Photo Credit: Zack Hill
According to the Philadelphia Flyers have traded for reliable steady Defenceman Ryan Ellis a Right-Handed Defenseman. In exchange for the 30-year old, the Flyers are giving up Nolan Patrick and Philippe Myers.
The 5’10, 181 lbs, Defenseman is entering his third year of his eight year contract, as he scored three goals, and registered 15 assists in 35 games played this past year. He is as durable as they come as Ellis logged 23:46 of ice time this past season, and Ellis can play the top pairing role with Ivan Provorov.
He has 75 career goals and 195 career assists, with a plus-minus rating of +114.
Fletcher has become renowned for his veteran focus and that still applies here. Ellis has playoff experience under his belt. That’s exactly the kind of veteran mentorship that the team was missing with the void left after Matt Niskanen’s retirement.
Ryan Ellis (audio via from the Flyers PR guru Zack Hill) stated:
“I’m surprised, shocked, and excited.” – Ryan Ellis
This is exactly the kind of move that the proud orange clad faithful deserve. In contrast to previous years, this is a cut-throat, veteran-first, win-now mentality shoring up defensive depth, as Fletcher indicated last week. Flyers fans remember the Ron Hextall days, and are reluctant to trade a draft pick to shore up a need internally. However, Ellis is marginally cheap considering with a $6.25 million cap hit, and he will play a key role in mentoring what is already a strong defensive core. The Flyers are trying to remain contenders, and some general landscaping is taking place. It’s building an extremely solid foundation for the youth already on the team, to thrive and excel.
Seems like a good trade. Patrick had issues and seems like a bottom 6 forward. Myers showed talent but was way to inconsistent
Another first round pick that didn’t pan out.