We’ve known that Michael Del Zotto wouldn’t be returning to the Flyers for a while, since he told us all two days after the 2016-17 season ended that the organization said they wouldn’t be re-signing him. Today, the Vancouver Canucks agreed to a contract with Del Zotto, formally ending his Flyers career with a two-year contract.
Our old friend Frank Seravalli has the exact terms:
Michael Del Zotto has agreed to terms with #Canucks, 2 years, $3 million AAV. #TSN
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 1, 2017
Del Zotto came to the Flyers late in the 2014 offseason on a one-year deal after the Flyers received the shocking news that Kimmo Timonen would miss most of the 2014-15 season due to blood clots in his leg. He became one of the team’s best sources of offense from the blue line that season, posting 32 points in 64 games while playing almost 22 minutes a night.
Dave Hakstol’s arrival to the Flyers before the 2015-16 season led to Del Zotto taking an elevated role with the team, as he was the team’s No. 1 defenseman for much of the season. Del Zotto played 23:25 a night for 52 games while logging key minutes at even strength and on special teams. Even though his point production cratered (he had just four goals and nine assists in those 52 games), one could very easily make the argument that he was an even more impactful defenseman on the whole than he was in his first year with the Flyers.
Unfortunately, a February wrist injury cut that season short, and an injury in training camp this past season took him out of the lineup for all of October 2016. It took Del Zotto a while to get back to speed, and he was even occasionally healthy scratched during the season. While we started to see glimpses of the guy from the previous season later on in the year, the Flyers’ decision to move on from him comes as very little surprise.
He’ll head to a rebuilding Vancouver team that, frankly, does not have much of anything going on right now, so he may be given the chance to carry a lot of responsibility right from the outset. It should be a good fit for him. Hopefully he’ll get a chance to do some DJing while he’s at it.
