New York Islanders Metropolitan Division Stronger After Free Agency

Philadelphia Flyers

Brian Elliott finally had a chance to get himself a starter position in Calgary. A position he wasn’t going to have to share with some other goaltender. And he spoiled it with a .910 SV% and 2.55 GAA in 42 games played with the Flames.

But for some reason, the Flyers decided to gamble on the former Ottawa Senator and St. Louis Blues netminder. Out went Steve Mason to the Winnipeg Jets and in comes Elliott for $2.75 per year over the next two season.

Philadelphia Flyers Off-Season Moves:

The Flyers also, thanks to the NHL lottery, picked up the second overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. They took Nolan Patrick at number two. Patrick was once a lock at number one, but the Devils decided to pass on the former Brandon Wheat King.

His start with the Flyers hasn’t started well. He’s already requiring abdominal surgery. It seems he’ll be ready for the start of ther 2017-18 season.

The Flyers also sent Brayden Schenn and his $5.125 million deal over the next three seasons to the St Louis Blue for Jori Lethera, and his $4.7 million over the next two years, and a first round pick in 2017. A pick they used to select Morgan Frost from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL.

It seems that GM Ron Hextall is still tinkering with this roster to get out of all the bad contracts that he inherited. But the Flyers were still a playoff team for a while. They’re actually the only team to ever miss the playoffs after winning ten games in a row.

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The Metropolitan Division was already the league’s top division in 2015-16 with four teams hitting 100 points or more after 82 games. The division just seems to have gotten harder now. Jordan Eberle hardly seems like the answer for the Isles. They need that second line center if they hope to at least continue what they did last season.