him to HK Sochi for most of last season), terminated his contract. Instead of adding established talent on July 1, the Flyers signed Michkov to his entry-level contract, officially acquiring another top talent they desperately needed.

However, things are not going well for goalkeeper Alexei Kolosov. The 22-year-old has been selected by the club in 2021 and has put up good numbers in Russia. But after a stint with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the end of last season, reports began to emerge that Kolosov was unhappy and reportedly wanted to return to Russia. Those have continued throughout the summer, and considering Kolosov isn't on the team's camp roster, things don't look good.

The Flyers could loan him back to the KHL, but the organization prefers that he learn the North American game this season (from 'Philadelphia Flyers Top 20 Prospects: AGM Brent Flahr on defensemen and goaltenders,' PHLYSeptember 4). He could also be No. 3 on the team's depth chart, putting an injured Kolsov or cold fitness from Fedotov or Samuel Ersson away from reaching the NHL. However, since the NHL-KHL memorandum of understanding (uniform recognition of contracts in all leagues) has been suspended, there is no guarantee of an easy solution.

Places to stay in Konecny

One player who won't be leaving the Flyers organization anytime soon is Travis Konecny. Brière took care of business with restricted free agents Egor Zamula (two years, $3.4 million) and Bobby Brink (two years, $3 million) earlier in the season, then worked with Konecny, who would hit the -unrestricted free agency in 2025. . The 27-year-old took another step over the past two seasons, posting career highs in points (33) and assists (35) while leading the NHL with six assists.

Re-signing Konecny ​​wasn't a fluke. The Flyers would have gotten a significant return if they decided to move him, as he may be starting to decline as the team's current lineup hits its stride. But if the team focused on the culture and Konecny's desire to stay, it didn't come as much of a shock when the two sides penned an eight-year, $70 million contract. It is the biggest contract in the club's history, which proves the club's belief in him as a player and leader.

Johansen's Uncertain Future

This last storyline won't affect the Flyers on the ice this season but is important to the team's salary cap picture. Ryan Johansen was acquired as a cap dump for a first round pick from the Colorado Avalanche for Sean Walker. After failing to trade him, the Flyers planned to send Johansen to the American Hockey League, but he informed the team that he had a hip injury, which prevented him from being demoted.

It also prevented the Flyers from being able to sign him during the off-season. However, on Aug. 20, the Flyers announced that they placed Johansen on unconditional waivers to terminate his contract for “violation of the law.” Elliotte Friedman reported that the Flyers were supported by the NHL in this decision, while Johansen's agent Kurt Overhardt strongly denied that Johansen was at fault.

Johansen is currently a member of this organization, although it is clear that he will never play for the Flyers. Some similar situations in recent years with Evander Kane and Corey Perry ended up staying, which is a possible outcome here as well.

What's Next for Flyers?

Everyone will be paying attention to Michkov as the next face of the franchise gets his first taste of what a Flyer is like. There will likely be growing pains for the 19-year-old, as there are many rookies. Finding his teammates will be an interesting piece, as it will be seen how Tortorella handles the highly talented youngster.

Related: Flyers' Matvei Michkov Could Rise in 2024-25 Based on Historical Trends

Beyond the usual tracking of prospects, keep an eye on the team's raiding status. The Ersson-Fedotov tandem is one of the most experienced young players in the league. Ersson showed promise last season but ran out of gas at the end of the year. A healthy Jamie Drysdale should be fun to watch, and his development is more important than anyone else outside of Michkov.