Happy Saturday, people. With 54 days to go until training camps open, NHL teams are busy sorting out their rosters.
Around the NHL…
The Philadelphia Flyers signed a young power forward who will be an important piece in their rebuilding. Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk may be on a new team, but he and Edmonton’s Evander Kane still have bad blood, and the Pittsburgh Penguins and Flyers have a lot in common. (Hint: It has to do with cap space, not on-ice talent.)
Oh, and the Islanders get an “A” for connecting with season ticket holders. They bought $25,000 worth of Mega Millions tickets and said they will share some of the winnings with their fans if they beat the odds. Hey, good PR can go a long way, right?
Before we get to some of the NHL stories, let’s first look at the latest Flyers news: They signed RFA Owen Tippett on Friday, and if he has a breakout season, he’ll be worth the two-year deal he received. Its annual cap is $1.5 million.
Definitely defense Ryan Ellis it is the key to determining if the Philadelphia Flyers will improve much this season.
Ellis played only four games last season due to a pelvic injury, and it would be surprising if he is ready for the start of the 2022-23 campaign.
You can argue that by Sean Couturier getting back into form is the key to offense. The 29-year-old center is coming off back surgery.
But one could also argue that among the young players on the team, no one will be more important than Tippett.
Known as “Tip,” the 23-year-old right winger appears more ready for a big season than any of the other unnamed young players on the team. Joel Farabee, who is only 22 years old but has already established himself as a quality player in his 170 games.
Tippett has played in 115 NHL games, which is more than morgan frost (77), Noah Cates (16), Cam York (33) and Wade Allison (15), players who are expected to be on the opening night roster.
Barring injury, this will be Tippett’s first full NHL season, and considering he’s scored 25 goals in his last 57 AHL games, he appears to be on the verge of NHL success.
The 6-foot-2, 207-pound Tippett had a total of 10 goals in a combined 63 NHL games with the Flyers and Florida last season.
A 20-goal season in 2022-23 seems like a feasible aspiration.
Philly hockey now: The Flyers expect Tippett’s signing to pay big dividends. Here is my full explanation: Philadelphia hockey now.
Around the NHL and National Hockey Now
Pittsburgh: The Flyers can’t compete with the Penguins on the ice, but they are comparable in one area: the cap. Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher has taken a lot of flak from Manayunk to Medford about how he handles the cap, even from this space, but he’s got plenty of company. As Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now points out, the Pens aren’t in a good salary-cap position. And they are not alone. there are 12 teams on capped at $82.5 million and 10 more who “can’t afford a free lunch.” (Teams can exceed the limit by 10 percent in the summer.)
And so, while trade rumors swirl around the NHL, making a deal isn’t that easy with so many teams in cap hell. Pittsburgh hockey now.
Florida: Don’t invite Matthew Tkachuk from Florida and Evander Kane from Edmonton to the same barbecue. It will be a must to watch TV when their teams meet next season. Kind of like the old days when David Schultz and the Philadelphia Flyers met the Boston Bruins and Terry O’Reilly. Sammy Silber of Washington Hockey now has the history.
Anaheim: Right shooter John Klingberg, who scored 47 points with Dallas last season, signed a one-year contract Friday with Anaheim. The 29-year-old Swede received $7 million. He was the best defenseman on the free-agent market, and it’s a little surprising that he picked the lowly Quack Quacks. (But the Ducks now look better than the Flyers, which is important in the Connor Bedard Draft.)
Islanders: Say this about New York Islanders: They are creative. No, not necessarily in the commercial market. I’m talking about the public relations market. They bought 25,000 Mega Million tickets (cost: $50,000) and will happily split the money if they win the $1.28 billion jackpot. They would split the proceeds between full season ticket holders, suite holders, staff, and the Islanders Children’s Foundation. Here is the funny story in New York Islanders hockey now.
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