This weekend was definitely one to remember. From call-ups to record-breaking performances, Flyers fans saw a lot. General Manager even snuck a trade in between all the action as well. Let’s take a look at what all went down from Friday the 8th to Sunday the 10th of February.
Friday, 7:18 PM
Something Flyers fans had been waiting for finally happened, or at least we all thought it would happen. Inside AHL Hockey’s Tony Androckitis first reported Friday night:
BREAKING: It looks like Phil Myers will be called up to #Flyers and make his NHL debut tomorrow vs. Anaheim.
I guess we'll see in the morning. I've got a 188-mile drive back to @InsideAHLHockey HQ from Utica, NY ahead of me.
— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) February 9, 2019
This was met with much criticism because no official announcement came until Saturday afternoon, but when it came, it was much-welcomed by Flyers fans. Many had been waiting for a Myers call up, and it finally came after months of waiting.
The Myers call-up couldn’t happen without a corresponding move, and Chuck Fletcher did not disappoint.
Saturday, 8:06 AM
Chuck Fletcher has made himself a man of the people since joining the Flyers. Between sending down Jori Lehtera and Dale Weise, to bringing up Carter Hart and trading dead weight like Jordan Weal. When it comes to the current roster, Fletcher knows what he wants, and it seems to align with much of what the fans want as well.
He pulled off another crowd-pleasing move Saturday morning:
TRADE ALERT: The #Flyers have acquired defenseman David Schlemko and forward Byron Froese from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forward Dale Weise and defenseman Christian Folin. https://t.co/cQR1mEL1wR
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) February 9, 2019
Fletcher shipped disgruntled forward Dale Weise back to Montreal, along with auxiliary defenseman Christian Folin in exchange for defenseman David Schlemko and forward Byron Froese. What this move did was two-fold. Both players coming over in the deal are being sent straight to the Flyers’ AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. That move makes room for Myers being called up. The second thing it does is save them $400,000 and tags David Schlemko as a potential buyout candidate at the end of the season, saving them almost a million dollars more towards their cap.
Fletcher got what he wanted out of this deal. He shipped Dale Weise to a team where he will undoubtedly be happier, and he made the Flyers fan base much happier now that they got something for Weise.
Amidst all the trade news and call up, the Flyers also put Corban Knight on waivers as well.
Saturday, Around 4:00 PM
The Flyers just finished taking care of the Anaheim Ducks. The Flyers scored four first period goals (Varone, Couturier, Raffl, and Lindblom), and allowed none. The Flyers gave up one goal in the second to Adam Henrique, one to Nick Ritchie in the third, and the Flyers scored two more to ice the game, one from Nolan Patrick and the other by Travis Konecny, to close out the third.
With this win, the Flyers now have a 10 game point streak, and more importantly, Carter Hart has tied Jocelyn Thibault for wins in a row by a goalie before the age of 21 at 8 wins.
During this 8 game stretch, Hart has a save percentage of .934. Even more impressive are these stats, provided by our very own stat guru, Matt Martin:
Carter Hart is one game away from qualifying for the NHL goaltender statistical leaderboard. If qualified, Hart would be tied for 3rd in the NHL in SV% with Greiss and Vasilevskiy at .926 and would be tied with Khudobin for 7th in GAA at 2.45. #LetsGoFlyers #Flyers #FlyersTalk
— Matt Martin (@TheRealMJMartin) February 10, 2019
Carter Hart has been this club’s wake up call and could be the spark they need in order to make a push for the playoffs. He’s been nothing short of phenomenal for the Flyers, going 11-5-1 since joining them, and posting a .926 save percentage and a goals against average of 2.45.
If all goes according to plan, and Hart can take this team to the playoffs this season, don’t be surprised if you see him take home the Calder Trophy over Elias Pettersson. For more on that, here’s my shameless plug of another story I wrote on how his stats compare to past Calder Trophy winners
Carter for Calder: How does the Flyers phenom rank among previous award winners?
Sunday 7:48 AM
The Flyers made one more call-up before the end of the weekend, bringing up red hot forward Justin Bailey.
The #Flyers have recalled forward Justin Bailey from the @LVPhantoms (AHL). https://t.co/4IbTuhtNxU
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) February 10, 2019
Bailey has 7 points (5g, 2a) in 10 games with the Phantoms, and apparently has done enough to convince Chuck Fletcher that he deserves a look at the NHL level. Bailey is a tough forward who could contribute well to a bottom 6 type role with the club.
Two hours later, news came of Corban Knight clearing waivers. He is expected to rejoin the Phantoms and be ready to play as soon as possible. Knight had been on IR since October with a collarbone issue.
It definitely was a wild weekend for the Flyers. Call-ups, trades, waivers, records, wins, you name it, it happened. Don’t expect every weekend to be like this, but definitely expect a couple more fireworks coming up in a few weeks when the trade deadline hits.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
