Jordan Weal is a 25-year old forward who probably just saved his NHL career in the last quarter of this past season. His contract ran out this year, meaning his is now due for a slight payday. However, that payday may not come from the Flyers, and that is absolutely fine.
Let’s take a look back at Weal’s career. Drafted by the LA Kings in the 3rd round of the 2010 draft, he continued to play for his WHL club, the Regina Pats. And my word, he dominated during his time in the WHL. Over the course of 282 WHL games, he recorded 385 points.
At the conclusion of the 2010-11 WHL season, Weal signed an ATO (stands for amateur-tryout contract, allows a player to play in the minors without officially become a ‘professional’) with the Manchester Monarchs. Following that, he signed an entry-level deal with the Kings. His final season with the Pats was to be the following season, where he put 116 points in 70 games to be honored on the WHL Eastern First All-Star Team.
For the next 3 seasons, he was a regular in the Monarchs’ lineup, putting up 33, 70, and 69-point campaigns in those seasons, respectively. The Kings never did call him up until the beginning of the 2015-16 season. Weal played 10 games for the Kings before being traded to the Flyers for Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn in January. A frequent healthy scratch with the Kings, the trade to the Flyers seemed to inspire a bit of hope for Weal.
An injury kept Weal out of the Flyers’ lineup for a bit before he was able to suit up for 4 games. At the end of the 2015-16 season, he had 0 points to his name in 12 games played. Last year, after a very good 43-game stint with the Phantoms where he put up 47 points, he was called up to the Flyers. With 12 points in 23 NHL games at the end of last season, Weal has Flyers fans looking to him as an exciting young player who can provide a lot to this team. After signing his one-year contract with the Flyers at the end of 2016, it’s now up, and Weal is in need of a new contract.
Hello, and welcome back to our current point.
The Flyers and Jordan Weal’s camp have had discussions over the past few weeks on signing a new contract, but it seems that Weal is interested in hearing offers from other teams including his hometown team, the Vancouver Canucks. This is par-for-course for a player like Weal who could get more playing time with another NHL team.
Over a dozen calls on 25 yr old Jordan Weal. He's on tour this week and is expected to visit the Canucks. North Van kid. Could be a good fit
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 26, 2017
But, as Dreger continued to say….
Staying in Philadelphia is also an option. https://t.co/uWMaqrf2Sh
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 26, 2017
Weal has the playing cards in his hands. He can get a lot more money than the Flyers are offering him from other teams, and the added playing time can definitely help. Weal is someone who is very much looked at as a top free agent this offseason, and while that always over-inflates a player’s salary, the added potential helps tremendously for him as well.
This reminds me of someone… someone who most recently played for Växjö Lakers HC of the SHL. Ringing a bell? No?
How about this: he was bought out by the Sabres for playing absolutely terrible with a $4.5 million contract. I’m talking about Villie Leino.
Leino, before he was traded to the Flyers in 2010, scored 16 points in 55 games with the Detroit Red Wings. In 13 regular season games with the Flyers in 2009-10, he recorded 4 points. However, in the playoffs, he exploded for 21 points in 19 games. Continuing this hot streak into the next season (his contract season), he scored 53 points in 81 games. The recency bias led the Sabres to overpaying him in free agency to the huge contract. With the Sabres, he scored 46 points in 137 games before being bought out.
Now, the huge difference between Leino and Weal is sample size. While Leino had many many more games under his belt before getting his big contract, Weal doesn’t even have 40 NHL games played.
With Leino, one can understand why the Sabres were fooled by the fact that he had a very good full season in 2010-11. However, if Weal gets a contract that over-inflates his value and he doesn’t live up to it, the team that signed him will get no sympathy from me. A 23-game stretch does not an NHL-worthy player make. Yes, there is potential with Weal, but he may end up being a Jason Akeson-type player: too good for the AHL, not good enough for the NHL.
Adding onto that, Troy Mann, the coach of the Hershey Bears, even said that Weal is arguably the best player in the AHL.
So, yeah, Weal has garnered a lot of praise for his AHL play. I just don’t think his NHL play from last year season will continue.
For a second, let’s believe that Weal was absolutely continue to play at the same rate as he did last year. Over the course of a full season, Weal would’ve had around 43 points. Looking at players who scored around that same number of points last year, we can see what Weal may be worth. Teuvo Teravainen had a career best 42 points with the Hurricanes last year and was given a two-year, $2.86 million per-year contract this month. This is a cheap deal for a player of his talents. Weal may be getting up to this in the free agency pool if a bidding war commences. Undeservedly so for a player who has a minimal amount of NHL experience and a smaller amount of good play.
If he does get up to $2.86 million, the Flyers shouldn’t get into a bidding war for him. Even if it just gets past $2 million to get him, the Flyers shouldn’t bite. He will be playing in the NHL next year, and he is a risk the Flyers don’t have to take.
Would I be happy if he is a Flyer next year? Yes, but only at the right price. If he leaves, I won’t be sad. There are other players who can fill his spot even better.
Originally published on GNGHockey.com