Philadelphia Flyers
Derek Grant and Tyler Pitlick
The Philadelphia Flyers have UFAs to address at every position. Three of those players are forwards and a couple of them even play on the same line. Derek Grant and Tyler Pitlick played very well together this season on the third line.
Both players surpassed 20 points for the campaign. Grant had a sum of 25 points from 15 goals and 10 assists playing in 56 games. Pitlick recorded 20 points on eight goals and 12 assists in 63 games. Theirs was a reliable line for coach Alain Vigneault. It’ll be interesting to see whether GM Chuck Fletcher tries to bring both men back to continue that success.
Nate Thompson
The center for the fourth line is also looking at free agency. Nate Thompson is set to become a UFA. He has played 13 years in the NHL for eight different franchises.
His latest stop in Philadelphia only lasted seven games after being traded there by the Montreal Canadiens on trade deadline day. In exchange, the Habs received a fifth-round pick.
Right before it was announced that the novel coronavirus has shut down the NHL, Thompson suffered a knee sprain which would have kept him out of action for two weeks. He should be long recovered by the time free agency opens up and he begins shopping for a new team.
Brian Elliot
The Flyers goalie Brian Elliot turns 35 on April 9. He has put himself in a good position to re-up on his $2 million annual salary. Elliot had a record of 24-13-3 with a save percentage of 0.914 and a goals-against-average of 2.42.
Justin Braun
Defenseman Justin Braun is coming off a five-year $19 million contract given to him by the San Jose Sharks.
The Flyers have one of the better bluelines in the NHL which allows them to let Braun walk away at season’s end. His takeaways to giveaways ratio might have caused some frustration in Philadelphia.
On the season he had 10 takeaways but gave up the puck 31 times in 62 games. On the surface, this doesn’t appear to look good but considering that he only had an average of a takeaway every other game, Braun’s reputation of a solid defender in his own end still stands up.