Today, the Flyers made a solid trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning—swapping young AHL defensemen who are still developing their games.
Roman Schmidt, the 22-year-old right-shot blueliner (born in Michigan, drafted 96th overall by Tampa in 2021), brings some physicality and upside to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms after posting three goals and two assists with a +7 rating in 17 games for Syracuse this season. He originally signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Lightning through 2024-25 at an AAV of about $806K, but now heads to Philly, while becoming a Restricted Free Agent (RFA) at the end of the season.
Ethan Samson (also 22, sixth-round pick by the Flyers in 2021) has been a steady presence lately for Lehigh Valley with four assists in 10 games since returning from that early-season injury. Tampa gets a guy who’s shown he can contribute offensively and physically (he’s a 6’3 frame with some bite). His ELC runs through the season at around $900K AAV.
Best of luck to him in the Bolts system—hope he sticks and thrives.
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