The Flyers held their exit interviews on Tuesday with most of the players taking questions. What emerged was a common theme among both some unrestricted and restricted free agents was their desire to remain with Philadelphia when the season begins next October.
Although obviously a lot of the team’s core remains under contract, there were a few players on Tuesday who were on short-term contracts, waiver wire pickups, or at a possible crossroads where both team and player may part company. The general consensus among the players Tuesday was that this is a team that is on the rise, and it might becoming a destination for some unrestricted free agents.
“I don’t want to say it was magical but it was a special group to be a part of, a special run to be a part of,” winger Luke Glendening said. “Obviously it didn’t end the way we wanted it to. But it felt like we were playing playoff games in March when I arrived. It was quite a run.”
Luke Glendening and Rodrigo Abols want to come back to Philadelphia
Glendening was only with the club for five weeks of the regular season after being picked up off the waiver wire on trade deadline day. Glendening had two goals and three assists in that short span, and solidified a formidable, hard-working fourth line that included Garnet Hathaway and Sean Couturier. While he knows the Flyers have only so many spots when it comes to personnel and the roster, he said he wouldn’t hesitate to sign an extension with Philadelphia if the opportunity arose.
“We’ll see,” he said. “I would love to come back and be a part of this again but I obviously know they’ve got decisions to make as well. It’s been kind of a whirlwind, I don’t know, to be sitting in Philadelphia at the end of the year after taking a PTO (Professional Tryout) in New Jersey it’s not exactly where I thought I would be. I’m just so grateful for the opportunity to be able to put the Flyer jersey on, it meant a lot. So it’ll always be a special place to me for sure.”
Glendening’s addition came in part from the misfortunes of another fourth-liner in center Rodrigo Abols. Abols was injured early during a Jan. 17 game against the Rangers when he hit a rut, breaking his fibula and also injuring his deltoid. The Flyer — who signed a one-year contract at $800,000 almost exactly a year ago — is now facing a somewhat uncertain future after playing 42 games, scoring three goals and adding seven assists. But like Glendening, he echoed similar sentiments.
“Obviously that was the biggest concern at my age at this stage trying to prove that I was an NHL player,” Abols said, who was trying to recuperate from the injury. And when you finally got a role — I started playing the penalty kill more — and that happens, you start thinking, ‘Was that my last game in the NHL?’ I don’t have an answer for you right now, the agents have been working. We’ll see what Philadelphia says, I don’t know yet. Obviously we’d love to stay with Danny, Jonesy and what Mr. Hilferty are building here. It’s something every hockey player wants to be a part of. It’s really fun and experiencing the fans that we had here during the playoff run, it was really electric.”
Handful of RFAs eager to remain with the club
Although some other players have no direct ties to Philadelphia being unrestricted free agents, the Flyers have a few players needing contract extensions. Some of those seem to be no-brainers regarding long-term extensions, but there are others who aren’t quite as crystal clear. Philadelphia goaltender Sam Ersson falls into the latter category. While a lot of his teammates supported him throughout the season, Ersson’s stats were, in some cases, similar or slightly worse than last season.
Finishing the second year of his two-year contract, Ersson — who said he was proud of how he finished the year — pulled no punches with his desire to stay with the club.
“I mean obviously I love it here. I’ve been here my whole North American career. This is the only place I know. This is where I want to be. I love it here, my girlfriend loves it here. Hopefully we can make something happen. But those questions I’ve always let my agents do their work. So it’s time for them to do some work as well. I’m crossing my fingers and see what happens.”
Perhaps someone possibly in a similar situation is defenseman Emil Andrae. Although the defender played well in his time with the club, and played a handful of playoff games, Andrae just wrapped up his three-year entry-level contract. Now it’s time to see how the Flyers proceed. It’s almost a given the Flyers will make a qualifying offer to Andrae which would be $874,125 to simply keep his rights, but that’s no guarantee he will be part of the club when training camp rolls around. Philadelphia might look to sign a blueliner in free agency, acquire one in a trade, or simply see if the likes of Hunter McDonald or Oliver Bonk are ready for prime time.
“Obviously coming into this year it was the end of my contract and you want to put yourself in a good spot for the following years,” Andrae said during his exit interview. “I think I’ve done a great job so far. I love this city and I love my teammates and I’ve had so much fun being a part of this. So hopefully I can stay here, that’s my goal.” The defenseman added the playoff run was “unbelievable” while stating how Philadelphia is a “special” sports city.
Perhaps the two restricted free agents on the most solid footing would be Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras. Drysdale completed his deal ($2.3 million Average Annual Value) and will be looking for a new contract this summer. The blueliner, who made huge inroads in his game this season, became a key part of the second pairing with Cam York. Drysdale said he wasn’t focused on the business side of hockey during the season. Instead he concentrated completely on the season and honing his skillset.
“I just wanted to focus on the hockey, that’s where my head has been at the whole time,” Drysdale said. “Hopefully something will get done sooner than later. But I love it here. I’ve made that very clear the second that I got here. Everyone has treated me amazingly since I got here.”
As for Zegras, a former Anaheim Duck like Drysdale, he was perhaps the most logical and reasonable player to give a substantial long-term extension to. The forward, who finished the stretch playing center, set career high in goals and points, and resembled the talented offensive threat from his early years in Anaheim. He said he is hoping the contract will get done this summer with both sides reaching a deal that’ll make him a Flyer for the future.
“I mean personally I would love that, I would love to be here for a long time,” Zegras said. “I hope that would happen over the next couple of months or whenever the time frame will be. I love playing here. I love the fans. And I love the group that we have. That would be something I’d be excited for.”
Hathaway has no regrets
Perhaps the biggest compliment is that current Flyers with no contract discussion this summer aren’t regretting their decisions to sign here. None more than Garnet Hathaway. While having a very trying season, Hathaway showed a spark in the playoffs and scored a short-handed goal against Pittsburgh in Game 2.
“I had a meeting not so long ago, three-and-a-half years ago I was talking with these guys thinking about coming here,” Hathaway said on Tuesday. I couldn’t be happier with the entire decision that I made. I moved my family here. And it circles back to three nights ago to Flyers fans giving us a standing ovation after we lost. If that doesn’t show you what this city cares about its sports, I don’t know what will. I didn’t know that going in, I heard about it. But to see the growth that this team has made over the years aligned with that as well, it’s an exciting place to be right now.”
