Welcome Chris VandeVelde to Philadelphia. He’s your newest healthy scratch!
The Flyers today signed the forward, who originally joined the team during training camp and wound up on an AHL deal to begin the season with the Phantoms. The 26-year-old has has seven goals and six assists in 23 games with Adirondack this season, second on the team behind Jason Akeson. He’s played in 28 career NHL games, all with the Oilers.
I’m assuming that the Flyers figure it makes more sense to have VandeVelde, a guy who projects as really nothing more than a fourth-liner at the NHL level, rot in the press box as an extra body instead of a younger, more-skilled played like Tye McGinn or Akeson. VandeVelde looked good in the preseason with the Flyers and did well enough to earn that AHL deal, but that doesn’t change his projection as anything more than an NHL fourth-liner.
The Flyers now have 53 NHL contracts on their books with VandeVelde signed. The limit is 50, but the contracts of junior players Scott Laughton, Samuel Morin, Anthony Stolarz and Taylor Leier are “slide rule” eligible, meaning they don’t count against that 50 contract limit this season. VandeVelde’s deal is a one-year contract that expires in July 2014, and we’re guessing it’s somewhere near the league minimum.
McGinn was here for two games. He didn’t play in either. The Flyers lost both. Ultimately, this transaction means next to nothing, because Chris VandeVelde isn’t going to get the rest of the team to act like they care. (No offense, Chris.)
