The Philadelphia Flyers missed the playoffs last season, but the disappointment probably didn’t last too long after the events of the draft lottery a few weeks later.
The Flyers entered the lottery with a 2.2 per cent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick. That selection eluded them, but they still moved up to the second overall pick in June’s Entry Draft. The Devils decided to take Nico Hischier first, leaving Philly to select fellow top prospect Nolan Patrick.
Philly has since signed Patrick to his entry-level contract. The biggest question for Patrick is his health, following a 2016-17 WHL season interrupted by injury. His aim was to resume skating in the middle of July.
Philly traded forward Nick Cousins to Arizona prior to the expansion draft. But the biggest shake-up this offseason in Philly was a draft-day trade that sent Brayden Schenn to St. Louis in exchange for Jori Lehtera, the 27th overall pick in this year’s draft and a conditional first-round pick in 2018.
Philly didn’t bring back goalie Steve Mason, who has signed with the Winnipeg Jets. The Flyers’ goaltending duo heading into next season has Michal Neuvirth alongside Brian Elliott, who left Calgary and signed for two years at $5.5 million in Philadelphia.
After three years with the Flyers, defenseman Michael del Zotto has moved on to the Canucks, while Roman Lyubimov has returned to the KHL.
Today at PHT, we’ll discuss the key storylines facing the Flyers heading into next season.