Earlier, the Philadelphia Flyers made several roster moves.
A handful of skaters received a qualifying offer ahead of 2023-2024. A few others will no longer belong with the Flyers.
Daniel Briere extended a qualifying offer to Noah Cates, Morgan Frost, Olle Lycksell, Ronnie Attard, and Cam York. Kieffer Bellows, Wyatte Wylie, and Evan Barratt didn’t receive offers, becoming unrestricted free agents. Additionally, the current contract for Ivan Fedotov will remain intact with the Flyers for the 2023-2024 season.
Noah Cates
Cates is a two-way C fitting in the bottom six of a current, healthy Flyers lineup. However, John Tortorella can trust Cates to play a more critical role in his lineup. He moved Kevin Hayes to the LW in favor of Cates down the middle because of his attention to defensive responsibilities.
In 82 games, Cates totaled 38 points (13G, 25A) while gaining minor traction as a Frank J. Selke Trophy candidate due to his defensive prowess.
The qualifying offer to Cates is $874,125 on a two-way contract. Cates was one of two Flyers forwards to complete every game of the 2022-2023 regular season.
Morgan Frost
Frost seemed to find his confidence before the end of last season. He proved super-effective against the Arizona Coyotes, twice securing and matching a career-high four points. In his last ten games of the season, Frost went on a five-game point streak (5G, 2A).
In 81 games, Frost totaled 46 points (19G, 27A). He finished a ‘prove-it’ season in the top six of the lineup.
The qualifying offer to Frost is $840k on a two-way contract.
Olle Lycksell
Lycksell offers the smallest sample size at the NHL level of the skaters receiving a qualifying offer. He stood out on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, earning a few recalls to Philadelphia. He’ll contend with Wade Allison, Tanner Laczynski, and Bobby Brink for an opening night roster spot.
In eight games with the Flyers, Lycksell notched an assist against the Edmonton Oilers. With the Phantoms, Lycksell totaled 45 points (14G, 31A) in 53 regular season games, then led the team in the postseason with four points (2G, 2A).
The qualifying offer to Lycksell is $787,500 on a two-way contract.
Ronnie Attard
Recently, Attard represented the United States at the IIHF World Championships. Last season, he further developed with the Phantoms. Attard replaced Cam York at the 2023 AHL All-Star Challenge, joining Foerster.
He competed in two games with the Flyers in 2022-2023 but focused mightily on developing his skill in the AHL. Attard represented the offensive push along the blue line, totaling 32 points (12G, 20A) in 68 games, supporting efforts by other promising defensive prospects like Adam Ginning.
The qualifying offer to Attard is $874,125 on a two-way contract.
Cam York
Tortorella was hard on York, challenging him to become a game-changer. He passed the test, finding his permanent role in the Flyers’ lineup. York will compete for top-pair minutes at LD after Ivan Provorov moved to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In 54 games, York totaled 20 points (2G, 18A). Tendering a qualifying offer to York means the Flyers value him as a core defenseman in this rebuild.
The qualifying offer to York is $971,250 on a two-way contract.
Kieffer Bellows
In and out of the lineup, Bellows couldn’t find consistent footing on the Flyers’ fourth line. Bellows began to fall out of the lineup, replaced by Lycksell briefly.
Bellows was claimed off of waivers by the Flyers. The New York Islanders squeezed the best out of Bellows in 2021-2022. In Philadelphia for 27 games, Bellows contributed three goals.
Wyatte Wylie
Wylie never received a promotion to the NHL from the Phantoms. He reached the AHL postseason, falling to the Charlotte Checkers in a three-game series, 2-1. In Lehigh Valley, Wylie totaled ten points (3G, 7A) in 45 games.
Most of the RD depth in the Flyers’ system results from receiving Sean Walker and Helge Grans in the deal that sent Provorov to Columbus. Declining to sign Wylie could mean Briere is open to selecting a defenseman in the opening rounds of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
Evan Barratt
Per Sam Wismer, Barratt signed with the Nurnburg Ice Tigers in the DEL after spending last season with the Reading Royals in the ECHL. His decision to compete in the DEL disqualified any offer from the Flyers.
Barratt competed in two games with the Phantoms in 2022-2023, notching an assist.
Ivan Fedotov
Fedotov remains under contract with the Flyers through 2023-2024.
Detained in Russia, the difficulties surrounding Fedotov correlate to an alleged military service evasion. Fedotov won the KHL Gagarin Cup in 2021-2022 for CSKA Moskva.
Valery Pokrovsky, the coach of the Russian Navy, shared his opinion of Fedotov in the Armed Forces Tournament. Fedotov surrendered three goals, but Pokrovsky praised his performance overall. His participation with the Russian Navy was his first tournament performance in a year.
(Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)
