Philadelphia Flyers News & Rumors: Abols, Michkov, Possible Draft Trades – Hockey Writers – News and Rumors
In this edition of our Philadelphia Flyers news and rumors report, we look at the signing of forward Rodrigo Abols, revisit some old rumors about a possible Matvei Michkov, and look at other ways the Flyers could acquire another first-round pick. With two weeks to go until the 2024 NHL Draft ends on June 28, the biggest moves around the league are almost ready to go up soon.
Flyers Signing Rodrigo Abols
On June 15, the Flyers announced the signing of Abols, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound center who played in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) through the 2023-24 season. He scored 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 points in 50 games, tied for 53rd in the league with 266 total goals (80th percentile). He signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $0.775 million—the 28-year-old will likely play out his entire career in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Down and out, Abols has some words to say. Rhett Gardner and Elliot Desnoyers are both under contract for one more season, Tanner Laczynski is an unrestricted free agent (UFA) but could return, and 23-year-old Massimo Rizzo could be a regular player for the Phantoms — potentially bolstering their depth chart at center. in their final lineup of the season. It may be crowded in the AHL in 2024-25, but head coach Ian Laperriere will have to make it work.
If the situation in the NHL gets bad enough, Abols could play for the Flyers. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Vancouver Canucks in 2016 and has some AHL experience to his name. As a veteran fill-in, this signing isn’t too noteworthy but it’s an interesting move nonetheless.
Still No Update on Michkov
The possibility of Michkov joining the Flyers for the 2024-25 season was teased by his Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) team on April 30, 2024. Alexander Medvedev, the 19-year-old team’s Chairman, said “I think that a decision on Michkov will be made before the end of June,” referring to the possibility that the little thing could be with the Flyers next season.
His KHL contract does not expire until April 30, 2026, meaning Michkov will remain in Russia unless his team deems it best for his career to move to the NHL before that point. There hasn’t really been any news on the guy since then, but it’s not even June yet—the timeline for Michkov’s arrival is still ongoing.
Acquiring Michkov would do wonders for the Flyers in no time, but time is running out for that to happen. If he does stay in the KHL, it wouldn’t be bad for his development to stay there. He was on loan from his club SKA St. Petersburg on a low-level team that doesn’t have that much talent, so actually getting a shot with some of his better teammates should help him grow.
Can the Flyers Get the Top Two Draft Picks?
The Flyers sit 12th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, but that may not be enough. It’s easy to get excited about players who could fall to them, like Konsta Helenius, Berkly Catton, and Cole Eiserman, but choosing between these players is a tough pill to swallow—the Flyers should be looking for more top picks. prospects from this class.
With the way the draft is stacked defensively, many of these three forwards could fall outside the top 10. Can the Flyers get both? Well, there are a few themes that are reported to be buying things of their own choosing.
Related: Philadelphia Flyers’ Way to Trade Up in 2024 NHL Draft
The Buffalo Sabers caught my eye with the 11th overall pick a few weeks ago, as they have a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2011 and has a lot of good prospects. They could use an immediate impact player on their roster instead of a draft pick, and that kind of thinking was touched on by Elliotte Friedman of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast.
“I don’t think they will just do it [trade the 11th pick] to do it, but they got it and said ‘if you really like that option, and it’s something that’s going to help us, we’re going to do it,’” Friedman said. This paints a clear picture of the Sabers listening to teams and what they have to offer. If the Flyers are willing to part with a good player in the program and maybe even more, the dream of getting two players like Helenius and Eiserman in the same program is very real.
In addition, the Ottawa Senators may be listening to their seventh pick for similar reasons. Their last time in the postseason was in 2017, and they have a lot of young players on their team who are coming into their own league. Ottawa’s Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations, former Flyer captain Dave Poulin, said his team is at least open to trading picks.
Just because the Senators are doing their due diligence and seeing if there are offers coming up doesn’t mean they’re actively shopping, but this opens up an opportunity for the Orange and Black to make an offer that Ottawa will have to really think about. . Whether that will actually be beneficial to Philadelphia is a discussion for another time, but at least they can play with these types of opportunities.
The biggest stretch of the offseason awaits the Flyers. In the next two weeks, there may be big changes for them.
