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Chuck Fletcher made a difference.
Just before the freeze on trade and waivers in the NHL, the 3 p.m. ET deadline for the expansion draft, the Flyers acquired defenseman Ryan Ellis from the Predators in return for Philippe Myers and Nolan Patrick. According to multiple reports, Patrick was subsequently traded from Nashville to the Golden Knights for Cody Glass.
Ellis is an experienced first pair and right-hander defender who will play alongside Ivan Provorov.
Patrick’s trade could now allow the Flyers to protect James van Riemsdyk in Wednesday’s expansion draft.
Patrick was the second overall selection in the 2017 draft. The 22-year-old center has had a tough season (four goals, five assists, minus-30 rating) a year after missing the entire 2019-20 fiscal year while he was battling a migraine disorder.
Myers was the undrafted discovery of the Flyers, a 6-foot-5 defenseman who had climbed the club’s prospect standings. With hopes Cam York and Egor Zamula behind the scenes, it was possible the Flyers would hang Myers, 24, this offseason. They ended up doing it to fill a big hole.
The Flyers were in desperate need of a top pair defenseman. They didn’t fill the void left by Matt Niskanen’s retirement last offseason and ended up giving up more goals than any other hockey team at 3.52 per game. As a result, the Flyers missed the playoffs a year after losing one victory less than the Eastern Conference final.
(More soon…)
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