The Flyers spent the opening day of free agency building out more than just their NHL roster.
After earlier locking up Dan Vladar and Tyson Foerster to long-term extensions, Philadelphia turned its attention to organizational depth, adding four players who should give the AHL club a much sturdier backbone. The team announced winger Danil Klimovich on a one-year, two-way contract, forward Zach Aston-Reese on a two-year contract, center-wing Jack Studnicka on a two-year, two-way contract, and defenseman Cam Dineen on a two-year, two-way contract.
Klimovich is the youngest of the group at 23, and the Flyers are taking a shot on a player who was not qualified by the Canucks when his last contract expired. He also fits into the wave of young forwards already being built in Lehigh Valley.
The other additions are aimed more squarely at filling the veteran holes left behind by players who moved on, including Lane Pederson signing in LA and Anthony Richard heading overseas. Studnicka is 27, Dineen 28, and Aston-Reese 31, and each brings a different kind of useful mileage. Studnicka has split five of the last six seasons between the AHL and NHL, while Aston-Reese spent years as a regular NHL presence before settling into more of an organizational depth role in recent seasons.
That blend matters. Along with the return of Zayde Wisdom last month and Grundstrom’s extension, the Flyers now have a deeper veteran base around their younger prospects in Lehigh Valley. It’s not the kind of work that grabs headlines, but it gives the Phantoms a much better chance to hold up over the grind of a full season.
That was a real issue last year. The Phantoms had a difficult second half, with younger players running into the wall that so often shows up in a long AHL season.
The playoff push faded, and the veterans in the lineup ended up carrying much of the load through that stretch. The skill is there among the young players, but the league has a way of exposing inexperience when the losses and fatigue start stacking up.
For a team whose main purpose is development, the challenge now is balance. The Phantoms still made progress last season, but there’s more to unlock, especially if they want to get back into the Calder Cup playoff picture. The coaching staff has shown it can build a system that works when everyone is executing, and now the front office has done its part by giving that system a more stable supporting cast.
In Other News...
Flyers Add Another Mystery Forward With Something To Prove
The Flyers added another low-risk forward option to the mix, signing Nolan Foote to a one-year, two-way contract as they continue to sort through the edges of their roster. The deal gives Philadelphia a depth piece with a clear path to compete in training camp, and it comes with the kind of modest financial commitment teams often use when they want to see whether a player can earn a longer look.
Foote, who previously played in the Florida Panthers organization, will be paid at the league minimum of $850,000 in the NHL and $300,000 in the AHL. For the Flyers, the real question is whether he can push his way into the conversation for a roster spot or end up starting the season in Lehigh Valley, which is where these kinds of signings often begin to reveal their value. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers New Czech Goalie Addition Comes With One Surprising Twist
The Flyers added another intriguing name to their goaltending pipeline when they used a second-round pick on Martin Psohlavec, a Czech netminder who has already gotten a taste of the organization at Development Camp. The young goalie has plenty to like on paper, too, after turning in a strong run in the Czech Under-20 League and showing enough promise to be part of a prospect group that is starting to draw some attention in Philadelphia.
Psohlavec also arrives with a built-in connection that makes the fit a little more interesting. He said he is excited to be in the same system as fellow Czech goalies Dan Vladar and Marek Sklenicka, and he has singled out Vladar as a role model as he begins to map out his own path. For a Flyers team always looking to build depth in goal, the nationality link is a small but notable twist, and it adds another layer to watch as Psohlavec settles in and starts talking with the veterans who can help shape what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Porter Martone Is Sending A Clear Message At Flyers Camp
Development camp is giving the Flyers a first real look at prospects in different stages of the pipeline, and Porter Martone is right in the middle of it. The young forward arrives with more recent NHL experience than most of the players around him, but his summer has still been a balancing act after a long season that stretched through international play and playoffs. He spent about a week and a half away from the gym after the World Championships before ramping back up, and this week marks his first time back on the ice after stopping play roughly three weeks ago.
The Flyers are easing him in with power-skating work and checking in on how he feels as camp goes on, which fits the broader point of this week: development is not always linear, even for a player already trying to push toward the next level. Martone has made it clear he wants to keep improving and put himself in position for the season ahead, and the way the Flyers handle his workload now should say plenty about where he stands in their plans. [Read more 🡒]