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One Underrated Flyers Free Agent Signing that Could Prove to Pay Dividends this Year.
Photo Credit: RDS.CA
There is no doubt that most Flyers fans were left feeling a little underwhelmed with the team’s free agency haul (or lack thereof) this offseason. But you have to remember General Manager Danny Briere didn’t have a lot of cap space with which to play with. Especially, if you factor in the team having to shell out a combined $7,596,429 this season to buy the underperforming Cam Atkinson and having to trade away/retain part of the salary of both forward Kevin Hayes and defensemen Anthony DeAngelo.
But that’s not all. The Flyers recently had to take on the bad contracts of both goalie Cal Peterson and center Ryan Johansen in order to gain the draft pick compensation that will help the club in the future, which now makes them responsible for the pair’s combined $9 million cap hit that they will most likely be obligated to have to bury in the minors.
Then there are, of course, the players dealing with extended injuries to factor in, whose salaries can’t be moved to the Long Term I.R. list until the start of the regular season, which obviously includes defenseman Ryan Ellis and his $6,250,000 annual cap hit that the team is still on the hook for three more seasons. And potentially, Rasmus Ristolainen (who holds a $5,100,000 AAV) that may or may not be ready to go at the start of the season after having to undergo surgery last year to repair a torn triceps tendon.
If you think about it, in total, that’s $27,946,429 out of the NHL’s allotted $88,000,000 Cap ceiling that teams are allowed to spend this season, that is virtually a wash for the Flyers right now. So, even if Briere wanted to pull off a significant acquisition on July 1st, he couldn’t because he simply did not have the money with which to do so.
So, they had to be not only tactful but frugal with their spending this off-season so as not to land themselves right back into cap purgatory. However, this does not mean that the team did not have needs. As their GM a louted to at the draft this franchise needs help down the middle of the ice. The reason? Well, the men that the team currently employs to patrol the faceoff dots here in Philadelphia are a group whose focus has become more about preventing goals than scoring them, which probably had a lot to do with the fact that the team ranked among the league’s worst in Goals Scored Per Game, and found themselves finishing dead last in the league in terms of powerplay goals scored over the previous two seasons.
But even though management is aware of this issue and has taken action to try and combat it, like when they drafted centers Denver Barkey, Jett Luchanko, Jack Berglund, and Heikki Ruohonen, not to mention trading for Massimo Rizzo the sad reality is that none of these players may be ready next season to join the Flyers; which is why I thought one of the most underrated moves made by management this year was the signing of 27-year-old center Anthony Richard.
Anthony Richard
Anthony, who was originally drafted back in the 4th round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators, has developed into quite the offensive threat at the AHL level over the last two seasons. For example, Anthony finished the 22-23 campaign with 30 goals and 37 assists for 67 points in 60 games played (An average of 1.12 points per game). He followed that up this last season by scoring 25 goals and 30 assists for 55 points in only 59 games played, which equates to him scoring at a rate of 0.93 points per game.
Now, while Richard may be far from the star center we were all hoping to somehow magically obtain this offseason, his immense speed and superior puck-handling skills will make him an excellent call-up option if those players above him on the depth chart continue to struggle offensively or sustain injuries.
For, I believe all this late-blooming prospect really needs now is a legitimate chance to prove himself at the NHL level. Because this team, more so than any other he had the privilege of spending NHL time with prior to this year, has the options at wing to help him succeed. Think about it: Our top nine (first three lines) projected wingers for next season are Konecny, Michkov, Tippett, Foerster, Farabee, and Brink. So, if Anthony, who is offensively minded is called upon at some point this season to come in and play with any combination of those guys previously mentioned. I don’t think it would be that far out of the realm of possibilities that he could easily surpass the 7.75 Million Dollar Man’s (Sean Couturier) 11 goals from last season.
Remember, the Flyers have three 1st round draft picks and potentially three second-round draft picks in next summer’s draft, so, again, while Anthony may not be the long-term solution that we all were hoping for this off-season, he and his nominal contract of just $775,000 could prove to be just the kind of stopgap this club needs until the newly drafted or not yet drafted reinforcements begin to show up.
Prospect Watch: Elijah Neuenschwander
Photo Credit: Alain Favre
As this old goalie starts to take a look at the crop of netminders that will be available in the 2025 NHL Draft, a few names obviously stand out. With those being Canadian-born Joshua Ravensbergen and Jack Ivankovic who both play in the CHL. But there is an outlier who I think will be making a name for himself this season. And that is Swiss-born goalie Elijah Neuenschwander.
What I like about Elijah, who stands at 6’4 and 183 pounds, is that he is not just another flopping butterfly goalie that everyone who plays this position now has seemed to turn into. He is more of a traditional stand-up goalie who will go down to stop a puck when he has to but will quickly recover to a standing position afterward.
This style breeds patience as Neuenschwander often elects to utilize his immense size to his advantage by leaving the crease to challenge the shooter that is barring down on him in an effort to eliminate any sight of twine for them to aim at. By doing this, Elijah forces his opponent into a game of chicken, where both wait for the other to make the first move. It’s a duel of sorts where Neuenschwander’s athleticism and quick reactionary times usually end in him coming out victorious.
Now, let’s talk some numbers. This past season, when Elijah was loaned out to the EHC Chur of the MyHL, he was able to record two wins in two starts while maintaining a goals-against average of just 0.97—so, being that his talents appear to far surpass that of his fellow peers. He spent most of his time playing up in the Swiss Elite Junior League in the U20 Division, where he was able to attain some more challenging competition. But, with every prospect from overseas, the real test for NHL scouts is seeing how these prospects will perform on an international level. I believe Elijah passes that test as well, seeing that while playing in two games for Team Switzerland’s U19 Team this past season, Neuenschwander was able to win both games again (with one being a shutout) and post a 0.50 goals against average and maintain a .985 save percentage.
So, with all this being said, look for this young netminder to be taken somewhere in the second round next summer. Because not only do I think Neuenschwander’s style of play will transition well to the North American game, but I believe in time, Elijah could find himself becoming the best Swiss born goalie to ever play in the NHL. And yes, that includes him surpassing the likes of both David Aebischer and Martin Gerber, who both, mind you, possess Stanley Cup Rings.
Prospect Watch: Malcolm Spence
Photo Credit: Natalie Shaver/OHL Images
If you have paid attention to the OHL at all these last couple of seasons, one name you have probably heard quite frequently mentioned is Malcolm Spence. And that’s because Spence, who was drafted second overall by the Erie Otters in the 2022 Priority Selection Draft, is a bit of an anomaly.
What I mean by that is he possesses so many different skill sets that he is virtually uncategorizable. For instance at first glance, even the best of scouts would look at Malcolm, who stands at 6’2 and 192 pounds, and label him a power forward. Would they be wrong? No, for Spence, at times, relies heavily on his size, strength, and grit to get into the dirty areas, win board battles, and finish off plays in front of the net. Much like another player who wore the number 17, Wayne Simmonds did for so many years in Philadelphia with the Flyers.
But, then, on the very next shift, Malcolm is able to switch gears, if you will, and surprise the opposition’s defense with the type of speed and dexterity we, the fans, are more used to seeing come from a more skilled, slightly smaller forward. An example of him exhibiting these type of traits is when Spence uses a sudden burst of speed to dangle his way into the high-scoring area known as the slot.
However, what will make him the most alluring to prospecting NHL clubs next summer is his ability to combine all that with his renewed focus on becoming more defensively reliable. A feat that he was able to achieve last season when Malcolm was able to go from finishing the 22-23 campaign a -23 to this past season closing out the year a +11.
I’ve got to be honest here with Malcolm helping Team Canada to win GOLD at both the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the U-18 World Junior Championships, not to mention him scoring 19 goals and 43 assists for 62 points in 66 games played with the Otters last season it’s going to be hard to top that. But if anyone is capable of doing that, I assure you it’s this driven individual. And this is because he somehow seems to learn on the fly, whether it’s him computing goalie’s tendencies to memory or having the ability never to make the same mistake twice, I don’t know. But what I am sure of is that Malcolm seems to get better with each and every game that passes; which is why I’m willing to bet when this upcoming season is all said and done Spence will hear his name being called by one of the top ten teams in next summer’s draft.