Date Published: 10-29-2022
Photo Credit: NHL.com
With the Flyers decimated with injuries, claiming Bellows made sense. Bellows brings a dimension, a shoot first mentality that the Flyers are lacking with the likes of Sean Couturier, Cam Atkinson, Bobby Brink, and Patrick Brown on the shelf with injuries. I mean Couturier and Atkinson aren’t even skating anymore, so who knows when they will return.
John Tortorella has stated over and over again this past week that the Flyers need more goal scoring. He recently stated it does not matter where a player is placed within the lineup, to include Zack MacEwen, he expects the players to score. Following Tuesday’s practice Tortorella said, “If you are not going to be a great checker, a fighter, then you have to do something to your strength which is goal scoring. We have to score by committee.” Well, the Flyers might have been given a little bit of a lift with claiming Kieffer Bellows. For his efforts, he will make his Flyers debut tonight.
“The Flyers are an historic organization, and I’m very thankful for the opportunity Chuck Fletcher and Torts gave me.” – Kieffer Bellows
Hopefully, Bellows can assist in this area of need with goal scoring. His cap hit is $1.2 million, and the Flyers have $2.9 million worth of cap space on the books. He has only suited up in 68 career NHL games, to which he has netted 11 goals and registered 14 assists. Again the main reason he’s having trouble sticking at the NHL level is because of his skating, and his back checking could use a little bit of a lift.
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He signed a one-year $1.2 million deal this past offseason, and he was expected to stick in the Islanders lineup with the absence of Oliver Wahlstrom. According to multiple reports out of New York, Bellows was playing limited minutes because he gave away the puck too much, and had trouble back checking. He added some physicality to his game, but it was not enough to stick in the Islanders lineup.
The hope is that Bellows can find his game. This is a low risk-high reward for the Flyers, as Bellows is on an expiring deal. Hopefully it pans out for the orange and black.
