While announcing they hired Rick Tocchet as their head coach yesterday, and the press conference introducing him set for tomorrow, the Philadelphia Flyers today announced they re-signed Lehigh Valley Phantoms forward Oscar Eklind to a one-year extension for next season. The news follows the team re-signing Rodrigo Abols to a one-year, one-way extension.
OFFICIAL: We have re-signed forwards Rodrigo Abols and Oscar Eklind each to one-year contract extensions. #LetsGoFlyers https://t.co/BaR9jMn2rY
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) May 15, 2025
Eklind, who turns 27 in July, had five goals and 17 assists for 22 points in 64 games during his rookie season playing in North America. The forward also scored a goal in seven playoff games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this past season as they defeated Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. They also took two-time defending Calder Cup champions Hershey Bears to five games before losing 4-2 in the fifth and deciding game last weekend.
Philadelphia signed Eklind to a contract in April 2024 after played for Lulea in the Swedish Hockey League. There he scored 17 goals and had 11 assists for 28 points in 48 games. The signing is another good move for Lehigh Valley as Eklind should be a serviceable forward in the American Hockey League but could also be called up on an emergency basis if the Flyers run into a string of injuries during the 2025-26 season. Eklind has the size (6-foot-4, 220 lbs) to be a good bottom six or fourth-line forward in Lehigh Valley. Eklind’s contract is also different from Abols in that it is a two-way contract, meaning Eklind’s salary will fluctuate depending on where he’s playing. Abols is getting paid the same salary regardless of whether he’s with the Flyers or the Phantoms.
With so many young Flyers prospects making their way to Allentown — Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk, potentially Alex Bump, etc. — that team will need to still have some foundation and not turn into a junior squad trying to fight against weathered veteran-led AHL rosters. Eklind can be that in the bottom six down there.
That makes it two player signings and one coach signing for general manager Danny Briere in the past couple days. Should we expect some more transactions before the week is over?
