It’s Draft day in Philadelphia but that hasn’t stopped the Flyers from making some minor moves. The team extended qualifying offers to the following three pending free agents:
Nolan Patrick
Philippe Myers
Mikhail Vorobyev
This means that they’ll retain negotiating rights. The offers are typically one-year deals and if a player rejects, they’ll remain restricted free agents. While it’s procedural, it’s important for a player like Nolan Patrick, for instance.
The 22-year-old has been the subject of constant speculation this offseason. Battling a neurological condition, Patrick missed the entire 2019-20 campaign, but recently partook in a scrimmage with some top NHL Draft prospects, perhaps signifying his road to playing NHL hockey again has begun. As a former second-overall pick, the Flyers are understandably making the right call in trying to keep the center around.
In 2018-19, Patrick showed flashes of elite potential, recording 31 points in 72 games, coming alive in the final 34, where he recorded 20 of those points and really started the adrenaline pumping.
As for Myers, his call-up was integral to the Flyers’ eventual playoff push, where he came alive in the lights, leading all defensemen in shots through 16 postseason games and recording 4 points – one of which was that scintillating overtime winner to keep a dying series alive. In the regular season, his +17 rating was second among all rookies.
Vorobyev’s offer-sheet is interesting. He appeared in 20 games for the Flyers last season but clearly wasn’t quite at the level needed to play there full-time just yet. Down on the farm, he recorded 28 points for the Phantoms in 45 games. It could well be a cheap deal for depth purposes and another year in Lehigh Valley would do wonders for his development.
Keep an eye on who signs and who doesn’t. Myers may well want some bigger bucks and other teams could come sniffing for Nolan Patrick. Only time will tell.
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
