The Philadelphia Flyers have signed four players to contracts, avoiding arbitration and keeping depth on their roster. The Flyers agreed on a two-year deal with defenseman Reece Willcox, one-year contracts with forwards Taylor Leier and Tyrell Goulbourne, and got Danick Martel to agree to a one-year qualifying offer to remain with the team.
All four players provided an impact for the Orange and Black last season, being much-needed depth after injuries.
Willcox scored three goals and added 12 assists last season for 15 points with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season before adding only one assist in 13 playoff games. Willcox will likely be relied on by Phantoms head coach Scott Gordon more than he was last season due to the highly-likely possibility of Travis Sanheim moving up to the Flyers on a permanent basis as well as Philippe Myers possibly moving up as well.
If those two moves happen, the Phantoms’ defensive lineup would consist of Willcox, T.J. Brennan, David Drake, James de Haas, Mark Friedman, and Samuel Morin. Drake will be breaking into his rookie year and won’t be expected to put in major minutes, and Morin will be out until midway through the season. Willcox and Brennan look like they might be the only defensemen with more than a season’s worth of professional hockey experience on the Phantoms.
Willcox will likely never be an NHL defenseman for the Flyers, but his consistency on the blue line is a plus for the organization. Ron Hextall has constantly showed how important he believes the Phantoms are in terms of a development standpoint, and Willcox is the type of player that will provide stability when paired with a younger and more offensive-minded player.
Goulbourne made his NHL debut against the St. Louis Blues back in January, he provided a spark on his very first shift. His hit caused a turnover and eventually led to a goal seconds later. Goulbourne spent the majority of the season with the Phantoms, recording 19 points in 63 games.
Leier spent the season with the Flyers, recording five points in 39 games. He spent the rest of the time as the extra forward and healthy scratch. Leier was in and out of the lineup on the fourth line for Dave Hakstol, but didn’t provide much else on the ice.
Last but not least, Martel remains with the Flyers after recording a career-high 25 goals in 59 games with the Phantoms. The performance was so good that it earned him a call-up in November, where he appeared in four games over that span. Martel has been one of the Phantoms best point producers, recording 120 points in 199 games over the last four seasons. Having him back will be a big help to a Phantoms team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals this past season.
Robert Hagg and Anthony Stolarz are the two remaining RFAs the Flyers have left to sign.
(Photos by Heather Barry / Sons of Penn)
Originally published at SonsOfPenn.com