One of the top playmaking wingers in Flyers history, Jakub Voracek recently announced his retirement at age 34. The Czech winger is the top European-born scorer in team history, eclipsing the distinction previously held by Pelle Eklund (452 points in 589 games).
Jakub Voracek, who played 15 seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers, has retired from the NHL. The 34-year-old forward did not play in the NHL this season. Following the injury, Voracek said his chances of returning during the 2022-23 season were "very slim" but that he was not contemplating retirement. At the time, Voracek estimated that he had had "seven or eight" documented concussions during his playing career.
In this edition of our Philadelphia Flyers player grading series, we take a gander at what 24-year-old defenseman Egor Zamula had in store for his first full season in the NHL. Before his 2023-24 campaign, Zamula frequented the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Orange and Black. Head coach John Tortorella gave him that opportunity this season, and the defender had no plans of giving it away. Zamula played in 66 games for the Flyers, scoring five goals and 16 assists for 21 points (nine on the power play) and finishing with a plus-3 rating.
The Flyers didn't make the playoffs so we won't have any games to relive, revisit or forget this April and May. However, there are a horde of Flyers playoff games that meant something, whether it was an individual player, to the team or the franchise itself. Here then is a series of games (each cherry-picked) from various eras and playoff rounds, but each game being that game in that particular round of the playoffs. After back-to-back Stanley Cup championships the Flyers returned to the post-season yet again in 1975-76, this time against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flyers dominance through a rough-and-tumble approach made the Broad Street Bullies moniker stick for decades after their heyday in the early to mid 1970s.
Fedotov made his long-awaited Flyers debut earlier this month after being selected in the seventh round of the 2015 draft.
On April 23, the Philadelphia Flyers signed goaltender Ivan Fedotov to a rich $6.5-million contract through the 2025-26 season, giving him an average annual value (AAV) of $3.25 million, as per TSN's Darren Dreger. With a number like that, there's no doubt Fedotov will be the backup for the Orange and Black. The 27-year-old has to show he's capable of handling a high-end backup role, much less capable of being in the NHL at all.
Four members of the Philadelphia Flyers were put on loan to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL) on April 17. This roster move was made to help the Phantoms capture one more point in the final three games of the season to clinch a playoff berth. Despite earning considerable playing time with the Flyers' AHL affiliate this season, forwards Bobby Brink and Olle Lycksell and defensemen Ronnie Attard and Adam Ginning were all on the big league roster when Philadelphia's season came to a disappointing end on April 16.
The Flyers and Ivan Fedotov agreed to a two-year, $6.5 million contract extension, a source confirmed Tuesday.
In another world, the Philadelphia Flyers would be playing playoff hockey right now. Several young players such as Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink and Cam York took steps forward that could pay even bigger dividends in the future. With that, so did some drama, as is tradition for the Flyers. From healthy scratching the captain to a late-season goalie addition and the never-ending exploits of John Tortorella, the team made plenty of headlines throughout the season.
In today's NHL rumors rundown, the Toronto Maple Leafs are waiting to make a game-time decision on William Nylander's status versus the Boston Bruins in Game 2. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers are in the news as Evander Kane revealed he has a sports hernia injury and the team called up a goaltender as an emergency backup. The Philadelphia Flyers might be moving on from a few key players, and are the Calgary Flames looking at a possible on-ice reunion next season?
Next up in our Philadelphia Flyers player grading series, we look at what 22-year-old rookie Bobby Brink was able to do. The 5-foot-9 winger was a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL draft by Philadelphia. Brink seemed like a long shot to make the Flyers' opening night roster for 2023-24 with how many solid wingers were on the team, but he battled hard and won a spot. How did he perform with an extended look in the NHL?
For most of the 2023-24 NHL season, John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers were one of the biggest pleasant surprises, solidly remaining in playoff contention despite lowly preseason expectations. The season ultimately ended in disaster and disappointment, however, as the team's play down the stretch led to them sliding down the standings table and missing the playoffs in dramatic fashion. After an unexpectedly competitive season, Tortorella and Flyers general manager Danny Briere spoke with the media about what the team needs to do to improve for next year. “We are a ways away,” Tortorella said via the AP.
By the standards of how the Flyers used to think and act, Danny Brière committed an unforgivable error on March 6, the day of the NHL trade deadline. For too long, there was never much looking ahead for the Flyers. There was only the here and now, and a general manager who sabotaged the team's playoff chances — and Brière acknowledged Friday that he pretty much did that by trading Walker — would have been considered at best a heretic and at worst an incompetent fool.
In this edition of our 2023-24 Philadephia Flyers player grades, we take a look at what 22-year-old rookie Tyson Foerster was able to do. Foerster is a difficult player to gauge because his play greatly varied from one part of the season to the next. Entering this season, the expectation for Foerster was that he would do what he was drafted for — score goals. Finishing with 20 of them and 33 total points in 77 contests, it wasn't exactly the offensive breakout the Flyers needed.
What went wrong? What's next in the rebuild? That and more in five Flyers takeaways from the end-of-the-season interviews for John Tortorella and Danny Briere.
The Philadelphia Flyers wildly surpassed expectations during the 2023-24 season, but the club's brain trust hasn't become disillusioned into abandoning the rebuild. Speaking with the media during his end-of-season press conference Friday morning, general manager Danny Briere emphasized the importance of adding high-end talent to the roster this offseason, but assured that it wouldn't come at the expense of the Flyers' young assets. What I'm saying is more that we're probably not gonna throw a lot of money at a free agent to come in and take us overboard. The timeline of the Flyers' rebuild is still unclear.
The Reading Royals, ECHL-affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, ended their season on April 13. With a final record of 29 wins and 35 losses, Reading placed 12th out of 13 in the Eastern Conference field, and 23rd out of 27 in the ECHL overall. Despite a disappointing finish to the season, a number of Royals players gave fans plenty to cheer for throughout the 2023-24 campaign. A major highlight of the season was Matt Brown's selection to the All-Star Game, news that was met with much enthusiasm by the fan base.
Philadelphia Flyers general manger Danny Briere and coach John Tortorella are prepared for a rebuilding process. Tortorella and Briere are tempering offseason expectations for any fan looking for a quick fix. The Flyers' decision-makers say they will not sign any high-priced, big-name free agents. The Flyers are looking to replenish the roster through the draft and their farm system.
Over the years, many fights have broken out among players, sometimes coaches, and occasionally even spectators have gotten involved. The 2004 fight during an NBA game between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers is remembered as "The Malice at the Palace."
With Cutter Gauthier set to make his NHL debut, the Ducks saw an opportunity to rib Flyers fans and jumped on it.
The Philadelphia Flyers' season is done but one defenseman is going under the knife to fix an ongoing issue. On Thursday, the team announced that defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen underwent surgery to mend a ruptured triceps tendon. The recovery period is expected to be three months and the team stated that when the Flyers' training camp in September begins, Ristolainen should be ready to go. Ristolainen had a very trying 2023-24 season, playing in just 31 games over the season, his lowest amount of games since his first season with the Buffalo Sabres back in 2013-14.
The 2023-24 season has officially come to an end for the Philadelphia Flyers. The drama never really stopped for the Orange and Black. On Dec. 22, the Flyers had their worst start to a game of the season. This season, the Flyers ranked 27th in the league in goals scored.
In several ways, Cam Atkinson and Sean Couturier seems to be following similar career paths at the moment. Both Flyers veterans underwent back surgery (actually twice for Couturier) and missed substantial playing time. The 34-year-old Atkinson failed to score a goal after Jan. 23 (Tampa Bay) and the 31-year-old Couturier didn't put on a red light after Feb. 10 (Seattle). Each has question marks surrounding their futures after the Flyers were eliminated on the final game of the season Tuesday night.
The Philadelphia Flyers are sending four players down to the Lehigh Valley now that their season is over. Reinforcements are something the Phantoms could use right now in the midst of a playoff hunt. Returning to the AHL club are forwards Bobby Brink and Olle Lycksell along with defensemen Ronnie Attard and Adam Ginning.
Prior to Tuesday night's final game of the season, the Flyers announced their 2023-24 annual awards. Travis Konecny was recipient of the Bobby Clarke Trophy for most valuable player. Travis Sanheim took home the Barry Ashbee Trophy for best defenseman. Cam York received the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy for most improved player.
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